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Music Class with Ms. Guyana Asriyan

Fourth and fifth grade students who are taking music classes with Ms. Asriyan have been studying music theory and how to play an instrument, i.e. the recorder. Sunny Brae provided each student a recorder and the student can take that instrument home once the student finishes fifth grade. See a compilation of videos

 

 

 

 

The magnet application will be on October 2 – November 9, 2017. We will update this site for more information as they come. This will be our first year in accepting students to the magnet program for the next school year.

September 10-17, 2017

What’s New?

• Have you checked your child’s individual web pages? I have uploaded pictures, videos, and files of your child. For some, this may be too much but I really want the parents to see snippets of what we do in school. You may want to share your link to grandpa and grandma, aunts and uncles.
• More YouTube videos have been uploaded. These videos are mostly vdieos of your child being assessed for reading fluency and theater arts.
• Most of the online accounts (through an online web portal or through an app) have been updated. So far, your child has been using Lexia and Raz Kids for Reading Language Arts and Prodigy for math. I have sent home a list of these accounts with the corresponding usernames and passwords. Ask your child to show how to use these to you. Make them explain to you how to log in and explain what they have to do. Please do not use the other accounts yet as the students have not used them yet. I will be sending home updates of their progress in using these accounts.
• For this week, I have taught the routine for phonics based on the new reading program Benchmark Advance. We have also done spelling (not a spelling test). the focus here is how to sound out a represent each sound with a specific spelling pattern. This will hoppefully help students in reading and writing.

The following academic words have been introduced to students. I do not expect my students to memorize what these words mean but they should understand what I am saying when I use them in the classroom. What differentiate these words with the other vocabulary under each academic area? These words are usually used in the classroom by the teachers when teaching or are in textbooks. These are rarely used in typical conversations outside the classrooms by the students.

Academic Vocabulary:

• close reading
• annotations
• highlight
• main idea and supporting details
• exit tickets
• standards
• sentence frame / sentence starters

The following technology related words have been introduced to students. I do not expect my students to be able to define these words to me. These words were introduced in the context of a skill or task using a computer. a laptop or a device such as an iPad, a tablet, or a smartphone. If I ask a student to open a browser and search for a topic, students should be able to show me that they open a browser of their choice (e.g. Safari, Google Chrome) and type in a search word in the search box.

Technology Related Vocabulary

• right click
• copy – paste
• minimize
• maximize
• restore
• close the window
• browser (e.g. Google Chrome, Safari, Edge, Internet Explorer)
• swipe
• scroll
• tap
• click

English Language Arts:

We, as a class, have been doing close reading for 2 weeks now. We are still in the “getting to know how to do it” phase. This is still very much guided / led by the teacher. We read the texts at least 3 times depending on how complex the text is. The first time is devoted in getting to know the words. If the child does not know the word, the child can highlight it and mark it with a question mark. This helps me, as the teacher, in figuring out what words to use when teaching vocabulary. On our second reading, we focus on highlighting the important details. During this phase, students may highlight certain parts that they think are important and are marked with a star or an asterisk. Names of places and people and dates are more likely to be highlighted. The following picture lists some of the annotation marks used in class.

The following words are words used in the stories. We study these words using a specific vocabulary strategy. Although it is easier now to look for the definition of the word just by asking Siri or Google, many of these words have multiple meanings. It is much more important that students understand how these words are being used in a sentence.

Vocabulary: 

• local representation
• federal, state, local government
• economics

Vocabulary Strategy:

• context clues (apposition, word structure, and sentence clues)
  • apposition:
  • word structure:
  • sentence clues:

During our third time reading the same text, we dig in deeper. We look at how the author uses words to tell a story or explain a concept. this will help students get ideas on how to write. We also focus on more understanding the story. I currently ask basic reading comprehension questions. When students answer, they have to cite evidence. The following are some of the sample sentence frames that students may use:

 

 

Vocabulary: 

• addends
• sum, total, altogether, all in all
• addition of multidigit numbers with and without regrouping.
• place value
• digits
• standard form
• word form
• expanded form

 

Here is first of many YouTube videos that I will be using. I always search for videos that teach the lesson we are currently studying that use pop or current songs (well, I try to be as current but I can only post what’s available). These songs will be placed in their respective curricular areas (please explore this site as there are plenty of hidden gems).

Theater Arts:

Vocabulary: 

• actor’s tools
  • body
  • voice
  • imagination
• working in a group
  • ensemble
  • rhythm
  • repetition
  • sound level
• acting without moving
  • tableau
  • inanimate objects
  • focus
  • gesture
  • complimentary actions

last Wednesday, we studied about acting without moving and talking. Students have to do an action but be frozen. They have to rely on gestures, facial expressions. See the videos in your child’s web page. While watching, ask your child to talk about the video.

Homework:

(connecting English Language Arts Writing with Theater Arts)

• Describe the rhythm, the movement, the sound of your favorite machine.