Lotspeich
October 2, 2020
Third-graders Compare and Contrast Fairy Tale “Cinderella”
Third-graders in Kim Walden and Yael Newman’s classes recently took a closer look at the fairy tale, “Cinderella.” Students read multiple versions of the Cinderella story from different countries and cultures and compared and contrasted the various elements in the traditional tale. “Students chose a unique version of the Cinderella story and used a graphic organizer to compare it with the classic version of the tale,” Newman said. Third-graders worked in groups to complete the project. “Third-grade classes are utilizing outdoor space to continue as much safe, distant collaboration among students as possible,” Newman said.
First-graders Meet Fifth-grade Buddies
As part of a yearly Lotspeich tradition, first-graders met their fifth-grade buddies! The new buddies met outside and socially distanced. Some buddies even met virtually! Fifth-graders interviewed the first-graders and students drew each other’s portraits. The new buddies will get to know each other throughout the year through a variety of activities. At the Lotspeich Closing Ceremony in June, the buddies will sing a special “Buddy Song” together.
Fourth-grader Shares at Assembly
During a class discussion of the book “The Proudest Blue: A Story of Hijab and Family” by Ibtihaj Muhammad, fourth-grader Sania Ansari shared with her classmates that like the book’s protagonist, Faizah, she sometimes wears a hijab, or a scarf, at home. When Ansari said she would like to share more with her classmates, teacher Melissa Foraker asked Ansari to speak about her prayer scarf during the weekly Lotspeich assembly, which is virtually attended by first- through fifth-graders. Ansari gave her presentation socially distanced in the library while her peers were in their classrooms. Ansari spoke about her hijabs and how she wears a scarf while praying. “Sania shared how she used her prayer scarf at home and why,” Foraker said. “The students thought her scarves were beautiful and loved that she shared!”
Kindergarteners Engage in Exciting Story Listening Lesson
Spanish teacher Megan Hayes recently led an engaging language lesson with kindergarteners. Hayes employed Story Listening to tell the story of el tiburón grande y el pez (the big shark and the fish). Throughout the course of the story, the shark and the fish became friends. Story Listening is a teaching technique that ties together drawings and spoken and written words to facilitate language acquisition. Hayes drew, spoke, and pointed at words during the lesson. Students listened and engaged in repetitious chants using the story’s vocabulary.
Fifth-graders Design Mosaics in Project Math
Fifth-graders in Laura OGrady’s Project Math class brought mosaic designs from 2-D to 3-D using an interesting tool. With the computer program called Google Sheets, fifth-graders created mosaic designs on their iPads. They then used a Rubik’s Cube to bring their designs from the computer screen to their hands. “This lesson gave students the opportunity to practice spatial reasoning, algorithmic thinking, and the fraction concepts they are learning in class,” OGrady said.
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