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What's Happening in GT?
Ms. Howell and teachers at each grade level collaborate to continue to add to the enrichment opportunities available to students. Grade level enrichment information can be found via notes home, student planners and from classroom teachers. Below is information about the work we are currently undertaking in GT Pull-out.
Fifth Grade
We are studying the topic of leadership and, after an animated session of brainstorming critical attributes of a good leader (see list of Top 10 below), as well as where opportunities for leadership exist, we have embarked on a novel study of Animal Farm. As you may know, each week students are assigned two chapters to read and while reading students keep a response log journal. This concept is relatively new to some students and it can be a challenge to move away from simply summarizing plot information to recording their “self talk” while reading. Please ask your child to share his/her response journal entries with you. You can bet there will be interesting discussions and debates in our classroom each Tuesday. Recently you would have heard us playing the part of the animals, singing with gusto their newfound anthem!
While potentially an extremely complex and difficult book, we are reading Animal Farm in the context of leadership, concentrating on the animals, not the bigger picture of commentary Orwell was making about political entities. I have encouraged students to recognize that if/when they read this book again in high school, it may well seem like a whole new story!
Top 10 Attributes Critical to a Positive Leader
(as selected by DW Gr. 5 GT students this year)
Open-minded
Trusting/Trustworthy
Expresses Own Opinion
Confident
Modest/Humble
No Excuses
Encouraging
Honest
Hard-worker
Respectful/Respectable
Fourth Grade
Our class is studying a unit that focuses on creative and critical thinking skills. The group will be tackling a very difficult group project, “It’s Showtime!” The group will select a story from a given list and will have the challenge of creating a musical for at least one scene of the story. Costumes, script, background--not to mention tunes and lyrics--will need to be created and agreed upon! Students have a list of requirements and limitations as well as evaluation criteria for the project (and will be asked to share that with parents/obtain a signature that they’ve done so!) We’ll be recording the performance for families to view at home—but please keep in mind the strength of this unit is in the process, a bit less so the product! In addition to the hard work of decision-making in a cooperative setting, students will be planning, setting goals and evaluating progress. In this unit we will have opportunities to become more comfortable with taking creative risks and we will practice time-management skills. (For your reference, this project is very much like Long Term projects in programs such as Odyssey of Mind or Destination ImagiNation. Your family may enjoy perusing either/both on the web...some challenges could make for an enjoyable family game or two!)
Third Grade
Now we have begun a new unit, “Road Rally U.S.A.” Perhaps you’ve heard your child (quietly?!!) singing the “Fifty Nifty” song? Students have perused various books and maps from our library becoming more familiar with sites they may wish to visit. Next students will complete a simulated drive across the United States, making various stops along the way. Some stops will be the team’s choice, to visit a national park or historic site or maybe to see a state capital. Other stops may be less desirable, as fate cards sometimes mean a car has to deal with a flat tire or road construction that slow the trip down and result in the need for revised planning! Each team will complete a scrapbook of their travels—we’ll have it circulate to homes so that families will be able to see it, too! Students will have various roles and activities to complete as the teams complete their travel from the west coast to east!
First & Second Grades
Next up for us is a unit published by the Center for Gifted Education College of William & Mary, designed for grades 1-3. It is called “Dust Bowl” and is a problem-based unit, with a science focus. A main goal is the understanding of the concept of systems, with application in analyzing a variety of systems (ex. ecosystems, weather systems and social systems). Our work on this unit will diverge in ways determined by our groups interests and responses. I think we ALL (teacher and families included!) will learn a lot as we delve in.
In addition to lessons directly related to our unit, we’ll sometimes “shake it up” a little, with our continued practice of fluency, flexibility, originality and elaboration.
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