Introduction to the Chicken Coop
Teachers tried to keep excited Chalmers Elementary students in line as they brought them into the school’s courtyard earlier this week. They were about to have a little meet and greet with seven chickens checking out their new digs — a silver coop that looked like a tiny house.
The school’s brand-new chicken coop is named after Mary Logan Reddick, a pioneering Black female biologist, and its dedication kicked off a series of events across Chicago Public Schools for Black History Month.
Black History Month Events
At other events, students will sing Harlem Renaissance-era songs, Black businesses will sell goods, high schoolers will hear from the engineers involved in the expansion of the CTA Red Line, and district officials will convene a panel on multilingual opportunities for African American students.
The Importance of the Chicken Coop
Chalmers Elementary in North Lawndale plans to use its new chicken coop in the school’s science instruction.
Chalmers Principal Romian Crockett said naming the chicken coop after Reddick is a way to introduce students to Black figures that go beyond those who are typically discussed during Black History Month, like Martin Luther King Jr.
Reddick’s research on chicken embryos advanced the understanding of human development.
Integrating Science and Black History
Chalmers Elementary recently became a school with a focus on science, technology, engineering, math and the arts, and school leaders say the chicken coop will support lessons in those areas.
Crockett said he knows of other schools that have chicken coops and he wanted his students in the low-income community of North Lawndale to have a similar opportunity to learn from them.
Hands-On Science Learning
Chalmers Elementary plans to use its new chicken coop as a “real-life” science lab where students can make observations and learn about animal development.
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