The Communicator - Lincoln Consolidated Schools

Spring 2013
Lincoln Consolidated Schools
BISHOP ELEMENTARY UPPER HOUSE SCIENCE
Three of the Bishop Upper House teachers, Abby Smith, March Wells, and Heather Smith, are participating in
the University of Michigan ELECTS program this year. ELECTS – Elementary Educative Curricula for Teachers
of Science – is a grant program sponsored by the National
Science Foundation. It focuses on inquiry-based teaching
methods and how the approach impacts students’ conceptual
understanding and scientific practices. It’s an ambitious
teaching method, but it’s proving to be an excellent program
for both teachers and students. The program is using
Smithsonian Institution’s Science, Technology, and Children
(STC) materials for two different units: electrical circuits and
ecosystems.
In October and November, for the electrical circuits unit, these
fourth and fifth grade students made their own filaments and
test circuits, and then worked in teams to discover hidden
circuits. Students then used an index card, a paper clip, two
brass fasteners, two washers, chip clips, and a complete
circuit to build a functioning switch. Students built their own
flashlights based on circuit drawings they developed in teams
of two and using their knowledge of batteries in parallel and
series, decided if they wanted to build a light that would be
brighter or would last longer.
This has been an amazing program for teachers and students alike. Teachers are committed to the success of
this program, and students are enthusiastic, fully-engaged in their learning, and are soaking up new knowledge
and discoveries.
THE UNITY WALL AT MODEL ELEMENTARY
“Have you happened to see the most beautiful (Bulletin Board)
in the World?” I think the song says GIRL; however, when you
see the “WALL OF UNITY” bulletin board, which is on the wall
opposite of the office door, I think you would change the words
to the song as well!
We are celebrating the rich tradition of ancestry and ethnicity
by showcasing “Family Pictures” of all of our MODEL
FAMILIES. They are absolutely stunning and you just get a
warm and fuzzy feeling every time you walk by it and see yet
one more gorgeous family picture posted.
The idea behind this project is to showcase the wonderful
amount of diversity we have represented at Model Elementary.
“As a veteran teacher, I didn’t always have the beauty of
seeing the rainbow of color in my children, and the knowledge
that many first generation Americans bring with them into this
country! It is like watching Dr.. Martin Luther King’s dream come true, right in front of me!” states Mrs. Kim Porter,
emphatically.
It is a proven fact, with much research to back it, that children have raised levels of self esteem when they see
other people that look like them, whether it be a famous person on a poster, or another family whose picture they
see on the board. We teach “A sense of Community” all year long in Kindergarten and pre-K and what better way
to do it than showing off our gorgeous community that represents almost every single continent!
We offer many thanks to the very talented Miss Carol for so nicely creating our collage with different colored and
designed mats for the pictures that she puts up daily. We see the beauty in her creation; can you imagine how
boring it would be if it was done in one color and one design? Makes you think of what it would be like to have
a classroom of all one color and background. It is the diversity that exists in our school and our classrooms that
allows for so many wonderful lessons and projects to be carried out with such a touch of “unique” input from all
the fabulous places from which we come!
www.lincolnK12.org