Specials K-4 - Curriculum Updates
Art - Ms. Caira
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ART - Ms. Caira
Kindergarten
Kindergarten had an introduction to ceramics, including slipping and scoring or scratch and attach. We made clay butterflies and then put them in the kiln for a firing. We will soon add color to our butterflies, so be on the lookout for these lovely pieces to come home!
1st Grade
Students read Tar Beach and then created a large scale city drawing. We will soon paint our urban landscapes and add ourselves flying over the city, just as Faith Ringhold wrote about.
2nd Grade
We studied Henri Rousseau and made a large scale jungle drawing, which included their choice of jungle cat. A lot of students had fun "hiding" their cats, making their piece more interactive. They were challenged when I asked them to paint the entire picture with as many different green shades as they could mix, but this ultimately provided the opportunity for collaboration and discovery.
3rd Grade
Third graders researched ceremonial medals which marked an accomplishment and then used clay to create their own Olympic medal. After a kiln firing, we painted our medals with metallic paint and added ribbon. What CHAMPION ceramicists!
4th grade
Fourth graders spent the last few weeks sculpting masks before adding paper mache and painting them. These were quite an undertaking as they learned various cardboard connection techniques, how to best layer paper mache, and careful mixing of colors for the details. We were influenced by many cultures and celebrations in the making of these masks, such as African masks, Carnival masks, performance masks, Native American masks, and Chinese ceremonial masks. The students and I are so proud of their hard work.
STEM - Ms. Quigley
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1st Grade
In November, first grade engineers designed flying machines for Rosie Revere, a character from a wonderful book written by Andrea Beaty. Students learned about the engineering design process as they planned and built flying machines with wings to transport Rosie safely down a zip line set up in the STEM room.
In December, first-graders were introduced to Lego Robotics WeDo 2.0 kits. They followed step-by-step directions to build and code a variety of robots including a cooling fan, spy robot, and moving satellite.
2nd Grade
Second grade scientists spent time in November and December testing 4 brands of paper towels and then analyzing the data they collected. After learning about the properties of materials, they tested each brand of paper towel for both strength and absorbency. After collecting their results, the class determined which brand was be the "best" and created posters to share their results and recommendations with Mrs. Collmer.
3rd Grade
Third grade engineers became bridge builders in November. After a lesson on bridge design and construction, they were given the challenge of constructing a bridge using only one piece of paper with no tape or glue to hold it together. They applied weights to their bridge designs to test their strength and spent quite a bit of time improving their designs. To finish the unit, students were given straws and tape to design bridges that would span two tables and also hold weight.
In December, third-graders focused on designing and building catapults to launch pom poms across the classroom. Using the engineering design process, students tested and then improved their designs. Points were given for the longest successful launch while using the least amount of materials in construction.
4th Grade
For the month of November, fourth grade scientists learned about the ways in which the human body is similar to a machine. They made models of eyes and experimented with making changes to the lens, retina, and pupil. Students also made working models of human fingers complete with strings that acted as tendons to help the fingers bend.
Students finished out 2024 using Spike Prime Lego Robotics kits. They built and coded racing robots that would hop their way to the finish line. Students also experimented with designing leg prototypes to find which design moved the robots the fastest.
Technology - Ms. Matthes & Mr. McDonough
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Grades 1, 4 - Mr. McDonough
1st Grade
First graders recently ended their Tech rotation, so they will be in Library class for the next 7 weeks. In the last rotation in Tech, we focused on learning how to use the various tools in Seesaw, the district's learning management platform for K-3 students. Students worked at their own pace completing activities in which they demonstrated proficiency at using various multimedia tools such as text boxes, fonts, colors, shapes, taking pictures, and inserting audio and video recordings to demonstrate their learning.
4th Grade
Fourth graders recently ended their Tech rotation, so they will be in Library class for the next 7 weeks. In the last rotation, students learned various skills related to word processing. They also practiced and improved their touch-typing/keyboarding skills using Edutyping. We started the school year off with a review of the updated Technology Responsible Use Guidelines.
Grades K, 2, 3 - Ms. Matthes
Kindergarten
In Kindergarten, we have been learning how to use more of the tools in Draw and Tell. Recently, we used the recording tool to tell a story about our drawing.
2nd Grade
Second-grade students are back in technology class. We just started using Edutyping to learn proper keyboarding techniques. We will be using Scratch Jr. to explore several coding concepts such as sequencing and loops.
