Activities
- Daily dramatic reading of central classic text in the possession of each child
- Creating definitions of the concepts and key vocabulary in the classic text - Watch video
- Socratic method of teaching to draw students into their own experience of and discussion about literary themes, cultural concepts and issues raised by books - Watch video
- "Passports to Reading" that encourage children to visit other countries and imaginative worlds through books
- Borrowing privileges from the Cool Classics! Lending Library, which has close to 300 volumes that participants can check out and read at home.
- Exposure to artists and experts who present work related to the classic text to inspire cross-genre imagination
- Art-making projects that build connections to literature, making it part of the students' own experience and achievements
- Creating costumes and props for the final the final production, which is a dramatic adaptation of the classic text
- Musical activities that include listening, singing and experiencing classical adaptations of themes related to our classic book
- "Book-and-Movie Days," in which both the classic text and its film adaptation are experienced, discussed and compared
- Theater and drama projects that connect students to the text by teaching professional acting techniques that develop interpretation and staging skills
- Field trips to Chicago Public Library local branches, Spertus Museum Children's Center, Powell's Bookstore, the Judy A. Saslow Gallery, Lifeline Theatre, Chicago Children's Theatre, Harris Theater, and other locations related to our classic book
- Parent and older student-helper involvement under staff guidance - Watch video
- Final public dramatic performance of a classic book as theater for participant families, friends and school students, staff and faculty - Watch video
- Assistance with recruiting students