Third Graders Experience Interactive Immigration Simulation
As part of their unit on Immigration, third graders recently had the opportunity to travel back in time to the late 1800s and experience the trials and tribulations of life as an immigrant traveling to America. Each student was assigned a different country of origin and learned about the different classes of travel through boarding a…
Keys Kindergarteners Stage Sit-In
The right to peaceful protest is a cornerstone of democracy. At Keys, this rings true for even the youngest students on campus. After learning about Martin Luther King Jr.’s struggle for equality and change, students in Kindergarten were asked to examine their own school community and decide on an aspect of Keys they believed was…
A Buddy Bench at Lower School
A popular sitting bench located on our Lower School play yard has officially been designated the ‘Buddy Bench’ and given a colorful new sign designed, painted, and installed by a number of Lower School faculty friends. The bench is a class gift from the Keys School Class of 2008, donated in memory of Chris Mayo,…
On the Campaign Trail with Keys Fourth Graders
In the weeks leading up to the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election, Keys fourth graders were busy preparing for their own presidential stump speeches as part of an interdisciplinary unit focused on the campaign trail. Students kicked off the unit by exploring social issues currently dominating the political landscape, such as education, climate change, and immigration. They…
Keys Student Artwork on Display in San Jose Art Gallery
Aspiring Keys School visual artists in grades K-4 currently have their work featured in a summer art exhibit in the Art Gallery at the Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose. The gallery features new exhibits every two to three months in a variety of media created by artists of all ages. The artwork featured in the exhibit titled Bird’s Eye…
A Cinco de Mayo Celebration
Fellowship Hall was overflowing with rhythm and movement last Friday afternoon as students in Kindergarten to fourth grade formed a massive conga line that snaked in and out of the hall and had students dancing all the way to their classrooms. In celebration of Cinco de Mayo, our Lower School community welcomed special guest, Gustavo…
The First Grade Restaurant – A Culinary Learning Adventure
Small aproned chefs bustled about in the Little House kitchen each afternoon as first graders opened the doors to their restaurant, “Seventeen Students,” a project that was part of a year-long focus on communities and the interconnected systems within communities. The restaurant project kicked off with a field trip to Pieology in Palo Alto, where students…
Second Graders Take the Maker Cart by Storm!
After completing their trainings with Mr. Howe, our second graders are now ready to join the third and fourth graders at the Maker Cart every day during recess, if they are in the mood to tinker and invent. At 11:30 every day, the scampering of feet, the shrieks of delight, and the “I know!” eureka…
Kindergarteners Explore – “What does it mean to be a hero?”
Kindergarteners have been exploring heroism by diving into the past to learn about real-life heroes. While studying Rosa Parks, students made a mental journey to Montgomery, Alabama and traveled back in time to December 1, 1955. They were asked to imagine the many reactions and perspectives of other passengers who shared Rosa’s infamous bus ride…
Many Languages of Expression – Fourth Grade
Fourth graders embarked on a collaborative interdisciplinary project exploring various modes of expression. They began by analyzing Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition,” (a composition inspired by an art exhibit) during music class. In art, students then used a segment of Mussorgsky’s piano composition to inspire abstract paintings, experimenting with color, line, value, shape, and space.…