v Canterbury Elementary School Have you ever heard of Flat Stanley, the beloved character in the novel? Well, 1st graders made their own Flat Stanleys and families shared an address of willing participants to show Stanley around their hometown. It sure was fun receiving emails, postcards, and letters “from Stanley” sharing the experiences that were had because of what that area was known for. Our stu- dents learned so much about geography and map skills through such a heartwarming unit. Another fun lesson was using iPhones and Google Maps, along with compasses, to find a secret treasure hidden in the school! Mr. Dooner’s students loved it! In 4th grade, we are making many connections between Ohio is American and Ready Gen. Teachers are using picture provocations and rotating students in teams to look at the pictures and ask questions. Inquiry through the artifacts has been amazing! Teachers enjoy listening to the discussions and then the class comes back together to continue the probing. The students connected the activity to the story “The Longest Night” in Ready Gen and have a better understanding of the word “sacred” as an example. v Fairfax Elementary School There are so many amazing things hap- pening at Fairfax! Teachers and students alike have been digging deeper into what it means to be internationally-minded as we prepare for our IB Verification visit on January 29-30. We are looking at the attributes of the IB Learner Profile and how they support our learning and fu- ture success. • Kindergarteners are being inquirers and communicators by exploring family culture and traditions and sharing with their peers. • After investigating the needs of living things, 1st graders showed their knowledge when building terrariums for pill bugs by collecting materials from the Fairfax grounds. • Second grade has spent the past few weeks learning about themselves as individuals as well as those around us who make a positive impact on our lives. They took risks and shared personal characteristics and interests about them- selves and practiced being open-minded when lis- tening to the personal stories of others. • Third grade dove into a unit on self expres- sion before winter break. The unit, How We Ex- press Ourselves, gave the students an opportuni- ty to connect classroom content to creative arts. Students had to be thinkers when learning about artists and reflecting on how an artist’s personal stories impacted their work. Wait until you see the self portraits that came out of this unit! • Fourth grade is gearing up for an IB unit on conflict and compromise. Fairfax 4th grad- ers are going to demonstrate being balanced as they learn about Ohio history to prepare them as they begin working on presentations for the “Ohio History Day Contest” (ode.gov). As they begin these group projects, history isn’t the only thing they will be learning. They will be developing self-management, social, communication, research, and thinking skills as they work in small groups towards a common goal. • Fifth graders are taking learning to a new level at Fairfax. Their knowledge is being test- ed as they have been showing how much they care about the younger students in our school by teaching the 1st graders about day and night as well as food chains. Not only are they being principled and taking responsibility for their own learning but they are supporting the learning of their younger peers at the same time. JANUARY 2018 For more information, visit CHUH.org INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE & STEM NEWSLETTER Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District 2155 Miramar Boulevard • University Heights, OH 44118 • (216) 371-7171 • www.CHUH.org • @CHUHSchools Boulevard Elementary & Gearity PDS Capstone Time At the end of the second trimester, Boule- vard and Gearity students will be present- ing capstone projects. Capstone presen- tations are the culmination of learning for the trimester. The STEM schools are adopting this format as a way for students to share with their peers, families, and the community the learning that has taken place for the entire trimester. Presentations are transdisciplinary (in- clusive of all discipline areas of learning). The power of these presentations are that students are in charge of synthesizing their learning from each trimester. Presenta- tions will include slideshows, experiment summaries, hands-on activities, and demonstrations of learning. Teachers and students work throughout the trimester to strengthen their knowledge of the skills learned; the capstone is a great celebration of learning. Community and parents are invited to come and view presentations at Boulevard on Tuesday, March 6, from 9:00-9:30 a.m. and at Gearity on Friday, March 9, from 9:00-9:30 a.m. Energy Bike CH-UH Energy Coach Ditte Wolin brought the energy bike to Boulevard and Gearity. All 4th grade students had an opportunity to experiment with the energy bike. Stu- dents had to work hard to pedal the bike in order to make the lights light up. The bike shows how energy can be transferred from human energy to energy that will power light bulbs. This was a perfect way for students to get a hands-on experience with the transfer of energy (a 4th grade standard). Thank you to Ditte for sharing this experience with us! Take Home Design Challenges Each month, all of the students in both STEM buildings are given a STEM Take Home Design Challenge. The challenge is usually something that is timely and perti- nent to the students. In October, the design challenge was to build a house that could withstand a hurricane. We were lucky enough to have Gearity parent, Shannon Osborne, come and speak to our students to share her experience of building hur- ricane proof houses in Fiji. Our February Take Home Design Challenge is focused on the Olympics. Take Home Design Challenges are displayed throughout the buildings each month.