Lower School Goes Virtual for Annual Events
During the Spring months, Lower School students are usually preparing to present and show off their class projects in person. Of course, this year was a little different as the first grade Roxaboxen, second grade Travels Through Literature, third grade Pioneer Day, and fourth grade Florida Day events went virtual.
Grade 1: Roxaboxen
Roxaboxen is a treasured story about a magical town built entirely of crates, rocks, and an endless supply of imagination. Traditionally, first graders create their own structures such as stores, towns, offices, and city buildings, and present them to their classmates, teachers, and family members in person. This year, Roxaboxen went virtual as students got to decide how they wanted to present their project, and recorded themselves explaining their creation for a class-wide watch party.
Grade 2: Travels Through Literature
Throughout the year, second graders have explored, researched, and built up their reading stamina. During the annual Second Grade Travels Through Literature event, students demonstrated their knowledge of the wonderful world of literature by presenting class poems, conducting live Zoom readings of The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, and sharing how their Ozobots travel through stories like The Polar Express. Students also had an opportunity to share their poetry notebooks and reflection portfolios.
Grade 3: Pioneer Day
Third graders celebrated Pioneer Day with a special guest — Mr. Nader Hamda, Founder and CEO of Ozobots. An inventor and pioneer in technology, Mr. Hamda spoke about his inspiration for creating Ozobots and explained that he wanted to design a robot to be a companion, as well as a learning tool. Lower School students utilize Ozobots in class often – even virtually! – as they recently created an Oregon Trail and programmed Ozobots to navigate the map. Following Mr. Hamda’s presentation, students returned to their classes where they showcased all the hard work they put into making Pioneer Day special.
Grade 4: Florida Day
Fourth grade hosted its annual Florida Day via Zoom, as students took turns sharing what they have learned about Florida throughout the year, as well as their favorite and most challenging parts of their individual projects. Some students shared poems about the Everglades or presentations on Florida symbols and animals, while others created virtual Dioramas, discovered famous Floridians, or put together social media Floridagrams.