Our academic enrichment programs here at PS 217 allow students to gain advanced knowledge within their discipline, which in turn raises their confidence. These programs are known to increase critical-thinking skills and problem-solving skills, which can reduce anxiety during exams.
To the left you will find our grade newsletters which keeps you informed with what your child is learning. You will also find our cluster pages and in-school programs we offer.
Clusters
Kindergarten: Our littles focus on opposites (high/low, loud/quiet, fast/slow, etc), experiencing notation, showing the beat and melody movement. While studying these concepts, they will also be singing, playing instruments and drawing music
1st grade: Our Junior littles review opposites and explore a 2-line staff. They start to discover musical elements (how music is organized), forms and the different sounds their voices can make
2nd grade: Starts the year learning about the instrument families. They then explore rhythm and melody and how music is organized and created using expression
3rd grade: Learns how articulation, tempo and meter affects music. They start reading music and applying it to an instrument, the recorder*
4th grade: Our Juniors explore different sounds and forms in music. This goes hand-in-hand with their recorder* unit where they learn how to read music and applying it
5th grade: Our Seniors perform and create different rhythms. They have a small recorder* unit where they learn to read and play 2 more notes and understand different modalities as well as various note values
The Visual Arts Goals for PS 217 are aligned with the Benchmarks in the Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in the Visual Arts. The Blueprint is grounded in the New York State Learning Standards for the Arts and are addressed in every facet of the Blueprint. The benchmarks provide a pathway for excellence and engagement in the arts for all students beginning in early childhood and continuing to fifth grade.
Goals for Kindergarten-2nd Grade Students
Art Making
Students explore a variety of art materials and techniques, exercise imagination, construct meanings, and depict their experiences; work in two-dimensional and three-dimensional art forms, use basic art tools, and gain knowledge of media and compositional elements.
Developing Art Literacy
Through observing, discussing works and art making, students develop visual arts vocabulary. Students read, write and respond to works by famous artists and reflect on their own work as well as others.
Making Connections Through Visual Arts
Students examine images in the classroom, on museum websites or the internet and discuss how community sites are depicted. Using these observations, discussions and prior knowledge, students will recognize the societal, cultural, and historical significance of art; connect the visual arts to other disciplines; apply the skills and knowledge learned in visual arts to interpreting the world.
Community and Cultural Resources
By working in the art room, students access primary resources on the internet that are available in the community, the borough, and the city to extend their learning beyond the classroom
Careers and Lifelong Learning
Through various units, students will gain an awareness of careers in visual arts; learn to work independently and in teams; set goals for themselves and gain an appreciation of art as a source of enjoyment and lifelong learning.
Goals for Third – Fifth Grade Students
Art Making
Students begin sequential unit projects in painting, drawing, collage, sculpture and 2D/graphic Design. They will extend knowledge of art media and compositional and design elements: choose new ways of using familiar tools and materials: and deepen imaginative capacities, observational and expressive skills.
Developing Art Literacy
Students hone observation skills and discuss works of art; develop visual arts vocabulary to describe art making, the tools and techniques used to produce art, and the elements and principles of design. Students interpret artwork by providing evidence to support assertions.
Making Connections Through Visual Arts
Students recognize the societal, cultural and historical significance of art; connect the visual arts to other disciplines; apply the skills and knowledge learned in the visual arts to interpreting the world.
Community and Cultural Resources
Students will learn that primary resources are available to them in the borough, the city and all over the world via cultural institutions, public art and design and the Internet.
Careers and Lifelong Learning
Students gain an awareness of careers in the visual arts, learn to work independently and in teams and gain an appreciation of art as a source of enjoyment and lifelong learning.
An active childhood leads to a healthy lifestyle and builds the foundation for the social, psychological, and mental skills needed to succeed as an adult. Regular physical activity and eating properly improves students’ concentration and academic success.
The children here at PS 217 all experience a vigorous physical education program which focuses on exercise, sports and nutrition. During physical education class your children are exposed to many different exercises, sports, games and overall safety and healthy living. Many of our activities taught here at school can be performed both inside and outside. According to the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, children should be physically active for at least 60 minutes every day.
In addition to exercising daily, we recommend the following ideas to support healthy habits:
· drink lots of water
· consume 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day
· limit the consumption of sweets and junk food
Learning healthy habits is an important step towards educating our children. With proper nutrition and physical activity you can build a foundation for a healthier future.
