Work & Wellness:

An Exhibition of Student Work

MCCPS
June 17 2009
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Work & Wellness
Essential Questions and Understanding Goals

What defines work?

Students will understand...
‣How producers and consumers contribute to work
‣That there are many kinds of work
‣That energy is needed for work

What does it mean to be healthy?

Students will understand...
‣That choices affect wellness
‣That there are many types of health
‣That there are obstacles to wellness

How are work and wellness connected?

Students will understand...
‣That a healthy world requires work
‣How work influences well being
‣That perspective shapes work

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Program of Activities
THE MCCPS BAND
under the direction of Ms. Adria Smith
“Oye Como Va” by Tito Puente arranged by Victor Lopez
Solos by Nate Torto and Geoffrey Selden
“Mission Impossible” by Lalo Schifrin arranged by Paul Lavender
“Mozart Mix” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart arranged by John
O’Reilly

THE JAZZ MCCPS BAND

under the direction of Ms. Adria Smith
“Cantaloupe Island” by Herbie Hancock with solos by Geoffrey
Selden, Billy McAllon, Jake Hempel, Alex Hamzeh, and Nate Torto

THE A CAPPELLA ENSEMBLE

under the direction of Nancy Wolinski
“On the Dock of the Bay” by Otis Redding

STREET LATIN DANCE

under the direction of Gregory Coles
A selection of Latin dance including: Salsa, Chachacha,
Merengue, and Bachata

STUDENT EXHIBITIONS
in grade level classrooms from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm

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4th Grade
Life Cycle-scape
Students became biologists and photojournalists this trimester as they
studied the life cycle of plants, butterflies and frogs. Don’t miss the student
created “film strips” depicting their chosen life cycles of plants, butterflies, or
frogs. Each student also has an Independent Species Study including a
scientific drawing to share with visitors. Be sure to question 4th graders about
the habitat and unique characteristics of the species they have studied. Ms.
Miller’s advisory will present from 7:30-8:00. Ms. Dowdell’s advisory will present
from 7:00-7:30. Look for student science notebooks with daily observations
and graphs showing growth over time.

Ancient China: Dragon & Lotus

Students became playwrights, producers, directors, and actors to
present a play based on the Chinese folktale, A Grain of Rice, re-written by
Helena Clare Pittman. Cooperative groups each worked on a portion of the
folktale to create character dialogue and then assumed the roles of actors,
playwrights, directors, and
producers. Music selections
include original Chinese influenced
piano pieces, a song called China,
and the band playing, Ming Court.
Come see our fabulous
production! Ms. Miller’s advisory
will be performing at 7:00 p.m. Ms.
Dowdell’s advisory will be
performing at 7:35 p.m.
The ancient Chinese were
originators of many technologies
and inventions. Many of them are
still in use today. Students wrote
research papers on a Chinese
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invention of their choice. Look for student invention reports.
Fourth graders also constructed ancient Chinese puzzles called
tangrams and used them to explore geometry and fractions. See the
tangrams in Ms. Miller’s room and ask our mathematicians about them!
In Art, students created Chinese dragon puppets as well as leaf print poetry
portfolio covers with their names in Chinese. Look for them in Ms. Dowdell’s
room.
Similes, Stanzas, Senses, and Stars
As budding poets, Grade Four students have created poetry portfolios
illustrating various poetry forms. Look for these on display in Ms. Dowdell’s
room. Students have created poetry of many forms: couplets, acrostics,
similes, rhyming, and free verse.

5th Grade
Plants
Students became media specialists. On display in the computer lab
will be student-created slide presentations about plants. In art, in
conjunction with a unit on printmaking, students learned about some
famous 18th century artists who specialized in botanical prints. They
researched images of plants and drew a “botanical print” of their plant.
They colored them using watercolor paints. These will be displayed in the
outdoor classroom (weather permitting).
Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?
The fifth grade will review content from the year in our version of Are
You Smarter than a Fifth Grader? Students and select adults will answer
questions related to the fifth grade curriculum including the arts. Come join
the fun in 6C.
Machines
Students became engineers and machinists. They have designed and
built machines that accomplish one of the challenges offered by their
teachers. To succeed, students applied concepts learned in math and
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 science. These concepts include; simple machines,
use of hand tools, electricity, magnetism, physical
properties of materials, measurement, addition and
subtractions of decimals and fractions, and problem
solving. In addition, students created a print
advertisements for their machines that is included in their
presentations, along with their plans and scaled drawings.

6th Grade
The Global Threads of Baseball
In the Community Room, 6th grade students are baseball consultants
for a Major League Baseball team. Students are displaying real-time data
about their team in different formats from mathematical data to
biographical statistics. Guests will be challenged to a handmade
mathematical baseball game that emphasizes elements of probability.
Winners will be entered into a raffle to win baseball memorabilia signed by
Swampscott's own Johnny Pesky. Also, guests will have the opportunity to
read authentic baseball themed short-stories. Students are wearing t-shirts
featuring originally designed team logos. Finally, throughout the evening
you will be entertained by several live baseball themed skits and piano
music.

Fantastic Food Webs & Funky French Animals

Along the 6th Grade Hallway a visual display of funky french animals
based on the West Ghana folktales of Anasi. These imaginary creatures are
a fantastical combination of various animals from around the globe.
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 In art, in conjunction with their studies of Africa, 6th graders learned
about African masks and their significance, and made their own tribal clay
masks inspired by various African tribes.
Beyond that and in the new outdoor classroom (weather permitting)
are exhibits of different ecological food webs showing how energy is
transferred amongst organisms. There are also French invitations from the
Earth Day Community Service Learning Project.

7th Grade
Magnificent Minds & Beautiful Bodies
In Mrs. McAuliffe's room, meet the Seventh Grade Olympians. You will
see how each student charted their physical abilities, set goals, predicted
and estimated ways to strengthen/increase their endurance and physical
stamina. See their wellness wheels
where they set goals for physical
fitness, nutrition, social/emotional
health, education, and overall student
wellness. Read the seventh graders
ongoing journal including their weekly
reflections of their learning and writings
on famous mathematicians and
scientists of the ancient world. Also,
enjoy a health snack prepare by the
students themselves!
In Ms. Girouard's room, you will
meet a Greek or Roman historical
figure where you can ask about ideas,
legacies, accomplishments and
achievements of these visionaries.
Read biographies and adaptations of
Greek and Roman myths. See original
art. Don't forget to check out the
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students' Greek Red Figure pottery paintings in the hallway.
At 8pm students will present "A la mode," a French fashion show
featuring the Ancients. Students will walk the catwalk in their character
costumes to their original musical compositions based on Ancient Greece
and Rome.
Buy a 7th grade CD! Original compositions have been recorded at
Ringo studio. You will hear the pieces during the French fashion show. CDs
include students performing songs about mythology and are on sale for
$5.00.

8th Grade
Work in Progress:
Reflecting Back & Looking Forward
Tonight, the 8th grade students will present a portfolio of work,
including artwork, poetry, journaling, and essay writing on science, math
and food among other things. Through much of this work, the students have
reflected on their experiences as students here and elsewhere. As they
prepare to strongly finish out their middle school years and transition into
high school, it is essential for them to reflect on the learning that they’ve
done and the growth that has taken place. Join the students in the 8th
grade classrooms and in Charter Hall for discussions about and oral
presentations of their work.