Cassidy Gifted and Talented News
April 6, 2020
Update on NTI Day Procedures for PTP and GT
I hope that everyone is hanging in there and staying healthy and well. It filled my soul to see so many of your shining faces at the parade!
For NTI days, I will send out a weekly newsletter via email on Sunday night with updates on what your child can work on for the week.
I have setup a Google Classroom for each of my classes. This is an online platform that allows me to post notes to students about what they can work on. They can also use this to submit assignments or send me messages. Each week, I will post directions that the students can see in their Google Classroom class(es) if they look under the NTI Days section and then Directions for NTI Days so your child can also check on what they need to work on there. Here are directions for how to setup Google Classroom if your child does not have access and here are the codes. Most of my students already have access to their classes, but several will not, so please check in with your child to see. Please have your child sign in to their Google Classroom and make sure they are set up for any/all of their PTP/GT classes and that they review what they need to work on this week.
I have also set up Seesaw for each of my classes. Seesaw is an online platform that allows students to post videos, journals, links, documents, etc. for me to see, for you to see, and for others in their classes to see. This will be a great way for students to communicate with me and their classmates about what they have been working on or what they need help with. I have posted directions for all of them in their Google Classrooms so that they can access it that way or here are directions for how to sign your child into Seesaw (click on the option for Email/Google Account Sign In). Here is a list of the codes. Most of my students already have access to their classes, but several will not so check in with your child to see. Parents can also sign up to view their child's work on Seesaw through a parent account. The information for how to do that is located at the end of this newsletter. Please have your child sign in to their Seesaw account and make sure they are set up for any/all of their PTP/GT classes and that they review what they need to work on this week.
Because NTI days had not started when break first began, Cassidy decided to continue with the work sent home those first few days of break this week so that that work could be counted for attendance (and grades for grade levels/classes where applicable). As a result, much of the work this week for PTP/GT is repeated from what was sent out that first week of break. If students did not finish that work, this gives them some time to get caught up. If they did finish it, then I have made a website of resources they can explore and I posted it on all of their Google Classrooms. This website also has a list of ways that they can contact me or can contact their group mates for any group projects that they still need to work on. I am happy to set up Zoom sessions (an online video conferencing platform) for any groups that need that as well. Just contact me and we can collaborate to set a day/time.
If you/your child are not sure what area(s) they are identified in, then please contact me by email and I can send that to you (see contact info at the bottom of the newsletter). If you/your child has any questions, you/they can also contact me via email and I will be happy to help.
Sincerely,
Angie Madden
Resources
KAGE has some excellent resources for PTP/GT children.
Here is a link for some resources on Social and Emotional Support for GT Learners During Covid.
Here is a link for lots of educational resources for GT Learners.
Dr. Madden's Website
I have made a website to compile a lot of resources for students. Here is the link. I have also posted it to each of their Google Classrooms so they can access it as well.
Updates on Scheduled Events
Spring Showcases
As of right now, continue to save the date for the spring showcases:
May 7 from 5:30-6:30 for leadership, general intellectual ability, and academic areas
May 21 from 5:30-6:30 for art, dance, drama, music, and creativity
Art GT Show at the Loudoun House
The 5th Grade GT Art show at the Loudoun house has been cancelled. I will make sure to get student artwork back to return to them when it is possible to do so.
GT Language Arts Film Night
The GT Language Arts Film Night at the public library originally scheduled for April 13 has been cancelled. If possible, I will reschedule once we see how things are progressing.
Plans for This Week
Kindergarten PTP:
All Areas Except Dance:
Prior to the break, I sent students home with a folder that contained everything for their Pet Parade Project. For this project, students were to select a pet and then do a variety of activities about that pet. Students are at varying stages in the project. The activities they can do are listed below in the order that they should complete them so they can pick up where they left off and keep going:
1) Do research and include it on the graphic organizer with research questions about their pet.
2) Complete a life cycle circle graphic organizer about their pet's life cycle.
3) Create a comic about how they would entertain their pet considering what their pet likes to do.
4) Design a toy for their pet based on what their pet might like to play with. Draw a picture of it and write a few sentences describing it.
5) Make a bookmark to show a picture of what their pet looks like and what they would name it.
6) Create a non-fiction picture book about their pet. Include a cover with the title and author's name. Then make pages with pictures, captions, facts, etc.
I set up a Google Classroom and Seesaw account for Kindergarten PTP (see directions above for how to setup and access). I would love to see what they have been working on if they would like to post in Seesaw about it.
Dance:
I set up a Google Classroom and Seesaw for PTP dance (see directions above for how to set up and access). The district GT office is having a meeting with all GT teachers on Monday morning with resources/guidance on what to do for these groups, so hopefully by April 8 I will have activities posted for this group to do for the week. Please check back on the Google Classroom after that date.
