Peek at the Week in Project Extra
Cami Webb
Mrs Webb - Project Extra
Email: cwebb@fulton58.org
Phone: 573-590-8200
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/webbExtra/
Twitter: @CwebbMrs
Wow! What a Week!!!
3rd grade - So excited to have our 3rd graders join us. I have to thank 7th grade for being so awesome in making sure the kiddos got to where they needed to be and for coming and eating lunch with them. We took a tour of the building and talked about our expectations in the classroom. We also started our fairy tale mystery unit and they were the lucky ones to get to release the butterfly who came out of its cocoon.
4th/5th Grade - This week Mr. Howard had them design their own webpage to keep track of all the awesome tech stuff that we will be doing. We also started our research on our grow towers and divided into committees. Next week Susan Maddox will come and we will start cleaning and building the towers. Have kids wear clothes that can get dirty or possibly stained as we will be working with bleach. Finally, we started to look at Cinderella and will be doing a Cinderella around the world focus.
Middle School - 6th grade met with Susan Maddox and really started tearing all of the supplies that we received for garden towers apart and organizing everything so that we know what we have and what we do not have. They will also be cleaning and building next week so wear or bring clothes that can get dirty or possibly stained since we will be working with bleach. 7th/8th grade will also be doing this.
All Middles school also started diving into medieval life and learning about their roles and responsibilities in order to prepare for their simulation. Next week we will be planning and building our manor. We also began our fairy tale debate on whether the original fairy tales were nightmares or helpful to humanity and whether Disney was correct in changing them or created more harm. Very interesting concept and one that they actually came up with.
Finally, Middle school started to learn about creating podcasts with Mr. Howard and we will be setting up our own podcast channel to share our passions but also to advocate for gifted and talented. What do they want the world to know about being gifted and their needs.
Project Extra Evaluation
Great Resources
Asynchronous Behavior - GRIT!
This week will be looking at the growth mindset and how we can use that to help us maintain our grit. We will also work really hard at trying to set our Smart goals this week. Some gifted students may not have been challenged in the past to the degree where they had to put forth effort, or they may feel their giftedness hinges on their ability to be fast and right. Students with this kind of learning orientation (called performance approach) set goals based on being better than others. These learners use the learning process for positive reinforcement of their abilities and may only put forth effort on tasks where they are assured a positive outcome. This orientation may be harmful when it comes time to work on unfamiliar or challenging tasks. In return, many kids shut down or their anxiety is raised and they become frustrated and feel like they failed.
To move gifted students from a performance-approach orientation (goal setting based on being better than others) to a mastery-approach one (goal-setting based on personal best), we will have your students first set what is called an “ideal self-goal.” This is a goal that reflects the type of person they would like to be in their lives. Typically, this includes a set of characteristics or qualities they are committed to achieving, such as:
- compassionate
- creative
- dedicated
- dependable
- giving
- kind
- loyal
- sensitive
- trustworthy
Once students decide on their ideal self goals, they can begin to set learning goals to achieve their ideal selves. The quality of the goals students set prior to the learning activities will have a profound effect on their motivation to learn. Quality goals motivate learners to:
- Focus attention toward relevant tasks to achieve the goal
- Exert effort in the right places
- Persist when things get difficult
- Achieve a higher degree of self-satisfaction in learning