KExpressOurselves


 * 2008-2009, 2009-2010 **

Art Students will examine how artists have used different media to tell stories since the beginning of time, all across the world. They will look at how people told stories through cave drawings during pre-historic times and how ancient Greek and Native American people used the surfaces of their pottery to tell stories, myths, and legends. Students will also look at some examples of more modern day storytellers, who use mediums such as fabric and paint to tell stories that reflect their personal experiences, history, and culture. Some examples include: Latin American "arpillera" story cloths, Hmong story clothes, African American slave quilts, Navajo weaving; artists Carmen Lomos Garza, Faith Ringgold, Jacob Lawrence, and Grandma Moses. Students will use this knowledge as inspiration for designing their art portfolio. They will create a cover design that tells a story which reflects a family celebration or tradition that is unique to them.

Music In music class we will study Lyrics; the poetry of songwriting; A song can tell a story or express emotions. The emotional qualities can also be expressed in: Melody, Rhythm, and the use of Different instruments. These qualities can also be expressed through Dance and movement. We sing many songs that tell stories. Many folk songs are stories that have been passed down through the generations

PE-The students will sing songs like "Five Little Ducks" and "Ten Little Bunnies" and act them out with motions. 2009-2010 The students will sing songs that tell stories and act them out to support the unit on storytelling in kindergarten. The students will also develop particular attributes of the learner profile and/or attitudes during p.e. such as self-management during running club and playing games such as coach potato. Running club requires commitment and responsibility as students run three laps around the track once every week. Coach potato is a game that promotes nutrition and students must manage themselves as they follow the rules.

Spanish - The purpose of many folktales is to explain some natural phenomenon or occurance. One such Peruvian folktale tells of a wise llama who warned his owners of an impending flood. The flood is very similar to the Biblical account of a great flood that many of us are familiar with. We will read and discuss the story. The key concepts we will focus on are form, function, and connection.

Since our cultural focus this year is on the country of Spain, we will read __The Story of Ferdinand,__ who is a little bull in Spain. We will talk about what facts we can learn from the story even though it is fiction. We will also read __The Princess and The painter__ by jane Johnson. This is a historical fiction that gives us a peek into the life of the royal family of Spain. It is about the famous Spanish painter Diego Velazquez and his most famous work called //Las Meninas.//

Library 2009-10 : A Mother Goose storyteller is scheduled for January 6th. A storyteller, Freddy Carnes, is scheduled for March 5th. 2008-09: Discuss storytelling and share a favorite childhood story that my mother often told me when I was a little girl. Talk about how some parts of the story would change each time she told the story, but the main parts idea stayed the same. The students were encouraged to tell the same story they just heard to someone when they were at home. We reviewed the main story parts so they would remember the most important things about that particular story. Show students storycove.com and select two stories from Africa to watch and discuss. Promote Robert Munsch books and talk about how he is a story teller in that he will tell his story many times, make changes as he sees fit, and then write them down. Show students how they can locate Munsch stories by using the index in TunbleBooks. A storyteller is scheduled for after Spring Break.