Second Grade Skypers

When some start confusing Australians with Austrians, or (as with the more recent and unfortunate circumstance) confusing Chechens with Czechs, we can start to understand on the simplest of levels, the importance of folding a global education and awareness into our curriculum.  Knowing where countries are on a map, in geographic relation to each other, is valuable knowledge for children growing up in a global society.  But, the greater priority may be gaining an understanding of people, perspectives and cultures different than their own.  This is the focus for the second grade's culture exchange, which exhibits just one of Elisabeth Morrow's grade-level efforts to use conferencing and collaborative technology to engage and connect our young students with the larger world in which they live.

This year, Mrs. Keller and Mrs. Holden's class established a culture exchange with the second grade students of Ms. Guzman and Ms. Mena from the Academia Británica Cuscatleca in Santa Tecla, El Salvador.  The students initiated the project by writing letters about themselves and exchanging stuffed class mascots (ABC sent us a stuffed bulldog, while EMS sent them a stuffed teddy bear - pictures here, here and here).  The culture exchange continues throughout the year, with sessions over Skype, where children ask questions, learning about similarities and differences, as well as a Voicethread project, where multi-media information can be shared.  It is important to note that the project is also really fun and engaging for children.  You can follow the project on this EMS Culture Exchange page.

9 Life Lessons from Musical Rehearsals

by Emily Spaeth

Early Childhood/Lower School Music Teacher

While in the midst of yet another rehearsal for our holiday concert in December, a by-stander remarked, “Is all of this practice really necessary?”  It started me thinking about all of the benefits our students reap from rehearsals, leading up to a big performance.  At EMS, all of our teachers understand that we have an obligation to academically prepare students for success in the classroom, but we are also committed to the other tenants of our mission:  encouraging independent thinking, cultivating individual talents, and fostering a joy of lifelong learning.  In other words, we focus on the "whole child."  As we approach the end of the academic year, and all the special events and performances that mark the occasion, I thought it might be an appropriate time to discuss what children "get" from performance, practice and rehearsal.

1) Resilience and Diligence
No matter how much we may prepare for something, it may still not go the way we expected it to.  To this end, we begin practicing for our performances months in advance.  Many students think they are ready before the first all-inclusive rehearsal, but often that first rehearsal does not go well.  Rather than throwing in the towel, it is important to encourage the children to brush themselves off, get back up and try again.  Students learn that by examining what went wrong, fixing the problems and committing to make it better, they can succeed.  We may not get it right the first time, but the children understand that they'll get it eventually, and usually the end result is better than we could have ever imagined!

2) Patience
When preparing for a performance, there are many moving pieces that need to be rehearsed.  Oftentimes, at least a small portion of each rehearsal requires some students to sit quietly while others are practicing their parts.  Learning to wait patiently is a valuable skill that children (and for adults as well) must work at consistently in order to achieve.

3) Respect
Patience goes hand-in-hand with Respect as during each performance we try to have a moment where each group or grade level has a chance to shine.  While some are performing, the other students learn to respect the work that their fellow classmates are doing, or have done.  They also learn that they don’t need to be the center of attention at all times.  When they learn to share the spotlight, true understanding and collaboration is possible in their lives.

4) Flexibility
Our performances are carefully planned months in advance, in collaboration with all of the music teachers.  However, during rehearsals with the full group, we sometimes realize that the song order should be changed, or a dance needs to be added.  We encourage the students to understand that if they are well prepared, any changes we incur need not be upsetting.  Flexibility is an important tool in success.  The students see that if something is not working, it’s okay to make changes to improve it, even if it wasn’t in the initial design.


5) Attention to Detail
Many times in rehearsal, we practice small items, such as making sure the “t” at the end of a word can be heard, or the inflection of a phrase sounds a certain way.  When rehearsing, students begin to understand that these tiny details can change a song from average to extraordinary.  This attention to detail can carry over into everything they do.

6) Working Together as a Group
When performing with a large group, students learn that it’s important to work together.  Of course, the success of the performance depends on each student doing their part to the best of their ability, but when students embrace collaboration, it teaches them that by working together, we can create something much bigger, more powerful than each of them as individuals.  Think of Music as the ultimate team sport where the best part is that everyone wins!

7) Public Performance
The ability to stand up in front of a group and speak or perform is important, and musical performances can provide a valuable step in that process.  While safely surrounded by their classmates, each student gets the experience of sharing their voices and talents to a large, and appreciative, audience.   The confidence gained may later encourage students to speak their mind, share ideas, or become leaders.

