D112 Administration
NURTURE NUTRITION AND WELLNESS Sue Sarmiento
A program designed to teach students the benefits of a healthy lifestyle with good nutrition. This project will connect education and community partnerships in an effort to reduce child obesity and the risks associated with this disease.
RISING STARS STEM ROBOTS Amanda Wiehl
Spanish speaking middle schoolers participate in bridge building and robotics projects with their HPHS peers/mentors and participate in a culminating event where projects are tested in front of a large group.
UNTETHERING TEACHERS Maureen Miller
Piloting the use of Apple TV along with existing iPads in each 112 building will enable teachers to project directly from their iPads while moving around the classroom. In addition to untethering the teacher from their computer, this technology will enable teachers to display students’ work in real-time.
Braeside
MUSIC OF THE SOUTHEAST: EARLY ORIGINS OF BLUES, CAJUN & BLUEGRASS Linda Sayers
An interdisciplinary exploration of the historical events, physical geography, social and cultural systems which resulted in music originating in the southeast. Students will use technology and instruments to compose their own “blues” music. Project will culminate in a live performance in which they will participate with professional musicians.
GEOSPHERE LANDS AT BRAESIDE Jory Weissman
Students will gather inside a 20” inflatable sphere to view the world from the inside out. The Geographic Society of Chicago will conduct presentations demonstrating the fragile connection between the earth and its inhabitants. Curriculum topics of earth science, climate, weather and math will be covered.
SIMPLE MACHINE CONSTRUCTION Shara Lieberman
K’Nex building kits will be used to supplement the science curriculum in the “simple machine” area. Students will be able to “experience” these simple machines and build machines themselves so they can explore and understand every facet of how they work.
THE SURVIVAL OF THE NATIVE AMERICANS: THEN AND NOW Lisa Colbert
Field trip to the Mitchell Museum to see and understand the inhabitants of the USA before the European influence. Students will learn about the cultures and tribes/societies in the USA post ice-age, the reasons and details of their migration to North America, their perspectives, and lives pre and post European colony takeover.
Elm Place
BRITISH INVASION: THE RISE OF ROCK AND ROLL Dan Makula
Band, Orchestra and Choir students will engage in a variety of activities in order to explore the musical time period of the 1960s.
JAPANESE ART AND CULTURE Suzanne Greenwald
Students will learn to appreciate and connect the simplicity and beauty of Japanese art THROUGH photography and poetry including Haiku and Tanka.
NOOKS IN THE CLASSROOM Melissa Arof
Students will have instant access to books of their choice and at their reading level. By reading more, students will become better readers and writers as they challenge themselves with books at or above their level.
WE’RE ALL DIFFERENT AND THAT’S OK Elizabeth Hodge
This project will help general education students understand various disabilities, as well as, how they can be a support to the special needs students in their school. Students will learn compassion for one another and see that we are all different in some ways.
Green Bay School
BEAR BUDDIES Mirela Vesa
Buddy program between STEP pre-school students and 2nd grade students at Indian Trail to promote social and language development through lunchtime and structured play activities.
WIGGLE JIGGLE FOR YOUR HEALTH Cyndi Hochman
An all school assembly (one in the morning and one in the afternoon) to signify the importance of exercise and eating healthy.
Indian Trail
CAPACITY ENTERS Christine Buti
Students learn about units of measurement in a hands-on, tactile experiential lab
CLAPS FOR APPS: ENCORE Beth Heile
The STEP program will use applications for the iPad specifically designed for students with disabilities, autism, and/or cognitive impairments. The apps will be used during all areas of academic instruction, including reading, math, social studies and science.
IPODS FOR BILINGUAL LEARNING LITERACY Yanett Garcia
Bilingual students will experience interdisciplinary learning through podcasts and recordings in English and Spanish.
READING AROUND THE WORLD Laura Golden
A family night where students and their families will virtually travel to different countries to hear regional stories, sample authentic food, listen to music, learn ethnic dances and more. This project will create awareness and excitement for learning about other cultures around the world.
WORD WORK Christine Buti
The creation of literacy centers which promote fun, creative reading and spelling games/challenges.
Lincoln
DIGGING FOR RHYTHM ROOTS Janet Lubetkin
Students will explore the rhythm roots of current American music. Through active music making, students will discover rhythms from different cultures and historical periods which when combined, have evolved into many styles of music: country, jazz, blues, rock and roll, pop and hip hop.
KIDS TELL IT WRITE
Students will partake in an exciting writing workshop with author, storyteller, teaching artist and certified bullying prevention trainer, Sue Black.
Northwood School
CHEZ NORTHWOOD: UN CAFE FRANCAIS Noelle Young Chez Northwood culminates in the design, set up and running of an authentic French Café by students who are relegated to speak only in French to each other and to patrons. Ooh la la! Come taste the crepes!
INTERNATIONAL CLUB MJ Thompson
The students will develop a better understanding and deeper appreciation of the diverse cultures within the Northwood school community and throughout the world via local field trips, guest speakers, and hands on opportunities.
