Louis J. Agassiz Elementary School

 The Middle

Akemi - Students worked collaboratively on experiments in which all group members contributed to the discussion.  The class had to pay attention to each other since at the end of the lesson, one member from each group had to stand up to talk about how they collaborated with each other and what they found out as a group.  One question they had to answer was whether or not everyone had a chance to speak.  They also mentioned about what someone else did or said that made the experiment run more smoothly.  We spent a lot of time talking about what went well and what needed improvement as they worked together.  Although it took a lot of time to discuss at the end of the lesson, this step was a critical factor in building a team and learning to accept feedback from peers.   Science always seems to be a safe haven for younger students.  They truly like to discover and learn. 

Ellen - The third graders began by creating several value scales and experimental samples so that they became familiar and comfortable with watercolor techniques. In the fourth grade class, students practiced a variety of texture techniques since they were working with three different media: soft pastel, watercolor and mosaic collage. 

Students in both classes were apprehensive about drawing and painting at the beginning of the project. To help alleviate this apprehension, the students did several drawing and painting exercises in different media in their sketchbooks. This seemed to help students gain more confidence.

 Cathleen - Students had the opportunity to explore various books on U.S. landforms and regional geography.  Students chose a landform and began work on their visual series.  In order to complete each piece, they were required to look carefully and notice details.  They applied the techniques Ellen had taught them to bring out those details in their individual pieces.