We have gotten right back into the swing of things in 2017 here at school. 4-3 students were looking forward to finishing the last two chapters of the memoir Small Steps by Peg Kehret. They were thrilled to know that Peg was able to regain use of her limbs (word study word!!) and walk again.
To finish up with our study of non-fiction the class read a book about Dr. Jonas Salk and the developement of the polio vaccine. This dove-tailed nicely with the conclusion of Small Steps, as the author thanks Dr. Salk at the end of the book in her acknowledgements. They learned how a vaccine works and lively discussion ensued as they all have vivid memories of receiving their own vaccines over the years.
We used the Comic Life application where students applied their knowledge acquired in this book of how a virus can infiltrate (their words...not mine!!) our bodies and then how the immune system fights back. They also worked in groups to create a "breaking news" skit about the breakthrough of Dr. Jonas Salk with the development of the polio vaccine. You can view these great videos in this blog post...many of them have a future in broadcasting!!
Finally, these activities were wrapped up this week with a visit with our very own Mrs. Mary Stitt!! Fourth graders were thrilled to have some special time with this OMS VIP!!
Upon her retirement Mrs. Stitt became very active with the Rotary club in the northwest suburbs. She has traveled to many places with this organization and helped administer the polio vaccine to people in the countries where polio is still a threat. She shared a video of pictures of the trip she made to Nigeria, where she herself administered the polio vacccine. Students were able to see the tiny bottles (empty of course) that were used to give these life-saving drops to children and families.
Mrs. Stitt focused on how fortunate we are that Dr. Salk developed the vaccine. She also brought to the student's attention how fortunate we are when she showed them a picture of a classroom in this particular village. Students were amazed that people actually go to school there. Mrs. Stitt also emphasized the importantance of volunteering and serving in the local community as well. Many students were excited to know their participation in the Santa Run, sponsored by the Rotary club, helped fund many of these service projects. We can't thank Mrs. Stitt enough for her time with us today and her amazing example of service to others. Please ask your student to share about all of these wonderful activities!
To finish up with our study of non-fiction the class read a book about Dr. Jonas Salk and the developement of the polio vaccine. This dove-tailed nicely with the conclusion of Small Steps, as the author thanks Dr. Salk at the end of the book in her acknowledgements. They learned how a vaccine works and lively discussion ensued as they all have vivid memories of receiving their own vaccines over the years.
We used the Comic Life application where students applied their knowledge acquired in this book of how a virus can infiltrate (their words...not mine!!) our bodies and then how the immune system fights back. They also worked in groups to create a "breaking news" skit about the breakthrough of Dr. Jonas Salk with the development of the polio vaccine. You can view these great videos in this blog post...many of them have a future in broadcasting!!
Finally, these activities were wrapped up this week with a visit with our very own Mrs. Mary Stitt!! Fourth graders were thrilled to have some special time with this OMS VIP!!
Upon her retirement Mrs. Stitt became very active with the Rotary club in the northwest suburbs. She has traveled to many places with this organization and helped administer the polio vaccine to people in the countries where polio is still a threat. She shared a video of pictures of the trip she made to Nigeria, where she herself administered the polio vacccine. Students were able to see the tiny bottles (empty of course) that were used to give these life-saving drops to children and families.
Mrs. Stitt focused on how fortunate we are that Dr. Salk developed the vaccine. She also brought to the student's attention how fortunate we are when she showed them a picture of a classroom in this particular village. Students were amazed that people actually go to school there. Mrs. Stitt also emphasized the importantance of volunteering and serving in the local community as well. Many students were excited to know their participation in the Santa Run, sponsored by the Rotary club, helped fund many of these service projects. We can't thank Mrs. Stitt enough for her time with us today and her amazing example of service to others. Please ask your student to share about all of these wonderful activities!