Scott B. Thompson, Ed.D., Superintendent of Schools

From the Superintendent

District 15 launched its new weekly professional development program on January 31. Since then, our teachers have gathered every Friday afternoon for workshops and training sessions that have featured a variety of stimulating and challenging activities.

While several sessions have provided time for technology training, data analysis, and faculty meetings, most of this weekly professional development time has been dedicated to helping our staff make the instructional shifts required by the state's new Common Core Standards. During these particular training sessions, our principals have delivered several outstanding presentations that were developed by our Department of Instruction, and our teachers have followed up these presentations by meeting in smaller groups -- as grade-level teams or departments -- to discuss what they learned and to share their ideas for integrating the Common Core Standards into their instruction.

As these efforts have taken place, the District has provided parents with more insight into the rationale behind each of the key instructional shifts we've addressed with our teachers. These reports explain why the Common Core Standards require the following:

• A balance of informational and literary texts 
• Text to play a bigger part in building knowledge 
• More observation, reflection, and questioning 
• Students to grasp academic vocabulary 

Additionally, other reports on technology training sessions have covered the tech integration courses that the District's Instructional Technology staff produced, and that can be reviewed by staff and the general public for free on District 15's iTunes U site.

Film crew captures how three District 15 teachers are incorporating key Common Core vocabulary into their instruction.

One of the primary shifts teachers will have to make now that the Common Core is in effect is to emphasize building students' grasp of general academic vocabulary. To help them do that, the District has provided every teacher with a copy of Teaching the Critical Vocabulary of the Common Core: 55 Words that Make or Break Student Understanding.

As it turned out, some of the ways in which the District's teachers have been teaching these important vocabulary words to their students caught the attention of Marilee Sprenger, the book's author and a highly regarded educator. So much so, in fact, she recently decided to team up with the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) to document these exciting instructional practices and share her insights on three of these teachers' efforts.

The Writing on the Wall

At Plum Grove Junior High, Laura Blair, a seventh- and eighth-grade reading teacher, and Emily Perkins, a seventh-grade math teacher, have displayed -- in big, bold letters -- all 55 of these words on their classroom walls, and are leading an effort to post them on the walls in every classroom at Plum Grove.

When Ms. Sprenger and the ASCD's film crew visited Plum Grove in mid May, Mrs. Blair and Ms. Perkins showed them some of the ways they are incorporating those words into their instruction.

For instance, Mrs. Blair taught her students the definition of the words compare and contrast, and had them apply that knowledge by creating a triple Venn diagram in which they compared and contrasted themselves, an animated character, and a famous person.

In Ms. Perkins' class, students defined the word analyze, and, to relate the word to math concepts, they analyzed the statement, "If you have a set of vertical angles, you always have a set of supplementary angles."

A Song to Sing

While visiting the District, Ms. Sprenger and the ASCD film crew also dropped by Jane Addams School. There they filmed Jacquelyn Erickson, a bilingual first- and second-grade teacher, as she put a musical spin to her vocabulary instruction.

For instance, to help her students make connections and understand the words' meanings, Ms. Erickson put all of the verbs on the vocabulary list into a song she appropriately titled The Critical Verbs Song, and she taught her students jingles -- complete with hand motions -- for each vocabulary word they've studied.

Well-Rounded Learners

Dr. Isabel Beck, professor of education and senior scientist at the University of Pittsburgh's Learning Research and Development Center, divides vocabulary into three tiers.

Tier 1 words are common, everyday words that children generally learn from oral conversation. Examples include walk, dog, school, and bus.

Tier 3 words are usually connected to a specific content area, such as science or social studies. Examples include photosynthesis, democracy, and gigabyte.

In the middle are Tier 2 words, like those outlined by Ms. Sprenger. These words aren't considered common, everyday words, nor are they specific to a content area. Rather, they are words that can be found across all content areas in academic contexts. Tier 2 academic vocabulary includes words such as compare, evaluate, analyze, and evidence.

"The students who are comfortable with these words will be the most successful in mastering the standards," wrote Ms. Sprenger. "These words will be indispensable on assessments and in life. Teaching these words is urgent in order to assist students in understanding what is expected of them as they tackle complex texts, learn to read more closely, add to their vocabularies, improve speaking and listening skills, and become well-rounded learners and members of society."