8) Pride of Ownership
We all appreciate something more when we know we have worked hard to achieve it.  When the students have diligently practiced words, music and movements for a performance, it becomes truly THEIRS.  They learn to take pride in the finished product because they know that the time and energy they put into the concert is what made it spectacular.

9) Enjoying the Experience
While the week of rehearsals leading up to the performance may be challenging, students learn that with proper preparation and focus, the end product is an enjoyable and rewarding experience.  It is clear to us, as educators, that the students who challenge themselves to learn the music, end up having the most fun (and less stress) because in knowing the material they can relax and enjoy the experience and accomplishment of performing.

Cooking in the Curriculum @EMS: 7 Good Reasons

Cooking? Are you serious?  Yep!  Here's why:

A child putting the steps to make "The Besto Pesto"
 in sequential order. (later followed up as an
independent activity to make a mini "recipe book."

1.  Sequencing - Cooking helps children in understanding procedure and ordering events to reach desired outcomes.

2.  Leadership - Cooking is a simple/low-stress means for children to direct their peers through assigning duties (as part of the recipe) to other children and overseeing the production of the final product.

3. Followership: Cooking allows children to understand the responsibility of teamwork, of being an effective part of a group working toward a specific goal.  Also, once given a "job," a student then must follow both spoken and written direction to fulfill their assigned task.

4. Math:  calibrating required ingredients introduces units of measure (amounts and temperatures) and an understanding of proportion.

5.  Gross/Fine Motor Skills:  chopping, measuring, stirring, peeling (under careful supervision) all works on the large and small muscle groups along arm, as well as developing hand dexterity.  

Middle School Cooking Club:  often featuring guest chefs
and the exploration of culture through cuisine.

6.  Tangible Results:  completion of a recipe offers a tangible and real result for the children.  Engagement is usually there as well, as the children get to eat the tasty results.

7.  Eating Right:  learning to cook introduces children to healthier food options.  Plus, at EMS, we often cook with our own vegetables (grown on campus), and children are more likely to try new foods if they've participated in growing them.

A Visit from Gabriel Bol Deng

Gabriel Bol Deng, Hope for Ariang

The Elisabeth Morrow School welcomed Gabriel Bol Deng, executive director and founder of Hope for Ariang.  Gabriel shared his harrowing story about his flight from the Sudanese civil war in 1987, the life-threatening challenges he faced along the way, and his steadfast determination to hang on to hope.  In two assemblies, Gabriel spoke to both the Middle and Lower School, telling them that few things are more important than hope and education; he and Hope for Ariang have made it their mission "to make education accessible for all children and adults in Southern Sudan by removing cultural and socio-economic barriers with a special focus on girls' education–one village at a time."  Currently, Hope for Ariang is working toward the sustainability of the Ariang school.  To read about Gabriel's incredible exodus from Sudan to Ethiopia , follow this LINK.  

Aaron Cooper - Reflections upon the recent NJAIS Keynote Speakers

"Hearing these three speakers made me think, made me feel, that EMS, all the way back to its mission statement, is on the right track in terms of what's best for children." 

     ~ Aaron Cooper, Head of School 

AC-10-26 Speak by EMScommunications

On Friday, October 26, Aaron Cooper started off his first Head of School Coffee with his reflection upon three recent speakers at the NJAIS conference and how their presentations detailed much of what EMS already embraces.  (15 minutes)

EMS Teachers Present at Annual New Jersey Educational Computing Cooperative Conference

Sandy Malko, Laurie Lester and Kristi Evans at NJECC Conference

by Dr. Allison Egert
Director or Special Learning Services


EMS teachers Kristi Evans, Laurie Lester and Sandy Malko recently presented Captivating the Young Using 21st Century Skills  which highlighted the use of iPADS and other mobile devices for teaching and differentiating instruction for students who may find reading and writing a bit more challenging.  With the help of Sarah Rolle, EMS Director of Technology, the teachers developed a website for their attendees that offered a few iPad references and a list of top 10 apps that are effective and engaging for students in first through fourth grades.  

Kristi Evans

For me, the presentation was a reminder that it's a dynamic time to be a teacher.  We are finding, both here at EMS and elsewhere, that digital engagement and literacy is promoting independent discovery and sparking an interest in students for acquiring the background knowledge necessary for understanding texts. iPad's are also further encouraging peer relationships and collaborative learning.  Mostly, however, they are just plain fun to use as part of the learning process–for students as well as teachers.