TD at PSE
A Newsletter for Parents of TD Certified Students
Winter 2022, Quarter 2
5th Grade
Math
Students had to set up a business plan to submit to the bank to get a loan to start their skydiving business. During the course of the experience, students calculated the cost for materials (planes, parachutes, fuel, safety equipment, etc.), personnel, and all operational costs to determine a budget for starting their new company. Using multiplication and division to the ten millions place, students worked with very large numbers with expert precision!
During the project many students remarked that running a business is expensive and hard work!
Literacy
We read texts on the various levels of the rainforest (emergent layer, canopy, understory, and forest floor) and how each layer contributed to make it a unique ecosystem. Using the Brace and Tree Maps, we noted the important role each layer plays in the rainforest. We then used Bridge Maps to create analogies for each of the layers of the rainforest. Lastly, we used Multi-Flow Maps to understand how human beings can greatly impact the rainforest in both negative and positive ways.
Optional Enrichment
Students can access additional enrichment opportunities (literacy and math) via Mrs. Atri's Canvas Course.
4th Grade
Math
Students first got to research different charities in Charlotte to determine which one they wanted to support by throwing the ball. Then they learned how to create a diverse menu of food - with enough for all attending guests - and how expensive it is to hire entertainment and servers to keep their guests happy!
This Problem Based Learning (PBL) experience allowed students to apply their multiplication and division skills to a real world problem that was fun!
Literacy
Students then took those different defense mechanisms and applied them to a situation where someone forgot their homework and was upset. This gave students an opportunity to explore a situation from multiple perspectives and understand how others may react in the same situation.
Knowing about human defense mechanisms can help us better navigate our own emotions, as well as how we relate to others. This can help us build stronger relationships and learn to regulate our own emotions.
Optional Enrichment
Students can access additional enrichment opportunities (literacy and math) via Mrs. Atri's Canvas Course.
3rd Grade
Math
Literacy
Using Vanderbilt’s Interactions in Ecology and Literature, third grade students developed the concept of interactions and explored issues relating to deforestation.
Students read a nonfiction article, Deforestation Pros & Cons, to build background knowledge. They annotated the text and created Tree Maps to classify details as either “for” or “against”.
Students read a fictional text: The Great Kapok Tree. Students used Flow Maps to sequence messages about the importance of the Amazon rainforest and Multi-Flow Maps to analyze the implications of its loss. Students examined the story’s structure, symbols, feelings (mood/tone), big ideas/values (theme), and key words using Literature Webs to organize their responses.
Students read: Into the Leafy Forest of Green. Using a Depth & Complexity Frame, students analyzed the poem’s structure, word choice, perspective, mood/tone, and theme. Students responded by creating new poems that incorporated similar writing techniques, but reflected a different perspective.
Optional Enrichment
Students can access additional enrichment opportunities (literacy and math) via Canvas.
Canvas: Mrs. Safran’s Third Grade Classroom: Resources
2nd Grade
Math
Although parents may remember studying algebra in high school and college, current research suggests that students should be exposed to algebra at all grade levels including the very earliest years of school.
This quarter, second grade students focused on two core algebraic understandings:
Unknown numbers can be represented by symbols.
The equal sign can be used to show the relationship between two equivalent expressions.
Literacy
Writing has become the primary way in which we gather information and interact/communicate with others. It is a critical 21st-century skill. Using the Empowering Writers program, second grade students learned to narrow their focus and expand upon a single, significant event with relevant, meaningful elaboration.
Students were introduced to four strategies:
Action (What did you do? … Tell it in slow motion. S-T-R-E-T-C-H it out.)
Description (What did you see, hear, or feel?) Students focused on the importance of word choice (adjectives) and the use of figurative language.
Thoughts/feelings (What were you thinking, wondering, worrying?)
Dialogue (What did you say and how did you say it? … Did you shout, laugh, or whisper?) Students focused on the importance of word choice (verbs).
Students practiced these strategies across a variety of creative writing prompts.
Optional Enrichment
Students can access additional enrichment opportunities (literacy and math) via Canvas.
Canvas: Mrs. Safran’s Second Grade Classroom: Resources
TD Identification Process
Universal screening continued across the district for some students in grades 2-3. We administered the ITBS (Iowa Tests of Basic Skills) and prepared for the CMS Portfolio Assessment. ITBS results were sent home in November. Results of the CMS Portfolio Assessment will be sent home in early February. Students who missed the fall screening window, will be screened in February. Information was sent home on January 4th. Please contact Mrs. Safran if you have questions about gifted screening in grades 2-3. (Kathryn.safran@cms.k12.nc.us)
Resource Spotlight
William and Mary Center for Gifted Education: Literature Web
Tips for Parents of Gifted Children
Contact Us
Email: trinettej.atri@cms.k12.nc.us
Website: www.giftedteaching.com
Location: 10045 Providence Church Lane, Charlotte, NC, USA
Phone: (980) 343-6935