Elementary Specialists

Foreign language

Our foreign language program provides French three times a week for our pre-school through 3^rd grade students, and 4 times a week starting in 4^th grade.  It is an integral part of the school’s academic curriculum.

				The primary goal is to impart an appreciation for French language and culture to all of our students.  Subjects include basic units (such as food, clothing, and body parts) as well as themes that reinforce the core curriculum (geography, math, grammar, etc.).  Our philosophy is that if children can experience the sounds, gestures, and feeling of a foreign language, they will develop not only an ear for French, but also for learning other foreign languages and for language acquisition in general.
		Learning French Clothing!!

We utilize a variety of teaching techniques, including (1) Total Physical Response, associating language with movement, (2) activity-based instruction (art, cultural projects, food, storytelling, poetry-writing, dramatic play, and games), (3) teacher-presented information and vocabulary, (4) student-generated conversation, (5) pair, small-group, and whole group exercises.  Although ours is not technically an immersion program, all classes are conducted primarily in French.  Students are encouraged to think and react in the target language.  In oral situations, we emphasize the ability to get ideas across rather than correctness of language used.

Early childhood and lower elementary classes use song, movement, dance, rhythm, children’s literature, and games to learn basic concepts and conversation.  While the primary focus is on receptive skills rather than language production, children do consistently recall a great deal of vocabulary in contextual situations. 

With each successive grade level, students build upon these skills to include greater language production:

In Kindergarten, the program is largely oral-based, though written words are introduced, and associated with meaning through images.  The children learn French vocabulary (including parts of the body, clothing, family members, colors and counting) through songs and games, and conversational French through simplified dialogues and by learning French stories from picture books.  The alphabet is the basis for the year’s activities, relating French phonology to their developmental stage.

In first grade, children expand their French vocabulary, begin more independent and small-group activities, and begin writing activities.  In each subject area, students recognize, recall, and reproduce vocabulary.  They begin to apply learned vocabulary to speaking and writing so that they can communicate ideas and answer questions incorporating individual differences.  Specifically, they learn new aspects of French culture; identification of the day/date in complete sentences; respond to basic questions such as “Qu’est-ce que c’est?”;  become acquainted with many traditional French stories, songs, and poems.

In second grade, the students continue to study conversational French, songs, poems and games, with an introduction to French composition.  While the emphasis is on conversation, the curriculum also includes in-class writing assignments on various topics, using books and other materials to independently locate and learn vocabulary and in-class cultural projects.  By this stage, the students are able to speak in complete sentences, building upon structures acquired in previous years.

By third grade, class time is evenly divided between whole-class activities and small-group, paired, or individual work. Students thus learn to share knowledge and problem-solve among themselves.  This builds confidence and gives them concrete goals for communication in a foreign language.  Students are introduced to a text/workbook that provides structure for their oral and written learning.  This text uses music, culture, art, drama, math, poetry, and movement to teach active/communicative (speaking, writing) and passive/comprehension (listening, reading) skills.  The year culminates with the class performing an original play written by the students themselves.

Fourth graders begin to hone in on the four skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing in French, with the expectation that students will be able to derive meaning from context, apply knowledge/vocabulary to generate new thought, and communicate simple ideas effectively.  More attention is paid to detail and form.  Material learned in class is reinforced through regular homework assignments and checked through periodic oral and written assessments.  Thematically, this year’s work is largely centered on French-speaking countries around the world.

By the time grammar-based instruction is introduced in fifth grade, students have already had natural exposure to the sight and sound of the French written word.  The year’s work is structured with a textbook and workbook, with supplemental reading and exercises to integrate grammar concepts into a real-life context.  Thematic projects are based around famous authors, cities, chateaux, etc. …. The year culminates with group and individual projects based around the French-Canadian Voyageurs.

Our students participate yearly in the National French Contest, sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of French.  We are very pleased that every year, many of our children win national and state prizes.  The winners additionally attend, and usually perform at, an awards ceremony held on the Stanford University campus.

In addition, an afternoon class is offered for parents and friends, to allow parents to participate more actively in their children’s French instruction, and to further bring together the various constituents of our school community.

Computer Education

Grades 1 and 2

In this computer age, children need to learn computer skills just as they need to learn “pencil skills.” Those who master keyboarding and word processing have a powerful advantage both in school and in the workplace. Mastering the skills takes practice and repetition. With Read, Write and Type and Mavis Beacon, the first and second graders familiarize themselves with the keyboard and the mouse.  They also learn the names and the use of all the computer parts.  The second graders slowly start using Microsoft Office and the Internet during very structured class projects that are linked with the classroom curriculum.

Grades 3-5

Students still need to improve their speed and accuracy with the keyboard and the mouse with Mavis Beacon. By fifth grade, they have good speed and accuracy.   It is very important to teach the students ways to use Microsoft Office (mainly Word, Power Point, and Excel).  Class projects are continued in the computer science class.  For example, if Whales is the theme during a certain period in the classroom, the student’s project can be typed using Word and take the form of a Power Point slide show for an oral presentation.  Furthermore, the fourth and fifth graders start learning HTML to create a personal website that is added to the school website. They use NotePad to write their web pages.  They also start using a digital camera and learn how to upload, crop, cut and paste pictures. 

Music

Overview

		The music program at Saklan Valley is based on the philosophy and practices of Orff-Schulwerk, a dynamic approach to music education developed by the composer Carl Orff.  This approach is characterized by active involvement in music making through the body, voice, movement, and work on specially-designed Orff instruments.  It recognizes the many doors through which a child can enter the musical world and provides opportunities for aural, visual, and kinesthetic learners to feel successful in music via a multidimensional approach.

