From the Desk of Ms. Demitropoulos:
May was a fun month in kindergarten! Our 8th grade buddies finished creating the monster projects and we spent a morning with them viewing Monsters, Inc. The kids have learned how to navigate through KidPix on the computers and have started constructing Acrostic Poems with Mrs. Newberry in the computer lab. In science, we talked about using light as a code and shared ideas on how to use different colors of light as a form of communication. The kids have also started their research on their chosen animals for their end-of-the-year projects. They have been exploring books and using iPads to locate information. Our opinion writing pieces are in the final publishing stages, so be on the lookout for these great persuasive pieces.
In addition, the kids have been assigned reading partners for their first novel of kindergarten, “Toad and Frog are Friends”. They will explore plot and sequencing together for the remainder of this year. The kiddos have grown so much this year. It has been a pleasure working with them and I can’t see what they accomplish in the years ahead.
From the Desk of Ms. Kaim:
The continent of the month in May was Antarctica. The first graders learned about penguins and other animals that make Antarctica their home. They also studied the role of people (explorers and scientists) on the continent. The following books helped us learn about Antarctica: Pinkie Leaves Home, Without You, and Trapped By the Ice. Taste of Antarctica was a huge hit. Eating ice cream may have had something to do with that!
The first graders continued to work on the personal life history timeline component of their autobiography projects in the computer lab. They completed both slide show and banner views of their timelines. During math, the first graders practiced telling time and counting money. In June, they will measure the length of objects in nonstandard, standard, and metric units. They will also be introduced to the Fibonacci sequence.
The Circesteem residency introduced the students to an array of awesome circus skills including balancing on a ball, juggling, plate spinning, and clowning. One of the special events still ahead in June is the visit of animal and human guests from Historic Wagner Farm. The first and fifth grade buddies will spend time on the Bell School playground with a chicken, a sheep, and a cow!
By far the most exciting event was the arrival of the chicks! The first graders were thrilled to hear peeping in the incubator and then fortunate to see several chicks hatch during school hours. Over time, the chicks made the move from the incubator to the brooder to the coop. The first graders observed the growth and changes in the chicks. They also welcomed two city chickens for a visit. When it was time for the chicks to leave for the farm, they had grown enough to almost fly out of the coop!
Our final science unit of the year focused on insects. This included a field trip to the Notebaert Nature Museum to participate in the “Metamorphosing Monarchs” workshop. We also referred back to our earlier study of ladybugs as we learned about butterflies. So far, the first graders have watched painted lady butterfly larva eat and grow. We are waiting for them to become chrysalides and finally transform into beautiful butterflies.
Once our butterflies are ready, we will release them in the school butterfly garden. The first graders are proud of the work they have put into the garden. In the fall, they planted tulip and daffodil bulbs. We all loved seeing the flowers bloom in May. The boys and girls also assembled and painted wooden birdhouses to hang in the garden. Finally, we planted begonias and impatiens to make the garden even more beautiful.
Other May events in first grade included writing in our memory books, working in our egg/chick books, practicing D’Nealian capital letters in handwriting, participating in the Steppin’ fundraiser, and completing amazing autobiography projects.
We are looking forward to performing in the Climb to Safety assembly, participating in the Options Department Showcase, and celebrating a fantastic year in first grade with our families. Second grade is just a step away!
From the Desk of Ms. L Murray:
April (and May) showers brought four field trips for our Second Graders!
In Language Arts, we began our last novel study of Charlotte's Web. While many students were familiar with the story (we even viewed the Bell School production of an adaptation of the novel!) we were able to practice skills that we have been learned all year: 1.) identifying character traits using text evidence to support our claim, 2.) organizing the events of a plot, as they relate to beginning, middle and end, 3.) identifying types of figurative language such as simile, metaphor, and personification, 4.) using context clues and parts of a word to identify the meaning of new words in context.
In Math, we honed our problem-solving skills as they relate to area and perimeter. We also began our final chapter on two-dimensional shapes. Students are learning to distinguish between polygons based on their characteristics such as if they are "convex" or "concave" as well as the number of shapes and types of angles.
In Social Studies, we began and finished a unit on Chicago! Children used our textbook, Eyewitness Chicago to research aspects of our city. We learned to summarize several pages of text on one topic. Those topics included: early Chicagoans, changes in landscape over time, the Great Chicago Fire, and cultural topics such as popular food, events and sites to see. Our Second Graders then went to the computer lab to type their research in Word to later paste into text boxes using PowerPoint. The text, combined with images they chose from their internet searches, created a striking poster. These posters were then laminated and will be on display for our Options Showcase in June! Students will have these as a keepsake from their time in second grade.
In Science, we began and mostly finished a unit called, "Structures of Life." Students studied, 1.) animal and plant adaptations for surviving an organism's environment, defense, finding food and raising young, 2.) we also housed 8 unusually large crayfish for study, 3.) we took a closer look at food chains and webs by dissecting owl pellets as evidence to support the claim that owls are secondary consumers because they eat primary consumers, 4.) and finally, we took a closer look at changes in the environment and how humans actions affect both positively and negatively, the environment.
In Residency news, as part of our Financial Literacy Residency, students finished studying about the topic of how lack of access to clean water for some people can have a devastating effect on every aspect of their lives. We also rehearsed for the Financial Literacy assembly scheduled for the first week of June.
