Lotspeich
April 15, 2021
Lotspeich Continues to Showcase Changemakers
In honor of Black History Month throughout the month of February, the Lotspeich Lower School showcased Black changemakers with lessons and presentations about their impact on history. Now into April, Lotspeich is continuing to share presentations about changemakers. “Since the kids were so excited and interested in learning about new people, we decided to continue changemakers during the Monday morning assemblies throughout the rest of the school year,” said Lotspeich librarian Lori Suffield. “Throughout February, staff members have introduced a changemaker during most of the Monday assemblies.” Recent changemakers have included soccer player Megan Rapinoe, activist Marly Dias, immunologist Kizzmekia Corbett, and biochemist Katalin Kariko. At next week’s assembly, Suffield will discuss author Don Tate, who will be virtually visiting Lotspeich and Doherty Lower Schools.
Kindergarteners Search for Signs of Spring
Every week, kindergarteners put on their coats and boots and explore the Hillsdale Campus for Terrific Tuesday! Students recently searched for signs of spring around the campus, including blooming trees and lots of green. Kindergarten teacher Michelle Foster said she, as well as kindergarten teachers Becky Swain and Diane Schulteis, have made hiking an important part of Terrific Tuesday because hikes allow students to use their five senses and observe how the campus changes based on the season. “We took a hike before spring break and it was still very much a winter experience,” Foster said. “ When we did our hike after spring break, we observed so many signs of spring all around us and we were excited!”
Fifth-graders Plan Outdoor Classroom
Science teacher Kate LaBare recently challenged fifth-graders to imagine their ideal outdoor classroom. Students are developing a plan to redesign the outdoor area near the first- and second-grade classrooms. The unit is an interdisciplinary lesson with Project Math, which is taught by Laura OGrady. Fifth-graders are using their knowledge of plants to create a space that supports pollinators and deters mosquitos, as well as consider how groundwater will be affected. “Fifth-graders practiced their measuring and calculating skills and drew scale models and budgets for their chosen materials,” said LaBare. “Students then consulted their first-grade buddies for feedback. They also presented their plans to first- and second-graders, the experts on the space they were redesigning!”
Second-graders Study Rivers
As part of their unit on rivers in social studies, second-graders learned about rivers around the world, including the Nile, the Amazon, the Ganges, and Ohio rivers. Second-grade teacher Danielle Necessary said for each river, students discussed questions such as, where is the river located? What animals rely on the river? How do people and communities rely on the river? Students worked in groups to build parts of a model of the rivers. “Students also did an independent project at home where they built a model of a river somewhere in the world and shared their project with the class on the app, Flipgrid,” Necessary said.
Second-graders Build Pinball Machines
Second-graders in Laura OGrady’s Project Math class are continuing the tradition of building end-of-year arcade games. Students are crafting individual pinball machines made of cardboard. “Students are using visual-spatial reasoning to design obstacles and a path for their marbles,” OGrady said. “Soon, they are going to develop a scoring plan for their games and figure out how much they score each round.” Students will also use their pinball machines to practice using time measurements as they compare the length of gameplay for different rounds.
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Five Stingers Sign to Play in College
Five Stingers from the Class of 2024 signed their letters of intent to continue their athletic careers in college.
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