Ms. Sprenger regularly works with the ASCD to shoot these kinds of short professional development videos that feature teachers who are actually implementing the ideas she shares in her books in new and effective ways. She cited District 15's well-known reputation for providing its teachers with high quality professional development opportunities as the reason she looked here for examples of such instruction.

The art of science

Through the generous support of the Northrop Grumman Foundation, the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts brought to life a unique early childhood STEM program in District 15.

Robots, CAD programs, and 3D printers -- they may be what comes to mind when one envisions STEM instruction in District 15, as the launch of the District's incredibly successful "Gateway to Technology" STEM program in its junior highs over the past two years has prominently featured such things.

However, this spring, STEM instruction took a decidedly different form at Kimball Hill School. Think picture books, puppets, and a little jingle that taught students the six steps to being an engineer: identify the problem, make a plan, build it, test it, try again, and share the results. It may not sound catchy in a sentence, but when Jeanne Wall, a master teaching artist with the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, leads a class filled with excited kindergartners through the entire song and dance, it's awfully cute, and incredibly effective.

"Learning six steps is hard for a 5-year-old," said Ms. Wall. "So let's make it fun. Let's dance it! Let's sing it!"

Through the Northrop Grumman Foundation's generous support of the Wolf Trap Early Childhood STEM Learning Through the Arts initiative, Ms. Wall was able to spend an entire week at Kimball Hill earlier this spring. During her visit, she showed staff how to integrate elements of the performing arts into the existing curriculum to teach STEM concepts and skills to young children.

Using the "Six-Step Shuffle," a copy of the children's book Muncha! Muncha! Muncha!, and a homemade puppet of the story's main character, Mr. McGreely, Ms. Wall brought to life a variety of lessons about science, engineering, and math, all while focusing on the students' current unit of study on plants.

For instance, when Ms. Wall and the students pretended to be seeds that sprouted into plants, the students learned about biology and photosynthesis. When she guided students as they planted tomatoes and lettuce in Mr. McGreely's garden, they practiced addition and subtraction and learned to follow patterns and create different geometric shapes. When they set out to build a fence tall enough to keep bunnies out of Mr. McGreely's garden, they learned problem solving and engineering skills.

In addition to teaching these classroom activities to Kimball Hill's staff throughout the week, Ms. Wall hosted a family workshop in which she instructed and collaborated with the kindergarten students' parents on ways to engage their children in active STEM learning at home.

"Besides being fun, using the arts to teach helps children with their cognition. It helps them focus and engage and take in all of the information they need to learn," said Ms. Wall. "It also really helps them develop their imaginations, which is an incredibly important part of scientific inquiry. Scientists must be able to use their imaginations to problem solve and envision new and different results."

Indeed, the Wolf Trap Early Childhood STEM Learning Through the Arts initiative's approach to STEM learning has been the subject of independent research that documents the positive impact of arts-integrated learning strategies on children's cognitive and social development and school readiness in areas including math and logic.

The Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts launched the program in 2010 in the Washington D.C. area, building upon its 30-year history of developing and delivering early childhood arts education programs in public schools and Head Start centers. The third year of this Northrop Grumman-sponsored program was offered at 10 locations across the country, including Kimball Hill, whose attendance boundaries encompass Northrop Grumman's Rolling Meadows campus.

"We are grateful to Northrop Grumman for their continued generous support of our Early STEM/Arts initiative," said Arvind Manocha, president and CEO of the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts. "This professional development program is an integral part of our vision to enrich and change lives through the performing arts, and the Northrop Grumman partnership helps extend this reach for the benefit of teachers and children nationwide."

The Northrop Grumman Foundation supports diverse and sustainable programs for students and teachers. These programs create innovative educational experiences in STEM fields.

"The Northrop Grumman Foundation is committed to providing unique educational experiences related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics for students and teachers," said Sandra Evers-Manly, Northrop Grumman's vice president of global corporate responsibility and president of the Northrop Grumman Foundation. "We have seen great success with the many STEM programs we support around the country for middle and high school students and teachers. Building on our past successful partnerships with Wolf Trap, we are excited to support this program for a third year, and to continue reaching children even earlier in their education by tapping into their natural interest in the arts to encourage interest and curiosity in STEM."

Photo courtesy of Mel Hill Photography

A hero's welcome!

Upon his return from the Middle East, a soldier who corresponded with students receives quite a surprise from Frank C. Whiteley School.