One of our closing events for our Civics Residency involved students taking quarters collected during our "Quarters Count" campaign to purchase items at Jewel. Students worked in small groups to identify the lowest cost per unit in order to purchase wish list items for the Common Pantry. Second Graders then walked to the Common Food Pantry to donate the items. Once there, we received a tour of the facility. We learned about the volunteers who sort the items and the process for neighborhood residents to come and receive items as needed. The very last closing activity involved participating in a "mock trial" to practice the steps involved in conducting a fair trial.
From the Desk of Ms. Thiel:
This month has been a very busy one! The children completed their Hooverville dioramas. They did a wonderful job recreating these makeshift shelters with concepts from the book. We began our last novel A Wrinkle in Time. The children were introduced to literature circles with this novel. They learned various jobs and had the opportunity to practice each one individually as well as in a group. The children learned the five parts of plot and identified them within a story. We practiced this with multiple passages and the students will then apply their knowledge to identify the plot points of A Wrinkle in Time.
In Math we completed our chapter on measurement and moved into perimeter and area. With the completion of this final chapter in the 4th grade curriculum the children will spend the rest of the year applying the skills they have learned. The children will work in groups on project based math that they will select.
In Science the children selected an inventor or scientist to research. They did an amazing job finding key information and organizing it into a research paper. They then created a cover page. The children learned a lot from each other. We are all super excited about our Invention Convention projects which will be on display at the Options Showcase on June 13th. The children have all received a “patent” and are working hard on their inventions!
Social Studies led us to our last exciting Unit 3; The American Revolution. The children engaged in various activities from a project menu to assist them in experiencing what this time was like. The children wrote letters to the King taking a stand as either a Loyalist or a Patriot. We used the chapter book I Survived the American Revolution, 1776 as a supplement to this unit.
In Financial Literacy the children are working extra hard practicing songs as well as learning lines to narrate our performance assembly on the afternoon of June 5th.
Some highlights of the month have been our ABC countdown activities as well as Steppin!
It has been an amazing year of learning!
From the Desk of Ms. Milstein:
It’s hard to believe that this will be our last Options Newsletter for the year. While the school year is winding down, the students in Room 208 have been as busy as ever. We are finishing our final official class novel, Chasing Vermeer. A mystery that has gotten the whole class interested in art history as well as acting as made them into detectives solving the many mysteries presented in the story. Next week, we will end our novel study by visiting the Art Institute and analyzing and interpreting artwork on our own.
The class also completed a science unit on Force and Motion. During this unit we explored many concepts through experimentation and data analysis. The students worked in lab groups to design controlled experiments that would test different independent variables. For each lesson, they would be given time to explore these ideas on their own, then as a class we would work together to ensure all experiments were set up in a way that we could collect accurate data and draw conclusions.
We will end the year with a unit on Civic Responsibility. This student directed project employs the 4th graders to identify a problem in our community, large or small, and become part of the solution. They are walked through various steps to more fully understand the cause which they have chosen, come up with realistic ways in which they can contribute to making positive changes for this cause, and then actually enact their plans. The class is spending much time researching, gathering notes, planning presentations, and getting out into the real world to do good for their local and global communities. We will present these projects at the upcoming Options Showcase on Thursday, June 13.
From the Desk of Ms. Caskey:
We still have Atwood on the brain in 317! It was a wonderful day full of outdoor education, team building, and exploring.
In reading, students began a unit on the novel Hatchet. Our overarching theme for literature this year has been bravery, and we've looked at it in all forms: bravery in the midst of societal wrongs and challenges, being brave in the face of supernatural elements, bravery in the face of illness, and finally bravery against the elements. It's been wonderful exploring this theme and the many faces it takes and I hope it helps us grow and face fears during our adolescent years. Our big ELA activity, however, is preparing for the world changer presentation. We are preparing to give a TED Talk on a world changer after research and a report. Thank you to our parents for guiding us through the revising and editing process. Students are beginning to publish final copies and they are preparing to give a memorized, one minute speech. We can't wait to show off our hard work at the Options Showcase!
In math, we began our unit on exploring data and interpreting the best data to display with particular questions and results. This will help us formulate our own question in a coming project where we will explain an aspect of a "typical" fifth grader's life.
During Science, we will work our way through our Family Life lessons, but we haven't left the exciting world of Earth History completely. We're mapping active volcanoes and major earthquakes. We should get to metamorphic rocks by the end of the year. Fingers crossed!
Finally, we are experiencing life on the Nile during our unit on ancient Egypt in Social Studies. We've randomly selected roles in the civilization, crafted menats to show off those roles, and created a 3D map with our nome (a type of district in ancient Egypt). Before the end of the year, we'll spend a day as a scribe, solve Egyptian math problems, and learn about mummification.
From the Desk of Mr. Klein:
The overnight trip to Camp Duncan and the NWEA examinations dominated the month of May in room 225.
Despite the weather conditions as of late, the sixth graders in physics continued to explore projects based upon solar energy. The eighth graders completed their third and final year with me completing the study of biology with a number of dissections. The seventh graders still have some more time with me exploring acid-base relationships in chemistry and dystopian short stories in literature. This group is also in the process of completing a series of one-act dramatic works.