The Gifted Guide
October 2019
What's going on...
GT Parent Night was onThursday, Sept 5 at 5:30 in the media center. This meeting was for GT families so you could learn more about the program and how it works in RHSD and at Cherry Park. I was so pleased to see so many of you there! I will be sending out a monthly newsletter to keep you abreast of the happenings in GT and to offer guidance with your gifted child, but want you to feel free to contact me via email as well. My email is hmcnay@rhmail.org. I apologize for not getting one out in September but hope this one helps you feel more informed. Thank you!
Third Grade
Welcome GT third graders and parents! Since you are all new to GT, I am sure many of you will have lots of questions. First of all, please don't hesitate to reach out to me. I am more than willing to talk with you about all things GT. Third graders meet once a week for approximately 125 min/week to meet the state mandated amount of time for GT services at this age and level. They are taken out of their homeroom classes for this portion of the day, so they may miss some of their language instruction, but over the time I have taught GT in an immersion setting, this has not affected the second language acquisition whatsoever. I do my best to incorporate as much as I can, but I admit I am not fluent in a second language myself, so I depend on the students to assist. The GT instruction will focus on extending ELA and math skills and strategies, integrating science or social studies content whenever possible. We have been learning about number systems and working on a place value unit entitled "The Mystery of the Moli Stone" so far and the students are doing quite well. We have also read a non-fiction article, some fiction, and will wrap up the quarter will poetry, both reading and writing it! I am already noticing some talented writers! There is quite a bit of creative opportunity in some projects in third grade as well. Again, welcome and I look forward to meeting all of you!
Fourth Grade GT
Welcome to full day GT! We will be together twice as much this year. We launched our year with animal classification in science along with an engineering unit on invasive species! We will be reading and writing about invasive animals and their impact on various environments too. In math, we have been working on factors, multiples, prime numbers, composite numbers, square numbers and will be working with division and remainders the last few weeks of the quarter. I think the students are amazed at what they have learned already. HopeStudents have been participating in a social studies simulation as colonists coming to a new world and that has been challenging but very engaging. They have needed work together in teams to be the first to discover new land, survive, and thrive, encountering all sorts of obstacles along the way! We have read all sorts of fiction and non-fiction about crows and have written our first opinion essay of the year. Fourth graders are becoming very critical thinkers and can defend their opinions quite well.
Fifth Grade GT
Fifth graders kicked off the year with a Homesteading simulation, a math unit on decimals entitled "The Tenth St Pet Sanctuary" (complete with a visit from a few real parakeets), and have been reading fiction, non-fiction, and poetry about westward expansion in the USA. Typically, we end this unit with a pioneer party, and I will be asking for help with that. This is a very fun, engaging unit, so be prepared for some excitement! Students were able to choose between Island of the Blue Dolphins and Riding Freedom as part of a historical fiction book study this quarter as well and may be working on projects surrounding those books at home a little.
Evidence that hard work and challenge can be fun!
At the Mall with Algebra
Students created their own mall where peers had to solve algebra problems in order to shop at each store.
Third graders gave a production of The Trial of Gold E Locks
The attorney is making his case!
Arrgh! Pirates!
Research presentations when we invited parents in to see our pirate projects last year.
Parent Resources
Please connect with the SC Consortium for Gifted Education! It will be a wonderful resource for you as your gifted child(ren) grow and move through school. I will post a resource in this space each month that I think you may find beneficial. Additionally, if you have a resource to share with other parents of gifted children that you found particularly helpful, please let me know and I can include it!