Physical Education

Our physical education classes help to develop the whole child by creating an environment that is safe and comfortable for all students to participate at their own developmental level. Students gain an understanding and development of locomotor skills, manipulative skills, cooperation, teamwork building and, most importantly, an understanding of good sportsmanship and diversity among individuals. Students develop their physical skills at their own paces and are encouraged to challenge themselves to try new skills. Students are taught about the importance of the fitness of their bodies and what they can do to maintain wellness.

Art

Art class offers a wonderful opportunity to educate students about famous artists and styles, art principles and techniques. The students benefit from a great program where they learn how to think and feel with many hands-on activities and opportunities for exploration. This year, we are hoping to do a virtual tour of the Louvre Museum. We are also hoping to take advantage of the art show on the importance of water, organized by the Thorne-Sagendorf Gallery in Keene.

Students in kindergarten and grades 1 and 2 learn how to draw and paint, use playdough, printmaking, collage and how to apply the basic principles such as line, shape, color, value, form, texture, space through a variety of interesting projects. Grades 1/2 review and deepen their knowledge of those principles while acquiring new skills like handling clay and making pottery.

K/1/2 are also exploring together art techniques while studying science. Wehave been using print making and collage for cloud formations, as well as use of texture. We are painting on large pieces of paper and mixing paint, as we study the sun from sunrise to sunset, water and the life of the

pond.

Grades 3/4 and 5/6 are exposed more to the great artists, genres and styles. They learn about art history while having fun.  3/4 are working on healthy ways of living.  During Gifted Art, students made sport and exercise posters, using collage techniques. Some are spectacular and well worth a visit to see! We will also draw fruit and vegetables like most artists still do. Then, we will study animals. by drawing them and making sculptures out of clay and playdough.

Grades 5/6 have studied several important European artists who started major styles : They tried Pointillism like Georges seurat, a Surrealist collage like Rene Magritte, a still lifewith real fruit as models, like Cezanne and Renoir, Post Impressionists. We will be starting a new unit on American Artists : Edward Hicks, Maxwell Parish, Grandma Moses and Grant Wood, Georgia O'Keeffe, Mary Cassatt, Winslow Homer. We will also study artists from the Colonial times (Copley,

Music

The music program at Perkins Elementary School encompasses learning through singing, playing, movement, and listening. The kindergarten, first and second grades focus on singing games and simple dances as they learn to match pitch, play a steady beat, and begin music literacy with rhythm notation. The third and fourth grade curriculum involves the study of recorder as the students begin learning to read and write notes. The fifth and sixth grade students build on their recorder skills to play more complex melodies. They also use a variety of other Orff instruments, such as xylophones and hand bells, to study scales and simple chord patterns in the keys of C, G and F. Group singing, playing percussion instruments, and folk dance are key components of all the music classes. As the students progress through the grades, they will also move from singing simple rounds and partner songs to singing other harmonies. In addition, the afternoon on music day is devoted to a school chorus, and to individual and small group lessons on band instruments. These instrument studies are open to third through sixth grades.

French

The transition from Spanish to French went very well. The students seem to enjoy learning another language that has so much in common with their own language. Many French words are part of the English language and it makes sense to learn French for a well-rounded education. The kindergarten class learns French words through songs and music, dances, games, drama and flannel board stories. The 1/2 students are learning colors and numbers, and body, fruit and vegetable vocabulary. We use song a lot. We will also study family, house and weather units. The 3/4 students enjoy learning French through song still, but also dramatization, stories, board games and magazines for young students. They are covering colors, numbers, days and months, weather, family, food and house vocabulary, as well as greetings and how to say whole sentences. The 5/6 students are studying French inventors and explorers. We watched a movie about Jacques Cousteau, underwater pioneer and advocate of respecting nature and oceans. The students have an assignment and are making a poster about Jacques Cousteau. We will continue learning all the vocabulary we need to start making whole sentences, be able to understand a French speaker, and read and write at a basic level. We will also start studying the geography and history of France soon, and make our own books