Challenge Program News - Forest Park District 91 - Mrs. Finn

Mark your calendar:  Challenge Night is Wednesday, April 12th at 6:30


2016 Northern Illinois Model UN Conference

Challenge Program students from Forest Park Middle School participated in the 2016 Northern Illinois Model UN Conference at the Chicago History Museum on Wednesday, November 16th.  Taking on the role as delegates from various countries, students did an outstanding job speaking, debating and writing resolutions on international affairs.
    

As a delegate, students are assigned to a country and to one of five UN bodies: the Social, Cultural, and Humanitarian Committee (SOCHUM), the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and the Arab League (AL).  The topics they faced included: corporate disregard for human rights, marine biodiversity, deforestation, the refugee crisis, the Islamic State, NATO's role in Afghanistan,  and  preservation of dying religions and cultures – to name a few.   The interactive simulations included crisis scenarios that tested their foreign policy knowledge and negotiating skills. 

 

Future City

8th graders are building a city of the future and are following the theme set by National Engineering Week's Future City program.  This year they are visiting the issue of multi-use public spaces by exploring what to do with brownfields and grayfields that will improve the quality of life serves their city’s diverse population.  (Pictured below:  students explore design elements in architecture with C. LiaBraaten from the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation.)                                     

 

Investigating Robie House Geometry

Students from Field-Stevenson and Grant White visited the famous Frederick C. Robie House on Wednesday, November 2.  The trip complimented a mystery book, The Wright 3, by Blue Balliett, which students had been reading. Using pentominoes, students explored the unique shapes and forms that make up Frank Lloyd Wright's Prairie masterpiece, the Frederick C. Robie House.   After touring the home, students worked inside the billiard room and were challenged to think critically and creatively to design their own Prairie style floor plan using the twelve 3-D pieces.

 


Third and fourth and fifth graders are developing logical reasoning as they work through hands-on algebra problems. Additionally, we  are using programming to increase digital literacy and mathematical fluency. 







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Global Collaboration

Challenge Program 4th and 5th graders collaborated with students in India, Florida and Russia to design, "Earth Day, Every Day," a website which focuses on what progress has been made to help the earth and endangered animals. For their "helping focus," students decided to raise funds to sponsor an endangered animal. This global team received the highest rank, a gold star, and the Global Virtual Classroom provided a sponsorship certificate for a child in a Vietnam to receive year’s schooling on their behalf
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Field-Stevenson 5th graders raised money to help the WWF protect the Amur Leopard.













Hour of Code is an event geared to broaden participation in the field of computer science. Pictured are Challenge Program 3rd graders listening to Vivak Patel, a programmer from Argonne, discussing the type of work he does.








Historical Perspectives

Sixth and seventh graders are learning to research  by looking for evidence in primary sources to prepare for a National History Day project.  Part of our preparation involved visiting the Chicago History museum chance to work with an archivist  to learn how to use different types of primary sources.  Once a topic of interest is selected, students will present their thesis and research in a format they choose including: documentary, live performance, essay, exhibit or website.
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