Ms. Kachura
Mr. Heaney
Ms. Baron
Physical Education Department
Pre-K
- I can move around a space by using my body.
- I can start and stop moving by looking and listening for cues.
- I can move in a specific way by using instructions and objects around me.
- I can change my movements by using feedback from others.
- I can name if a dance is slow or fast by listening to the music.
- I can enjoy different styles of dance by watching other dancers.
- I can name different emotions that I notice by watching dancers closely.
- I can name the job of a dancer by describing and showing what I know.
- I can perform for others by dancing.
- I can repeat a familiar dance sequence by naming, drawing, and moving certain body parts.
- I can teach others by sharing a dance movement that I have experienced at my home.
Kindergarten
- I can respond to things around me by using different movements.
- I can explore different ways to move by using locomotor and non-locomotor movements.
- I can create a dance by thinking about a beginning, middle, and end.
- I can express an idea, feeling, or image by moving.
- I can tell about a production by describing the job of a dance and a choreographer.
- I can change my movements by using feedback from others.
- I can show a dance movement by drawing.
- I can show different types of shapes, lines, levels, and sizes by moving my body.
- I can create circle formations that are different sizes by working with others.
- I can identify different tempos by moving to match each tempo.
- I can change my movements by using feedback, cues, and music.
- I can move and explore space by starting and stopping on cue.
- I can move specific body parts by thinking about my entire body.
- I can share a dance sequence by repeating and recalling movements.
- I can perform for others by using all that I have learned as a dancer.
- I can dance and explore movements by using props.
- I can observe and name repeating movements by watching closely.
- I can demonstrate and describe movements from different dance genres by observing other dancers.
- I can name and describe a movement by using simple dance terminology.
- I can demonstrate and describe a movement that I have learned by distinguishing this movement from others.
- I can name different emotions that I noticed and felt by observing and performing.
- I can describe how I see dance around me by observing a work of visual art.
- I can describe and demonstrate visual art by moving.
- I can teach others by describing or demonstrating a movement that I have observed or experienced.
1st Grade
- I can explore movement by observing objects, images, music and videos.
- I can explore a variety of locomotor and non-locomotor movements by using different themes.
- I can create and describe a dance phrase by thinking about a beginning, middle, and an end.
- I can select and arrange movements that follow a musical phrase, ideas, emotions by thinking about people, objects, and the environment.
- I can identify production elements by exploring and describing the job of a dancer, choreographer, and composer.
- I can revise and complete short sequences by using feedback.
- I can document a short movement sequence by drawing.
- I can demonstrate locomotor and non-locomotor movements that change body shapes, levels, and facings by moving in different pathways and formations.
- I can recognize and relate movement to steady beat by adjusting movement to different tempi.
- I can demonstrate movements that reflect descriptive vocabulary by responding to cues.
- I can safely change levels and maintain personal space by thinking about general space.
- I can prepare for a performance by repeating and recalling movements and formations.
- I can perform for others by thinking about all that I have learned as a dancer.
- I can demonstrate audience member expectations by using all that I have learned.
- I can explore moving by using props.
- I can create a pattern in a dance by identifying movements that repeat.
- I can explore diverse dance genres and cultural movement practices by observing performed movements.
- I can select and share movements that suggest ideas by using simple dance terminology.
- I can identify and demonstrate several movements in a dance by explaining the characteristics of each movement.
- I can recognize an emotion that is expressed in a dance by thinking about familiar experiences.
- I can perform a dance sequence that tells the main ideas of a story by observing illustrations from a story book.
- I can discuss different types of dance movements by observing a dance work.
2nd Grade
- I can explore movement by using different music, text, objects, images, symbols, and observations.
- I can create a short dance phrase by combining a variety of movements.
- I can create and describe a dance sequence with a clear beginning, a middle, and end by discussing, drawing, or writing.
- I can choose and arrange movements by thinking about different ideas, emotions, people, objects, and music in my environment.
- I can identify and explore production elements by comparing and contrasting the job of composer and a costume designer.
- I can develop movement choices by using feedback from others.
- I can explore different levels and movement combinations by drawing a picture or using a symbol.
- I can demonstrate clear facings and intent by performing locomotor and non-locomotor movements.
- I can examine negative space by identifying symmetrical and asymmetrical space between body parts and bodies.
- I can determine the difference between circling and turning by exploring directional change.
- I can determine the length of time that I need for a movement by exploring each movement.
