GREAT THINKING THURSDAY
For Klein ISD Educators of Gifted/Advanced Learners
April 9, 2020
CELEBRATING THESE INCREDIBLE GIFTED ASSISTANT-ASSOCIATE PRINCIPALS!!!
Bernshausen Innovators Win Runner Up in Recycling Contest!
According to their amazing teacher, Kim Richards, "Both of Bernshausen's videos placed in the Top 10! The Edible Water Bottle project was even runner up! They said there were 48 quality submissions in their category and it's a huge accomplishment for both projects. The students and parents are thrilled with their accomplishments and it was the positive pick me up we all needed today. So thanks again for helping provide these opportunities for our students and we are really looking forward to next year's challenges!"
Holiday Favorites:
Reschenka's Eggs
By Patricia Polacco
As a 3rd grade classroom teacher at Schultz Elementary School, one of my favorite times of the year was to share my own family's cultural traditions through the story, Reschenka's Eggs. The very first time I read the book, it reminded me of my mother's family who immigrated to the united states from Eastern Czechoslovakia, near the Ukraine, in the 1800's. I knew the Russian/Czech names in the book, having remembered my beloved Grandmother's joy and exuberance whenever family was near-especially at Easter. I remember seeing the beautiful eggs from the Ukraine. She taught me how to make Czech Easter bread and it is a tradition I have since passed on to my son's family. I hope you enjoy this selection and will share it with your learners!
Great Resource for G/T Learners and Families: Student News Daily
By Imee Villarreal, Program Coordinator, Advanced Academics
While researching resources for our At-Home Learning lessons for gifted students, I came across a great site called Student News Daily.
The resources on this site in conjunction with the strategies found in our Differentiation Playlist provide a rich experience for our GT and Advanced Learners. There are many opportunities for activities and lessons across content areas.
Here is what the site offers:
Student News Daily has 6 main categories:
(All content is posted by 5 a.m. Eastern time.)
Daily News Article: Comprehension and critical thinking questions are found on the article page, below the article. In addition, we provide “Background” and “Resources” (including video clips, maps and links) below the questions to give students a better understanding of the news story. Sign-up to receive a FREE daily email with answers to the questions (answers are emailed by 6 a.m. Eastern time.)
Tuesday’s World Events: three news stories from around the world. Questions are found below the article. In addition, “Background” and “Resources” are provided below the questions. Sign-up to receive a FREE weekly email with answers to the questions. (answers for Tuesday’s World Events are emailed by 6 a.m. Eastern time on Tuesday morning.)
Wednesday’s Example of Media Bias is a weekly example of biased news reporting. Also included on this page are questions about the excerpt and definitions of the types of media bias. (Note: answers to the questions in this category can be found by scrolling to the bottom of the page.
Thursday’s Editorial is a weekly opinion article from the web. Questions asking students to explain their opinion or reaction are found below the article. As individual views vary, answers are not provided for this category.
Editorial Cartoon — a new cartoon is posted each Friday. The cartoon is accompanied by a question requiring the student to demonstrate understanding of the cartoonist’s intended meaning. Answers to the questions can be found by scrolling to the bottom of the page.
Friday’s News Quiz, a 10 question multiple choice or true/false quiz with questions relating to the week’s five “Daily News Articles.” Sign-up to receive FREE quiz answers by email (the answers email for Friday’s News Quiz is sent the following Monday at 3 p.m. Eastern.)
Resources to support Social-Emotional Resources for Gifted
By Carrie Raiyawa, Program Coordinator, Advanced Academics
Check out the Texas Association for Gifted/Talented Online learning page! There is a section for some Facebook live webinars, and one called, “Helping Kids Manage Intense Emotions During Tough Times” caught my eye, so I viewed it. Even though it was directed towards parents who were dealing with an overexcitable gifted learner at home, the behaviors she was describing happen to some of these students at school as well. The information and strategies shared were valuable to me as an educator, so I wanted to share.
The speaker refers to 5 different types of intensities: intellectual, psychomotor, sensory, imaginational, and emotional. At this point in time, all 5 of these may be triggered at once because of the novelty of our situation. She explains each in the following way:
Intellectual: GT learners may have a strong understanding of going on even if they are younger. They are absorbing information quickly from different places. Even if they don’t know facts, they probably know that something is very different and this is scary. They also may be used to a certain rigor that they get at school to help them feel normal and successful. They could be anxious because they are not getting that same level of rigor from the at home learning experience.
Psychomotor: More time indoors, less interaction with friends can make them sad or lonely.
Imaginational: They have unrealistic fears of what is happening or what could be happening with an overactive imagination.
