Congratulations to the Options Department students who participated in the Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF campaign. Through their efforts, UNICEF was given a gift of $830 to help save and protect the lives of children around the world. Thank you, parents, for continuing to support your children as they take part in service projects like this!
From the Desk of Ms. Demitropoulos:
December has been such an exciting month! We shopped at our first Holiday Market and wrapped our gifts with our fourth grade buddies. The students also enjoyed exploring the Museum of Science and Industry during our last field trip.
In language arts, the kids focused using the story “Sneezy the Snowman” to predict, sequence and retell important parts of the story. In addition, they identified the setting, characters, problems and solutions within the fictional text.
The Junior Great Books series introduced "Jamaica's Blue Marker" this week. The students took a picture walk and wrote their predictions about the story. They have been busy making books during our writer’s workshop unit.
CVC and CVCe words have been the focus in spelling. The kids have been reading text to locate words with these specific patterns and using word families to create new words.
The math journey rolls along with various addition strategies and will continue into January.
We can’t wait to continue the fun in 2019!
From the Desk of Ms. Kaim:
The first graders began the month of December by creating reindeer faces to adorn their paper people in the hallway. They also visited the holiday market to shop for presents to give their family members. Along with several other Options classrooms, they participated in a service project to provide pajamas and books to boys and girls in need in Chicago. Later, the boys and girls attended a festive holiday assembly with their buddies. Our trip to see A Christmas Carol was the perfect way to help us understand the value of giving. It also was a great opportunity for the first graders to dress up and admire the gingerbread ornaments they made for the Christmas tree in the main hallway.
Our Continent of the Month was South America. The first graders learned about the Amazon rain forest and Machu Picchu. The book The Great Kapok Tree began our focus on the diversity of plant and animal life across the continent. The boys and girls enjoyed trying to identify rain forest spices using their sense of smell. They also enjoyed eating food representative of the continent during Taste of South America!
In science, we continued our study of matter. We focused on the properties of liquids and investigated small solids that could pour like liquids. The boys and girls also used screens to separate mixtures of solids.
We moved on to using place value concepts with three-digit numbers in math. The first graders described numbers in word form, standard form, and expanded form. They also drew quick pictures to show equivalent representations of numbers.
Flat Stanley was the source of many discussions and reading activities. The highlight of these activities was mailing our own Flat Stanleys around the country and the world. The first graders are looking forward to hearing back from Stanley and learning about the places he visits!
From the Desk of Ms. L. Murray:
Some highlights...we put finishing touches on our code.org "Bunnicula" games in the computer lab. The children will be able to take home their login and password information in order to continue to practice their skills at home. We also had a successful buddy activity with our 6th Grade Buddies who assisted us with wrapping gifts we purchased at Bell's annual Holiday Market.
In Language Arts, we formed literature circle groups to read and study the biographical novel, "Take a Stand, Rosa Parks!" Second Graders are setting goals for their reading and responding to questions regarding Rosa's life and character as well as the text features of the biographical genre.
In Math, we finished our fourth chapter as we focus more closely on multiplication. Second Graders have now answered word problems with facts up to 10. We focused on distinguishing between three important properties of multiplication - the Commutative, Associative and Distributive Properties. We learned how each property offers opportunities to multiply two or more factors efficiently and accurately.
In Social Studies, we took a closer look at land features in order to determine a location for our newly named class town, "Bellton." (see photo). Students are discussing how access to water and other needs such as materials for shelter and food are important when settling a new town.
In Science, we began "Science Centers." Second Graders are working in groups to rotate through centers where students can use multiple learning styles to learn about a specific topic. For example, the topic of this rotation is "Motion." Students will be 1.) reading and analyzing a text, 2.) identifying and defining important vocabulary, 3.) watching and responding to a brainpopjr.com video, 4.) choosing one of two STEM activities, and 5.) engaging in a hands-on investigation.
From the Desk of Ms. Thiel:
December was such a busy month! In social studies the children enjoyed using both books and Ipads to research aspects of a Native American tribe of their choice. The children then created an informative poster on their topic and presented what they learned to the class as a group.
We were fortunate to be able to go on a field trip to The Grove to learn more about Native American life and culture. The children learned to braid, play Native American games and were able to view artifacts such as bison bones and skin.
In connection to our social studies unit, we finished our second novel, Mr.Tucket. We practiced identifying the main idea and supporting it with details. The children will select an activity of their choice to create a culminating project on the novel after winter break.
This month in math we moved into division. The students studied estimating quotients, using multiples and how to interpret remainders. We focused on the many ways to divide including using compatible numbers, distributive property, repeated subtraction and regrouping. We ended the month with a Chapter 5: factors, multiples and patterns.