3rd Grade
Third-grade students recently ended their technology rotation and will be in library classes for the next 7 weeks. At the end of the technology rotation, students worked with tables in Google Docs to create a personalized hundreds chart.
Health & Wellness - Ms . Love (K-2) | Mr. Trask (3-4)
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Ms. Love (K-2 Wellness)
Lots of fun has been happening for K-2 students during the months of November and December! K-2 students learned a little about the history of bowling and how we can use our underhand throwing skills to bowl! We practiced traditional bowling, and then incorporated some math with “bowl to 100” and “bowling bingo”. To end our bowling unit we had a ton of fun bowling under the disco lights! Health lessons in November and December included germs and handwashing and friendships and bullying. Second-graders learned the definition of bullying and how to stop a bully. In December, we opened up the wall and had a lot of fun with gymnastics stations. Some classes got to partner up with Mr. Task’s 3rd and 4th grade students. During our gymnastics unit, students were able to participate in a variety of stations such as rolls, cartwheels, obstacle course, trampoline, balance beam, yoga, and balance boards. Students worked on improving their skills in the areas of strength, flexibility, weight transfer, balance, and jumping and landing! To wrap up, this past week had some fun filled winter stations that included building ice castles, snowboarding, snowball throw, cookie exchange, and "do you wanna build a snowman?" Students were able to practice their throwing skills, balance, teamwork, and even add some creativity by building with some of the wellness tools and equipment. Be sure to ask your child what their favorite station was. Wishing everyone Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year! See you in 2025!
Disco Bowling (KJ) Gynmastics Unit (1S) Winter Stations (1C and 2W)
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Mr. Trask (3-4 Wellness)
Hi everyone! My name is Danny Trask and I am the new grade 3-4 Wellness teacher! Since I have been here we started out with some different overhand throwing games to help adjust to the change in structure. Then we moved onto our gymnastics unit where we opened the big dividing wallin the gym to set up different stations. Some classes were lucky enough to have the chance to combine with Ms. Love’s K-2 classes. Wishing everyone happy holidays and can’t wait to see you in 2025!
Library - Mrs. Blumberg
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During the current library/technology rotation, grades 1, 2, and 4 come to the library once a week for book check out. These grade levels will resume library classes again on January, 27th, and I can't wait to spend more time with these library kids each week!
In kindergarten, we completed an author study about Mo Willems! We learned the difference between an author and an illustrator and learned that sometimes people are BOTH! In addition to learning about Mo's life and reading lots of Mo's books, students also learned to draw some of Mo's most popular characters... Pigeon, Elephant Gerald, and Piggie!
In third grade, we are in the middle of an author study about Oge Mora. We are studying her words and her illustration style and students are falling in love with her work. We are also using her books as a vehicle to help us learn where different kinds of books are located in the library, such as picture books, or biographies. Ask your chid to tell you about the Oge Mora book that s/he/they love best!
In fifth grade, we have been studying text sets comprised of a narrative text paired with a complimentary information text. An example of this would be reading a biography about Snowflake Bentley, and then looking at the book he wrote about snow crystals. We are doing this work to help students learn how the library is organized with a specific emphasis on the Dewey Decimal system of organizing informational texts that our school library uses.
To help your child know when to return their library books, library days for this rotation are noted below:
- KD- Tuesday, KJ- Thursday, KM- Friday
- 1C,1L,1S - All on Friday
- 2M, 2N, 2W - All on Friday
- 3H - Tuesday, 3K- Thursday, 3S - Wednesday
- 4R, 4O, 4N - All on Tuesday
- 5B- Monday, 5L- Thursday, 5Sia- Wednesday, 5S- Friday
To read more about the library, check out the library web page on the district's website: www.lincnet.org/blumberg
SPECIAL NOTE: All Lincoln School kids are invited to participate in the MSLA (MA School Library Association) Bookmark Contest. To learn more about this, check out this page on the library website!
Music: Mrs. Hoffman
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Music ~ Mrs. HoffmanKindergarten: We are learning songs about colors, seasons, and body parts! We have also begun learning about families of instruments and the qualities that tie those families together! We are also adding movement and sign language to our music!First Grade: We are beginning music opposites and instrument sound recognition!Second Grade: In 2nd grade, we are learning about time signatures; working on songs in 3/4! We are learning "Auld Lang Syne" this week and next!Third Grade: In third grade, we continue to focus on reading music notation and will be starting recorders very soon!Fourth Grade: In 4th grade we continue learning about harmony. We are currently working on playing xylophones and singing on two songs with complex rhythmic and melodic notation. Both songs use harmony to add depth to the music.