Emotional: They absorb and internalize the emotions of others and have a strong sense of fairness and justice that is giving them anxiety.
Sensory: When the others are combined, they could become more jumpy and reactive to the sights and sounds around them, even in their own home.
Can you imagine? Being emotionally overwhelmed 5 times over? What a huge burden to bear! What can we do?
The speaker outlined a strategy she calls ROAR. Relax, Orient, Attune, Release.
Relax: Mindfulness practices, meditation, prayer, breathing exercises, yoga are a few mentioned. She recommends these daily, if not more. If a child becomes upset to the point of uncontrolled breathing or sobbing, she mentioned a practice called “breathing colors.” The child will choose a color that they think is pretty and inhale that color. Then, they choose a color they think is ugly and they exhale that color. They continue this until their breathing is even and controlled. Another way to promote relaxation is to “take a mindful minute” and have them choose an activity to help them relax.
Orient: Help the child to orient themselves to the here and now, or connect them back to their bodies. This can be as simple as asking them to describe their surroundings very concretely to center them, or simply turn on some music and dance! Be silly, go run around in the backyard! Moving physically reorients the brain on the present, and the activity happening, and away from the emotions that were upsetting.
Attune: Help the child understand what they need right at that moment. Teach them how to articulate what they need. This can be very helpful when going back to school as well. We want our children to advocate for themselves, and we can teach them to do that. Be sure to value their emotions and never to brush them off, the point is to acknowledge and cope, not ignore. It is okay to be angry and scared, it is not okay to stay angry and scared. This is where an interactive journal becomes a great tool. Klein ELA specialists Elci Rodriguez and Sandra Koslosky created this Digital Notebook Template that is amazing! I highly encourage all students, but especially our gifted learners, to utilize a tool like this everyday, to explore their emotions during this time. I also think this is a great tool to use when we go back to school. Letting students write about their feelings can be highly therapeutic.
Release: This is letting go of your resistance to your emotions and learning how to regulate them. She worded this as “leaning into your feelings”. One activity for this is to write down a worry or a fear on a sheet of paper and have a worry box. The child puts their worry in the box to practice a form of letting go, however it is not permanently gone yet. They could take it out of the box when they feel it again, but they need to speak to a parent or teacher first and explain why it is worrying them again. Learning how to vocalize this can be very helpful in releasing these worries. Once the child has become better at this task, you could ask them to destroy the worry, by tearing up the paper, but only if they are ready for that.
Here are some other tips for preventing anxiety:
Keep (flexible) routines!
Manage expectations and adapt!
Focus on relationships at home!
Play games
Ask questions
Eat together
Dance together
Create a Gratitude or Joyfulness Jar!
Every morning add something to the jar
Each evening read some to each other
You can view the full webinar here.
Take Advantage of Virtual Field Trips!
Take Advantage of Virtual Field Trips
Curated by: Gordon See
As Dr. McGown has shared, “the buildings are closed, but the district is open.” So too are many landmarks, universities, and other popular locations in the virtual realm! The author of Ditch That Textbook, Matt Miller, shared in his most recent post 20 virtual field trip ideas and activities! What a great opportunity to see these places from home!
Take a virtual field trip with your students
By: Matt Miller, author of Ditch That Textbook
The school's doors are closed. Buses are parked. But that doesn't mean you and your students can't go on field trips!
There are LOTS of options for virtual field trips, including live video calls, on-demand panoramic experiences, and more.
Do a virtual field trip via video call with students via Google Meet, Skype, or Zoom.
Visit cities all over the world with panoramic image.
Take fact-filled virtual field trips -- or have students create their own!
Check out these options and MORE in this post, one of our most popular during remote learning times ...
Click here: 20 virtual field trip ideas and activities for your classroom
Jarrett Lerner's Finish this Comic Activity
Shared by Jessica Jasper, Program Coordinator, Advanced Academics
Looking for some activities to get the creative juices flowing? Visit comic book illustrator Jarrett Lerner’s website. He is releasing a series of downloadable, illustrated activities each day, including Drawing/Writing prompts and a “Finish This Comic” Activity.
Professional Learning:
FREE LIVE TRAINING FROM THE GIFTED GURU!
HAC: FREE Online GT Update Courses!
If you have not yet earned the annual 6 hour update for gifted/talented, please visit the link below to register for one of these outstanding courses!
Update from the College Board: AP Classroom Resources
Family and Community Involvement
When visiting Advanced Academics-Gifted/Talented page, scroll down to the bottom and check out SUPERCHARGED SCIENCE-truly an incredible site!