Students in the Elementary GFA program worked this fall in small groups to create an outdoor mural at Hudson Elementary. The project was inspired by an organization called Project Backboard, the organization that travels around the world revamping basketball courts for communities in need. The Students hope to travel this spring to a community in need and beautify an area that needs some artistic love. View of our video here!

Mrs. Marks and Mr. Reichold

Hixson GFA students are developing independent projects based on their passions within the Fine Arts: Music, Art, Dance and Drama. To inspire our students and give experiences within Saint Louis Arts Culture we took a field trip to the STL Graffiti Walls, The STL Sound Exhibit at the MO History Museum and the infamous Venice Cafe to check out their space. At The Venice, the students were able to watch WGSD alum Peat “Eyez” Wolleager in action as he shared his journey becoming an artist!

Junior Level GT has just started reading The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne's dark Romantic return to Puritan America. Students will determine two or more themes and central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a more complex account.

In addition, students are writing a creative paper about interdependence and/or connection. The focus is on students making editing decisions based on their own style goals in diction and syntax.

It's a busy end of the semester-- but an exciting one.

Ms. Savens

6th Gifted Social Studies

Unit One: Historical Thinking Skills

Learning Goal: Students can acquire and demonstrate skills in critical analysis of primary and secondary historical sources.

Students started their year creating a foundation for thinking like historians. Students focused on the four major historical thinking skills of sourcing, contextualization, close Reading, and corroborating. Students practiced these skills with analyzing primary and secondary sources for the events of 9/11. While studying this topic students learned that at the 9/11 memorial, white roses are placed in the names of those individuals on their birthdays. Students created a memorial of white roses to honor those individuals who lost their lives.

Unit Two: Politics and Citizenship in the Reconstruction Era

Learning Goal: Students can demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of the Reconstruction time period in the United States of America and its effect upon politics and citizenship within all communities.

Students started this unit by getting a glimpse of what life was like in the United States during the 1800s and then analyzed primary sources to determine factors of what caused the American Civil War. Students continued with the study of the factors and events that influenced the outcome of the Civil War.

While studying the Reconstruction Era, students focused on the different plans for reconstruction created by President Lincoln, President Johnson, and Congress in addition to the Reconstruction Amendments and its impact on life during that time. Students also created advertisements for the Freedmen’s Bureau as well as participated in a book study of Henry Louis Gates Jr.’s book Dark Sky Rising.

Unit Three: Transformation and Change(Industrialization, Westward Expansion and Immigration)

Learning Goal: Students can demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of transformation and change that occurred during westward expansion, the industrial revolution and immigration in the United States of America.

This unit was divided into three main topics, which are westward expansion, immigration, and industrialization. Students are currently studying with westward expansion beginning with the idea of Manifest Destiny that inspired the hopes and dreams of many Americans to settle into the west. Students analyzed the painting American Progress by John Gast and discussed the idea of progress coming from the East to the West ingrained with the American ideals.

Students then focused on the development of the Transcontinental Railroad and how it transformed the western America. In addition, students took a closer look at the Homestead Act of 1862 and the Dawes Severalty Act of 1887 and investigated the impact of U.S. expansion on different groups of people such as Native Americans and Mexican Americans.

Students are currently collaborating on a group research project with all 6th grade students in the Gifted Social Studies program. Each student chose a specific topic to help answer the following essential question, How did Western Expansion impact people, places, and ideas? Students will then create a 3D model representing the Westward Expansion and our essential question.

7th Gifted Social Studies

Unit One: Historical Thinking Skills

Learning Goal: Students can acquire and demonstrate skills in critical analysis of primary and secondary historical sources.

Students started their year creating a foundation for thinking like historians. Students focused on the four major historical thinking skills of sourcing, contextualization, close Reading, and corroborating. Students practiced these skills with analyzing primary and secondary sources for the events of 9/11. While studying this topic students learned that at the 9/11 memorial, white roses are placed in the names of those individuals on their birthdays. Students created a memorial of white roses to honor those individuals who lost their lives.

Unit Two: Types of Government

Learning Goal: Students can demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of different forms of government.

Students learn about the different forms of government (autocracy, monarchy, dictatorship, representative and direct democracy, oligarchy, theocracy, anarchy). Students were able to compare and contrast these forms of government, and relate them to real world examples.

Unit Three: Defending Democracy during WWII

Learning Goal: Students can demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of the defense of democracy during WWII in the United States of America

Students began their study of WWII by analyzing the causes of the war by examining the Treaty of Versailles and the rise of dictators. Students then took a closer look at the political leaders in Allied and Axis Powers which led to examining the political ideologies of those countries. Next students focused on the isolationism within the United States and the event that “awakened a sleeping giant”, Pearl Harbor.

As a group project students created a museum featuring The Battles of WWII. Each student chose a battle from both the European and Pacific theaters to research. Students created a timeline of events and maps to depict the strategy behind the movement of the U.S. troops.

