Every day around lunchtime, Chadwick middle- and high-schoolers participate in the program.
RTI (short for Response to Intervention) occurs for twenty-five minutes before or after lunch, depending on a student’s schedule.
Students who are struggling in math or English are placed in an RTI focused on the appropriate subject area, while others are placed in a group that provides enrichment activities aimed at increasing critical thinking skills.
Middle school science teacher Mrs. Nikki Combs teaches an enrichment RTI. She does hands-on projects with her students such as building catapults for marshmallows and gummy bears. She said, “I want the kids to learn from the projects, but I want them to be fun. I base the projects on social studies or science and try to include math and reading as well.”
Middle school math teacher Mrs. Leah Blaine teaches a math RTI. Students in her class do fun activities, too, but they are all math-related. For example, this year she has had students design, build, and play on their own putt-putt golf course. “We pick a skill in RTI and practice it in many kinds of ways,” she explained. “We do games, competitions, projects, etc., and apply them to real-life math.”
Some of the other RTI classes, including those in the high school, have worked on resumes, took a nature walk, watched TED Talks, and played board games, among other things.
Principal David Aldrich says, “RTI has to be education at its purest form of learning for the sake of learning, not learning for a grade. It is designed simplistically to work on your ability to think.”
-Gretchen House
