NCS Teacher Showcase exhibit. David Sahr takes the bias quiz. Patricia Howie watches student campaign commercials. Sound booth used in the NPR style recordings.

NCS Teacher Showcase 2013

Elizabeth Gray
A special Library exhibit highlights innovative learning projects at NCS.
A recent NCS Library exhibit, on view May 1-3, highlighted innovative educational projects devised by 18 NCS faculty and staff. Representing all three divisions and six subject areas, the projects were chosen by Library staff as examples of classroom innovation and commitment to student development and learning.   Faculty, staff, parents, alumnae, and students were invited to stop by and interact with the exhibit.
 
Visitors were inspired by the innovative and often cross-disciplinary projects on display. Many faculty members commented they were interested in incorporating some of the ideas into their own classrooms. Visiting alumnae were pleased to see the progressive learning environment that NCS continues to offer its students.
 
We are grateful to the faculty and staff members who shared their projects, and look forward to seeing what new and creative ideas will be on view in next year’s showcase.
 
Featured in the NCS Teacher Showcase 2013:
Stephen Arbogast/Kathleen Craver/Justin Maaia: Upper School Religion
Bias Awareness Unit
This assignment provided students with an opportunity to explore two forms of bias: conscious and unconscious. Students completed several learning activities at the University of Michigan site – News Bias Explored to learn about conscious bias and took the Harvard Implicit Bias Test for Religions to discover their possible subconscious bias towards specific religious groups.
 
Casey Baines/Paige Blumer/Courtney Centeno: 10th-Grade English
English Term Paper
Students experienced an extended library research project that involved: choosing a work by a British author; conducting scholarly research using the library’s college-level online databases; and taking notes and citing sources using an online citation database. Their final paper incorporates secondary source material found in library books and online databases. (Not on exhibit.)
 
Kelly Dickinson: Middle School Library
Book Trailers
To engage students in reading, Ms. Dickinson created a number of book trailers (similar to movie trailers) to highlight young adult literature in concert with her regular books talks.

Nancy Ehrlich: 8th-Grade Science
Water Quality Unit
To introduce various technologies that are used to provide sufficient amounts of safe and clean drinking water all over the globe, students assumed the roles of climatologists, civil engineers, geologists, public health officers, and congresspersons. Students then located, read, and took notes on four articles and presented their findings in a town hall format.
 
Emily Fetting/David Sahr/Jody Soja: 8th-Grade Government
Political Commercials
Students in 8th-grade Government studied the messages and effects of political TV ads during the 2012 election and created their own presidential election campaign commercials.
 
Jennifer Kakuk: Upper School Spanish
Spanish Videos
To help students further develop their Spanish speaking skills, students create a number of short Spanish-language films throughout the school year.
 
James Lucas/Chris Snipe: MS Film
MS Film Festival
This digital video/film program teaches Middle School students how to plan films, write scripts, shoot video, and edit video and digital content. The Middle School-wide film festival highlights the exceptional work produced by 7th and 8th graders throughout the program. Click here to learn more.

Kathy Menz: 6th Grade Library
E-Storybook Project
To teach essential reading and writing skills, such as the author’s purpose, word choice, and story structure, students write and illustrate their own children’s books using iPads and the Noteshelf App.

Jessica North Macie: 7th-Grade English
Mirror Book Project
Students plan, write, and then create their own books based on the book by Jeannie Baker. Click here to learn more.
 
Sarah Pelmas/Casey Baines: Senior Writing Seminar
NPR audio project
Personal stories composed by the students were then recorded in an NPR-style radio program to help students improve their writing and understand the concept of presenting it to an audience.
 
Deb Virtue: Upper School Anatomy
Stop Motion Videos
To help students better understand the concepts of cell division, groups of students created stop-motion films (series of still images that appear animated when played in a sequence) of the process.
Back

    • NCS Teacher Showcase exhibit.

    • David Sahr takes the bias quiz.

    • Patricia Howie watches student campaign commercials.

    • Sound booth used in the NPR style recordings.