GT Newsletter
January 2018
Gifted Education 2017 – Top Picks
Dr. Gail Post, a Clinical Psychologist and advocate for gifted children, listed some thought-provoking articles that she deemed worthy of her top picks for 2017. As you skim the article summaries, there may be one that you find that is pertinent to your child or your family. https://giftedchallenges.blogspot.com/2017/
Instagram!!
Instagram is a great way for you to follow happenings in GT! It is PRIVATE and only I can approve who sees what is posted. The only people I will approve are parents of students in GT and the other elementary GT specialists in Eanes so they can see what is happening in GT at BCE. It is a quick way to see what is happening in GT more frequently than the monthly newsletter.
I will still post slide shows after major events to share with friends and family members. You can click on the Instagram icon on my main page or search for bartoncreekgt on Instagam once you have downloaded the app. You will send a request to follow and please e-mail me your Instagram “name” so I can approve.
Photos are from December!
First Grade
Welcome to Zooland! The children will participate in this simulation in which they inherit a dilapidated zoo and will learn how zoos have changed over time. They will begin with a short study of zookeepers and how uniforms connect to a person’s responsibilities. In the simulation they will become the "zookeepers" in an effort to raise "money" by participating in lessons to reopen the zoo.
They will examine the classification of vertebrates and the purposes of zoos next. The “zookeepers” will dig a little deeper into how zoos spearhead conservation efforts. In March each child will each choose a zoo animal to study in-depth for the final creation of a modern zoo exhibit. You’ll be invited to our grand reopening of Zooland in early May!
Second Grade
The filmmakers in second grade are taking a short break after developing some foundational film skills in order to start Strategy Games! The goal is to explore strategy games throughout history and from around the world. An important component of the unit is to experiment with a variety of strategies to play the games and ideas to modify the games to enhance their critical and creative thinking skills. By the end of the unit they are expected to articulate some of the strategies they are using to win the games.
The unit also emphasizes game etiquette and affords many opportunities for children to learn from successes and failures, helping to build resiliency. As a culminating experience, the children will develop and construct their own strategy games to play with you and others in the class. You will be invited to “Game Day” to test their games in May.
In February, they’ll return to creating their films for the “Festival de Eanes”. The goal is to complete the films by Spring Break and then return to the strategy game unit. Due to their age and stamina, I felt like a short break was needed before diving into their final film for the festival. Since this is their first year to participate, it is a journey we are taking together!
Third Grade
The children in third grade are also taking a short break after developing numerous basic skills in filmmaking. They will circle back to create their final film for the “Festival de Eanes” in February. This also affords them time to be thinking of a great storyline for the film.
The children are embarking on a study of the inventive process and famous inventions through the unit, Eureka! The famous marble ramp will be their first in-class invention. The inventors will have numerous opportunities to practice techniques to enhance the creative thinking process and collaborate on team inventions in class. In April they’ll begin work on a final invention and we will celebrate with our annual Invention Celebration with fellow GT classmates from the third grade class at Cedar Creek. Once again, learning from success and failure will be highlighted throughout their exploration. The children will also have opportunities to focus on time management.
Fourth and Fifth Grade
Both grade levels really had fun delving into the skills that are needed for the “Festival de Eanes” film competition. We just received the rules in mid-December. Both grade levels are now ready to continue the journey to create their own films to submit. Teams have been formed and categories of films have been selected. The rules are posted at https://spark.adobe.com/page/T4bqmAOKfF6fy/ in case you are interested.
As they move through this process, they’ll focus on creating an interesting storyline that includes a “fish” as a prop, a special line of dialogue and certain film shots that they have learned. The greatest challenge will be embedding ideas from the theme of the festival this year, Social Emotional Learning (http://www.casel.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Competencies.pdf ) . After the storyline is created, the will need to write the script and develop a storyboard for the film. Most teams have chosen to create an animation/Stop-Motion film. Those who have chosen to create a narrative understand that this may entail some filming at home due to the limited space and noise in the room.
The Breakout Edu games that we play on occasion and the monthly "Hour of Power" continue to be big hits! Thanks again to the families who donated the Breakout kits!
Fifth Grade Stock Market
I am so proud of all of the teams for their active participation in the Stock Market Game. Since I have never had “winners” before, I am just waiting to hear from the coordinator about what happens next. In my mind, they are all winners because they all learned such great skills. It also made quite an impression to see that one could gain so much money in a short time or lose so much money in the 10-week game.