Kindergarten

All Kindergartners participate in ABC Class during the second semester. They learn more about their own creativity through literature, reflection, and hands-on activities. The creative thinking skills of fluency, flexibility, originality, elaboration, personification, and visualization are introduced and applied during a variety of activities in weekly classes.  The children learn more about their own imaginations and how to share their new ideas with others.
                                                 

We see a girl waving at people, a lake with fish swimming in it, a snowflake going past Santa’s sleigh, an Easter bunny giving an egg, a girl covered in blocks, a big, colorful constellation, a constellation near a tree, Grandma who picks me up every day, a person building a ride, a wind-catcher outside with a person, a  bird flying in the sky, a duck waddling with its wings in air and its beak on ground, my sister and myself playing catch at the Bumpy, a castle filled with people, a  goofy monster with a wacky tail, fresh flowers growing in the garden, ships sailing to an island, a building right next to a city filled with people, a  jet flying to America, a monster eating a peach, a snowflake falling on Cleveland, the queen with a silly hat, a kite flying in the sky, when Grandpa died and everyone was praying, a diamond in my room, stained glass in a church, a girl with hair blowing in the wind, a long African-American necklace, my street with a stop sign, the star dancing on the stage, the desert with mountains under the sun, a  mouse trying to find some cheese, a tornado going to the pool to get some water.

First Grade

First graders attend ABC Class on Friday mornings. The children work in groups of fifteen students per semester to plan, write, and prepare  a forty minute play, and to design scenery and costumes for their original theatrical performance. They integrate the who, what, where, why, how, and when of their own ideas into a final presentation for their peers and parents.  From beginning to end, these children are creative!

Meet some of the creative actors from "Life Is What You Make It" and "Friends Care and Share"

Second Grade

Second graders continue to use their creative and critical thinking skills during their time in ZOOM Class on Monday/Tuesday.  One of the unique thinking strategies that is introduced is called SCAMPER, (Substitute, Combine, Add, Multiply, Minify, Magnify, Put to other uses, Eliminate, and Rearrange).  This concept helps people of any age to think up new ways to present an idea or to solve a problem.  Word choice, organization, sentence fluency, voice, and presentation styles are key components in all of the children's language arts projects.  Creative stories are written in the unique pattern used by author Laura Numeroff!  The children share their special places for fun, friends,  relaxation, and reflection in pictures  and three-liner poetry.  The children also learn more about economics through the Junior Achievement program, "Our Community".

Enjoy the Second Graders' "Person to Object" analogies,  then try it yourself!

    When I'm happy I'm like a                                            When I'm sad I'm like a
smiley face because I'm just happy!                                    lollypop that just about eaten.
shelf in a candy shop because I have a lot of candy!            broken crayon because I'm used up.
U.S.A. pennant because the team just won the game!          turtle in its shell because it's lonely.
skyscraper because things are looking up, up, up!               an Indians' fan because the team missed
puppy because it always has time to play!                                the playoffs again.

When I'm with people I'm like a                                        When I'm alone I'm like a
party with trick or treating!                                                  brick without cement.
puppy in the pet store that's just been bought!                      dog in the animal shelter.
fireworks show with people watching!                                 flashlight that won't light.
fire truck because I like to help people!                               bunny because it's so quiet in the nest.
cow because sometimes I'm shy and sometimes I'm not!      camel out in the desert.

Third Grade

ABC students in Grade 3 meet in the ZOOM Room on Thursdays and participate in a yearlong simulation on entrepreneurship called "Garage Sale Economics" which was written by the Center for Economics, Cleveland Center located at John Carroll University. They learn about economy-related terms such as complementary and substitute goods, wants and needs, scarcity, resources, benefits and costs as they use decision-making skills to try to raise funds for a "community playground".  Students apply their knowledge and critical thinking skills to form publicity, supplies, souvenir, staging, maintenance and legal committees in preparation for  the "Sensational Poetry Celebration" for their parents in the spring.  They also welcome and work with  Junior Achievement representatives in the program called "Our City".

• Grade 4 TBS Study Skills Class

• Grade 4 ZOOM Class

• Grade 5 Communications Class

• Grade 6 Language Arts Seminar

• Grade 7/8 Humanities Class

• ZOOM

For information, please contact Jean Ann Sexton, M.Ed., Gifted/Enrichment Teacher