Inspiring Young Mathematicians
Posted by Eric Werner
Upper Schoolers in 7th grade are hard at work preparing math lessons for TK, Kindergarten, and 1st Grade. On alternate Fridays, my 7th grade students travel across the school to work one-on-one or in small groups to teach a math lesson to their younger peers. Ranging from addition and subtraction to pattern recognition, these lessons are developed entirely by 7th grade students who have researched curriculum and designed a lesson to inspire younger students to learn and to get excited about math. This program will continue throughout the year with every 7th grade student having the opportunity to design and implement a lesson.
Bonfire stories
Posted by Karen Engelke
Unquowa is a Family
Posted by Ann Palm
Every Monday PreK students enjoy a visit from some seventh graders during their flex time. This week the seventh graders helped the PreK students choose a book from our Early Childhood Library. Then our special visitors read the books to the younger students. To hear the music of the words was a delight for our young pre-readers. Unquowa is like a huge family where young and old care for each other!
Bringing Life to Reading
Posted by Trésor Kayumba
The 5th grade literature class has been reading Baba Wagué Diakité’s A Gift from Childhood memoir. Scholars applied the reading strategy, reacting and connecting, while reading the book. We also decided to bring the book to life! After reading the chapter Catching Catfish, scholars taught each other a life skill, similarly to the character Grandma Sabou, who taught her grandson Baba Wagué the essential life skill of catching catfish, which is used both for medicinal purposes and flavorful soup.
5th grade scholar Robert commented, “It was fun to learn about the different skills my classmates have. I was glad to learn from my classmate, Marianela how to make Arepas, which is a Colombian food.” Marianela also stated that, “it felt good to teach my friends about something so close to my heart.” This assignment was a great opportunity for these young scholars to learn from their grandparents and parents a wide range of handy life skills such as sewing a button, wrapping a present, and how to mail a letter.
A Visit To The Local Firehouse
Posted by Karen Engelke
The second grade and PreK-3 classes went on a walking field experience to the local firehouse. Second graders are learning about citizenship and this walk gave them the perfect opportunity to show their understanding of what it means to be a good citizen! They were responsible for making sure the younger students got to the firehouse safely – and they took their responsibility very seriously! The firemen also proved to be a great example of what it means to be part of a community and a strong citizen.
Literature Collaboration Begins!
Posted by Faith Barbuto
The fifth grade and kindergarten classes are again teaming up for an exciting year of collaborations! We began with a visit from Mr. Kayumba’s literature class. The fifth grade scholars were eager to share what they had learned about the reading process, and implementation of effective reading practices; a preliminary lesson before they embark on their literary journey. In an effort to reinforce the lesson learned in the literature class, the fifth graders got to teach the kindergarteners! It was a pleasure for me to see some of my former kindergarteners in this new, mature role. The younger students were excited for the chance to work with these older mentors. After teaching their new buddies what they have learned about reading, each partnership selected a book to read together. These books went home with the kindergarteners, please return them for next week. Looking forward to exploring literature together all year!
