Enrichments

This semester, we will discuss the excitement of the turn of the 20th century; (1870s-1920s) between the end of the civil war and the end of the First World War. Students will engage in thrilling lessons about the expansion of the railroad system, the growth of the urban northeast, and discover several influential factors that helped shape our nation during this time period. Younger students will love our array of fun historical games and interactive lessons, while our older students will engage in economic challenges as they learn about the labor forces and cultural shifts during the turn of the century. We will end our semester in the 1920s with a “Roaring 20s Day,” filled with dress-up fun and a swingin’ good time!

Students will use elements from each themed lesson to create vibrant and bold artwork this semester. We will explore mixed media including chalk, oil pastels, marker techniques and trends in watercolor use. There will be a larger emphasis on painting this spring and will even have some fun outdoor, “painting parties.” Our younger students will learn several new techniques and brush strokes and mediums while our older students explore bringing natural elements into their artwork and compete in creative challenges. All of our students will love our larger project surrounding the space exploration unit!

This spring we will be studying space discovery. Our older students will study the timeline of the space exploration era; ranging from how and why we sent satellites into space to the latest international space station research. They will also keep a, ‘life of an astronaut’ research journal, while integrating fun hands-on space science activities. Our younger students will use STEM lessons to learn about why and how we have sent people into space. We will engage their curiosities with several ‘big space’ questions. They will apply their knowledge when they embark on a ‘special mission’ during our escape room challenge. We will end the semester with a fun-filled trip to Kennedy Space Center!

One of our more, ‘get your hands dirty’ enrichments that will be as equally fun as it is challenging! This spring, our focus will be on herbs. Students will be challenged to keep their herbs alive and healthy as they produce an actual hydroponic herb garden. Students will also learn how to identify seeds, soil types, plants, flowers, trees and all things ‘green.’ This enrichment will also be a sensory-rich experience as students learn to identify not only by sight, but also by smell, taste, and feel. Our end-of-the-year project will be a pictorial presentation about how they used their take-home herbs, teaching them the value in applying what they have learned!

This spring, students will learn about the ocean’s several ecosystems and their importance. We will focus on shoreline and coastal habitat and learn about the role certain species play in keeping the ocean (and its abundance of life) healthy and beautiful. We will learn about our local ecosystems, visit the Oceanography center, and have the opportunity for several hands-on lessons. Our students will end the semester by creating a species field guide, which will include several interesting marine species of their own choosing. They may even end up with some new favorites by the end of this unit!

This spring in music our students will learn about instruments, the formation of musical groups, conductors, scores, music in film, and several cultural eras of music. Our older students will have several interactive lessons on 19th century music history and a project on their favorite musical era. Our younger students will learn about audio-identification while they explore the sights and sounds of different genres. All students will get some hands-on practice with some orchestral instruments this semester and engage in several fun musical games. This spring in music, we hope to give students a new perspective and love of music and instruments!