1st Grade PTP:
Language Arts, Math, and General Intellectual Ability:
Students are doing a project called Curiosity Expedition where they select a topic of interest, research it, and then create a Digital Portfolio to tell others about it. All of this is located in Google Classroom and, once in Google Classroom, they will do all of the activities below in their Digital Portfolio. Students are at various stages in the project. The activities they can do are listed below in the order that they should complete them so they can pick up where they left off and keep going:
1) Topic Train: List topics that they are interested in researching and narrow it down to one.
2) Research Questions: List 6 questions that relate to their topic of interest that they want to know the answer to.
3) Research and Sources: For each of their research questions, they will do research to find the answer and then copy/paste or write in the source that they got the information from.
Art, Music, Creativity, Dance, and Drama:
I set up a Google Classroom and Seesaw for PTP Art/Creativity and one for Dance/Drama/Muisc (see directions above for how to set up and access). The district GT office is having a meeting with all GT teachers on Monday morning with resources/guidance on what to do for these groups, so hopefully by April 8 I will have activities posted for this group to do for the week. Please check back on the Google Classroom after that date.
2nd Grade PTP:
Language Arts and Math:
Students are working on their Travel Passport projects where they plan a trip to a destination(s) of their choosing. All of this is located in Google Classroom. Students are at various stages in the project. The activities they can do are listed below in the order that they should complete them so they can pick up where they left off and keep going:
1) Choose their destination.
2) Make their itinerary.
3) Make a budget.
4) Make a scrapbook of their travels.
5) Make a route map to show where they go.
Leadership:
This group finished their spring rotation. However, they can work on putting together a reflective piece about their projects to show all that they did over the course of the year at our showcase. They can do this in Google Slides, Google Sites, or Seesaw. I also posted a Choice Board of leadership projects that they can do in our Google Classroom.
Art, Creativity, Dance, Music, and Drama:
I set up a Google Classroom and Seesaw for PTP Art/Creativity and one for Dance/Drama/Music (see directions above for how to set up and access). The district GT office is having a meeting with all GT teachers on Monday morning with resources/guidance on what to do for these groups, so hopefully by April 8 I will have activities posted for this group to do for the week. Please check back on the Google Classroom after that date.
3rd Grade PTP:
Language Arts:
Students are working on their non-fiction projects. They are researching a topic and, once they have finished their research, they are to turn it into a project of their choosing. Students can continue to work on these projects. Projects are located in Google Classroom.
Math:
Students have a Bakery Fractions Project packet that they are working on and should finish up this week. Once they follow the directions in Mrs. Dycus's Google Classroom on sharing a bit of their work with me, I will send them the answer key so they can check over their work and make corrections as needed or touch base with me if they need help with anything.
Leadership:
This group finished their spring rotation. However, they can work on putting together a reflective piece about their projects to show all that they did over the course of the year at our showcase. They can do this in Google Slides, Google Sites, or Seesaw. I also posted a choice board of project ideas in our Google Classroom that they can choose to work on.
Art, Creativity, Dance, Music, and Drama:
I set up a Google Classroom and Seesaw for PTP Art/Creativity and one for Dance/Drama/Music (see directions above for how to set up and access). The district GT office is having a meeting with all GT teachers on Monday morning with resources/guidance on what to do for these groups, so hopefully by April 8 I will have activities posted for this group to do for the week. Please check back on the Google Classroom after that date.
3rd Grade STEM (Science and GI):
Students can continue to work on the sustainability projects that we started at school. However, many of these projects require that we be at school to complete. If they cannot continue with their projects, then they can do a reflection in Seesaw or using any of the Google Tools they have available to show at our showcase. I have also posted a choice board of projects that they can choose from in our Google Classroom. NOTE: The Rube Goldberg machine project has a contest component attached to it that requires parent permission if they wish to do the contest. They can do the project without being in the contest, but I wanted to make sure parents were aware that that was an option in case your child asked you about it.
4th Grade GT
Language Arts:
Students are doing a non-fiction project where they research a topic of interest and then turn it into a product of their choosing (website, TV show, etc.). Students can continue working on these projects in Google Classroom. Many students were doing this in groups. If they need to collaborate with each other, they can do so using tools I share in my website (see link above or all students have access to it through their Google Classroom).
Math:
Prior to the break, I sent a packet of work home with students to do. I have posted directions in Mrs. Valentino's math Google Classroom for how they can share their work with me so that I can give them feedback.
STEM (Science and GI):
This group finished their spring rotation. However, they can work on putting together a reflective piece about their projects to show all that they did over the course of the year at our showcase. They can do this in Google Slides, Google Sites, or Seesaw. I have also posted a choice board of projects that they can choose from in our Google Classroom. NOTE: The Rube Goldberg machine project has a contest component attached to it that requires parent permission if they wish to do the contest. They can do the project without being in the contest, but I wanted to make sure parents were aware that that was an option in case your child asked you about it.