The nurturing of the whole musician who can hear, feel, understand, and physically express music contributes to the child’s ability to synthesize the intellect, senses, emotions and physical body in ways that have important implications in their total educational experience.  The social dimension of group music making is also a central quality of the music program.

Elementary Music Classes

Each elementary class has two 30-45 minute music class meetings each week, in groups ranging from eight to 19 children.  These classes develop both skill and understanding in the basic elements of music via experiences in body percussion, speech, singing, movement, folk and cultural dances, games, drama, and the playing of pitched and unpitched percussion instruments. 

Within any one class, the activities might be mixed, i.e., beginning with a circle dance and/or singing, playing a game, working with rhyme or poem, adding instruments, creating movement and gesture that act out the text, etc.  Each of the media is a strand within itself with its own sequence of development.  Rather than spend a month on singing alone, a month on folk dance, etc., the strands develop side-by-side, with the teacher keeping track of each to form the overall design of the year’s program.

Physical Education

The main focus of the physical education program this year is to achieve the following:

- to build up the stamina and energy of each and every student - to teach all the students the correct way to do physical exercise - to learn sportsmanship and teamwork - to have fun doing all these things.

The lower school classes, which include first grade through fifth grade, are involved in more advanced skill development and game play.  For instance, we play soccer for a two-week course; we break down individual parts of the game of soccer and work on them.  These parts include dribbling drills, striking drills, goalie drills, etc.  Once we finish these drills we play a game at the end of class incorporating everything the children had just learned from the day.

Art with a Specialist

		Beginning in first grade art technique is taught weekly or bi-weekly by an art specialist instructor who guides the students in the practice of drawing, painting, sculpture, and crafts. As students advance in the program, they learn skills such as design, color awareness, perspective, shading, and portraiture. Art is also integrated into core subject areas at all levels, and is employed for reinforcement, extension, and creativity across the curriculum. Media used include colored pencils, chalk, paper mache, printmaking, collage and clay. Periodically, students receive art instruction from visiting artists, as well as from the artists at the Museum of Children ^³s Art. The kindergarten class does many regular art projects. Art is also emphasized in the French program.

Art

Art is fundamental to the learning process because it teaches cooperative learning through collaboration, group problem solving, discussion of ideas, and allows students the freedom to create without feeling restricted.  Art also encourages responsibility and appreciation as it teaches students to take personal responsibility for their work, classroom supplies and equipment.  A set routine is established at the beginning of the year to reinforce this goal.  Teaching students about various types of art media and different cultures allows them to understand that art is an expression and not necessarily something that has to be replicated perfectly.  Teaching students to appreciate what they can do and allowing them to interpret art independently help them to build confidence and comfort in the subject area.

Students are taught to notice shapes, forms, line, colors, differences between light and dark, textures, balance, aesthetics, and elements of art history.  Discussion about various artists and their techniques is brought to life during art projects and activities.  As students begin to learn to paint, draw, and sculpt, complex concepts will be added allowing students to build upon prior skills and knowledge.

Students are expected to maintain and keep a portfolio of their work for assessment.  Assessment will follow a basic rubric: ability to follow instructions, class cooperation, design and craftsmanship, creativity, effort and respect.

Library

The library provides students an environment to practice educational research, learn about the world of books, and to enjoy recreational reading. Students from Kindergarten through fourth grade have an age appropriate read aloud experience through which they learn new vocabulary, practice listening skills, and gain reading comprehension through a discussion of the ideas and topics in the books. The students are presented a wide variety of authors from multicultural backgrounds, and study books across a wide variety of genres. Often, the books chosen to read aloud or to research supplement or extend the curriculum the children are learning in their classrooms.

In the earliest grades the students learn very basic skills that introduce the concepts of the book's cover, title page, book handling, and library areas. As the students progress in age, the librarian continues training students in skills such as alphabetization in the library, literary terms, and simple research techniques, so that by fourth grade they have a full grounding in the formal arrangements of the library.

Middle School Specialists

Our middle school French program benefits from lively, communicative teaching techniques which give students strong language foundations that can be directly applied to real-world situations. Students deepen the knowledge they have acquired in earlier grades by studying higher level grammatical concepts, and learning to express more complex thoughts in creative ways. Classes are conducted primarily in French so that students learn to think and respond in French automatically.

Technology

Use of computers will be extended based on the foundation laid in the elementary school program: computer literacy, programming, keyboarding, and the use of word processing, data base, spreadsheet, interactive, and simulation programs. The middle school students will use the computer for sophisticated research, application of math equations and problem solving, collecting science data for analysis and graphing, surveying, architecture and construction, outlining and report writing for oral and written presentations, consumer math and financial planning.

The computers will be in the classroom where use is integrated with other curriculum. The goal is to provide middle school students with the experiences and use of the computer that will allow them to succeed in future learning situation where use of technology provides an advantage in education, science, mathematics, business, research, industry, and home.

Performing Arts and Music

Students will be taught ear training, recognition of pitches, note values, tempos, memorization of notes and words, and various other facets of voice training. The music appreciation classes provide students with a repertoire of music literature and composers, in addition to experience with percussion instruments, body percussion, and movement.

Art

Art projects will be integrated into all academic disciplines. Art history will be included in the history curriculum. Students will be encouraged to use art as an effective means of representing what they know and what they believe. Artistic excellence will be fostered and rewarded, but many times the process of art will be emphasized over the actual product.

Physical Education

Students will receive instruction in health, nutrition, organized games and sports. They will be taught the rules and techniques used in various team sports. Weekly tennis lessons at the Moraga Country Club will be given in the fall and spring as a regular part of the P.E. program. After school soccer / flag football, basketball, volleyball, and track and field leagues form in the various seasons of the school year, and we try to arrange games in team sports with other private middle schools.