On June 18, 2014, Ruth Love Barer’s Preschool class ended their 2013-2014 year with a joyous celebration. They told a story of friendship and community by acting out Marcus Pfister’s The Rainbow Fish. A treasure hunt followed and lunch was enjoyed by all.
Preschool Play from Karin Gravina on Vimeo.
Tracey Supple’s third grade class has been studying Massachusetts and the colonial period. Below are posters they created about a colonial job.
Myles
Maria
Japhet
Gavin and Ezekiel
Aurelia
Jay and Kelslyn
Matthew
Grace and Ben
James
Aurelia
For their book contract, Alyson Bull had her students design cereal boxes to advertise the books they had read in their independent reading. They also gathered 3 collectible charms to represent the protagonist, conflict, and theme from the book. They presented their work in the form of a promotional TV advertisement that advertised both the cereal and the book. Some of their completed projects are shown below.
Rosie – Once Upon a Marigold
Rosie from Karin Gravina on Vimeo.
Rheannon – The Kind of Friends We Used to Be
Rheannon from Karin Gravina on Vimeo.
Georgia – Allegiant
Georgia from Karin Gravina on Vimeo.
Amelia – Insurgent
Amelia from Karin Gravina on Vimeo.
Ella – Divergent
Ella from Karin Gravina on Vimeo.
Miles – Percy Jackson and the Titans Curse
Miles book contract from Karin Gravina on Vimeo.
Veronica – Falling In
Veronica Falling In from Karin Gravina on Vimeo.
Rebecca – Divergent
Rebecca’s book contract from Karin Gravina on Vimeo.
Callie – Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
callie’s book contract from Karin Gravina on Vimeo.
This audio-visual music project began with Heidi Renauld’s sixth grade students choosing a Shel Silverstein poem, one rich with visual and aural images. Students recorded their narrations into the Garageband program, then explored both Soundbible.com and the Garageband library to include music and sound ideas to enhance the poem’s mood and imagery. Students then created a video in iMovie, selecting appropriate visual images and incorporating their audio portion as the soundtrack. This lesson incorporated performing, improvising, composing, arranging, notating, listening, analyzing and describing music, as well as understanding music in relation to language and culture.
The Fanciest Dive That Was Ever Dove – Ella, Rosie, and Georgia
The fanciest dive that was ever dove by Ella, Rosie and Georgia from Karin Gravina on Vimeo.
Shapes by Rheannon and Veronica
Shapes by Rheannon and Veronica from Karin Gravina on Vimeo.
Two Boxes by Ethan and JoJo
Two Boxes by Ethan and JoJo from Karin Gravina on Vimeo.
Reflections by Rebecca
Reflection by Rebecca from Karin Gravina on Vimeo.
How To Make a Swing With No Rope, Board or Nails by Callie and Karta
How to Make a Swing with No Rope, Board or Nails by Callie and Karta from Karin Gravina on Vimeo.
Tree House by Miles and Mosiayah
Tree House by Mosiayah and Miles from Karin Gravina on Vimeo.
New Year by Alex and Amelia
New Year by Alex and Amelia from Karin Gravina on Vimeo.
Dog Days by Tom and Dan
Dog Days by Tom and Dan from Karin Gravina on Vimeo.
In Her…by Cole and Brook
In Her…by Cole and Brook from Karin Gravina on Vimeo.
Angela Regan’s second grade participated in a knowledge building activity investigating ramps and cylinders. They conducted experiments exploring ways to control the variables of the ramp system in order to get a cylinder to stop at any given point in front of the ramp. During this unit, they collected and organized data while learning how to write scientific lab reports.
Ramps Investigation from Karin Gravina on Vimeo.
This audio-visual music project began with Heidi Renauld’s fifth grade students choosing a Shel Silverstein poem, one rich with visual and aural images. Students recorded their narrations into the Garageband program, then explored and strategized to include music and sound ideas to enhance the poem’s mood and imagery in compelling ways. They created a “score” or cue sheet to plan and document their piece of work. This lesson incorporated performing, improvising, composing, arranging, notating, listening, analyzing and describing music, as well as understanding music in relation to language and culture. Many, many thanks to Karin Gravina for her help along the way! –Heidi Renauld
Ethan, Addy and Emily C. — Wall Marks
Maddie and Ocea — Something Missing
Maeve and Emily O. — In Her…
Tatiana and Ruby — Recipe for a Hippopotamus
Will and Zach — Spelling Bee
Noah, Grant and Ashirah — Warning
Leverett Elementary along with Shutesbury Elementary and the Amherst Elementary Schools were award a 2013-2014 grant from the Amherst Education Alliance to initiate a sixth grade robotics program. The sixth graders have been building and programming LEGO robots throughout the school year. This is the first year that robotics have been introduced into the sixth grade curriculum. It was a big learning curve for both the teachers and the students. Students were asked to reflect upon the process and provide advice for upcoming students.
Lego Reflections from Karin Gravina on Vimeo.
Jonathan Lambert’s fourth grade celebrated their study of simple machines by hosting an invention fair. Each student designed their own invention and advertising material. The inventions were all designed for every day use with each one demonstrating creativity and thoughtfulness. Excellent job, Grade 4!
