JKs
We are moving along with our Christmas song and dance. Finally, the boys and girls were able to get to their spots ON CUE! It was wonderful to see the songs coming together. Our singing is also improving. There will be extra practise when ever we can squeeze it in - it helped us tremendously this week.
There are some strong singers, and our Christmas Carol sounds better and better. Please remember JK's, that when you sing, you use your musical voice and do not yell - that will only hurt your throats. So, let's keep it QUIET when we can, to conserve our voices for singing.
SKs
Today we were able to practise four verses of our Christmas song.
We had access to the stage today, and finally the SK's were able to practise assembling on it. It was a very scary experience for some. The more exposure we get to the stage before the Christmas production, the better we will perform!
We are trying very hard to line up so that we may look good on stage. Some stage directions have been given - no talking, no fidgeting, hands must be OUT of our pockets and by our sides, no leaning or stepping back, and no leaning on anyone else.
Letters have gone home with the words to our special song. Practising at home is strongly encouraged. PARENTS - if you would like your child to hear the song, please go to http://www.songdrops.com/ and click on the song title that was sent home with your child. (It appears in the middle of the left hand column - blue letters.) We are trying to keep this a surprise for the rest of the school and other parents. Shhh!
A huge thank you to our parent volunteer!!! Three cheers for S.L. It was wonderful to have you there and we hope you come back often.
Grades 1 and 2
Today we focused on our Christmas poem. Things are really coming together as the students are very eager to present well. We are also reinforcing our positions on stage so that we can give an exciting presentation rather than a dry delivery. Next week every student will bring home their one or two verses to learn by heart. Parents please help your children with the difficult words and encourage them to share with you the coaching they recieved on their presentation.
We will also need reindeer antlers/hairbands for everyone except Santa and the mouse. Please check the dollar stores for this item.
Last week the words to their Christmas carol were sent home. Latin pronunciation is extremely phonetic. Each letter is pronounced distinctly and all vowels are short. The only exception for the purposes of this carol are the vowels AE together. They make a sound that is similar to a LONG i, or the English sound "aye". The "g's" are either soft or hard as in English. "Regem" = hard g. "Angelorum" = soft g. And it is very important to note that the "i" is pronounced like "ee" not as a SHORT "i".
Grades 3 and 4
The boys and girls wrote their make-up tests for our study of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. I think that the studying, practise play, the trip to the theatre, and taking up our answers last week in class, all helped everyone to better remember what is involved in this tragic love story. Tests will be returned on Friday.
We were also able to do a dry run of our mini-production of Romeo and Juliet. We have some students who have memorized their lines and are now able to add some emotion and action. Others - please read over your sheets and learn what you are to say and when. The 10 minute production is next week towards the end of class. You may memorize but that is not essential. It is more important to be able to say or read your lines with the appropriate expression discussed in class.
You may bring a costume if you wish, but they are NOT necessary. You are to wear you full uniforms to school.
GRADE 4's only - also read the blog information in PINK below. The information above is for your class WITH the grade three's. The information below is for the big PLAY - The Seussification of Romeo and Juliet. Don't get things mixed up please. You are in both!
Grades 5,6, and 7
In light of the fact that this week we will mark Remembrance Day, we took a little break from blocking our production and focused on the words and emotions associated with poems. We discussed "In Flanders Fields" as well as "Remember Remember the Fifth of November".
Students learned about the poppy and how it came to grow in Flanders fields. Have then tell you how the germination of poppy seeds was enabled by the bombings. They learned the meaning behind the words of the poem written by John McCrae. The also learned that poems were one method used to communicate facts and emotions during times when there were few electronic gadgets connected to satellites providing instant information.
We also looked at the way in which punctuation within a poem, shows us when to take a pause and how long to make that pause. Our delivery of poetry or our portrayal of character will vary from person to person. The more we know about our subject or our character, the better we can make our delivery.
TSofR&J - Cast Members
WE HAD ACCESS TO THE STAGE!!! This was in fact a magnanimous moment as we were able to see how we will be positioned for our difficult dance number. Some were overwhelmed by the height and depth of the stage while others thought it an "opportunity to run from UR to DL". Let's stick to where we are supposed to be positioned next time, shall we?
Remember, sometimes it may feel boring to you to just stand and do silent actions; but this way you add to the scenery and make the production lively. Even though you are not speaking, the audience will still be watching YOU!
* CONTINUE MEMORIZING LINES.
* YOU MUST ALL SLOW DOWN AND INCREASE YOUR VOLUME.
* DON'T EAT YOUR WORDS.
* BE CLEAR. BE FLUID. BE FLUENT.
* AND REMEMBER YOUR BLOCKING.
Best Regards,
Mrs. Deras
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