Unified Arts
Hands on learning that's fun!
Studio Art has been full of creativity this semester!
In Studio Art our 7th graders have been deeply engaged in an ongoing artist research project. Each student picked an artist to study, built a presentation about that artist, and then created an original artwork inspired by that artist’s style.
In 6th grade, students are exploring color theory and mixing. They’ve practiced with primary colors and learned how to blend them to make secondary and tertiary colors. After practicing until they found the exact hues they wanted, each student then creates their own unique color wheel using only primary colors as their starting point.
Our 5th graders are having fun with texture through a Claes Oldenburg–inspired mini hamburger collage. They examined how texture can suggest form and used found materials to build their favorite foods, which they placed at the center of their hamburger compositions.
The end of the year brings some of our most exciting 3D art projects - and Papier Mache!
7th graders are making monumental paper mache objects inspired by the sculpture of Claus Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggan. We start by collaborating on building large scale armatures with cardboard, masking tape, and hot glue. We will be adding color with bulletin board paper and printed or hand drawn logs next week!
6th graders are exploring the traditions of mask making around the world. We are learning how to make a flat piece of paper into a 3D mask with cutting, folding, and stapling. These plates will be transformed into animal masks using paper mache, colored paper, and markers.
5th graders are loving the Pop Art Food project inspired by Andy Warhol. After experimenting with cardboard sculpture techniques, we build sturdy armatures of our favorite foods. This grade enjoys the playful elements of making pretend food and is excited to bring these projects to life with colored paper and printed elements!
Ready to Roll!
7th Engineering:
We are in the midst of our final engineering challenge of the year. Students are working in their groups to build the fastest rubber band powered motor boat. Using a wide array of materials students have come up with very creative and unique designs. Soon we will begin testing the designs to gather data and determine overall success.
6th Engineering:
Students have been hard at work creating a way to move dice as far as possible without touching it. There have been catapults, slingshots, ramps and more all moving dice some far and some short. Students are actively testing their designs and gathering data to help to create a better prototype for their next build.
Robotics:
We have reached the final week of the color mazes. Students have been working in pairs to code their robots to respond to different colors. They use the colors to help navigate a maze. Next we will start our final robot where students will work together to both code and build a robot.
Makerspace:
It’s time to roll. Students are in the early stages of creating sail cars. They are working on a way to use the power of wind to move their cars as far as possible. Then we will use what we have learned from the trials to make the cars even better.
Myths, money, and more!
6th Grade World History:
In 6th grade we are exploring ancient Greece as the year winds down. We are specifically looking at the cultural and political differences between the various Greek City States of the ancient period. Our goal is to develop a strong understanding of the key similarities and differences between how they ruled their kingdoms. We will also be analyzing and exploring various Greek myths, most notably the stories of Pandora, Daedalus & Icarus, Hercules, Orpheus & Eurdycice, Theseus & The Minotaur, and Echo & Narcissus. The goal here is to understand how these stories impacted the people and culture of ancient Greece.
7th Grade Financial Literacy:
For Financial Literacy we will be finishing up a simulation project where students create a product and run a business around it. Students have learned about production costs, advertising, and costs of maintaining a business. The goal here is for them to develop an understanding of not just managing money, but using that money to attain a specific goal.
7th Grade Current Events:
In current events, students will be working on a presidential biography project. The purpose of this project is to bridge a gap between history and current events, by analyzing past presidents, their actions, and how they can be related to today’s world. The project itself encompasses a poster that serves as an overview of the chosen president and then an essay that goes into further detail of what the president did, as well as the opinions of the student on the chosen president.
Finishing Strong!
As we progress toward the end of the school year, we are alternating between team games and some competitive activities. We are testing our students' skills in demonstrating good sportsmanship during games. For example, once we group our students, they form their own teams, establish their own rules of gameplay, and use their toolbox of conflict-resolution strategies to resolve any conflicts that arise during play. Conflict-resolution skills we discussed all semester include rock-paper-scissors, redoing the play, and talking it out calmly. Some highlighted activities are soccer, multi-sports, KanJam, Steal the Plunger, and Yoshi.
We have several students going above and beyond in classroom decision-making, so we are very positive our students can finish the school year strong.
Countries and Cultures
The 7th grade Spanish Class just finished our unit on telling time. They built upon their fluency with numbers and learned different ways to tell the current time as well as the time of future events.
The 6th grade just finished our unit on Frida Kahlo y sus autorretratos. We learned about Frida Kahlo, her life, and her body of work. We focused specifically on her self portraits and the way she expressed her feelings/emotions through her art. We then created our own Frida inspired self portraits and labelled them with the correct parts of the body in spanish.
The 5th Grade World Languages Class has been learning the countries and cultures of South America. We started another map project and, for each country, we are filling out research work sheets. We are learning about the population of each country, what holidays they celebrate, what kinds of animals and plants live there, as well as interesting geographical facts like what are the major rivers, lakes, and natural features that are present there.
Band Karate!
6th + 7th Grade Band
What a year for the BMS Symphonic Band! In the past few weeks since Spring Break, we have had our Spring Concert, Jazz á La Mode, and we are preparing for our final performance of the year at the Memorial Day Parade! We will have a combined band of 100+ students with the BHS Band to celebrate our successes this year as a district.
5th, 6th, and 7th Grade Bands
Students in 5th, 6th, and 7th Grade Band are starting our end-of-year unit, “Band Karate!” Students will prepare different pieces out of our Standards of Excellence workbook to practice note reading, build technical skills, and to earn prizes! As they advance through the Karate Belt ranking system, students continue to hone skills as we finish out the school year!
GRADE LEVEL: Grades 5, 6, & 7
CHORUS is designed for all students. Students will learn basic vocal technique and components of vocal health. This course will include the exploration of choral music from a variety of musical styles, sight-reading, part-singing, music reading, and music theory. Live performance opportunities are a meaningful component of this class. Students of all abilities are welcome to be part of the chorus. Being a great singer is not a prerequisite, come and find your own voice. No students ever will have to sing alone, unless they want to. Be part of a group and develop your talent to its full potential.