- I can match my movements to different beats by thinking about the rhythm.
- I can demonstrate different movements by using kinesthetic awareness and cues.
- I can demonstrate locomotor and non-locomotor movements by thinking about space.
- I can demonstrate an understanding of stage orientation by identifying stage locations.
- I can move safely while exploring different movements and levels by using pathways and personal space.
- I can repeat and adjust movements by using space and feedback.
- I can dance for others by thinking about performance expectations.
- I can demonstrate behaviors of an audience member by thinking about all that I have learned.
- I can make my movement sequence even better by using props, scenery, and other media tools.
- I can identify different movement pattern in a dance by observing what is different.
- I can demonstrate and describe movements from diverse dance genres, styles, and cultural movement practices by observing.
- I can identify characteristics of a dance style by thinking about the meaning of that dance style.
- I can observe and describe dances from a variety of genres by demonstrating movements.
- I can explain how movements of a dance make it interesting by using dance terminology.
- I can create and perform a dance that expresses personal meaning by explaining and demonstrating how the movements connect to my own experiences.
- I can respond to a dance work by thinking about what I see, what I think, and what I wonder.
- I can think about how a dance relates to its performers by observing.
3rd Grade
- I can experiment and create movements by using the environment, my ideas, and experiences.
- I can explore a given movement by improvising.
- I can select, demonstrate, and describe a solution by using accurate language.
- I can choreograph a simple movement pattern by using structure and repetition.
- I can develop a dance that expresses an idea or feeling by exploring the elements of dance.
- I can explain the intent of my dance by thinking about my movement choices.
- I can support my dance performance by selecting music, props, and costumes.
- I can compare and contrast production jobs by thinking about the job of a choreographer, a composer, and a costume designer.
- I can revise movements and describe these changes by using feedback and discussion.
- I can document directions and spatial patterns in a dance by drawing or using symbols.
- I can explore and estimate space by using space three dimensionally.
- I can demonstrate shapes by thinking about positive and negative space.
- I can perform movement sequences in clear pathways by focusing on space.
- I can fulfill a duration of time by using locomotor and non-locomotor movements.
- I can differentiate between “in time” and “out of time” by listening to music.
- I can perform movements that follow or contrast music by identifying the rhythmic pattern.
- I can change the use of energy and dynamics by modifying movements.
- I can demonstrate fundamental dance skills by using awareness of body alignment and core support within my dance sequences.
- I can use dance skills to coordinate with other dancers by thinking about safety, levels, directions, and pathway designs.
- I can recall movements by working with other dancers.
- I can improve my dance skills by applying constructive feedback from others.
- I can analyze and utilize space by using production terminology.
- I can describe the role of a stage manager by using all that I have learned.
- I can demonstrate performance etiquette by using all that I have learned.
- I can demonstrate audience etiquette by using all that I have learned.
- I can explore production elements by using costumes, props, music, scenery, lighting, and media.
- I can describe floor pathways in a dance by thinking about formations.
- I can identify movement motifs by thinking about how these movements relate to the title of a dance.
- I can compare and contrast dance styles, genres, and cultural movement practices by observing performances.
- I can identify and explain characteristics of various dance styles and genres by relating them to the meaning of the dances.
- I can demonstrate and discuss the characteristics of movement elements by thinking about different genres, styles, and cultural movement practices.
- I can use basic dance terminology to discuss the overall impression of a dance.
- I can compare and contrast the relationships I notice in dances by thinking about relationships with others.
- I can investigate a research question about a dance that tells about an issue or event by exploring.
- I can describe what I have learned about creating a dance by sharing what I have discovered.
- I can identify the relationship between a movement, society, or a community by observing.
- I can identify cultural aspects of a dance by observing a performance.
4th Grade
- I can identify ideas for choreography by thinking about music, text, objects and my own ideas and experiences.
- I can create and describe solutions to a given movement problem by manipulating the elements of dance.
- I can expand choreographic possibilities by applying a variety of movement possibilities.
- I can communicate a main idea by developing a dance study.
- I can support the artistic intent of a dance by identifying and selecting specific production elements.
- I can tell about production elements by comparing and contrasting different production roles.
- I can improve the artistic intent of my dance study by using feedback, materials, and self-reflection.
- I can document the relationships between two or more dancers in a movement sequence by drawing, using symbols, or working with media technology.
