Elementary Art and Music

Music:

This past nine weeks the 4th graders worked on coordinated movements with partners in order to understand eight beat phrases that occur in many songs, both old and new.  The pairs of students were challenged to creatively come up with their own movements to fill in the eight beats.  Some pairs were given the chance to perform their movements for the class, which they really enjoyed!  Dance, phrasing, choreography, rhythm, tempo, styles, problem solving, planning, were just some the words discussed in this lesson. 

4th Grade was also introduced to differing styles of Music during a music history lesson.  Students we're shown appropriate video examples of Blues, Rock, Jazz, and Classical music.  Some artists and composers chosen were Igor Stravinsky, Duke Ellington’s C Jam Blues (1942), Benjamin Britten, Frederic Chopin, Stevie Wonder, and Santana playing a Blues electric guitar solo. 

3^rd Grade was privileged to once again have Flyin’ Blind, a local Bluegrass band come and talk about Bluegrass music.  They performed a number of songs and talked about the history of the music as well as the history of the instruments they played.  Two of the band members are from our very own Northpoint Christian School parents.

Art:

1st Graders have been learning how to draw vertical, horizontal, and diagonal lines in art.   After learning about the different types of straight lines, they used this knowledge to create a spider web, step by step.   Mr. Ransom talked about how AMAZING God is, to create spiders that already know how to build their own home and to provide for themselves not too long after they come out of the egg sack.  No one had to teach it how to build a web!  We watched a short video that showed how diverse spiders are, their habitats, their appearances, their homes... so FASCINATING!

After drawing the web on colorful construction paper with bright construction paper crayons, we next went outside and drew the webs on the sidewalks behind the school with colored chalk (Web Design, Ha!)  After drawing on the sidewalks, we played a game that taught unity, teamwork, honesty, following directions, and self-control.  And beyond all that, it was just plain FUN for me and the students.

The 6th Grade art class has been working on drawing the human face this current nine weeks. As part of this unit, every student used iPads to explore an app that developed skills in drawing the human face.  The next lesson we learned a way to systematically draw the human face using measurements that God has already placed on our face.  Spatial relationships, balance, proportion, measuring, and attention to details were some of the concepts and skills that were covered.

The 6th Graders are now working on a self-portrait drawing project where they are enlarging a black and white photo of their face using a grid technique. The overall drawing will be around 16"x 20", twice the size of their 8" x 10" photo.  Mr. Ransom discussed his own mural commissions and how he used this technique to make money.  The artist, Chuck Close was discussed and students were shown his large scale paintings.  Chuck Close uses the grid technique to create his colorful portraits of people.

This just some of what has been going on in the Elementary Art/Music room at Northpoint Christian School.  The students are doing a fantastic job!

Mr. Ransom 

Art Teacher 1^st – 6^th       

Music Teacher 1^st – 4^th 

A Word from the English Department

United in the goal of sending out graduates who love the Lord and who possess strong foundations in both writing and literature, the English department begins its focus with the junior high. In a world of autocorrecting and texting, Mrs. Heun’s students review capitalization and punctuation as they strive to increase writing proficiency.  Moving into literature, which is taught through the filter of God’s Word, pupils extend their range of literary terms and read material from a variety of authors including Kipling, Bradbury, Soto, and O. Henry. Classes participate in writing newspaper articles, drawing comic strips, and creating puppet plays with the use of ipads. While seventh graders produce puppet shows, Mrs. Smith’s classes construct portfolios consisting of original poetry as well as samples of published works by favorite poets. Complete with illustrations, these colorful creations often become a favorite assignment for eighth graders. In Ms. Holbrook’s classes, a different genre is the focal point as ninth graders read Our Town and write research papers relating to various elements of the play. As a wonderful culmination to this unit, Our Town, the theater department’s fall play, will be performed for the freshman class at a special time during school hours.  

 Whether poetry, drama, or novels, literature in its many forms presents the primary component for the upper grades as Mrs. Humble’s sophomores write about Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and Mrs. Anderson’s eleventh graders construct character analyses based upon To Kill a Mockingbird. In addition to these essays, the juniors utilize laptops to access the new Naviance program for the purpose of submitting resumes toward $500.00 scholarships; these scholarships are available through the Get2College Scholarship Program and are awarded to high school juniors living in Mississippi. College bound as well, Ms. DeFrehn’s and Mrs. Smith’s seniors  study William Shakespeare and present video skits, eulogies, oral reports, cookbooks, cross-stitch projects, essays, and posters relating to Hamlet, Macbeth, and other Shakespearean works.  Ms. Holland’s AP 12 English class engages a more contemporary view as students read The Awakening and produce oral and visual presentations regarding current events. While this information undoubtedly assists in writing scholarship essays for college, the assignment often reveals to students the importance of knowing about their world. The English department prays that our graduates will be fully-equipped to go out into the world, exercising their talents and abilities- for His glory.

Tommie Holbrook

English Department

5th Grade Pinecrest Trip

On Friday October 25, 2013 our 5^th grade class traveled to Pinecrest Conference and Retreat Center. Soon after arriving we gathered at an outdoor seating area for introductions and team building activities.  For one of these activities the students stood in a circle holding hands and had to pass a hula hoop from person to person without releasing hands.  This activity became even more interesting when a second and third hula hoop were introduced.

After our team building activities we divided into groups and began our rotations.  At our first destination my group met Hector, a 45 year old box turtle.  Next, we met an albino king snake named Alvin.  We learned several interesting facts about snakes and how to distinguish between venomous and non-venomous snakes.

After a wonderful lunch we traveled to the ground water institute.  There we learned how rain water either travels into underground aquifers or becomes runoff and flows to the river.  We were introduced to a variety of measurement tools used to monitor the aquifers and runoff water in that area.

Our last destination was fire building.  We learned about the components that are necessary to build a fire.  We gathered the needed materials; then, we constructed and lit several small fires.  We even made a yummy banana, chocolate, and marshmallow treat.

Amy Ray
5th Grade Teacher