Challenge students in grade three participated in a Fairy Tale Stem Unit.
STEM Fairy Tale Challenge
Challenge students in grade three participated in a Fairy Tale Stem Unit. During the unit, they listened to the story of the “The Three Billy Goats Gruff,” and then applied STEM engineering and design concepts to bring the story to life. Using only straws and rubber bands, students built a raft that was required to float for at least 10 seconds and hold at least 10 grams of weight without sinking.
Students sketched a diagram of their raft, built, tested, recorded and analyzed their results.
Phonics in Motion
At NDES the natural learning process is encouraged with Phonics in Motion (PIM), a multi-sensory teaching method used to aid the teaching of reading and writing.
The components of the PIM method include highly specialized, targeted kinesthetic motions that children associate with letters and letter combinations. Learning the PIM method is broken into four distinct parts: kinesthetic motions; letter formation and directionality; modeled writing; and phonics development and spelling.
“I love using phonics in motion in first grade. I feel that by ‘seeing’ the words, ‘hearing’ the words and by ‘doing the motion’ students who may have trouble reading have the opportunity to hear and motion and learn the sounds. It is amazing how many of my students will tap out words and sound out the words using the motions while they are writing stories,” states first-grade teacher Katherine Biro.
“Using the language calendar has really helped to prepare students for writing in their everyday lives. Students are learning how letters make sounds, sounds make words and words make sentences. We use the language calendar to help us understand how to create sentences and how to identify common spelling patterns,” explains kindergarten teacher Elizabeth Looman.
With these engaging tools, students make crucial connections with language, which contribute to life-long success as readers, writers and collaborators in a changing world.
NDES Open House
Join for the NDES open house Jan. 28 from 12-2:30 pm. All families are invited to learn about the strong academic, leadership, spirituality and service programs Notre Dame Elementary School offers students in preschool through grade eight.
As a school steeped in 60 years of rich tradition and sponsored by the Sisters of Notre Dame, NDES bestows a tradition of excellence and welcomes families who seek a top-quality, faith-based education.
Explore the beautiful campus that provides hands-on learning experiences and offers an appreciation for the simplicity and complexity of creation.
Witness the school’s progressive technology program and comprehensive faith-based curriculum that calls students to higher-level thinking as they learn about and communicate concepts with depth of understanding.
Finally, experience our warm and welcoming community that nurtures and prepares our students for a lifetime of success.
Students, parents, teachers and administrators will be on hand to share the spirit, energy and opportunities that embody Notre Dame Elementary School.
New families may visit http://www.ndes.org/OpenHouse.aspx for a chance to win a free school registration ($150 value).
Spelling Bee Champ
Sixth-grader Mary Lucy Currier is the NDES Spelling Bee champion. With 18 stellar spellers in grades 4-8 and eight rounds, Mary Lucy won on the word “exasperation.”
Sophia Lee finished as runner-up and Taylor Corwin earned third place. The school is proud of all its participants.
Mary Lucy will represent NDES in the Geauga Spelling Bee on Feb. 13.
