Tree Huggers
Junior Kindergarten students study ecology and endangered animals. The unit culminates with an in-school Earth Day parade aimed at sharing what they learned with others.
Dear Journal
Senior Kindergarteners begin each day with journal writing. This year-long exercise of both expression and organization results in a visual representation of each child’s interests and development.
Our Kind of Town
First grade students learn about our city’s architecture through walking tours, creating 3-D structures and student-led inquiry.
¿Adónde Vas?
During their fifth year of Spanish instruction, third graders create guides to Chicago neighborhoods, use directions to orient themselves on a map and play the role of tour guides for Spanish-speaking visitors.
I Want My Mummy
While studying Ancient Egypt, fourth grade scientists learn about the mummification process by observing and documenting what happens to a fruit “Pharaoh” over the course of a month.
Friends, Naturally
Fifth grade students participate in three days and two nights of outdoor education, team building, physical activity and a multidisciplinary understanding of the natural world at the Lorado Taft Field Campus at NIU.
Six Degrees of Studies
Sixth graders research Sumerian culture in social studies, use dimensional analysis to measure their own bodies in math and then use those measurements to create a Sumerian sculpture in visual arts.
Gooooal!
Seventh graders use the World Cup as a microcosm to gain a better understanding of globalization. During the simulation, students research countries, assume management roles within FIFA and have projects assessed by a panel of judges.
Fire Starters
Eighth grade science students discuss methane as a greenhouse gas and its use as heating fuel in the majority of Illinois homes. They then learn about risk taking in a controlled environment by using methane bubbles to set their own hands on fire.
Project Week
Each March, all upper school students put their regular class work aside to participate in a wide range of alternative educational experiences during Project Week.
They may choose to travel the world or explore their city, participate in service efforts or outward bound expeditions, gain a fuller appreciation of different cultures, languages, art or music, or build their own computers, sea kayaks, or robots. Successful completion of a project is required each year of upper school.
Mickey & the Masters
As the culmination in their study of the History of Western Painting, ninth graders recreate master paintings with the added challenge of substituting Mickey Mouse as the main character.
Understanding Evil
In the Nazi Mind electives sophomores examine the Nazi era and its broader context by studying primary sources. The final project for the nationally recognized course, started at Latin in 1978, is a Nuremberg Trials simulation.
A Tale of Tissues
As an introduction to biology, students read The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. The unit culminates with a bioethical debate about whether people should have legal ownership of, and/or control over their tissues.
A Class of Your Own
When they choose to work on a Capstone Project, senior students have the opportunity to work with a faculty member to create a year-long interdisciplinary curriculum that links research to Chicago community resources.
Students also can choose to work on Senior Projects, that reflect their personal passions outside the classroom and then present them to the entire upper school community.
Exploring Ethics
Latin's Initiative for Ethics (LIFE) provides a framework for the ongoing study of contemporary ethics issues. The program has tackled numerous topics including ethics in journalism, politics, globalization and the law.
Through LIFE, Latin has welcomed such nationally prominent speakers as Newsweek International Editor Fareed Zakaria, Samantha Power, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Paul Rusesabagina, whose story of saving more than 1,000 people during the Rwandan genocide was depicted in the movie Hotel Rwanda, and two-time Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker and activist Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy.