Weekly Review 10/29 - 11/2

Well, this was certainly a short week!  We hope that everyone stayed safe during the hurricane.

In first grade students learned a new song about bats- Flap and Fly.  Bats are nocturnal, meaning that they sleep in the daytime and are awake at night.  We each decorated a bat in class (while listening to spooky music, of course!) then played a game while singing the song.  Bats were asleep while the lights were on, then a student (the Sun) turned off the lights so the bats could dance and sing!  When the sun came up, the lights were turned back on and the bats fell asleep.  Fun!

The second graders recorded their sound effects to the book Old Wind.  You can find more information - as well as some recordings to listen to - right HERE!  We also decoded 8 beat rhythms and do re mi patterns for Conversational Solfege.

Third grade students read a story called The 13 Days of Halloween...suspiciously similar to the 12 Days of Christmas- only spooky!  We sang the song in minor, and some students helped us out by holding up posters for each day.  Our favorite parts:  5 cooked worms, and the evil laugh at the end!!

This was a very important week for the fourth graders.  We met as a grade level in the cafeteria to prepare for the Veteran's Day assembly.  Not only did we sing our songs (America the Beautiful and A Grateful Nation) but students with speaking parts were able to practice their lines with the microphone.

If you have a speaking part, here are some tips:  Hold the microphone close to your mouth (without touching it), speak clearly, and a little bit louder than you would normally speak in a conversation with someone.  If you speak too quietly, the audience won't be able to hear your wonderful voice!

Fifth graders practiced the partner song in "Lots of Latkes."  It's so much fun to sing about the process of making potato latkes!  We also ran through "Food Glorious Food," and some students tried singing the solo parts.  We hope more children decide to give it a try next rehearsal!  We ended chorus by rehearsing the tricky harmony part in "The Christmas Song."

• As we approach the concert, ALL 4TH AND 5TH GRADE STUDENTS should be practicing their music at home! This will help with memorization and confidence on each song.  Please visit the Chorus Lyrics Page to see the words, and listen to a few recordings.  

We also had the Vocabulary Parade this week.   It was so much fun to see the students in their costumes and learn more about the vocabulary words they chose!  We hope you have a fantastic fall weekend.  :)