Special Subjects

Mr Goyette (Physical Education/Health)

Ms Erikson (Art/Reading)

Ms Young (Library/Media)

Mrs Brown (Music)

Mr Plumb (Band)

 

Nurse Elaine Gittens (webpage)

Physical Education
Major Objectives:

• *To promote and develop an interest and desire for physical activity and healthful living.
• *To provide a learning environment that will maximize psychomotor, cognitive and affective development.
• *To provide experiences to the child which will help them become a versatile, efficient and effective mover through the participation in games, gymnastics and dance.
• *To develop awareness and skill in the four aspects of movement-- actions of the whole body, spatial dimensions, effort factors and relationships and apply the skills to the three program areas—games, gymnastics and dance.

Areas of Concern:

• *Body – what the body is doing in locomotor, noniocomotor, and manipulative patterns.
• *Spatial – where the body is going-- be competent in the use of personal and general space in skillful moving in different directions, pathways and levels.
• *Effort – how the body moves—developing the ability to use speed and force in movement.
• *Relationship –how body parts relate to each other and how the individual relates to equipment and other individuals.

K-1 Activities:

• Body awareness and locomotor patterns
• Manipulating a ball with the hands
• Dance – rhythmic movement with the use of strong and light movements
• Beginners gymnastics –rolls, hand and feet weight transfer
• Striking with the hand and equipment
• Body awareness games
• Creative games
• T-ball
• Fitness testing
• Project adventure
• New games

Grades 2-3 Activities:

• Manipulating a ball with the feet
• Passing and catching skills
• Dance with the use of sudden and sustained movements
• Gymnastics – balances, combining movement
• Fitness testing
• Project adventure
• Striking/body awareness games (Grade 2)
• Floor hockey/Volleyball (Grade 3)

Grades 4-6 Activities:

• Soccer
• Volleyball
• Track & Field
• Fitness Testing
• Basketball
• Softball
• Gymnastics
• Project Adventure
• Floor Hockey
• New Games

ART CURRICULUM

Visual Arts Frameworks

Worcester Art Museum

Springfield Museums

Student Work

Everyone is an artist in some way. Art is a process, not just a product. Does the student think about the activity? Does the student use imaginative and reflective thinking in creating? Does the student use analytical and critical thinking in responding to works of art? What problem solving occurred? Does the student experience the materials? Does the student express emotions, ideas or beliefs? Is there understanding and progress in learning the skills and concepts taught? This process is more important than the final creation. Art can be appreciated as a subject all its own, but also the discovery that art is everywhere in the world around us is exciting. To experience a wide variety of art and many different kinds of media is a fundamental objective, but art education goes much further than that. Introduction to artists past and present and art history are part of the curriculum. Knowledge and appreciation of art from different cultures is important in art but also in learning acceptance of diversity. Art is learning to value beauty and how it is created. It stimulates higher level thinking skills. Creating, thinking, describing, interpreting, evaluating, comparing, contrasting, problem solving, history, geography, social studies, math, science, reading and writing are all part of an art curriculum. Using many different methods, media and technology, the children will begin to grasp the following concepts: 

 

Elements of Art

• line
• color
• value
• form
• shape
• texture
• space

Principles of Art

• balance
• emphasis
• repetition
• rhythm
• pattern
• scale
• proportion
• movement
• variety
• unity

GENERAL MUSIC OVERVIEW

The primary goal for K-6 General Music is that each student enjoy, understand and respond to music using his or her unique abilities. There are many means by which to study music, and the general classroom will provide an active learning experience. In all grades, each student will participate in:

• Performing; i.e., singing, playing instruments, rhythmic movement
• Creating; i.e., experimenting with vocal sounds and instrumental sounds
• Listening; i.e., to live music and recordings. In grades 4-6 students being to Study music appreciation, learning different forms and styles of music.
• Theory; i.e., musical symbols, rhythmic notation, notes on the staff. Students Work individually on the computer to develop skills in music notation. Third graders prepare for instrumental study by learning to play the recorder, which is provided by the school. The fourth, fifth, and sixth graders have the opportunity to participate in a choral program which focuses on 2 and 3 part singing. The choral students present a winter and a spring concert. At all grade levels, we incorporate musical activities to correspond with classroom studies; i.e., social studies, science, reading, and math. Each grade level prepares a musical concert or play to be performed at different times during the school year.

INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC OVERVIEW

Program Description The Brookfield Instrumental Music Program is available to students in grades 4-6. Instruction is offered on flute, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, and drums. Students receive one 30- minute lesson per week. Lessons (generally set in homogeneous groupings) are given during the school day. A rotating schedule is used to prevent students from missing the same classroom time on consecutive weeks. In addition to lessons, students may also become eligible to participate in the band program.

Beginning Band The goal of the Beginning Band program is to help students develop group playing skills. It is also an excellent means of reinforcing the musical skills and concepts which students learn in their lessons. After an initial period of instruction, the Beginning Band will meet on a weekly, forty-five minute basis. The Beginning Band will perform at the Annual Spring Concert. Additional performing opportunities may be added at the discretion of the director.

Advanced Band The Advanced Band consists of second and third year instrumentalists. This group meets on a weekly basis for forty-five minutes. It performs at the Holiday and Spring Concerts. Additional performing opportunities such as the Regional Band Festival and Jazz Night may be added to the performing schedule at the discretion of the director.

