6th – No homework tonight.  Today students presented their explorer powerpoints.

7th – No homework for 1st period.  5th period will present their short skits over ancient Chinese dynasties tomorrow.

During Language Arts Rotations we worked on Compass assignments and writing our spelling words in sentences. We also started our literacy circles today. The 3^rd graders are reading a Magic Tree House book and 4^th graders are reading Because of Winn-Dixie. Everyone was super excited to be reading again!

For Math Rotations we worked on Compass assignments and in small groups. 3^rd graders worked on multiplication. 4^th graders finished working on common multiples and common factors. We reviewed decimals as a whole group. Some students were still struggling with decimals. We will continue to work on them.

We started covering simple machines with a Bill Nye the Science Guy video. The students loved the levers, especially the catapult. We’ll continue to cover simple machines for the next few weeks.

We started a two week ISTEP preparation challenge. Each day over the next two weeks your child will be given a worksheet covering some of the Indiana Department of Education State Standards for their grade level. If your child completes their worksheet each night for the next two weeks and scores above a 70% they will earn an extra recess on March 8^th! We encourage you to sit with your child and complete all these activities to help them be fully prepared for their ISTEP testing. Thank you for your support!

Progress reports will be coming home Friday, February 24. I will be having short meetings with each student Thursday to review their grades, GLEs, and what we need to work on. Please be sure to sign the envelope and return to school on Monday, February 27 to verify you have seen the report.

**Room 19 wish list: dry erase markers, hand sanitizer, pencils, and afternoon snacks for 17 students**

Yearbooks are on sell until March 16th. They are $16 and checks can be made out to APA. The class who sells the most will receive an ice cream party! YAY!

Dates to remember: March 5-14 is ISTEP. March 19-21 is IREAD for 3^rd graders.

Today we began learning about art of the early Medieval age. The chapter we are using is number 13 found in the red “Art in Focus” textbook. We spent much of the time going over why you are learning about the art of early Christianity, the Byzantine empire, and early Islam. I read the standards to you and we discussed why we were using the textbook to aid in this unit. Remember, during the Medieval age, there was not a lot of artistic or scientific freedom. Much of the public was unable to read and as a result, religious institutions used art to convey their messages. Because the early church came into power after the fall of Rome, most art was commissioned only for religous purposes. This is one reason why there isn’t a lot of “self-expression” artwork from the time.

Tomorrow we will read a little about art of early Christianity and begin discussing Islamic art as well. Have a good night!

Lt. Morrison

Review WS due tomorrow

ch 7A test on Friday

new vocab into notebook and study/review

Today you were introduced to iam8bit. Iam8bit is a multimedia production company which has worked with Disney, MTV, Nintendo, and many others. The company began as a highly successful art show in LA which featured artwork based on video games. After watching two short videos that gave examples of the company’s work, you read about the history of iam8bit. I handed out a worksheet which was written directly from the article. If you did not finish the worksheet, please finish it before class tomorrow. This will be graded, so take it seriously. The questions are nearly word-for-word from the article.

Tomorrow we will discuss the nature of art and have a small debate. Have a good night!

Lt. Morrison

test Unit 2 today–keine Hausaufgaben!

WS–answering questions

Today I split you into two groups. One group is working on painting the school logo by the office. The other group is working on creating advertisement posters for the APA talent show, “APA’s Got Talent.” We will continue to work on these projects tomorrow and Friday. Please come prepared to work and stay on task. Have a good night!

Lt. Morrison

Today we began learning about Eric Carle. Eric Carle is a famous children’s author/illustrator most known for his distinct style. To illustrate his books, he uses tissue paper that has been painted using various methods, cuts them up, and collages them to a background.

Mr. Carle’s most recognized books include The Very Hungry Caterpillar and his illustrations for Brown Bear, Brown Bear.

After listening to a story and information about Eric Carle, you brainstormed ideas for your own illustrations. You should have chosen your subject and made a list of colors you will need to complete that work. Please keep this list, you will need it Friday.

Tomorrow you will read a little about Mr. Carle and observe videos on his methods. Friday we will talk more about collage as a media and begin prepping for your mini project.

Have a good night!

Lt. Morrison