Farragut students and teachers get into the Halloween spirit through classroom education

At Admiral Farragut Academy, many teachers, especially in Lower School, are doing spooky lessons just in time for Halloween on October 31st. Here are some examples of how our students learn while having fun!

1st grade investigates skeletons and their bones

In Mrs. Wendy Genzel’s first grade class, students are learning all about skeletons, bones, and X-rays. Using STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Math) Principles, they investigated the question: “Why do we have so many bones in our bodies?” Students then created homemade X-rays of their hands and arms to discover all of their bones. To view their X-rays, the class held them up to the window and erupted in “ewws” and “ahhs” in amazement at how real they looked. Through this exercise, our students learned that we have 27 bones in our hands alone and why we need so many bones. First graders are also comparing the bones in their hands and arms to the bones in a bat’s wing. Did you know they are extremely similar? They also created their own “almost life-sized skeletons” to review the names of the 206 bones in our bodies and practice putting them in the correct place! To conclude the unit, the students will create expository writing that informs the reader about what they learned.

2nd grade learns how to carve a pumpkin

Mrs. Megan Fancis taught her students how to carve a pumpkin. They also learned the days of the week through a spooky Halloween song!

2nd-7th grade Spanish and Art classes learn about the Day of the Dead through creativity

Mrs. Erin Olesnevich’s Spanish classes and Ms. Kenall Queen’s Art classes have collaborated to complement each other’s studies and educate students about the Day of the Dead. Also known as “Día De Los Muertos” the holiday is celebrated in Mexico and elsewhere and is associated with the Catholic celebrations of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day. The multi-day holiday involves family and friends gathering to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died.

In 2nd grade and 3rd grade, the students colored and made their own masks. In 4th grade, the students decorating sugar skulls known as “calavera” which represents a human skull and is made from either sugar or clay. In 5th grade, the students made puppet skeletons. In 6th grade, the students are making Marigolds, which is a flower that is popular during the celebration, along with designing a poster or Google Slideshow about the holiday. In 7th grade, the students made papel picados (paper cutouts that string together) and are creating altars for a famous Spanish-speaker that has passed away. They could also choose a family member to honor. 6th and 7th graders also created masks and designed their own sombreros.