Parental Information Although parents may rent or purchase an instrument at any local music store, the school does make arrangements for an independent instrument company to service parents with instruments and method books. (Instruments acquired from outside sources should be in good playing condition). In addition, parents will be required to obtain a method book for lesson instruction. Supplemental materials including scales, solos, and small ensemble pieces will be provided by the teacher/school if necessary.

Objectives of the Elementary Instrumental Music ProgramThe main objective of the Elementary Instrumental Music Program is to provide students with the basic skills needed to establish a life-long involvement in music if they should desire to do so. To accomplish this objective, the program strives to develop music reading skills (the ability to interpret musical symbols) along with an instrumental master (the ability to execute that interpretation on a band instrument). In addition to these specific skills, it is our intent to foster positive attitudes within the youngster towards music, the school, and his/herself. The instructional program at Brookfield has two avenues which it uses to accomplish the objectives listed above. First, there are the small group lessons. Lessons are based upon mastering exercises found in the Accent on Achievement Band Method book (with accompaniment CD), which is a three part series introducing musical concepts in a sequential manner. Secondly, there is the Band Program consisting of two sections – Beginner and Advanced units. The Band Program not only reinforces and expands upon basic concepts found in the method book, but also helps students develop ensemble skills (balance, unified tempo, unified dynamics, group behavior, etc.), which are needed to perform in a unit versus those needed on a solo basis.

Goals/Objectives

• The student is able to care for and maintain his/her instrument in proper working condition.
• The student is able to prepare his/her instrument for playing.
• The student is able to produce a clear, articulated sound on her/his instrument.
• The student is able to identify and play notes in the specific ranges for their individual instruments.
• Drummers are able to execute basic rudiments.
• Students are able to identify and play rhythms.
• Students are able to identify and play in specific meters.
• Students are able to identify and execute notation short cuts.
• Students are able to identify dynamics markings and concepts.
• Students are able to identify tempo and tempo change markings.
• Students are able to identify and play articulation styles.
• Students are able to identify symbols.
• Students understand the concepts of flats, sharps

 

COMPUTER/TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW

 

Computer/Technology instruction is provided within the PK-6 classrooms and in the lab in the following areas:

• Computer Ethic
• Computer Literacy
• Computer Software Instruction
• Use of Computers (to support the School Curriculum)

Computer Ethics The need to model and encourage ethical behavior in the use of technology for students is a pressing concern. Technology can benefit or demean humanity. The choice is both a personal one that ultimately begins with the individual choices of each and every one of us. It is vital that, from an early age, students are taught about ethical computing and conduct. This consists of establishing ethical guidelines and to these guidelines on a personal, institutional, community, and national level.

Basic Computer Literacy If students are to successfully integrate computers into the curriculum, they must, out of necessity, master basic computing skills, This encompasses mastery of the following technological skills:

• Basic Computer Terminology – beginning in kindergarten, students are exposed to basic computer vocabulary progressing to higher level terminology appropriate to their developmental grade level.
• Mouse Skills – instruction begins in preschool and kindergarten building proficiency with the basic Mouse skills of point and click, and point and click and drag. Use of the mouse is a fine motor skill as well as eye-hand coordination. The use of the mouse will be accessed in the computer lab and in the classroom.
• Keyboarding – understanding the use of the basic keys is taught in grades K-1.

Technology Lab Presently there are 24 IBM compatible computers available in the lab. The software that has been chosen integrates with the curriculum and with the technology milestones that have been established for each grade level. Each computer is hooked up to the Internet. Students in all classrooms attend technology instruction in the lab at least once a week and some weeks they are able to use the lab more than once.

Lab Instruction Lab instruction includes gaining proficiency in navigating the PC. Students become oriented to the PC via terminology, basic operations, i.e. opening & closing files, printing, entering and exiting software independently and using multiple applications at once. In grades 4-6, students are exposed to a variety of software applications such as database management, spreadsheets, word processing and multimedia presentations. Students incorporate a variety of skills such as layout and design, Internet research, taking turns using the computer and using pictures clip art and sounds. These skills are enhanced through story writing, designing posters and slide show presentations among other projects. Students in the upper grades are exposed to the use of the scanner, digital camera, Smart Board and multimedia projector. In grades 1-3, students are introduced to word processing, creating slide shows, learning layout and design techniques in desktop publishing, using the Internet, and making graphs using spreadsheets. In PreK and Kindergarten, students learn basic operations of the mouse, the computer system and the printer. Students in all grade levels learn technology primarily through the implementation of projects that are integrated with content being studies in the classroom. They are also exposed to multimedia applications available on CD-ROM that enhances their academic skills as well. Their exposure to these applications is developmentally appropriate. At the same time, they learn the proper use, care and management of CD's. In addition, students in grades 1-6 learn proper keyboarding techniques and research skills from the most primary level to more advanced in the upper grades. As educators and as illustrated in the curriculum frameworks, we are encouraged to facilitate students to become dynamic lifelong learners who utilize higher order thinking skills to creatively solve problems. A variety of software has been obtained that offers students the opportunity to creatively tackle problems, utilizing logic, reasoning and higher order problem solving skills.

Technology in the Classroom There are 2 IBM compatible computers in each classroom and each classroom teacher has chosen appropriate software that correlates with the frameworks and their curriculum.