Peter and the Wolf visit Avon East Elementary School

Mrs. Hartwell and O’Hara’s second graders had a wonderful visit from Peter and the Wolf. The composition was narrated and performed by the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and Metropolitan Classical Ballet. The students enjoyed the lovely sounds of the Orchestra and the dancers were fantastic.

This introduction to the Orchestra was great experience for the students. The program was narrated in English and Spanish and each character was represented by an instrument in the Orchestra. This provided the students with an opportunity to learn more about the instruments and their sounds.

The Peter and the Wolf program was our districts first connection to the Bass Performance Hall. The call was scheduled through the Connect 2 Texas group in Fort Worth Texas. We were pleased with the programming and look forward to more connections.

If you want to check out the programming from Connect to Texas check them out on the web at http://www.connect2texas.net/

Avon Heritage South and Bamford share their communities

Mrs. Danielson’s 4th graders from Avon Heritage South connected this morning to their partner school in England. The students from Bamford Primary School brought in items that they felt best represents their local community and shared them with our students. The room was filled with sports equipment, fishing rods and games that the students use in their daily life. Our students were amazed with the similarities between our classes.

The classes followed up with an exchange of questions about their favorite celebrities, sporting events and school activities. The students enjoyed a fun discussion on the difference between the rugby and American football. This program was a great way for the students to learn first hand about the United Kingdom. We appreciate Mike Griffith’s efforts from Global Leap to bring our classes together, provide an MCU to connect our schools and technical support. Without his efforts we would still be making alls nationally.

If you have not had a chance to check out the Global Leap Project it is well worth your time. Mike Griffith and his family provide a friendly gateway to the UK and many parts of the world. The can be found on the web at www.global-leap.com/ .

Penguin-Polooza hits Avon, Ohio

Avon students enhanced their Penguin units with a connection to the Columbus Zoo. The students shared their knowledge of Penguins and their habits with Carrie from the Zoo. The lesson met many of Ohio’s curriculum standards of science, geography and math. The students enjoyed the video provided through the system of penguins in the Columbus Zoo habitat.

One of the most exciting parts of the session was the transformation of one of the students to a penguin. The students identified the body parts of a penguin as they were added to the student. The student demonstrated the way the penguins walk as the instructor explained the advantages the have in their environment. Two students then demonstrated the way penguins care for their eggs and how difficult it is for them to move with eggs and babies.

The Avon Schools will be connecting the Columbus Zoo all week with third grade classes as part of the grade level unit. This program is not listed on the Columbus Zoo programming list, but they will schedule classes upon request. The Columbus Zoo is one of many of the great content providers in Ohio.

You can check out the Columbus Zoo and their distance learning offerings online at http://www.colszoo.org/education/as-dist_learn.htm