What are we learning?

Art with Ms. Anderson

• Kindergarten through 3rd grade have been focusing on creating portraits! 
• In fourth grade, they are learning about gesture drawing and how to draw people in motion!
• 5th and 6th graders are working on their cutting paper techniques to create some collages surrounding identity and globalization!

PE with Mr. Hargrove

• Grades K thru 3 are participating in fitness activities explaining why muscular strength and muscular endurance is important and how the heart and lungs make up the cardiorespiratory system.
• Grades 4 thru 6 are identifying the 5 components of fitness while participating in fitness stations and learning about FITT Principle (Frequency, Intensity, Type, and Time).

Music with Dr. White

• September 2023 General Music First Quarter Overview
  • General Music students at Bucknell ES are beginning the 2023-2024 school year by focusing on four Virginia Music Standards:  singing, instruments, literacy, and music culture.
  • Singing:  Students in all grades will demonstrate singing with good posture, diction, accurate pitch, and good tone. Students will sing sulfege syllables with developing accuracy. Students will sing the Bucknell ES song and Bulldog BARK. In October students will learn and discuss the importance of patriotic songs.
  • Instruments:  Students in grades K-2 will demonstrate and recognize steady beat using classroom un-pitched, percussion instruments. Students in grades 3-4 will play recorder instruments. Grades 5-6 students will play bucket drums as they learn to read and play rhythmic patterns in class.
  • Music Literacy:  Students in grades K-2 will learn to read and identify music notes. Students in grades 3-6 will take a music literacy pre-assessment so that Dr. White can effectively help them meet grade-appropriate music literacy standards.
  • Culture: Students will discuss the purpose of our school songs in building school community. Students will discuss the importance of patriotic music in the USA as well as in other countries.

STEAM with Mrs. Bousbouras

• Primary classes are using computer engineering skills to ‘clean up a park and keep trash out of a landfill.’  
• 3rd graders are using creative and critical thinking skills to build a structure that will help ‘Mr. Cook capture, relocate, and keep the ladybugs out of his house.”   Students are also using algorithmic/abstraction skills as they must stay within a budget to build the structure.   
• 4th Grade students are using engineering tools to create self-portraits out of cardboard.  
• 5th graders are learning ways to conserve energy by reducing the amount of light being used.
• 6th Grade is using the Engineering Design process to design caverns to shelter the people of Alabraska (a fictional state) of an incoming asteroid.  

Library with Mrs. Ames

• In upper grades, we are learning about how digital citizens take responsibility for themselves, their communities, and their world.
• In primary grades we are learning about readers theater.  Ask the student(s) if they played a part in a “play” in the library.
• Please ask your teacher what day your child should be returning books to the library!

Band/Strings with Mr. Lindsay and Mr. Johnson

• Band and Strings classes began the week of September 18. Students have selected their instruments and are beginning to learn about the parts of the instrument, how to care for the instrument, and how to make sounds on the instrument.
• When students begin to bring instruments home, regular practice is encouraged to reinforce skills learned in class. This will only take a few minutes at a time in the first weeks and months of the school year.