Wonderful Wednesdays!
February, 2020
In This Issue
Spotlight: Mrs. Cammie Honaker
Each year, Mrs. Honaker (Indian Lake Gifted Specialist) “stretches” students with innovative projects and ideas. Every year, her amazing fifth graders treat parents, students, and administrators to their Living Wax Museum. Students "became" historical figures and enlightened listeners with in-character descriptions of infamy and inspiration as they shared intriguing tales of these persons' lives. This year’s "guest speakers" on Feb. 12th included: Amelia Earhart, John F. Kennedy, Elizabeth Ann Seton, Thomas Jefferson, Rosa Parks, Abraham Lincoln, Orville Wright, Derek Jeter, Lance Armstrong, Florence Griffith Joyner, Adam Sandler, Jim Henson, and Walt Disney !
Special thanks to Mrs. Honaker, the ILMS administration, and the students' families for making the annual Living Wax Museum an event to remember. Tune in next year for visits from additional amazing Americans!
Differentiation Station: Content, Process, Product!
“Differentiation”: we’re assailed with this “buzzword” almost non-stop as educators, yet sometimes, creating consensus on its meaning can leave us confused! For some, differentiation evokes sensory awareness — making sure lessons and activities engage multiple senses and/ or learning styles. Still others interpret differentiation according to academics, asking, “ Is my teaching meeting all kids’learning needs and goals?” All of the above are legitimate parts of differentiation; however, when working with identified students (both “gifted” and “special ed”), the most critical differentiation often occurs in content, process, and product.
For identified students, these three areas often make the difference between academic success and scholastic struggles. As teachers “switch up” instruction to meet students’ ability levels in these three ways, the gifted can experience challenge beyond the basics while struggling learners simultaneously work towards mastery of core content. To learn more, click here for the newsletter!
Rural. Community. Gifted.
Here in Shelby, Logan, and Hardin counties, we are
blessed. Our often rural communities offer stability, “neighborliness”, and a sense of cooperation. For many of us, our small-town, friendly areas offer a strong sense of identity; give us solid foundations; and are amazing places to call “home”. These many assets benefit all of our students and give us unique ways to help foster our students’ talents and abilities.
Stambaugh (2016) identifies some of the “core values” shared in many rural communities: strong families, deep-rooted traditions, spiritual values, deep loyalties, and community collaboration. These great foundations can help us guide our students to steward their gifts for the good of themselves, their families, and their communities.
How can we encourage our students? Stambaugh (2016) suggests:
1. Foster talents, not greed.
2. Encourage innovation.
3. Place-based education: have an outdoor “lab”, or perhaps create a mini Farm Science Review in the community.
4. Foster support between families, students, school, and community.
To read more: Stambaugh, T. (2016, April 20). Serving gifted students in rural communities. NAGC webinar. Retrieved Feb. 26, 2020 from nagc.org
Historical Exploration!
In celebration of its bicentennial, Shelby County is offering a free app that allows users to explore the county’s history. Once downloaded, users can search by town, category (one-room schoolhouses or Miami-Erie canal), township, points of interest, or historical markers. What a great way for students and families to explore hometown history!
Exploration Ideas: Below are some ways to use the app with classes—or as families & friends!
~ Guess What? Show pictures of buildings and/ or landmarks. Students then create (or guess) the “story” behind the landmark. Students share stories, then the facilitator shares the actual story of the building/ landmark.
~ Decade Dive: After choosing an item from the app, students explore the associated decade, noting major historical events.
Future Problem Solving!
Future Problem Solving (FPS) ~ Are you looking for ways to “stretch” students’ thinking? FPS may be your “ticket”! By working collaboratively through a system of thinking and problem-solving to create solutions to complex yet highly plausible future events or problems, students gain fluency in group work and in problem-solving. In FPS, after reading and understanding a “future scenario”, students work through five steps: brainstorming associated problems, finding the main problem, brainstorming solutions, evaluating solutions, and using self-selected criteria to determine the best solution. For examples and information, visit fpspi.org/
All content (c) 2020 Erica Baer, MRESC Director of Student Achievement. ebaer@mresc.org
Midwest Regional Educational Service Center
Our Vision/Mission: The Midwest Regional Educational Service Center serves and supports students, families, and districts as an innovative educational partner.
Email: registrar@mresc.org
Website: www.mresc.org
Location: Curriculum & Professional Development Departments, Sidney Office, 129 East Court Street, Sidney, Ohio 45365
Phone: 937-498-1354
Twitter: @MidwestRegESC