BES GT LEADers Fall News 2018
Learning Experiences for Academic Discovery
Lori Kirkhuff
Email: lori.kirkhuff@gcisd.net
Location: Bransford Elementary School, Glade Road, Colleyville, TX, United States
Phone: 817-305-4920
Twitter: @BESGTLEAD
WELCOME to GT LEAD
Welcome to our first edition of our BES GT NEWS! It is a privilege to teach these future leaders and innovators! My goal is to create an environment for learning that allows my students to discover their unique talents and encourage them to make a difference in the lives of others. Our lessons this year will focus on effective communication and the need to be self-regulated learners, skilled problem solvers and collaborative workers. Students will be encouraged to ask questions and experience empathy. As we prepare these leaders of tomorrow, we will be infusing technology and the arts into our class. Enjoy everyday learning with your kids!
Upcoming Dates and Events:
- Note: Current GT Lead 5th graders do not need to be retested for Advanced Classes in Middle school.
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5th Grade Parents:
Middle School Gifted & Talented Services Informational Parent Meeting
Learn more about the referral & testing process for GT services at the middle school level, as well as options regarding middle school course selection for identified gifted students.
NOV. 15, 2018 6:3 0 P.M. 5800 COLLEYVILLE BLVD
PDEC - PANTHER DEN
Parents of current 5th grade GT LEAD students AND parents who would like more information regarding identification & services for their 5th grader will find this meeting beneficial.
Kindergarten Parents:
Kindergarten Gifted & Talented
Identification Parent Information Meeting
Nov. 15, 2018
5:30 pm
5800 Colleyville Blvd
PDEC - Panther Den
Join us to learn more about the gifted & talented testing and
program services for GCISD kindergarten students.
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* Kindergarten and 5th Grade (new) and Aspire Academy for CTMS applications accepted 12/3-12/14
*January 1/10-1/25 Testing window for Kindergarten GT LEAD Applicants & 5th Grade GT LEAD & Students testing for Middle School ASPIRE Academy
(No GT LEAD Classes during this testing window)
SAGE Event next Tuesday, November 13th
The event is FREE for SAGE Members Families and Educators
$10 for Non-Members
5:30 p.m. Pre-Event Dinner & Social and Event Check-In
- Pizza slices will be available for purchase. Or, bring your own dinner. Network with other GT families.
- Educators, RSVP and dinner is on us: gc-sage.org/pizza/
6:00 p.m. Main Session
- Presentation: Sherry Hamilton Memorial GT Educator Award
- Preview: SAGE workshop "So Much to Give" with Aphelion;
- Celebration: TAGT Gifted Parent Support Group of the Year
- Keynote: "Underachievement in the Gifted: The Little Engine that Couldn't" Lisa Van Gemert, Gifted Guru, author of "Perfectionism: A Practical Guide to Managing Never Good Enough"
7:00 to 8:30 p.m. Breakout Sessions
- Student Voices: Panel of GT High School Scholars
- Parent Voices: Panel of Experienced GT Parents
- Perfectionism / Lisa Van Gemert, The Gifted Guru
- Helping Kids Find Their Element / NuMinds
- Julie Leslie, GCISD Director of Advanced Academics
- Gifted 101 / Cindy Garcia, GCISD GT Specialist
- Preparing for SAT, ACT, PSAT / KD College Prep
- Twice-Exceptional (2e) or Gifted Plus / SAGE & B.O.L.D
- Ask an Expert / Pediatrician, Advocates
The event should end around 8:30 p.m.
BES GT LEAD Coffee Chat
This is be a chance to ask questions about GT LEAD Happenings and Middle School Placement for 5th grade parents in a small group. Our BES SAGE Reps will be there to answer questions as well and share information about upcoming events!
Tuesday, Dec 4, 2018, 09:00 AM
Bransford Elementary School, Glade Road, Colleyville, TX, USA
RSVPs are enabled for this event.
First Grade News: Contributions
Our general theme for first grade this year is "Contributions". As we continue to identify our strengths, students are analyzing how these traits can contribute to others around them. We are learning what it means to be gifted and our personal traits that make us unique. As we infuse the arts into our Gt Lead Classes, we will learn through an "artist's lens". Learning to present information is a big focus in our First Grade GT Lead as we develop good presentation skills.
The skill we are focusing on in first grade is using deduction to solve problems. Students used this skill as they read scenarios about children trick or treating and they had to use the clues to deduce the information to find which house gave out which candy! Next, we learned the strategy of SCAMPER (SCAMPER Stands for: Substitute, Combine, Adjust, Minimize/Magnify, Put to another use, Elaboration and Reverse/rearrange) and how it can be used to improve something or fix a problem. The students enjoyed practicing the steps of SCAMPER as they designed their own pumpkins. We recently finished our Authentic Research Unit where we chose a topic to investigate and collect data from our students at BES. Students analyzed the data and prepared a presentation to share their learning with others. Starting this week, our leaders are researching about life cycles of a butterfly and how they contribute to the world around us. Teams of students will conduct mini lessons for other 1st graders to teach them about migration, parts of a butterfly, the attributes, the life cycle, using microscopes to look for details and the ecosystem.
Excitement filled the room as first grade leaders enjoyed using our Google Expedition Googles to explore places on earth. These glasses allow us to take our learning beyond our four walls to virtually explore the depths of the ocean to the mysteries of space. What a fun time to be a 21st century learner where there are no limits!
Learning about Authentic Research
Deciding on a topic of interest to collect data from our class
Preparing for a presentation to share data results
Learning about the life cycle of a butterfly
Preparing to teach other first graders our new knowledge
Learning to work in groups is a great skill for gifted learners
Think Like a Disciplinarian
Did you know?
