Friday, November 30, 2018

4th Grade News

4th Graders are in the midst of The City of Ember Jeanne DuPrau. We are analyzing plot maps to show the rising action of a story, as well as comparing the differing perspectives of multiple characters.

Be sure to ask your child:
What is the literary difference between point of view and perspective?
What exciting news did the Director of Riverside Parks and Recreation share with our group?

5th Grade News

5th Graders have completed reading A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park and are now reading additional informational texts in order to draft a Two Voice Poem sharing two differing perspectives of youth from South Sudan.

Be sure to ask your child:
What are three reasons the novel was titled A Long Walk to water?
What is Seesaw and how will we be using it in our classroom?

Friday, October 19, 2018

4th Gr ELA at Ames & Hollywood

Students are continuing to work hard on their Wildlife Biologist task! Their infographic about bats has been completed, and students can share this with you by logging in to Google Classroom. This week students shifted their focus to writing a magazine article with the goal of persuading Chicagoland residents that the Chicago Park District should approve the installation of bat homes within local parks. The students organized their research notes into a graphic organizer that will provide structure to their articles, and they wrote their introductions. Next week we will revise, edit, and work towards polishing up the formatting of the articles. 

Be sure to ask your child



  • what part of their research they plan to use to dispel a common myth about bats.
  • what the best way to organize your arguments is within a persuasive writing piece.

5th Grade ELA at Ames & Central Schools

We are in the midst of our Defined Stem unit titled Zoologist, which has the students taking on the role of a zoologist and working with the World Wildlife Fund to develop an ad campaign designed to protect an endangered species. Students have completed a flier for distribution at local zoos and aquariums, and are now focused on creating an infomercial that will inspire people to take action to help their chosen animal. 

The finishing touches for both components of their marketing campaign will hopefully be wrapped up next week. At that point we will begin the text A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park. This will connect to the 5th grade Ready Gen module that analyzes how individuals respond to their environment. 

Be sure to ask your child what creative solution was developed in order to tackle the problem of how much of our food supply ultimately ends up in the trash, as well as what the goal of the Ad Council is. (*Hint, students can refer to resources posted in Google Classroom if they need additional info for you.) 

5th Grade ELA at Hollywood

Last week we wrapped up our Wildlife Biologist unit on Bats! Be sure to ask your child whether or not they would be in favor of building bat houses in local parks and why. You can also ask them what they learned about formatting a magazine article. Students can show you finished copies of their work by logging in to Google Classroom. 

This week we read a few different informational texts in order to identify main ideas, key topics, and supporting details. Students practiced turning their notes into an outline or idea web. Ask your child how cold it gets in Tanana, Alaska and at what point the schools decide to cancel outdoor recess. 

In the next few weeks we will read the text A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park. This will connect to the 5th grade Ready Gen module that analyzes how individuals respond to their environment. 

Thursday, March 1, 2018

Summer 2018 Program Options

I came across this comprehensive list of STEM-based summer programs for kids.

Summer STEM Camps Near Chicago

I do not have personal experiences with a majority of these programs, but I can weigh in on a few of them. My advice would be to try not to overthink it. Base your decisions on convenience, your child's interest and desire to attend, and cost (if that's a factor). There's a good chance most of these are decent programs that are worth exploring. 

I have taught for the Center for Gifted in years past. They typically offer a wide variety of high-interest camps/classes with engaging topics and hands-on exploration. Some locations are better organized than others, and they are typically not too academically intense, but as long as the kids are encouraged to voice their opinion when selecting courses, they typically enjoy their time here. 
Center for Gifted Offers a wide range of exciting STEM and STEAM programs with half and full-day programs available. Project 2016 is just for 6-12 graders; other camps serve kids as young as preK.  Not all sites serve all ages. Barrington, Buffalo Grove, Chicago, Crete, Darien, Elmhurst, Glenview, Naperville, Skokie, Wheaton

I have also taught for the Center for Talent Development. These are typically highly engaging courses filled with hands-on learning, and are typically very well organized and academically rigorous. But again, if the kids get to pick their classes, they typically love it. 
Center for Talent Development Run through Northwestern University in Evanston. Enrichment and academic programs in STEM, civics and more. Overnight (residential) options available.

I have not taught for Dominican University's summer program, but I have heard good things about students enjoying the program. 
Dominican University The Summer Gifted and Talented Program provides a range of STEM programs for kids in grades 2-8. River Forest

I do not have any experience with the Science and Arts Academy, but Mindy Keller, former Hollywood School principal, is one of their directors and she is very proud of the programs they offer. 
Science and Arts Academy This K-8 private school for gifted children offers a variety of camps with extended day options.

Another program that is not in this list, but I have heard great things about from friends/coworkers who have taught for them is Camp Invention, although I have not personally experienced any of their programs.

Friday, September 15, 2017

QUEST Reading 3


3rd graders have been learning about point of view and perspective and how they can affect a reader's understanding of a text. We started by reading the story The Most Magnicent Thing by Ashley Spires.




We then used a video clip from the movie Toy Story 3 to analyze how the scene would be described differently when told from the perspective of Andy, his mom, Woody, and his little sister Molly. 


Next week we will begin reading our novel Frindle by Andrew Clements, where we will continue to study point of view and perspective, as well as delve into the differences between physical traits and character traits.