Educating Our Eagles - Issue 24

Educating
our Eagles
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CONTENTS
4
Introduction - Curriculum Director, Julie Dolan
6
Third Grade - Let’s Go Fly A Kite – Madeline Caruso
8
Fourth Grade - Trip to The Clark – Jane Schur
10
Second Grade - Basic Shape Landscapes – Todd Titone
12
Second Grade - Landform Dinosaurs – Morgyn Gasperini
14
Tenth Grade - Trigonometry and Triangles – Tim Schwartz
15
Ninth Grade - Public Speaking – Christine McEvoy
16
Seventh Grade - Comparing Two Populations– Kristy Cavanaugh
18
High School - Art Showcase – Stephanie Graham
Cover: Middle School student celebrate Pi Day by measuring cookies.
Right: Elementary students participate in SBRSD's Math Night.
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INTRODUCTION
From SBRSD’s Director of Curriculum
and Instruction, Julie Dolan
Happy Spring! It is so nice to have some sunny warm spring weather.
This is the time of year when we start to have many special events
being put on the calendar so, please keep your eye out for upcoming
happenings.
I would like to take a moment to highlight the Family Math Night
held last month at Undermountain. This event was huge with over
150 participants. The goals of the evening were to educate families on
conceptual math practices, support them with ideas on how they can
work with their student at home, and of course have some fun!
I would like to thank Jane Schur, our Math Leader, for organizing
this event and the following teachers for supporting her and
working that night:
Kim Bleau
Marian Dodds
Ashley Lotz
Christina Carlson
Liz O’Donnell
Ashley Barrett
Jaimi-Lyn Schieb
Lindsey Fogle
Jodi Hutchinson
Annie Alquist
It is important that we gather and celebrate students and their work.
We hope these types of evenings help them connect what they do in
school to their lives and instill a joy of learning.
I am attaching a link to a survey to receive feedback on the family
Math Night for those that attended; we would really appreciate
your feedback.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/F9PXTSF
We look forward to offering more family/community events where we
can learn, grow, and play together!
Right: Third grader listens in class while his reading buddy joins
him on his desk during Read Across America Week.
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ELEMENTARY SCHOOL:
Let’s Go Fly a Kite!
The 3rd grade Chorus is getting ready for their spring concert! They watched a fun clip
from Mary Poppins to learn a new song called “Let's Go Fly a Kite.” To prepare for singing
it, they reviewed some important musical ideas like tempo (how fast or slow the music
goes), major/minor (happy or sad sounding), dynamics (how loud or soft to sing), and mood
(the feeling the music creates).
Students were instructed to think about the following questions as they listened:
What is this song about?
What is the tempo of this song?
Is this song in major or minor?
Is it mostly loud or quiet?
What is the mood of this song? How do you know?
After listening to the song, the class had a discussion about these questions, and students were
offered context about where this song appears in the story of Mary Poppins. As they started to
learn the song on their own, students were asked to think about mood as they sang and learned
about how to show certain emotions in their voices.
As a result of instruction, students will be able to:
• perform the first verse of the song “Let’s Go Fly a Kite” from Mary Poppins.
• identify the mood of a piece of music based on tempo, dynamics, tonality, and lyrics.
Observations:
Students seemed very excited about Mary Poppins! When asked how many of them had seen the
movie, almost all of them raised their hands. We talked about Mr. Banks and how he started out
serious and loosened up by the end of the movie. Students were able to identify that the music was
probably in major based on how it sounded, that the tempo was around walking speed, and that the
mood was generally happy. Some students had physical reactions to the song, dancing in their seats
with a smile on their faces. Giving context of the song was helpful to get them engaged in singing, and
they really enjoyed watching the video.
MA Standards
3-4.M.P.05: Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation. Sing and play musical
canons, rounds, and music in at least two parts.
3-4.M.R.07: Perceive and analyze artistic work. Analyze how expressive qualities (e.g. tempo,
dynamics, timbre) are used to demonstrate a composer’s musical intent.
https://www.doe.mass.edu/frameworks/current.html
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ELEMENTARY SCHOOL:
Trip to The Clark
Fourth-grade students traveled to The Clark on March 28th. This was a culminating event
following a month-long study of artists in writing. Students were able to see artwork from
Monet, Degas, Renoir, and Homer. The day was fun and inspiring. A big shout-out to the
UME PTO for helping us get there!
