 | | Monica Lake - Discovery Class Teacher |
Monica Lake has been a classroom teacher since 2002 and the reading and discovery teacher at TIES since 2008. She has worked with elementary age students from 1st to 4th grade in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Minneapolis, Minnesota. Monica earned her Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Wisconsin in River Falls and her Master’s of Arts Degree from Saint Mary’s University in Minneapolis. Monica collaborates with all of the 1st to 4th grade teachers in both the reading and discovery aspects of her job. She is working closely with 3rd and 4th grade as they implement common assessments into their instruction. Working together with the reading team, Monica is constantly thinking of ways to enhance the reading program to benefit the students.
Discovery / Enrichment is a gifted and talented based program that focuses on the entire class instead of pulling a few students. Lessons are primarily hands-on and strive to provide the students with different learning opportunities they may not receive in their homeroom, while making connections to the work done there.
Each grade has a specific theme they study throughout the year. 1st grade studies transportation, 2nd grade studies patterns, 3rd grade studies mysteries and detective work, 4th grade studies engineering and related topics. Lessons for all grades utilize hands-on materials, higher-order thinking skills, and SmartBoard technology when appropriate.
Examples of lessons taught in each grade:
1st grade - complete a science experiment to determine which materials are best for building a boat
2nd grade - find and continue many types of patterns such as: shape, color, number, sound
3rd grade - study the skills detectives need in order to solve crimes, and use these skills to follow a trail of clues throughout the school building
4th grade - study famous architects and buildings, assess the positive and negative aspects of the homes we live in and create a floor plan for a home to better suit our families.
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