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Swift River Activity Archive

We had fun in the 08-09 school year! Field Day Fun The Soccer Field is Open! April 14 marks the day we began use of our new soccer field. Watch this short video to see students racing across the field in an elimination race. Our thanks to all the special people involved in making this dream a reality. Picking Up Sticks There's lots of clean-up after this past winter and Swift River students were ready to help. For a half hour one Wednesday morning, all students in grades kindergarten through sixth came out to the playground and picked up sticks and trash to help the custodial staff. We are all rewarded with a beautifully clean play area! We are studying Australia! Celebrate Diversity 2009 The writing process at work! Take a peek into the computer lab. Third grade students work through the many steps of a writing assignment.  

All Hands-On Solar Science
	Fifth graders, with their teacher Mr. Douglas, learned more about solar energy out in the sun this week. Students filled this long plastic tube with air by cooperatively holding it and running down the field. Then they watched as the air inside it heated and lifted the tube straight up in the air! September 2005

Third Graders Uncover the Quabbin
(FY2003-2004)

As part of the Massachusetts History Unit, Pat Convery's third grade class conducted an in-depth study of the Quabbin and some local towns, funded in part by a Massachusetts DOE grant called Uncovering the Quabbin.

(Click here to view student work)

Data Analysis, Statistics, and Probability
(Grades 5-6, 2003-2004)

The Massachusetts Mathematics Curriculum Framework requires students to engage in problem solving, communicating, reasoning, connecting, and representing.

How does a teacher take those very difficult learning standards and translate them into activities young learners can understand and appreciate?

Study pie charts the way Damon Douglas and his very inquisitive 5th graders did! The multi-step project required some students to explore the makes, colors, and exterior cleanliness of cars parked in the Swift River parking lot. Other students used computers to analyze the results of the recent Democratic Presidential primaries in Wendell, Amherst, Gardner, Holyoke, Greenfield, Leverett and Warwick. Both groups applied state-mandated curriculum standards to real-world problem solving.

Photo: Christine Morin

Both groups created very cool-looking pie graphs!

Photo: Christine Morin

Every 5th grader in Damon's class learned what a pie graph is and when to use one. Each student drew several pie graphs. The students who worked with computers also used Microsoft Excel to generate and group data, record the data in frequency tables, interpret the tables, and create very professional-looking and accurate graphs. These youngsters were most surprised when they couldn't decipher the smallest slices of the pie (e.g., the 1% representations for candidates like Sharpton and LaRouche) and needed to create solutions so that their graphs would be understandable.

At the end of this multi-step project, everyone produced stellar work. Mr. Douglas was very proud of his students and their ability to select, create, and use appropriate graphical data representations. He also appreciated how they were able to compare different representations of the same data and evaluate how well each representation showed important information about the data.

Damon Douglas' Pie Chart Lesson aligns with the following Massachusetts Mathematics Learning Standards:

• 6.D.1: Describe and compare data sets using the concepts of median, mean, mode, maximum and minimum, and range.
• 6.D.2: Construct and interpret stem-and-leaf plots, line plots, and circle graphs.
• 6.D.3 Use tree diagrams and other models (e.g., lists and tables) to represent possible or actual outcomes of trials. Analyze the outcomes.

Swift River Children visit the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art (April 2003)
In early April 2003, Swift River Kindergartners with Merka Fletcher and Peg Ross visited The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art for a hands-on exploration of art and literature.

Chris Sanborn (see.lee@excite.com), Antioch New England Graduate School Intern in Victoria Munroe’s Classroom describes the museum in an article entitled, The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art: A Fusion of Art and Literature. He writes: "Carefully cut scraps of tissue paper, dabs of colorful acrylics, and textured strokes of a paintbrush are all that may be necessary for author-illustrator Eric Carle to create works of beauty. The ingredients in the recipe for a successful museum are not so simple. The facility must stimulate a diverse population, lead each visitor through galleries of inspiration, and enlighten the senses with new dimensions of discovery. the museum, which opened in November 2002, has already served over 40,000 people a museum atmosphere appropriate for the appetites of children of all ages."

What a wonderful place for children (and adults) to visit!

GYM SHOW (Tuesday, April 15, 2003)
Click each image for a larger view!

Swift River School held its annual gym show on Tuesday, April 15th. Many parents, relatives, friends, and community members attended this wonderful yearly event. The Gym Show, under the direction of Jan Roe, included many talented performers from grades 1 through 6. These students learned and practiced gymnastic skills every Monday after school during the months of January, February, and March.

On Tuesday, the students proudly performed routines that demonstrated their agility, creativity, strength, and balance. It is evident that the gym program helps students develop poise and self-confidence. The joy and pride on each performer’s face as s/he completed a routine was a delight to witness.

A program such as this would not be possible without the assistance of dependable adults. Jan Roe’s untiring efforts and attention to each individual child are remarkable. The children of Swift River School are fortunate to have Jan as a teacher, supporter, and friend. Many thanks to the volunteers who assisted during the after school club as well as at the performance. Thanks to Laura Botkin, Anna Hartjens, Claire McGinnis, and Holly Williams.

A Question of Balance Swift River First and Second Graders Spin into Science (2003) First and second grade students in Janet DuCharme's class construct balanced spin tops using computers, Broderbund Kid Pix, and discarded audio CD discs. This creative project implemented in the computer lab by Christine Morin (Technology Instructor) addresses several Massachusetts state learning standards for Science and Technology. Specific Massachusetts science standards addressed include: Describe the various ways that objects can move, such as in a straight line, zigzag, back-and-forth, round-and-round, fast, and slow (Physical Science). Identify and describe the safe and proper use of tools and materials (e.g., glue, scissors, tape, ruler, paper, toothpicks, straws, spools) to construct simple structures (Technology/Engineering).
Just Add Water --and a dash of first/second grade creativity (2003) Linda Ruel Flynn, Art Instructor Grades PreK-2 (click the pictures to see additional artwork)
On the importance of art: Clifford V. Smith, Jr., President, GE Fund GE hires a lot of engineers. We want young people who can do more than add up a string of numbers and write a coherent sentence. They must be able to solve problems, communicate ideas and be sensitive to the world around them. Participation in the arts is one of the best ways to develop these abilities. Soundpost (Vol. 17, 1990, p. 21) Students who take arts courses tend to have higher scores on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) than those who do not...the more arts courses a student takes, generally speaking, the higher his or her SAT scores. This multi-step winter painting project addresses several Massachusetts learning standards for the Arts Curriculum Framework.