As a result of instruction students will be able to:
• discuss and notice different artist’s style.
• observe art in various mediums.
• learn stories behind famous art work.
• connect artists they studied with their work.
Observations
Students were very engaged and noticed many details within the pictures they saw. Students
were able to share how different artwork made them feel. They had discussions about how art
tells a story and can draw out emotions, just like in written work.
MA Standards:
Art - 3-4 v.cr.01, 3-4 v.co.11
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ELEMENTARY SCHOOL:
Exploring Landscapes Using Basic Shapes
This second grade art lesson began with an introduction to various drawing techniques
using basic shapes. Students then embarked on creating vibrant zoo landscapes, where
they practiced sketching a variety of animals such as birds, frogs, turtles, horses, and
lions. Using pencils and colored markers, they identified and incorporated fundamental shapes
to construct their artistic creations. Peer assessment allowed students to provide constructive
feedback on each other's animal drawings. Additionally, students engaged in self-assessment
by evaluating their own work based on the successful use of shapes. To solidify their learning,
the project concluded with group presentations, where students eloquently explained their zoo
landscapes and the specific shapes they employed.
As a result of instruction, students will be able to:
• learn about the five basic shapes (circle, square, triangle, rectangle, and oval)
and their characteristics.
• create a bird using a combination of basic shapes and enhance it with oil pastels.
• construct frogs and turtles by combining and manipulating basic shapes.
• utilize basic shapes to compose and color horses in a landscape scene.
• illustrate a Landscape Zoo by incorporating basic shapes effectively and innovative.
Observations:
I witnessed students trying their best to use different shapes like circles, squares, and triangles
in their animal drawings. Student work showed colors that were very bright, making their
zoo landscape drawing look very vibrant. Students did a great job discussing their animal
drawings during the group presentation.
MA Standards:
Demonstrate an understanding of visual art elements and principles.
Create art using various tools, media, and processes, safe practices, and proper care of
materials.
Communicate an idea or emotion through visual art.
Analyze and interpret the meanings of artwork.
Make connections between visual art and other disciplines.
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ELEMENTARY SCHOOL:
Landform Dinosaurs
After spending a few weeks introducing the different kinds of water and land
formations, making reference books, and various other lessons, the students were
tasked with a unique, abstract way to practice their skills. The students were given
a paper with the outline of a dinosaur and asked to find and label eight different landforms
including an island and valley. I told the students that there was not one correct answer and
asked them to explain their reasoning behind why they labeled each landform the way they
did. To go along with the labeling activity, I had the students write which landform they
would live on and give a few reasons why.
As a result of instruction, students will be able to:
• find and label eight different landforms.
• know what the different kinds of landforms are.
• color the landforms with the correct colors.
• be able to identify a landform they would live on and give solid reasons why.
Observations:
The students enjoyed this activity, were engaged throughout, and were challenged by the
possibility of more than one correct answer. I observed the students appreciating and
complimenting each other’s work if they had labeled their dinosaurs differently than one
another. I thought having the students be able to identify the landforms in a more abstract form
was a great way to assess who was understanding the material.
MA Standards:
Science and Technology/Engineering | 2
Earth and Space Sciences | Earth's Systems 2.ESS.2.2
Map the shapes and types of landforms and bodies of water in an area. Clarification
Statements: Examples of types of landforms can include hills, valleys, river banks, and dunes;
Examples of water bodies can include streams, ponds, bays, and rivers; Quantitative scaling in
models or contour mapping is not expected.
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HIGH SCHOOL:
Trigonometry and Triangles
Tenth graders recently explored trigonometry in math class. They learned about right and nonright
triangles and how to use the Law of Sines and Cosines to find missing angles or side lengths.
The lesson connected these concepts to real-world applications in surveying, architecture, and
construction, showing how trigonometry is used in everyday life. This built on their earlier work with
right triangles in trigonometry.
As a result of instruction, students will be able to:
• solve for missing angles and sides of triangles using the Laws of Sines and Cosines.
Observations:
The application to real-world scenarios had the most evidence of success. Once the students were able to
place the process into real-world situations, it became much easier to solve the problems.
MA Standards:
SGeo.G.SRT D.11 Understand and apply the Law of Sines and the Law of Cosines to find unknown
measurements in right and non-right triangles.