Throughout his recent deployment to Iraq, U.S. Army Capt. Christopher Allen kept in touch with Amber Danielczyk's third-grade class at Frank C. Whiteley School, as well as with members of the school's Helping Hands Club. In all, he received 85 cards and letters from those students, and he replied individually to each and every one.

When he returned home in May, Capt. Allen made plans to visit those students to thank them for their support. Those students -- and the rest of the Whiteley community -- had something else in mind: a surprise homecoming celebration to thank Capt. Allen for his service.

And it's safe to say Capt. Allen was surprised when he entered the school's multipurpose room on the afternoon of May 23 and found the entire school cheering for him while waving American flags and "Welcome Home!" signs.

"I'm trying not to get emotional right now," said Capt. Allen as he stepped to the podium to address the students and staff. "I'm just overwhelmed by the support."

After Robert Harris, Whiteley's interim principal, presented Capt. Allen with a Whiteley Wildcat Paw to show the school's appreciation for his service, and band and chorus students performed several patriotic songs, including a rousing, schoolwide rendition of God Bless the U.S.A., Capt. Allen did what he'd set out to do in the first place -- he said thank you.

Capt. Allen stood outside the multipurpose room and shook the hand of each and every student and staff member as they filed out the door and back to their classrooms. He graciously posed for photos, answered questions, offered interviews to the assembled media, and eventually met with Mrs. Danielczyk's class.

"While we don't know Capt. Allen personally, I believe that a soldier's welcome home can be a powerful experience for both students and staff," said Mrs. Danielczyk. "And the timing couldn't have been better because this is the Friday before Memorial Day."

As for Capt. Allen, his thoughts were, of course, on the kids.

Quite a ride! 

More than 500 District 15 students participate in Bike to School Day

Student bike riders embraced Bike to School Day in a big way on Wednesday, May 7, as more than 500 students from one junior high and five elementary schools in District 15 rode their bikes to school through Palatine, Rolling Meadows, and Hoffman Estates.

The Bike Palatine Club (BPC) sponsored the cycling initiative with different incentives. At Winston Campus Junior High, Ralph Banasiak, an eighth-grade math teacher and the BPC treasurer, worked with Theresa Duphare, the school's PTA health and safety chair, to budget for a bike raffle and to conduct two bike workshops in the weeks leading up to the event.

During the first workshop, which was held two weeks before the event, BPC members presented an ABC (air, brakes, and chain) clinic in which they reviewed the components of a bike with students and provided them with hands-on experience inflating tires, adjusting brakes, and maintaining their chains and gears. Then, a week before Bike to School Day, a BPC member screened a traffic safety video while a Palatine police officer reviewed other safety issues.

Additionally, Mikes Bike Shop in Palatine provided Winston Campus Junior High with a bike at cost and several discounted bike accessories for its schoolwide raffle. Wayne Mikes, owner of Mikes Bike Shop and BPC president, also donated free water bottles for Winston riders.

Gail Artrip, BPC vice-president, took the lead in encouraging District 15 schools to participate by contacting Dr. Scott Thompson, District 15's superintendent of schools, as well as some individual principals. Every elementary student who rode to school received a bike sticker courtesy of the club. Thomas Jefferson, Stuart R. Paddock, Pleasant Hill, Gray M. Sanborn, and Frank C. Whiteley Schools participated in Bike to School Day. Both Pleasant Hill and Frank C. Whitely Schools had the most riders. Pleasant Hill School motivated its students by presenting free water bottle cages to those who cycled that day.  

Accommodating the more than 500 bikes at the District 15 schools would not have been possible without the help of the Palatine Park District. Keith Williams, Palatine Park District's superintendent of recreation and a key BPC member, made sure that additional bike racks were delivered and assembled at each school in time for Bike to School Day.

"A special shout-out is in order to the Palatine Park District for its assistance with the additional racks it provided," said Kevin Keehn, a retired District 15 teacher and BPC vice-president. "None of the schools were set up to handle so many extra bikes on Bike to School Day."

The Bike Palatine Club is a not-for-profit membership organization in the northwest suburbs that originated as a volunteer task force. Its mission is to make the community more bike-friendly by offering educational and outreach programs that encourage and increase cycling. It also focuses on evaluating and recommending infrastructure improvements that make bicycling safer, more convenient and enjoyable, and more integrated with neighboring communities. More information about the club can be found at www.bikepalatine.com.