Keeping PACE with Miller GT!
Trimester 2021
Welcome to the newsletter of the Gifted and Talented classes of the Miller School! This newsletter will be published periodically throughout the year, and you will find information about all of the fantastic activities we do with our students. We will also post upcoming events and important dates at the bottom along with links to each of our web pages. Enjoy!
Grade 5 GT - Awesome Origami!
Having a Whale of a Time!
The fifth grade GT students have been working on a unit on origami. Origami is the art of folding paper. However, there is a whole lot more to it as the students have discovered! They began the unit by learning about the math aspects of origami. While creating a shape that ended up being a whale, students discovered the variety of triangles and quadrilaterals that were created in the folding. Their next step was to learn to fold a variety of objects centered around a topic of their choice to create a themed display.
Folding Frenzy!
Continuing with their origami unit, the 5th grade GT students chose a particular theme and tackled the task of creating a minimum of six original pieces of origami to be used in it. Besides their individual pieces of origami, they worked with one or two others. Once completed, the students had to create a display for their pieces and install them to tell a story. The photos here were taken by 5th grader Lyla Steet (left) showing her classmates hard at work on their display pieces!
Once finished folding, each group created a display around a theme of their choosing. The video below shows you all of their great work!
The Ultimate Modular Origami Project
Now that the students were comfortable with origami, they moved on to modular or unit origami. This type of origami is a paper-folding technique which uses two or more sheets of paper to create a larger and more complex structure than would be possible using single-piece origami techniques. Each individual sheet of paper is folded into a module, or unit, and then modules are assembled into an integrated flat shape or three-dimensional structure by inserting flaps into pockets created by the folding process. These insertions create tension or friction that holds the model together. Students learned how to fold a Sonobe unit and then chose three pieces to make. Though many found this difficult, in the end, they, and we, were all proud of the work they accomplished!
The Ultimate Modular Origami Project Video
After completing their modular origami pieces, each student was tasked with creating a video to present their pieces. They were asked to introduce their project, identify their three pieces and show them from all sides to show the precision of their folds and construction of each shape. Check out some of the presentations below!
Grade 4 GT - Microscopic Madness!
Super Scientists!
While the 5th graders were honing their math skills and creativity through origami, the 4th graders were learning about cells and microscopic organisms. They began by learning how scientists classify all living things using the Linnaeus system of classification and name them through binomial nomenclature. From there, they dove a bit deeper and discovered the difference between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells and then plant and animal cells.
Unbeknownst to them, these student scientists were gaining knowledge to prepare them to delve into the wild world of microscopic organisms! They began by taking a "Virtual Pond Dip" on the computer and learned about 10 specific organisms. They classified each by kingdom and phylum, and then graphed their findings. By doing this, they not only shared scientific data with their peers, but they also learned how to use Google Sheets to create awesome graphs and charts! Check out some samples here!
Learning the Tools of the Trade
Before they could view organisms, our student scientists needed to learn about the tools other scientists used to view this tiny world. They were introduced to three types of microscopes: stereoscopes, compound microscopes, and fieldscopes. Though they are all microscopes, each has a distinct use. A stereoscope has a light source that is above the stage. This is used for solid objects such as rocks and minerals. A compound microscope has a light source under the stage with the light shining up through a small hole in the stage to illuminate an object. This is used for things like our microscopic organisms. The fieldscope is much more rugged and can be used in a variety of locations due to its unique light source that is similar to a prism.
As an introduction to microscopes, students entered the classroom to find several fieldscopes set up. They had to look in each and try to determine what they were seeing. The photo above is the skin of a Leopard Gecko, and it is one of the samples the students tried to identify!
Viewing the Tiny World of Microscopic Organisms
Finally, the big day was here! Our microscopic organisms arrived, and the students had to put all of their scientific knowledge together to try and identify each organism. The microscope used was the compound microscope that is connected to the computer and capable of taking photos and videos of samples seen with it. (The photo to the right is our sample of Spirostomum.)
Student scientists worked in collaborative groups and had to identify each organism they saw using several identifiable characteristics they studied in the week leading up to this. After looking at the organism, they had to determine what it was by examining its color, shape, how it moved, and means of propulsion. It was quite a learning experience! They not only discussed and defended their ideas within their own group, but also with the entire class! It was exciting to see these budding microbiologists put all of their knowledge into practice!
Critter Vids!
Below are our Amoeba and Stentor videos from our microscopic organism labs. Click on each to see what our student scientists saw live!
Microscopic Organism Posters
The culminating task for our microscopic organism unit was for each student to create a poster about one of the nine microscopic organisms we studied. When doing this, they had to include the following:
- Name of critter (Title of poster)
- Kingdom
- Phylum
- A minimum of four (4) additional facts about this critter
- A minimum of three (3) pictures/graphics of your critter
- Any other complimentary graphics (Google) that you want to add - be sure you use transparent backgrounds!)
To make their poster, the students were introduced to a new on-line program called Canva. Canva is a design and publishing tool that is used to create a variety of media. Using the free education version, (Thank you, Canva!) students were able to let their creative juices flow! Not only were their final products stunning, but the lead up to completion was a fantastic learning experience for everyone, including Miss Hunt and Mrs. Pettit! Their enthusiasm, willingness to share ideas, assist each other, and teach one another some of the cool things they learned while making their own poster was just awesome to watch!
**Please note that the majority of the posters included some type of animation. However, the posters pictured here are static.
In November, the 4th and 5th grade GT students competed in the first WordMaster Challenge test. Please keep in mind that scores in the WordMasters Challengeā¢ do not reflect typical classroom results; in many divisions, less than 5% of participants score 18 or above.
In the 4th grade Gold division, there are 53 teams enrolled. The median team score was 120, and our 4th graders posted a score of 130! Reagan Aron led the team with a score of 16/20. Of the more than 1400 students in this division, only nine (9) scored a perfect 20/20, with an additional 20 scoring 19/20 and 35 getting 18/20.
Our 5th graders just missed placing in the Top 10 nationally with a team total of 161! Of the more than 1600 participants in their division, only nine (9) scored a perfect 20/20, 29 scored 19/20, and 40 scored 18/20 including Sandhana Rajesh! Melodie Au, Sorrento Esposito, Elias Person, and Liam Villamor achieved 17/20 as well!
Congratulations to all of the students who participated! Our next test will be toward the end of February. All materials were shared with the students via Google Classroom on December 6th and 7th. Practice documents for analogies were share on December 21st. More general analogy practice can be found on our website.
Upcoming Events!
Parent Conferences
Parent conferences are January 10-13, 2022. Miss Hunt and Mrs. Pettit will be sending out a reminder to each family who signed up sometime during the week of January 3rd-7th. Please check your Class Dojo for this information!
As always, reach out to us at any time if you have any questions!
15th Annual Miller School Spelling Bee
This event is for ALL 5th Grade GT students only.
*All study materials have been share with the students via Google Classroom. š
**Snow Date: Thursday, February 17, 2022 @ 8:50AM
***Due to social distancing guidelines, there will no spectators at our Bee this year. If this changes, a notification will be sent via Class Dojo.
Our winner will go to the:
South Jersey Regional Spelling Bee
Location: Pauline J. Petway Elementary School
Date & Time: 03-12-2022 8:30