MARIACHI MADNESS Margaret Delligatti
The creation of middle school mariachi groups that celebrate and promote cultural music and performance within the school community and beyond.
NORTHWOOD COMMUNITY GARDEN Emily Kurth
The Northwood Community Garden will provide the community access to fresh produce free of charge. Students will learn gardening skills and the importance of fresh, healthy food.
ROOTS FEST Carolyn Frye
Roots Fest is a unique opportunity for the Northwood students to celebrate commonalities and differences from a variety of cultures. The activities will view culture through the lens of visual and performance art, music, and drama.
Oak Terrace School
COCINANDO CON MATEMATICAS Erica Brady
Interdisciplinary application of math, science, reading and writing skills to explore the different elements of food, cooking, and nutrition in classroom activities and in daily life. Project culminates in a cookbook.
KIDS ARE AUTHORS TOO Kristin Pressman
Students will work in teams to write, edit and illustrate their own books that will be submitted to “Kids are Authors” Scholastic contest and given to the school library for all students to share and enjoy.
BRING BOOKS TO LIFE THROUGH SONG Alicia Luthardt
Through interdisciplinary exposure to rhythmic literature and musical concepts, students will write musical compositions that go along with text. Students will act out stories through music with instruments, movement and singing, bringing books to life!
CAN YOU DIG IT? GEOCACHING IN THE LIBRARY Kara Smith
Students will create maps, work on organizational skills and problem solve as teams with the latest geocaching technology. Students will improve their writing skills using descriptive language to create clues for their classmates while learning about maps, coordinates and map reading.
DRAMATIC CHANGES FOR CHILDREN Sandy Anderson
4th and 5th graders take to the stage to put on their own production of Through the Looking Glass. Students work together to build community, art skills, vocal, music, dance and drama talents. Students will raise their confidence, self esteem and leadership skills while working on a spectacular show that will be enjoyed by the entire school and parent community.
HATCHING YOUNG READERS Barby Beard
This program utilizes technology to make learning to read fun and motivational. “Reading Eggs” engages students in all modalities of learning: visual, auditory, manipulation, speaking and imitation as they work with letters, sounds and words.
UNIDOS PODEMOS Mayra Tristan
This project was created especially for Latino parents and students at Oak Terrace to teach strategies, methods and specific vocabulary to parents so they can better assist their children at home.
Ravinia
PACK THE SACK Amy March
Students will participate in a 25-week program where they take home a backpack with a storybook and activities to support literacy development. In school, teachers will use the Earobics software program in their literacy centers to provide individualized instruction as part of the program.
STORYTELLING IN KINDERGARTEN Amy March
Students will be engaged in a yearlong study of the art of storytelling. Literature, visual media, and technology will serve as springboards for students to learn how to express themselves creatively, and speak effectively.
Red Oak
FAMILY POETRY NIGHT Linda Diamond
Families will come together to participate in many aspects of poetry. They will create and share their work in a common experience.
GROWING TO LEARN Melinda Donelan
Students will build a raised perennial garden, planting seeds, bulbs and flowers native to the Midwest. While maintaining the garden, students will graph and chart the growth of the flowers, monitor wildlife and utilize the garden for still life paintings and naturalist drawings. Harvested flowers will be arranged in bouquets which will be sold to raise funds to maintain the garden.
IREAD WITH IPODS AND MICROPHONES Kate Strong
Students identified by MAP scores as needing improvement in reading fluency will meet in small groups throughout the year to record themselves and play back their reading to self-correct and improve fluency. This project has proven successful in motivating students to improve their reading speed, clarity and expression.
LITERATURE WITH LAUGHTER/GRIFFIN’S TALES Valerie LaRiviere
Griffin’s Tales is a unique way to mix literature with laughter for all the Red Oak students. Students will submit a short stories with a creative and unique voice. Then five stories will be selected and performed by a philanthropic group of performing art major students from Northwestern University in April 2013. This is an exciting way to honor children’s writing.
READING STARS Kristin O’Rourke Salamanca
This program promotes a true love for reading “book in the bag/libros y lectura en casa” This school and home program allows students and parents to read together and strengthen the home-school connection with educational treasures and literacy games as well.
STUDENT/PARENT WORKSHOP Nadia Deharo Vega
Families will attend workshops at school to learn strategies and utilize technology skills to help support their children’s learning at home. Parents will receive educational tools to help them monitor their child’s learning in the areas math, reading, writing and speaking. These workshops will also empower parents to use technology at home and foster a stronger home-school connection.
Sherwood
USING IPOD TOUCH DEVICES TO SUPPORT READING FLUENCY Molly Ott
iPod touch devices will be used with first grade students a way to monitor and increase reading fluency.
Wayne Thomas School
GARDENING WITH WISCONSIN FAST PLANTS Julianne Hettich
Growing plants in the classroom will involve the 3rd grade students and take them beyond reading or watching videos about plants. The students will document the life cycle of a Wisconsin Fast Plant in 28 days providing the students with a hands on experience planting flowers!