Students are currently investigating what life was like on the Homefront during WWII for different groups of people.

Current Unit of Study: Conflict and World War II

Our learners are demonstrating the capacity to handle Social Studies curricular content at a rapid pace and at advanced levels of complexity and independence. This semester, students are becoming proficient at answering DBQs (Document Based Questions). Students recently completed their first essays answering the question Why Did Japan Attack Pearl Harbor? Our learning targets are:

• I can create a thesis and write a multi-paragraph, evidence-based essay using documents, buckets and outlines to support and explain my reasoning.

• I can explain how treaties, alliances, and political structures contributed to World War II.

Creativity

Students created their own “Treaty of Hixson” after studying and gaining a better understanding of the Treaty of Versailles. Our learning targets were:

• I can assume the role or task of a world leader and simulate solving a real world problem.

• I can learn, improve or develop my speaking and listening skills.

First Semester Service Project

In November, students learned the history of Veterans Day and as a culminating project they created and delivered cards to thank veterans for their service to our country. Our learning targets are:

• I recognize that I can have an impact in the world.

• I can learn project planning and communication skills.

• I can demonstrate and understand the rights and responsibilities of citizenship and the principles of democratic civic involvement.

Unit One Overview

Students started the year learning how to think like a historian in Unit 1 “Thinking Like Historian”. Students studied primary and secondary sources from 9/11. For the 20th Anniversary Commemoration, students created white roses honoring the individuals who lost their lives. Our learning targets were:

• I can explain the four categories of historical thinking.

• I can organize and explain my work in my notebook and in class discussions.

• I can define and identify primary and secondary sources.

• I can collaborate with a team/partner to create an informational poster about Historical Thinking.

Unit Two Overview

Students spent time learning about the types of governments in Unit 2. Our learning targets were:

• I can use the tools of social science inquiry (such as surveys, statistics, maps, and documents).

• I can examine government policies to determine how they affected different groups of people.

• I can understand the differences between the types of world governments and the policy and function of America’s government and other world governments.

Bristol kids have been most excited about fully resuming our weekly “Team Challenges” . Last year was significantly modified as we shared no materials. Team Challenge type rotates between improv/skit, building task, or a physical challenge. While it is wonderful if the challenge is successfully completed, teamwork and communication are stressed the most. If those two things are in place, then the task is usually completed with ease. Challenges also require compromise, creativity, and problem solving on the fly.

Attached are tasks that all kids completed in grades 3-5 this fall. Click on "watch" to view the videos.

Watch 4th graders make a parody out of a holiday song- 4th graders

Watch 3rd graders transport tennis balls from bucket to bucket without the use of hands or arms past the “Start line”

Mrs. Clifton

3rd Grade: Students are learning strategies for how to keep friends, and how to be a good friend. In our research, we are asking questions about the Olympics and preparing to learn how to research to answer those questions. Our special focus is the brain. We are currently learning about the brain and its role in our emotions, and will be learning about the brain and sleep and dreams soon. We also are in the process of completing a science fair project as a class. We also read the book A Little Spot of Creativity, and we continue to use originality and elaboration as we created from a dot, designed a musical instrument, and made sculptures. We also are continuing our creative writing.

4th Grade: Students are learning about motivation and perfectionism, and are now working on navigating the social world of school. In our research we have chosen our topics, asked questions, and are reviewing how to research as we begin to answer our questions from our Personal Learning Time projects. Our special focus is the Global Goals. Over the next few weeks we will be learning about the goals of Responsible Consumption, Life Below Water, Life on Land, and more. We read the book A Little Spot of Creativity, and we continue to use originality and elaboration as we created from a dot, designed a musical instrument, and made sculptures. We also are continuing our creative writing.

5th Grade: Students will be learning about ways to manage body energy and how to calm down. For research, we are creating a plan for our games and will be presenting a plan to the citizens of our chosen cities. Our special focus is the Global Goals. We have wrapped up our learning of the goals and have decided on a Spirit Week Fundraiser to support the St. Louis Zoo. We read the book A Little Spot of Creativity, and we continue to use originality and elaboration as we created from a dot, designed a musical instrument, and made sculptures. We also are continuing our creative writing.

Mrs. Pott

3rd Grade Social Emotional: Students are learning strategies for how to keep friends, and how to be a good friend.

4th Grade Social Emotional: Students are learning about motivation and perfectionism, and are now working on navigating the social world of school.

5th Grade Social Emotional: Students will be learning about ways to manage body energy and how to calm down.

Research: We are asking questions about the Olympics and preparing to learn how to research to answer those questions.

Special Focus: Our special focus is the Global Goals. Over the next few weeks we will be learning about the goals of Responsible Consumption, Life Below Water, Life on Land, and more.

Creativity: We read the book A Little Spot of Creativity, and we continue to use originality and elaboration as we created from a dot, designed a musical instrument, and made sculptures. We also are continuing our creative writing.

Mrs. Pott