GT Times
September/October, 2020
Welcome to the newsletter of the Gifted and Talented Department for the Egg Harbor Township School District! This newsletter will be published once per month, and you will find information about all of the fantastic activities we do with our students. We will also post upcoming events and important dates at the bottom along with links to each of our web pages. Enjoy!
Get Out the Vote 2020!
Mrs. Pettit, Miss Hunt, and Mr. Warner recently developed an Election 2020 curriculum that they shared with the teachers in their schools for use with their classes. Students from the 6th grade GT classes, along with 3rd graders at Davenport, pitched in to create content as well. The 3rd graders concentrated on the US Government and its branches, while also exploring the requirements of office and those for voters. The 6th graders were given a choice board of different topics to cover including: “Meet the Candidate” for any presidential or vice presidential candidate, explaining how the electoral college works, or covering the candidates’ stances an important issue in this year’s election. They also got to choose the format of the project from a video, a slideshow, or an essay. Along the way, they learned about researching, evaluating sources (and your own work) for bias, how the electoral college system works, and more. On Election Day, they’ll all get to vote for the candidate who best represents them!
Below are some examples of their work.
Escaping Third Grade!
Slaybaugh GT students learned how to effectively use charts, graphs, and videos to answer questions. They are are now busily working to create their own questions from varied sources. They will use the questions they create in the virtual escape rooms they are developing. Their completed escape rooms will be shared with Slaybaugh's third grade to provide a fun challenge for all.
Swift’s GT Students Are Digital Gamers!
During the pandemic, families and students have been playing a lot of games … board games, card games, charades, and of course video games to name a few. After some discussion about games, the class decided to make their own version of Jeopardy using Google Slides. In pairs, students developed a rough draft of what their game board would look like. They selected their categories and questions and then researched the answers. Once their drafts were done, it was on to the final presentation. They needed an introductory slide, directions slide and then question slides hyperlinked to the answer slide. The answer slide then needed to be linked back to the board. At the time of publication, students were still making final touches on their games. Below are just a few photos of their slides.
Demonstrating Newton's Laws!
The 5th grade Gifted and Talented students have been studying Newton's Laws in preparation for the next part of their learning unit where they will construct mousetrap racers. In order to show their understanding of Newton's three laws of motion, they were tasked with creating a demonstration using either a video or photo of themselves showing one law and explaining it. The students did a fantastic job, and many of their parents assisted by recording videos, taking photos, and even participating in the demonstrations! Thank you for helping us gain a better understanding of Newton’s Laws of Motion!
In picture number two, Sariah explains, " The law that is being demonstrated is the first law. The first law states that an object in motion will stay in motion until another force is applied. I apply this to softball because when a pitch is thrown toward a batter, the force of the bat will change the direction of the ball. Other forces that may stop the ball are the catcher/fielder’s glove or the grass, dirt, or fence."
Rock Hound Abound!
The 4th grade GT students have been working on a unit about rocks and minerals. In order to better understand the differences, each student researched one rock or mineral. Using LucidPress, they created an informative poster about it that included facts and photos. As they continue their studies, they will be learning about New Jersey's abundance of fluorescent minerals, opal hunters, and landforms across the United States.
The Great Mousetrap Racer Challenge!
The 5th grade GT students are taking part in The Great Mousetrap Racer Challenge! They have been tasked with designing and constructing a mousetrap-powered vehicle to demonstrate Newton's Laws of motion. For the last several weeks, they have been researching, designing and constructing their vehicle with help from their family. The goal is not how fast it will go, but how far. Starting the week of November 9th, the students will have the opportunity to try and break the school. Stay tuned to see the results our next edition! In the meantime, check out some of the great car designs the students created!
From time to time, we will spotlight our EHT GT alumni and share their successes after leaving our program! If any families would like to share an update on their children who participated in the GT program for future inclusion in the Alumni Spotlight, please contact Miss Hunt or Mr. Warner. We would love to hear from you!
Our first spotlight will shine on the Gaw family which had four children participate in the Gifted program while in EHT.
Mr. Jim Gaw proudly shared the following about his children:
Isaac Gaw - Rowan (Bachelor of Science in Computer Science), NJIT (Computer Science)
Admitted to Rowan University on a full tuition scholarship, graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, attending New Jersey Institute of Technology for graduate studies in Computer Science, employed by IRS.
Kristianna Gaw - NJIT (Computer Science + Math)
Attending New Jersey Institute of Technology Honors College on a full tuition and full dorm scholarship, double majoring in Computer Science and Math, employed by NSA.
Gabriel Gaw - CIM (Music) + CWRU (Computer Science)
Attending Cleveland Institute of Music on a full tuition scholarship, studying music performance in double bass, also studying Computer Science at Case Western Reserve University.
Nathanael Gaw - presently in 9th grade
Upcoming Events!
Miller School
WordMaster Challenge Test #1
Report Card Dates
Grade 6 - November 18, 2020
Grades 3, 4, & 5 - December 11, 2020
⭐Please note: ALL GT students must maintain an A or B average (80% or above) in all academic subjects, including GT, each marking period or trimester in order to remain in the program.