Home Sweet Home! Honoring Chicago at The Avery Coonley School

Downers Grove, IL - At The Avery Coonley School, an annual research project by Group 3 students transports you to downtown Chicago faster than any Metra Train or Pace Bus ever could!

Just as history continues to impact our lives and grab our attention, so does one project at The Avery Coonley School. Encouraging students’ curiosity for decades, an independent study of Chicago’s deep history creates new learning opportunities for students and teachers alike. Topics ranging from The World’s Fair to railroads to the great Chicago fire unravel questions, inspire discussions, and captivate a classroom as they take a trip back in time.

“We’re here to help build kid’s curiosity of places and events.” - Jen Vaughan, Group 3 Teacher.

The Avery Coonley School builds students’ curiosity as they seek to better understand various events, times, and places in Chicago. Connecting life events to an institution of Chicago’s history does more than giving students familiarity with where they live. It allows them to use skills they learned throughout the year to choose a topic they are passionate about and use different modes of expression to embrace the interconnection of the city’s life and its people throughout time.

Group 3 teachers combine reading, writing, and social studies curriculum to guide students in independent research of a chosen topic, organization of information, and a final presentation to the class. During a typical school year, the students will also take a field trip downtown to help build excitement and inspire topic ideas. This project also allows students to gain confidence in public speaking, gather and relay information, and pursue a deeper understanding of a wide range of topics.

“It was so fun! I got to dress up as Daisy, Mrs.O’Leary’s cow who started the great Chicago fire.” - Ava Yeh, Group 3 Student.

This engaging class project is an ACS favorite. Intricate dioramas, insightful research, and fascinating class discussions create a space where students are engaged in a unique and collaborative culture where the drive to learn transcends all other differences.

For students at The Avery Coonley School, “tell me more” goes to their core. Honoring Chicago in their classrooms is just one of the many ways the school’s unique curriculum offers room for bright and gifted students to discover and dive deep into their passions.

Driven by the motivation to serve its students, The Avery Coonley School confidently opened its doors for in-person learning on August 27, 2020. It has continued to remain open safely, with no outbreaks or transmissions. The Avery Coonley School is a dynamic and diverse independent day school serving academically bright and gifted students from preschool - 8th grade in Downers Grove, IL. Find more information here:https://www.averycoonley.org/.