4th Grade Social Studies:
This group is doing a research project on a topic of their choosing based on a selection of topics from the 4th grade Social Studies Standards. They are working on asking research questions about their topics and then doing research, taking notes, and citing their sources. All of this is located in Google Classroom. Many students were doing this in groups. If they need to collaborate with each other, they can do so using tools listed in the website I made for them (see link above or it is also posted in their Google Classroom).
Dance:
This group finished their spring rotation. However, they can continue to practice their dance. They can also work on putting together a reflective piece about what they learned to show all that they did over the course of the year at our showcase. They can do this in Google Slides, Google Sites, or Seesaw.
5th Grade GT
Language Arts:
This group is doing an argumentative documentary project on a topic of their choosing. They are working on doing research, making an outline of their argumentative text, storyboarding to make their project plans, collecting all of their media, and then putting it together using an online program called We Video. All of this is located in Google Classroom. Many students are doing this in groups. If they need to collaborate with each other, they can do so using the tools I describe on the website I made (see link above or they can access it through Google Classroom). This week, I would like for all groups to get through starting their storyboards and then having those finished by the end of next week.
5th Grade STEM (Science, GI, and Math):
Students can continue to work on the sustainability projects that we started at school. However, many of these projects require that we be at school to complete. If they cannot continue with their projects, then they can do a reflection in Seesaw or using any of the Google Tools they have available to show at our showcase. I have also posted a choice board of projects that they can choose from in our Google Classroom. NOTE: The Rube Goldberg machine project has a contest component attached to it that requires parent permission if they wish to do the contest. They can do the project without being in the contest, but I wanted to make sure parents were aware that that was an option in case your child asked you about it.
Art:
This group finished their spring rotation. However, they can work on putting together a reflective piece about their projects to show all that they did over the course of the year at our showcase. They can do this in Google Slides, Google Sites, or Seesaw. I will also be posting some more resources that the district GT office is sharing with GT teachers at a Zoom meeting on Monday - check back on Google Classroom after April 8 to access those.
Social Studies:
This group finished their spring rotation. However, they can work on putting together a reflective piece about their projects to show all that they did over the course of the year at our showcase. They can do this in Google Slides, Google Sites, or Seesaw. I have also posted several resources that they can explore on my website (posted on Google Classroom).
Leadership
Students are working in groups on a variety of projects related to the playground improvement project. Students can continue working on what they need to do for this from home. Many students are doing this in groups. If they need to collaborate with each other, they can do so using tools I describe on my website (see link above or access it in Google Classroom). I have also put a choice board of leadership projects in their Google Classroom that they can choose from.
Dance:
This group finished their spring rotation. However, they can continue to practice their dance. They can also work on putting together a reflective piece about what they learned to show all that they did over the course of the year at our showcase. They can do this in Google Slides, Google Sites, or Seesaw. I will also be posting some more resources that the district GT office is sharing with GT teachers at a Zoom meeting on Monday - check back on Google Classroom after April 8 to access those.
Drama:
This group has not started their spring rotation. However, in the fall, they all began their projects and can use this time to continue working on them. Many students are doing this in groups. If they need to collaborate with each other, they can do so using tools such as the Comments function in their documents, Seesaw, or tools in their "Google Waffle" such as Google Meets, Google Hangouts, or Google Chat. I will also be posting some more resources that the district GT office is sharing with GT teachers at a Zoom meeting on Monday - check back on Google Classroom after April 8 to access those.
Sharing Our Work With You!
Seesaw Sign Up Links
Seesaw is an online journal where students can make posts to document and share their learning with you and each other. They can take videos and pictures, make drawings, type notes, etc. I am beginning to use it in several classes and will roll it out to more as we go along so if you do not currently see your child, please continue to check in with them or check back in to see if they have set up Seesaw yet or not. If your child participates in one of these groups, you can sign up with Seesaw to view their work by clicking on the link for their group, choosing their name from the menu, and then signing up for an account. There is also a Seesaw app you can download on your phone.
Kindergarten PTP (COMING SOON - Students have to setup accounts first)
4th/5th Grade Dance/Drama
4th/5th GT Art (COMING SOON - Students have to setup accounts first)
Homeroom
Homeroom is an app/online site that lets me share pictures with you of what we are up to in PTP/GT. Here is the link to our Homeroom site!
Contact Information
Gifted and Talented Teacher
Cassidy Elementary
859-381-3018 ext 21252
angie.madden@fayette.kyschools.us
Email: angie.madden@fayette.kyschools.us
Website: www.cassidy.fcps.net
Phone: 859-381-3018