- I can make static and dynamic shapes by using positive and negative space.
- I can perform jump shapes by using safety awareness.
- I can establish relationships with other dances by using focus.
- I can respond in movement to even and uneven sounds by using rhythms.
- I can respond to tempo changes as they occur in dance and music by identifying the various tempos.
- I can create energy and dynamic changes in relation to music by analyzing movements and phrases.
- I can refine dance phrases by incorporating a range of movement qualities.
- I can demonstrate fundamental dance skills by using body awareness.
- I can extend movement, build strength, and develop endurance by focusing on technique.
- I can explain the relationship between technique, safe body use, and healthful nutrition by thinking about all that I have learned.
- I can coordinate phrases and timing with other dancers by cueing in response to stimuli.
- I can improve my performance quality by reflecting on constructive feedback.
- I can analyze the characteristics of alternative performance venues by thinking about areas around our school.
- I can demonstrate appropriate performer and audience etiquette by using all that I have learned.
- I can enhance my performance of a dance by identifying and exploring a variety of production elements.
- I can improve a performance by using video recording.
- I can differentiate a dance sequence by using simple choreographic devices.
- I can compare and contrast observed or performed movements from diverse dance styles and genres by using basic dance terminology.
- I can use movements, ideas, and context to decipher meaning in a dance by using basic dance terminology.
- I can identify how the use of movement contributes to the overall impression of a dance by demonstrating and discussing what I have observed.
- I can share how the main idea of a dance is similar to or different from one’s own experiences by demonstrating.
- I can develop a question by thinking of what relates to my topic of study.
- I can research and select key aspects of the topic by using multiple sources.
- I can choreograph and perform a short sequence by communicating what I have learned.
5th Grade
- I can build content for choreography by using a variety of stimuli from my environment and experiences.
- I can construct and solve multiple movement problems by using the elements of dance.
- I can develop a main idea and expand my choreographic possibilities by applying a variety of choreographic devices.
- I can develop a dance study by selecting specific movement vocabulary.
- I can adapt my dance for different performance spaces by identifying, exploring, and selecting production elements.
- I can compare and contrast production and non-production dance jobs by analyzing the roles of each job.
- I can expand on my ideas for my dance study by exploring alternate movement revisions and feedback.
- I can document various stages in the revision of my dance sequence by writing, using symbols, or using media technology.
- I can develop my dance sequence by integrating static and dynamic shapes and pathways.
- I can establish relationships with other dancers by focusing.
- I can dance to a variety of rhythms by using different music sources.
- I can perform movement phrases by responding to rhythmical changes.
- I can explore a range of movement qualities by focusing on phrasing and dynamics.
- I can generate movements by analyzing the relationship between initiation and energy.
- I can recall and execute a series of dance phrases by using alignment, core support, and kinesthetic awareness.
- I can demonstrate safe body use practices by focusing on technical exercises and movement combinations.
- I can discuss how safe body use practices and healthful eating promote strength, flexibility, endurance, and injury prevention by providing examples.
- I can improve performance quality of a sequence by collaborating with my peers.
- I can establish personal performance goals by thinking about my class practices.
- I can adapt to alternative performance venues by modifying space and movement in accordance to my performance space.
- I can demonstrate appropriate performer and audience etiquette by showing all that I have learned.
- I can help improve performances by sharing experience and feedback.
- I can enhance a performance by exploring production elements.
- I can identify how a video recording tool can improve performance by observing.
- I can explain a basic structure of dance by discussing all that I have learned about choreographic devices.
- I can describe the qualities and characteristics of a dance from my culture or an experience by using basic dance terminology.
- I can compare qualities and characteristics found in different styles, genres, and or cultural movement practices by analyzing and sharing.
- I can interpret meaning in a dance by observing its movements and context.
- I can explain how movements communicate the main idea of a dance by using genre specific dance terminology.
- I can define the characteristics of a dance by thinking about the elements of dance, genres, styles, and cultural movement practices.
- I can generate ideas for excellence in dance by establishing criteria with peers.
- I can compare and describe two dances by focusing on their themes.
- I can create a dance study that expresses the idea of a topic by observing other art forms.
- I can describe movement characteristics and qualities of a dance by connecting the ideas of a culture, historical period, or community in which it originated.
- I can describe and build on what I learned by sharing how this topic can be portrayed in another way.
- I can describe how movements relate to a specific culture, society, community, or historical period by describing specific movements.
