About Cool Classics!
Introduction
Cool Classics! uses classic books to connect children to a unified world of reading, art, culture and ideas. An award-winning journalist, who substitute teaches in the Chicago Public Schools, designed Cool Classics! to mix pedagogy and play for small groups of elementary public school students in an after-school setting.
The program she created focuses on one classic book at a time and, in 20 to 25 sessions of varied activities, builds a universe of art, culture and thematic ideas around it. The children literally are led to experience how the text of a book opens up a whole world of creative imagination, sharpening the skills one needs for succeeding in the real world.
Each session begins with the reading of that book, followed by various activities that spiral back to the themes in the book. These may include exposure to artists and experts, projects, activities and field trips that create the multi-faceted Cool Classics! experience.
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News
Cool Classics! is currently at the Horace Greeley Elementary School and The University of Chicago Charter School, Donoghue Elementary Campus.
Cool Classics! is currently on display at the Uptown Branch of the Chicago Public Library. Before that, Cool Classics! was on display at the Chicago Public Schools' headquarters for the month of October 2007, at the Uptown Branch of the Chicago Public Library from September 2006 to March 2007 and at Jane's Place at Nettelhorst from December 2007 through May 2008.
Supporters and Partners
Cool Classics! began with a generous grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, which made it possible to develop, pilot test and evaluate the program for Chicago's public school children.
Support has also come from the Nathan Manilow Foundation and the Polk Bros Foundation.
Cool Classics! partners include the Irving B. Harris Graduate School of Public Policy Studies at the University of Chicago.
Cool Classics! is incorporated as a Not for Profit under section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
