TEACHERS' BRIGHT IDEAS

Since its founding in 1991, Classroom, Inc. has been learning from teachers. We are pleased to share some of the creative practices they’ve used with our program.

Do you have a bright idea you'd like to share? Tell us about it!

 

12th Graders at Frederick Douglass Academy Reach Out to the Community

This video presentation resulted from a brainstorm by Thandi Zwana and Irva Niles, 11th & 12th grade English teachers at the Frederick Douglass Academy VII in Brooklyn. Their students were working on Classroom, Inc.’s simulation The Alicia Leary Progress Foundation, and Zwana and Niles had a great idea for bringing the theme of philanthropy home for their students. They told them about The Brooklyn Community Foundation, which awards competitive grants in five areas to worthy projects from nonprofits dedicated to improving life in Brooklyn.

Ms. Zwana and Ms. Niles charged their students with identifying projects that would qualify for a micro grant from The Brooklyn Community Foundation. They asked them to research some Brooklyn nonprofits, interact with their staffs, find out about their proposed projects and ultimately recommend a project to receive a competitive micro grant. In filmed presentations, students gave a complete picture of their dip into the real-world of philanthropy. Here is 12th grader Ayanna Anthony:

 

 

Choose a Classroom, Inc. program. The Chelsea Bank The Green Mountain Paper Company The Sports Network West End Law What’s Up Magazine

 

THE CHELSEA BANK

  • At Henderson Elementary in Chicago, Codjhia Shelton had her students create visual presentations in order to develop their understanding of the crime of identity theft. In the presentations, they wrote their own definitions of identity theft and used illustrations to get across the ideas of how identity theft occurs and how it can be prevented. Once these visuals were created, groups of students presented skits on the subject to the whole class. Classroom, Inc. Comments: This is a great way to get a somewhat complicated concept across to a whole class because it draws on several kinds of skills and learning styles.
  • At Melody Elementary School in Chicago, a classroom teacher came up with a great incentive program. She got blank deposit books from Harris Bank, and if students attended and participated in class the whole week, they received a “check” on Thursday. Students could “cash the check” to buy small items, such as index cards, pencils, paper, etc., or deposit the money in their "account" to accumulate money.
  • Officer Ramirez visited Ms. Mitchell’s sixth graders at Speedway Elementary in Newark. In connection with their work on The Chelsea Bank, he told them about laws dealing with banking, such those covering bank robberies, fraud, and identity theft. He also discussed how federal laws govern all banks. Classroom, Inc. Comments: This visit clearly helped demonstrate to students the school-to-real-world link.
  • Ms. Culp of Claremont School in Chicago had her students go into greater depth with The Chelsea Bank by creating a form asking them to provide specific reasons and a rational argument for their promotion from bank teller to customer service representative. Students had to complete the form and turn it in for her approval before progressing in the simulation. Classroom, Inc. Comments: Excellent opportunity for students to practice informative or persuasive writing!
  • As an extension to their experience with The Chelsea Bank simulation, Herzl Elementary School students visited the Federal Reserve Bank in Chicago. They could not believe how secure the bank was, and they were shocked to see all the money.
  • At Ascension Elementary School in the Bronx, NY, Ms. Salibay involved adult family members in their students’ Chelsea Bank learning. She gave students homework assignments such as interviewing their grown-up relatives to find out the pros and cons of using ATMs vs. tellers. Ascension students also set up the school library to look like a bank, and practiced what they learned by taking turns role-playing the part of teller and customer.

THE GREEN MOUNTAIN PAPER COMPANY

  • Ms. Humphries and Ms. Foster had the summer-school students at Philadelphia’s Bartram High "go green." The Green Mountain Paper Company program provided an ideal context for fostering environmental education, and students used this simulation to make environmentally sound decisions. Throughout the summer, students created a weekly environmental newsletter. This periodical included articles and editorials with an environmental theme. One of the students’ goals was to urge the high school to begin a recycling club that will campaign for environmentally positive actions at Bartram High.
  • Ms. Sayles and Mr. Cabrera at Enterprise Business & Technology High School in NYC raised students’ environmental awareness while using The Green Mountain Paper Company with their "Bridge to High School" classes. Students not only discussed how their decisions on the simulation affected the fictional community, they also brainstormed ideas for improving the school environment, such as starting a recycling program and partnering with Con Ed to change the light bulbs and/or wiring of the school. Classroom, Inc. Comments: The Green Mountain Paper Company is correlated to a number of key environmental education standards. By applying principles they learned in the simulation to their immediate environment, students demonstrated their awareness of the social and economic factors involved in improving the environment.

THE SPORTS NETWORK

  • Students in Mr. Thomas and Mr. Thomason's class at Central High in Newark created a new studio for TSN. Using the skills they learned in the simulation and extension activities, they sketched the design on drawing paper and transferred it to graph paper in order to keep the proportions correct. These students really responded to this hands-on learning experience.

WEST END LAW

  • Ms. Danihel and her students at Crane High School in Chicago created Bill of Rights PowerPoint presentations based on their work with West End Law. What they learned and did in the simulation gave students an appreciation of how much the 1791 Bill of Rights has influenced contemporary U.S. law.

WHAT'S UP MAGAZINE

  • At Altgeld School in Chicago, the What’s Up Magazine classroom put together a periodical based on neighborhood living in the community of Lawndale. They included an article on famous people from the area, a gossip column, an editorial about a local issue, and news.
  • At another Chicago School, Crown Elementary, Ms. May's What’s Up Magazine classroom examined an issue of ESPN magazine to see how closely the content and staff credits matched the types of content and staff roles in the simulation. Students were surprised to see the similarity between what goes into creating the ESPN magazine and their own efforts working on What’s Up Magazine. The biggest difference they discovered was how ads matched up to stories, one of the challenges presented to them in the simulation. Classroom, Inc. Comments: This activity has a double benefit; it taps into students’ skill in comparing and contrasting while also illustrating the real-world application of the decision-making strategies they just practiced in the simulation.
  • As a way to introduce them to their role as editor-in-chief, Kelly Marquis—a seventh-grade teacher at Luis Muñoz Marin Elementary School in Newark—had her seventh graders who were using What’s Up Magazine create their own magazine covers. They then used a rubric to evaluate the text, layout, and design of their work, and the covers were displayed outside the classroom.

     

     

    Classroom, Inc. Comments: This is a great way to get kids to self-assess at the same time as they're having fun.