a Classroom Newsletter
and
a Specials Newsletter.
Classroom and Specials Newsletters will be published at the end of / beginning of each month. Below you will find newsletter updates from each of your child's Specials teachers.
Physical Education - Karen Robbins karenr@willowwind.org
Skipping and galloping
isn’t just for child’s play, it’s crucial for development of the whole child.
Has your child come home telling you that they are being asked to skip, hop,
jump and gallop in PE class? Among other things, we have spent our first few
weeks assessing their locomotor skills and playing games that incorporate them.
Your child’s locomotor skills will be evaluated throughout the school year and
practiced in every class, so I wanted to take the time to talk about locomotor
skills in this month’s newsletter.
What are locomotor skills? Locomotor
skills are the basic ways to move. I think of them as the building blocks of
physical coordination. I want our students to be lifelong movers with good
motor patterns. Right from birth, your child is learning how to control their
body movements and how to interact with the world around them. This
learning process is called motor skill development. Motor skills can
be divided into three types: locomotor
(e.g. running, hopping, jumping), object control (e.g. throwing, catching,
kicking), and stability and balance. Physical activity is important
for motor development, especially for improving locomotor
skills. Locomotor skills include: walking, galloping, jumping, hopping,
side-sliding, leaping and skipping.
Why does our PE class
emphasize the development of locomotor skills? Locomotor skills are important
for physical development, lifelong physical activity and school success.
Physical Development:
To build the foundation of your child’s physical coordination I ask them to
perform different locomotor skills every day in PE class. By demonstrating
proficient performance of locomotor skills in class and applying them in game
activities, they are equipped with the physical tools and confidence they will
need for being a lifelong mover. Perhaps you may think of the importance of
locomotor movement to physical development like you would the importance of
knowing the alphabet to reading skill development. Students are getting the
ABC’s of their physical development every day in PE class. Now, at the
elementary level, is the time to catch any developmental delays in this area as
most of these skills are considered developmental milestones by second grade.
Consequences of low locomotor skill will only become more pronounced and
difficult to remedy the longer they are neglected. Willowwind students are
fortunate to attend a school that values physical education at this early stage
of your child’s physical development.
Lifelong Physical
Activity: We are building lifelong movers that value physical
activity. A positive relationship exists
between proficient locomotor motor skills with levels of physical activity in
childhood and physically active adults. Research has found that children who
spend the most time in moderate to vigorous physical activity tend to have the
highest locomotor skills. Children who are the least active have the
lowest motor skills. This may be because physically active children
spend more time learning and improving new motor skills. Children with better
locomotor skills may also find physical activity easier and more fun. This indicates that proficient locomotor
skills now may be a large contributing factor to their level of interest in and
enjoyment in being physically active later in life.
School Success Now: Your child needs the foundation of locomotor
skills for school success, too. That's partly because of the order and
sequencing of development—the way new skills build on previous ones, and the
way small muscles develop after large ones. It's also because children need to
be able to sit at a desk or stand at a blackboard in order to write. And they
need to be able to use balance and twisting skills to cross the midline (an
imaginary vertical line dividing the right and left sides of the body), which
they must do in order to read and write fluidly. Think about how walking
(swinging your arms in opposition to your leg movement) and skipping (most
difficult opposition coordination) use cross-laterality that build skills
needed for reading and writing.
Every day in PE, we
incorporate locomotor skill development. As a parent, you can participate in
their locomotor development too. It is important to introduce your child to new
movements and create opportunities for them to practice. By encouraging
physical activity, you not only help your child improve their locomotor skills,
but you also help them increase their confidence. If you have any further
questions or need some new ideas, please contact me. Happy Moving!
Visual Arts - Ryan Bentzinger ryanb@willowwind.org
For those of you
who are new to Willowwind, my name is Ryan and I am the Art Teacher. Art classes at
Willowwind are scheduled on a Fine Arts block system, which alternates Music
and Visual Arts. For example, 3rd-6th graders have Visual
Arts for three weeks while K-2nd graders have Music, and after the
three weeks classes switch. I see your child for a 45-minute class for three
days-a-week, typically Monday, Wednesday and Friday. This year, I started with
the 3rd-6th graders.
Art classes are
held in the Scholar’s Studio, which is located upstairs next door to Ms. Lou’s
room. The first Visual Arts block revolved around Drawing & Mixed Media.
For those of you who have not had a chance to look at the 2014-15 Visual Arts
Curriculum Outline, here is how a typical “Art block” looks like:
· Week 1: Introduction to medium and
concepts
· Week 2: Art History (artist model) and
practice techniques
· Week 3: Studio time to work on final
project to show understanding of concepts and techniques. The first week
of Art focused on the concept of a shared studio and what it means to be an
artist. We discussed the importance of respecting each other’s space and work,
as well as respecting the tools and materials. Innovation is what makes art
thrive, so I made it clear to students that I encourage experimentation and
risk-taking within their artwork.
The second week
focused on three of the Elements of Art, Line, Shape, and Color. I taught
students the basic concepts of a line and shape in Art, which is that a line
has two points, while a shape is a line that connects to itself. We talked
about geometric (“shapes with names”) and organic shapes.
As a part of Art
History, I introduced the Dutch painter Piet Mondrian. I showed students images
of his primary color compositions, and had them memorize the primary colors are
red, yellow, and blue. The first project I assigned was to draw at least 6 shapes
on a red, yellow, blue, and/or black piece of paper, cut them out, paste them
on a white piece of poster board in an “artistic way”, and use at least two
long lines within the piece.
During the third
and final week of this block, I introduced American artist Robert Rauschenberg
and Mixed Media. This project was based on the excitement students were having
cutting out shapes. On several occasions, a student requested to have more
collage-based work, so I went ahead with one of my favorites. I showed students
a slideshow of Rauschenberg’s mixed media (combine) paintings and objects. I
explained to students how artists think outside the box, and can use found
images and objects within their artwork. The kinders’ final project was to
create a Mixed Media artwork (meaning using two or more materials on one piece)
inspired by Robert Rauschenberg. There have been some phenomenal works
appearing. I am overwhelmed and proud of what your children have been making.
It’s going to be a great year.
Narrative Artwork
and Illustration is the next block beginning on Oct. 20th! As a reminder, please,
please, please do not have your child wear anything of value to school on Art
days! Thank you.
Ryan Bentzinger
Teaching Artist
at Willowwind School
Assistant to Professor Chunghi Choo
Music - Katherine Anderson katherinea@willowwind.org
Willowwind Music now has a blog! Go to the link below to see what students have been doing in music this month. Like classroom blogs, please subscribe to the music blog for automatic updates by entering your email address on the right hand side of the webpage below.
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