A classroom project bestowed upon Zac George, 10, the title of “word wizard” recently at Lakeview Elementary School in Hoffman Estates.
And conjuring up the meanings of words was the task of the District 54 4th grader, whose charge was to look up the meanings of words in a story his team members didn’t understand.
Arugula. Specimen. Aloft. These were just some of the words that Zac researched.
And there to assist him was Roosevelt University student Margaret Huels, 42, of McHenry.
Roosevelt University’s Schaumburg branch is working in cooperation with Lakeview to provide teachers with students who hope to become teachers themselves. These students have not yet qualified for the position of student teacher, said Roosevelt instructor Alonza Everage.
Roosevelt created this partnership so students would experience firsthand many of the theories they were learning in class.
“We want them to experiment with what they’re learning in the classroom. We believe in a hands-on approach in the classroom,” Everage said.
For instance, during a day when 13 Roosevelt students were helping out at Lakeview, Huels worked with Isabel Moshi, Philip Duta and Danielle Bombeck, all 9, to understand division concepts. On Thursdays, 20 Roosevelt students help in classrooms throughout the school, which serves kindergarten through 6th grade.
“With a classroom of 28 students who run the gamut of the academic spectrum, it’s nice to give children additional help,” said teacher Rochelle Doty, whose students were undertaking the exercise in word meanings. “I get an extra pair of hands and eyes in the classroom.”
While this is the first year Lakeview School has used Roosevelt students, the school often is bustling with student teachers, teacher assistants and parent volunteers, all of whom help out in the classroom. Principal Terry Baranowski said he uses any assistance available to help classroom teachers.
“The more adults in the classroom, the more personalized attention a child gets. This results in higher (academic) achievement and better understanding of the material,” Baranowski said.
Doty said she uses the Roosevelt students, who assist in her class two times a week, for several tasks. As Doty embarks upon her daily lesson, Huels meets with other pupils to make sure they understand math concepts or reading and vocabulary.
For instance, while Doty explained a writing project about medieval times, Huels worked individually with Pravesh Patel, 10, to help him finish his castle story.