We continued learning about the Earth and Sun in science. We discussed various aspects of the solar system and the objects that orbit it. The children discussed the distance, size and brightness of stars. We then focused on the phases of the moon and the lunar cycle.
The students were introduced to poetry this month. They wrote and typed a bio poem following a modeled line format. We worked on our next writing piece; informative writing. Students brainstormed topics they were experts on. After selecting a topic we listed subtopics. The children learned new organizational structures to present this information as well as how to create a table of contents. We will continue to work on our informational text next month.
We had a blast wrapping our gifts from the Holiday Market with our 7th grade buddies. We also got to spend time with them at the winter show.
Lastly, the Options Department made an amazing contribution of $830.00 to UNICEF through the Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF program.
From the Desk of Ms. Milstein:
At the end of November, we had just begun our social studies unit on Westward Expansion. During the month of December, this absolutely has been a highlight for Room 208. The students’ favorite activities are always those involved in our live simulation game of the Oregon Trail, but we participated in a lot of other engaging related lessons as well. The class worked in expert groups to learn about a famous explorer who made westward expansion possible. After they researched, the students created posters and taught their classmates about their expert explorer. In studying why people wanted to move westward we analyzed various push and pull factors that existed during this time in history. The class played a “Heads Up” style game of push and pull factors to reinforce their learning.
After finishing the novel Because of Winn Dixie, the 4th graders wrote their second thematic essay of the year. It’s clear to see how much they’ve advanced as literary evaluators and writers already. We will continue to write thematic essays after each novel we read. In the couple weeks between then and winter break, we explored a version of the classic Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland from the Junior Great Books series. We will be finishing this week by viewing different versions of this story in film.
From the Desk of Ms. Caskey:
Students in 317 are ready for break! We continue to be busy in all content areas before the break. In reading, Maniac Magee will wrap up right after Winter Break. This story deals with some heavy ideas surrounding racism, self-imposed segregation, and homelessness. We took a look at figurative language and its effectiveness in the text, including onomatopoeia and irony. We will be taking a Jerry Spinelli book home after break and complete a book club/literature circles. ELA has been including a grammar unit on nouns, prefix explorations, and beginning a unit on memoirs. Stay tuned for an invitation for our memoir share!
In math, we are working hard on all operations with fractions and we will finish the unit before break. We'll come break to explore variables in expressions and a geometry unit with a fun project in the works.
During Science, we continue our exploration of the Solar System. We are placing items in either the Solar System, Milky Way, or the universe. We looked at the origin of the Solar System forming and we will attempt to scale a model of the Solar System after break. It will be challenging, even with a scale! We will also explore if conditions on any other planet will sustain life. This ties in really well to our really exciting Challenger trip back in the beginning of December!
Social Studies is probably the most exciting time of the day as we get our Bell City up and running. We have elected and appointed officials, approved business plans, purchased supplies from the warehouse, and established ways to earn the city money or profit. We'll move from our cash system after break, open the city, and earn lots of opportunity to risk our skills for some extra cash.
From the Desk of Mr. Prince:
6th grade has spent the month reading Call of the Wild. Student discussions and writing have dealt with a variety of themes. Among them are civilization is not always civilized and love can be a civilizing force. They have also analyzed how Buck changes over his journey and the effect of the people who have passed through his life. We also completed our competition for the Spelling Bee, congratulations go out to William DeAllaume and Gus Rozic who will represent 303. In Math Students have been working on Ratios and proportions first in Stretching and Shrinking and now in Comparing and Scaling.
7th grade math has been working in the text Growing, Growing, Growing, a look at exponential functions. In this unit they are examining both growth and decay functions. They also completed creating art pieces using the Circle of Theodorus as the centerpiece to their ideas.
In 8th grade math students are working through the CME Algebra text at their own pace. They are currently working on a range of chapters from Linear Equations and slope to Quadratics. There are quite a few who are nearing completion of this unit and will begin to work on Geometry. Two students have completed the 8 chapters and are now studying geometry.
From the Desk of Mr. Klein:
In sixth grade physics, the work regarding simple machines has been completed. The students are currently employed on an engineering design project before they embark on a study of force and motion.
Seventh grade literature featured the class conducting a study of poetry featuring works by such diverse poets as Robert Frost, William Shakespeare, Emily Dickinson, and Langston Hughes. The second half of the month saw the class examining the Lewis Carroll classic, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. The students are working collaboratively to produce a character map and develop a dramatization.
Experiments in seventh grade chemistry completed the study of the conservation of mass and are now moving forward with a look at characteristic properties. Laboratories centered on density being a periodic property and the separation of mixtures.
In addition, the seventh graders travelled to the Adler Planetarium to experience the investigation of a ninth planet and to make model rockets.
The eighth graders in their study of biology focused on the introduction to Mendelian genetics with special emphasis placed on DNA and RNA.