Hour of Code

This week, your daughter participated in the Hour of Code.  “The Hour of Code is a global movement reaching tens of millions of students in 180+ countries” (hourofcode.com).  We use this as an introduction to the programming your daughter will be doing throughout the year.  Learning the basics of programming reinforces problem solving and logic skills.

In first grade, we worked on a challenging version of Angry Birds and learn how to use basic directions (move forward, turn left, turn right, and loops).  We will continue to use these skills in Blockly using the Dash robots!

If you would like your daughter to explore more at home, use this link.  Please note, different activities run on different devices and are appropriate for various ages.

Beat and Rhythm Books

In music class, the girls have become beat and rhythm experts!  They can perform and maintain a steady beat (or pulse) while chanting rhymes and singing. They have accompanied themselves on both unpitched and barred instruments. The girls can also differentiate between beat and rhythm by identifying the rhythm as "the way the words go." The rhythm matches the text of the song, but the beat is the same throughout. We used iconic notation to visually represent these two foundational elements of music. Everything else your daughter will ever learn about music will depend upon her understanding of this concept!

On Monday, the girls will bring home their Beat and Rhythm Book. I hope you'll find a few minutes for her to share what she knows with you!