Weather Calendar
Our class does our morning routines with Pinky, Sunny, Dilly and other puppets that help us learn about our weather and our calendar.
Ms. Banoff
Bible Time Dress Up
Since September PreK3 has learned so many new Bible stories, we have use puppets and have dressed up like some of the people in the Bible we have learned about. We now can walk together as a class and we are doing just great when we go to Chapel, Gym and Art.
Ms. Banoff
Sonnets
We began the year with The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare and asked the vital question: How do you measure strength and power in an individual? We concluded that real strength comes from treating people kindly and not through force or bullying. We had several class discussions on how we are to treat one another and God’s design on marriage according to the Bible. We then took a look at how literature and art can fight injustice in society and compared the different rhyme schemes of Shakespearean sonnets with Petrarchan sonnets. We compared sonnets from Shakespeare to John Milton and found that Christian poets tend to focus on God, salvation and eternity, whereas secular poets focus on the things of this world that will one day waste away. We then read The Scarlet Pimpernel by Emperess Orczy and asked the question: Is a vigilante a hero or a law breaker? We had many in-depth class discussions on what makes someone a true hero and learned that part of being a hero is protecting those that cannot protect themselves. Just like the hero in the story, we are expected to protect the lives of those around us, as God’s word says that Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. – John 15:13.
Miss Topale
What Is Literature
We began the year with the question: What is literature? We took a look at the different interpretations that one poem can have depending upon how each individual views the poem. We then learned about Sonnets and compared the sonnets of Shakespeare’s secular love with John Milton’s more spiritual love of God and learned that God’s love provides healing and protection. We then read Les Miserables by Victor Hugo and focused on the question of whether or not there are limits to redemption. We learned what makes a man truly heroic through studying the character of Jean Valjean and that only God can change a man from bad to good through the redemptive cross of Calvary. We also went on to read A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens and asked ourselves – Does greed rule the world? We concluded that, though mankind can be trapped by the greed of this world, God will not allow us to live life without showing us that we need to change our motives and keep the golden rule, which is to help our fellow man on this journey we call life.
Miss Topale
People and Places
In September a new course was launched for the high school international students at Evangel: Intermediate Literature. It is designed to train the students in reading strategies used for deeper understanding of texts and to give the students more exposure to the English language. So far it has done both and more! The Queens Public Library found out about the class and asked if we wanted to participate in their People and Places Program in which thought provoking short stories (mostly written by immigrants) are read and reflected upon. Although each story had to be screened and the program modified for use in a Christian environment, it grew into a valuable experience for all and culminated in a party hosted by Ms. Echols at the newly built 21st Street Public Library. 9th, 10th and 11th grades each divided into groups and created posters for the event. Some groups focused on the symbolism found in a given short story, such as Abalone, Abalone, Abalone, others on comparing and contrasting two stories, and some added the adages, idioms and similes we learned. I was very impressed by the 11th graders who were able to compare given verse from the Bible with the prose poem Girl by Jamaica Kincaid. They did such a fabulous job that Mrs. Echols sent the posters to the founder of the program. I am so proud of those students who participated!
As we wrap up this section on short stories and do review for midterms, I look back at the interesting ways the students showed what they learned; from complex graphic organizers to acting out different parts of a story, from making big books about symbolism to making posters for all the stories, and I am amazed what the students have accomplished. Our next adventure will include nonfiction as we segue into the Academic Fair time of the year.
Mrs. Kemp
Healthy Eating
This month we are focusing on healthy eating in our science unit. We have learned about the food groups, recommended daily allowances for those food groups, and have discussed the need for our bodies to be taken care of. We also focused on propaganda and how advertisements affect our food choices. The students work in pairs to create posters of their own advertisements, to encourage healthy eating habits. I am pleased to announce that I have seen changes in my students eating habits. They are making wiser food choices and those that didn’t eat breakfast are trying to since they understood the importance of starting the day right and the need for energy that we get from our breakfast.
Mrs. Ruiz
Caroling Trip
The month of December has been very busy for 5th grade. We have been rehearsing for the Christmas celebration, and we have also been rehearsing for our caroling trip. This trip was a great success. The fifth graders practice Christmas carols and we sang at two separate places. I can say that we brought Christmas joy to those that heard our students. The students showed their joy and served the community by spreading their joy and ministering by singing carols that mentioned the Joy that we celebrate because of the Christ child’s birth. It was touching to see how the people were blessed. We went out to bless them and in return they blessed us with gifts for each student and even with a donation to our fund for our graduation trip in June. We had fun and thanked the Lord for his blessings.
Mrs. Ruiz
Thankfulness
In bible we have talked about obedience as we learned about Moses and the Judges of Israel. We also took time to thank the Lord for his blessings and celebrated with a Thanksgiving Feast in our classroom. We also enjoyed the harvest fair.
Mrs. Ruiz
Ancient Civilizations
In Social Studies we have focused on ancient civilizations such as the Mayas, Aztecs, and Incas. As a final project the students created booklets about one civilization of their choice. They did an amazing job!
Mrs. Ruiz
Periodic Table
For the month of November students continued their unit on chemistry and have become experts on reading the periodic table. It is amazing to see their enthusiasm.
Mrs. Ruiz