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Presenting Persuasively:
Developing Public Speaking Skills Through Debate
HIGH SCHOOL:
By engaging in debate activities and practicing public speaking skills, students can develop their
ability to present persuasively and communicate effectively in a variety of settings. This lesson
provided valuable opportunities for students to hone their presentation skills and build confidence
in their communication abilities.
As a result of instruction, students will be able to:
• enhance their public speaking and presentation skills through practicing debate techniques
and strategies.
Observations:
Students were actively engaged through interactive activities, while clear explanations and visuals aided
comprehension. Real-life examples provided context and set expectations. Watching high school debate
teams in action further solidified their understanding. Debate activities and public speaking practice
empower students to become persuasive presenters and effective communicators in any situation. This
lesson wasn’t just informative; it actively built their confidence and presentation skills, equipping them to
excel in future communication challenges.
MA Standards:
Reading Comprehension: Standards related to comprehending persuasive texts, identifying arguments,
claims, and evidence, and analyzing the structure and effectiveness of persuasive writing.
Speaking and Listening: Standards related to participating in formal debates, engaging in respectful and
constructive dialogue, presenting arguments clearly and persuasively, and responding to counterarguments.
Research Skills: Standards related to conducting research to gather evidence to support arguments, citing
sources accurately, and synthesizing information from multiple sources.
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MIDDLE SCHOOL:
Comparing Two Populations
Students have been learning about comparing random samples from two populations. In this lesson,
students use visual displays of data from random samples of two populations to make inferences
that compare the populations. They also measure the difference between two centers of data from
random samples of two populations by expressing it as a multiple of a measure of variability. The measures
of variability describe the variation in the data with a single value. The measures we have been using to
describe our data sets are the range which is the differences between the greatest and least values in the data
set, the mean absolute deviation (MAD); which is the average distance of each data value from the mean,
and the interquartile range (IQR) which is the range of the middle 50% of the data. In this lesson, students
were split into groups of 3 and were presented with two line plots that compared the amount of homework
given by two teachers. Students used the data to create box plots, which allowed them to identify similarities
and differences between the two data sets. Students then compared the medians, IQRs and ranges of the two
data sets to determine which teacher assigned more homework.
As a result of instruction, students will be able to:
• compare two populations using measures of center and measures of variability for their random samples.
• informally assess the degree of visual overlap of two numerical data distributions with similar variabilities.
• calculate and use a multiple measure of variability to describe the difference between two populations.
Observations:
Students reviewed two line plot examples from their Iready math book and used the data to construct box
and whisker models to compare the two data sets. Students calculated the range, median, and quartiles for
each data set, and then used their model to determine that the center of data was greater for Mr. Duda than
Mrs. Lincoln. Students reasoned that you could compare an inference about one population to an inference
about another population when both inferences are based on random samples. Therefore, a random sample
of homework assignments is likely to reflect all homework assignments by both teachers. By having students
produce posters to model their work, students were actively engaged in working with the material. Students
worked well in their groups and relied on one another to correct misconceptions. One error I observed
was one group of students listed each of the data values rather than creating a number line, but, by having
students create a visual representation, I was able to quickly help students recognize the error, and they were
able to correct their work. The students seemed to prefer this project-based assessment rather than a unit test,
and I felt that it was a more accurate representation of their understanding of these mathematical concepts.
MA Standards:
7.SP.B.3 Informally assess the degree of visual overlap of two numerical data distributions with similar
variabilities, measuring the difference between the centers by expressing it as a multiple of a measure
of variability. For example, the mean height of players on the basketball team is 10 cm greater than the
mean height of players on the soccer team and both distributions have similar variability (mean absolute
deviation) of about 5 cm. The difference between the mean heights of the two teams (10 cm) is about twice
the variability (5 cm) on either team. On a dot plot, the separation between the two distributions of heights is
noticeable.
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HIGH SCHOOL
Arts Showcase
Mount Everett Art students submitted work to the juried exhibit, “HOW SHALL WE LIVE? Climate Visions of
Berkshire High School Artists II” organized by Living the Change Berkshires and Berkshire Art School.
Students chose media that best communicated their creative response to the prompt and worked through how to
best articulate their thoughts about the climate crisis through art.
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