Specials Classes: Art, Music, Physical Education & Spanish
Art
In addition to creative projects within their own classrooms, students travel to the art studio twice a week to engage in a series of integrated experiences designed to foster a love of artistic culture and processes. Younger children gain an understanding of aesthetic concepts such as line, color, shape and texture, while older students apply those foundational lessons into creating artwork with added dimension, expression and manipulation of different mediums and materials. Each trip to the art studio allows each student a chance to develop their own individual style of self-expression utilizing a variety of tools and methods.
Music
Students participate in music classes twice a week, learning the basics of musical structure and composition. During classes students are taught the value of notes, measures and standard music notation as well as being offered opportunities to play a variety of instruments such as the piano, keyboards and xylophones. Students also explore their own natural rhythms using an array of percussion instruments. Music class extends beyond the art of playing of instruments, helping students to cultivate an appreciation for a variety of music from around the world while learning various dances such as the waltz, tango and rumba. Additional band and choir classes are also offered during after-school sessions.
Physical Education
Helping students to attain a working knowledge of what physical fitness means and how it affects their daily lives, physical education classes meet twice a week to address health issues and engage students in developing fine and gross motor skills. Playing a wide variety of games, students are able to perform physically active tasks while learning the importance of good sportsmanship, general game conduct and the importance of following set rules. Students also participate in health education and nutrition classes, developing a deeper understanding of personal hygiene and how best to take care of themselves.
Spanish
Like all specialist classes, students participate in Spanish courses twice a week. Creating a global awareness and an appreciation for other cultures, students learn fundamentals of the conversational language, Spanish traditions and current customs. Younger students are given an introduction to Spanish vocabulary, developing skills that will aid them in the later Levels, as Spanish conversation moves beyond beginning essentials to more experienced dialogue and sentence structure.
Henri Matisse was born in 1869, in the country of France. He began painting with rich, beautiful colors in 1898, when a friend introduced him to works of art by Van Gogh and Gauguin. Matisse's style involved into Fauvism, in which natural scenes are painted in very unnatural colors - usually extremely bright, intense and vibrant. After undergoing surgery, Matisse was unable to leave his bed, and could no longer stand to paint. But he still created art. He became interested in patterns and collages. Using hand-painted paper cut into shapes, Matisse created collages that were filled with bold and exciting colors.
Some of Matisse's best-known artworks are The Joy of Life, Red Fish, The Window, and La Danse. Visit the Detroit Institute of Arts to see actual Matisse paintings and experience their vibrant colors for yourself!
Good Morning = Buenos días
Did you finish your homework? = ¿Terminaste la tarea?
Brush your teeth = Cepíllese los dientes
I love you = Te amo
Please take out the garbage = Por favor saque la basura
Thank you very much = Muchas gracias
You are welcome = No hay de qué or de nada
Good night = Buenas noches
Here is your allowance = Aquí está su asignación
Excuse me = con permiso
Have a good day at school = Tener un buen día en la escuela
Let's read a book together = Vamos a leer un libro juntos
What would you like for dinner? = ¿Qué te gustaría para cenar?
