The Academically Gifted Gazette
Ronald E. McNair Elementary
Volume 6, Issue 2
Winter 2019
The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
Happy holidays, McNair families! May your season be full of thanks and joy.
~Mrs. Green
Events
November
26th: 3rd Grade Math Finalist Competition
27th: Thanksgiving Break begins
December
3rd: Interim Reports
9th: 3rd Grade Writing Competition Assembly
11th: Class Pictures
12th: Grade 2-3 Musical Performance
19th: 3rd Grade Field Trip
23rd: Winter Break begins
January
13th: Interim Assessment Week
17th: Quarter 2 Ends
20th: Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday
21st: Teacher Workday
28th: Day of Remembrance for Dr. Ronald E. McNair
30th: Report Cards
WOW Wolves
Spelling Bee
Janet Nim
Chaise Jones (runner-up)
Accelerated Reader
Esomo Oronsaye
Cameron Phronebarger
Allie Carper
Jasiya Russell
Taryn Williams
TAG Time!
The Team for the Academically Gifted recently used CogAT data to inform instruction for third grade teachers and beyond!
Who Said It?
Simply guess who said the following quote and click on the link below to check yourself!
Habit of Mind: Working interdependently
"Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping."
Being Mindful of Your Child's Emotions
Emotional Intelligence is the ability to recognize, understand, and manage our emotions – and to recognize, understand, and influence the emotions of others. According to Daniel Goleman, an internationally known psychologist, our emotions add up to a different way of being “smart” and emotional intelligence may be a major predictor for future success, even more so than a high IQ or strong academic skills.
While emotions can direct a student’s learning, they can also leave the student unable to move towards their goals. Many times, gifted children will want to avoid feelings of self-doubt, fear, or anxiety associated with not doing a task completely right. To avoid these unpleasant feelings, some gifted children use perfectionism, procrastination, or underachievement. For example, some children display perfectionism when they try to overcompensate to avoid feeling shame; while others exhibit underachievement by avoiding task altogether – especially when they feel the task will lead to failure. Children who use perfectionism, procrastination, or underachievement to cope with self-doubt, fear, or anxiety often develop the attitude that, “If I don’t try, I won’t fail.” Through their research, authors Emily Mofield and Megan Parker Peters developed the CHECK framework to assist parents and teachers in helping gifted children approach and manage the stress and emotions associated with difficult academic performance or social situations.
Control vs. Not Control
Teach children to recognize what is in their control and what is out of their control.
Helping a child understand what they can control in difficult situations provides a sense of
clarity and focus.
Hear what the child is saying
Do not to dismiss a child’s emotions. Use active listening to acknowledge what the child is feeling and to empathize with them. For example: Say this: It sounds like you are really nervous about what’s about to happen. It’s normal to feel nervous, let’s review all you have done to (list ways your child has prepared for the activity that is causing them to feel nervous). Not this: That’s silly! You have no reason to be nervous. You always do well.
Emotional Awareness
Help your child develop an emotional vocabulary to identify differences between
emotions; understand mixtures of emotions; and recognize when they are feeling
multiple emotions at one time. For example: The difference between anxiety and eagerness; understand that jealously is typically a mixture of sadness, fear, and anger; acknowledge that some situations can make a person feel both joyful and sad at the same time.
Challenge the thoughts
We must realize that everyone has a point of view about a situation with assumptions,
values, and beliefs they are taking for granted. Assumptions are the things we accept as
true or certain to have happened without proof. For example, when a child makes a
lower grade than expected; they may wrongly assume that they earned the poor grade
because they are not as smart as people think they are.
Know a plan
Helping your child to problem solve through an issue can help them change their
assumptions. The creators of the CHECK framework recommend using the PACT acronym to help children work through an issue:
P = what is the problem
A = what are 3 – 4 alternatives to solve the problem
C = with each alternative, guide your child to think about the consequences
T = try one of the alternatives
Using PACT can help move students away from an “all or none” way of thinking that
allows them to perceive that a problem or situation can only be solved one way (or not at
all). PACT arms your child with skills of resilience as they try various approaches when
obstacles arise.
Adapted from: Mofield, E. & Parker Peters, M. (2019). Being mindful of emotions: Checking in on your child’s emotional intelligence. Parenting for High Potential 8(3) 11-14
Caesar's Corner
Latin Hall of Fame
Joanna Nim
Study Tip
Write down a few of the hardest terms on individual slips of paper or index cards and tape them around an area that you visit often (bathroom mirror, fridge, etc.) Seeing them many times in a new place can help your brain store them in your long-term memory.
Tech Times
2nd Grade Talent Development
Second graders will continue whole group thinking lessons through winter break, at which point the data collected during these times will be utilized to form flexible small groups for the remainder of the year.
Pictured Below: These friends from Ms. Potts' class compare and contrast items while considering color and size.
3rd Grade Building Thinking Skills
Third grade whole group lessons will also continue through winter break. Students eligible for Academically and Intellectually Gifted services will be identified by mid January and begin small group pull-out enrichment courses in reading and math with Mrs. Green in the second semester.
Pictured Left: A third grader uses a mirror to demonstrate symmetry and figural transformations.
Maximizing Academic Potential
MAP students have learned how difficult habits are to break and the importance of developing new healthy habits for learning. They have begun strengthening their aptitude through challenging tasks.
Pictured Right:: Lujain attempts to write her name backwards.
4th Grade
The Hero Within
From Gravy Boy to Oliver Wendell Holmes, fourth graders have fully explored heroism, even in the least likely of places. In the coming weeks, students will be drafting and publishing a poem about a character from one of O. Henry's stories in the format of Holmes' poem The Last Leaf.
Pictured Below: Students in this class become familiar with the evolution of a superhero while practicing their sequencing skills.
Picture This!
Our Eureka Math program brilliantly demonstrates math in a visual way. The second quarter unit piggybacks on the Eureka principles and takes our thinking to the next level! So far, students have studied Vorgey's Visual (left) and what it means for a number to be flexible.
5th Grade
The Arts: Wherefore Art They?
Students should have a solid understanding of the various elements of art and what inspires artists to create. Now, we will begin to look at issues surrounding arts education, including issues of underfunding in schools. This unit will end with the students' choice of a service learning project to address the issue right here in our community!
The Stock Market
Students embarked on a journey through the stock market in recent weeks. Don't be surprised to see them showing an interest in current stock prices or other news events that could affect prices. Unlike most of our AG math work, this unit is completely independent and each student is 100% responsible for their own selling, purchasing, and assessing each week. Since we are using real-time market pricing, please make every effort to ensure your child is present for AG days during this unit especially.
Pictured Right: Aniya and Emily explore other worldwide math systems to determine whether they use the concept of place value.
Contact Mrs. Green
Email: greenm2@gcsnc.com
Website: http://mcnair.gcsnc.com/pages/REM/Classes/25025115621499662
Location: Ronald E. McNair Elementary School, Yanceyville Road, Browns Summit, NC, United States
Phone: (336) 691-5460