InStar
Looking at multiple resources to gain new knowledge
Choosing which lesson we want to teach others
I love seeing a smile on their face when they make new connections with learning!
Second Grade News : Systems
As we continue to infuse the arts into our GT LEAD Classes, students enjoyed solving challenges by acting out their solutions with our bodies. We begin each Tableau with "signing the contract" in our actor's toolbox to focus on new learning.
The year began with a scavenger hunt to look at examples of systems within our surroundings. We discovered that systems have parts that work together to complete a task, they are interdependent, follow rules and interact with other systems. The students then chose a system to research. The project concluded with the students creating and sharing a commercial to promote their system to the class.
2nd Grade Leaders have recently joined a team of young archeologist who have recently discovered the remains of an extinct animal. Their challenge was to identify artifacts and recreate their extinct species. The student presented their designs and used their creativity to tell the story on how it was discovered, the special traits it exhibited and what basic need was eliminated to cause it to become extinct from the earth. They really enjoyed using our Google Expedition Googles to virtually explore interesting places on our planet! Next, the students enjoyed our field trip to Grapevine Jurassic Gardens where we acted as a Paleontologist for the day! This experience allowed us to study artifacts, tools of the trade, and explored an excavation site for clues to the past. It was a great day of learning! We finished our study this week by identifying traits from animal skulls and artifacts. The students enjoyed learning to identify predators and prey by the phrase...."eyes in the front-hunt...eyes on the side- hide!. This week we starting learning about analogies and how to make connections with a relating factor between two things. This unit of study will bring together language skills, creativity and design and give us a chance to work on our writing skills to support our learning in the 2nd grade classroom. The skill of focus this month was using deduction strategies to find the solution to a problem. Students are getting more confident as they practice these strategies!
GT Leaders acting as archeologist looking for clues to the past.
It was nice to learn and meet new 2nd graders from other GCISD schools
What a great group of 2nd graders to enjoy a day of learning with
Learning about how fossils and animal skulls can teach us about the past
Presenting our new animals with the class was fun
Building with limited materials and having a moving part makes this a challenge
Third Grade News: Power
tolerance for ambiguity and creativity
"Power" is the word of the year in third grade as the students began looking how effective leaders use this power to effect change. Our third grade LEADers have just completed their project "3-D Discoveries". The students chose something they would like others to discover about them this year. The purpose of this project was to teach students to look at things from a different point of view; to extend the imagination and to value the uniqueness of ideas. A continuum of learning experiences were provided that led to the development of an advanced-level product with building constraints and performance. The students built a visual with limited materials and used alliteration to tell their story. The students will continue to work on improving their public speaking skills in GT LEAD this year. Looking ahead we will start our study of aerodynamics as we use critical thinking to solve problems related to flight.
3rd Grade Discovery Project...What can others discovery about you?
Third graders created a visual to use during their presentation to tell others about themselves.
The challenge came when they were only given a paper plate, spoon, index card, yarn, toothpick, brad and a straw. Next they had to add alliteration to help tell their story. Our focus this year is on how to build well prepared presentations.This group always amazes me with their creativity!
Brainstorming with alliteration is much more fun with playdough
Building our 3-D projects allowed us to share something special about us!
Almost done...next step creating a story about our design using alliteration
Review systems and how we play a special part
We love to show our creativity!
Fourth Grade News: Exploration
Focus: using technology to create and share information and analyze, learning from the past in order to improve the future, critical thinking skills
GT LEADers in 4th grade enjoyed using our Google Expedition Googles to virtually explore places on earth. Next, the students infused the arts by learning to look for details and inferences when reading a historical portrait. This helped to build curiosity as we started our new project "Historical Figure Mash Up". The students were asked to choose a historical person in Texas history and a 4th grade science topic to research. During their research they analyzed by looking for details, changes over time, convergence and parallel ideas. They were given the task to force a connection between the historical figure and how it relates to science. For example- How does Stephen F. Austin relate to force & friction in science? Next they created an analogy to show the relating factor and planned a visual to show their connections between these two ideas to present to the class in the next few weeks. Enjoy a few examples below!
Research
Looking for a connection between a historical figure in History and a topic in 4th grade science is challenging
Learning to work with a partner is a great skill for our learners
We create whenever we get the opportunity
Students have voice in how they want to share their learning with others
Charles Goodnight & Electricity
Neil Armstrong & Space Exploration
Sam Houston & The Ecosystem
The Moon & President Roosevelt
President George H.W. Bush & Force/Friction
Martin Luther King Jr. & Force/Friction
Fifth Grade News: Change
This year in fifth grade LEAD we will connect our learning to the theme of "Change".
The students in 5th grade LEAD are learning to use our Depth/Complexity Icons to grapple with ideas and ask deep questions that promote a deeper understanding. Students chose a video from the website "The Kids Should See This" that is an areas of interest. They used their video to research and develop questions that challenge their thinking. Next they presented their video and made a connection on how their topic parallels our generalization of the word "change". The students are infusioning the arts by building a visual model to help teach their topic of study. I really enjoyed the wide variety of topics that were chosen to explore and learning more about my students.
Next week, we will wrap our project "Food Puns" where students choose one of the 50 states and a food item. Next, they created a pun to make a forced connection between the two. Creativity was demonstrated as they shared their fun projects with the class.
Looking ahead, we will introduce a Mind Mapping Strategy that will help us map our thoughts for new learning as well as use pictorial models to represent information.
Finding solutions to a problem with constraints
Getting the help from a team
We take responsibility for our learning
Using Puns to connect with food
Choosing a state to connect with food
Creating an analogy statement to connect our project to something that tells about ourselves
Learning in GRADES 3rd-5th
The YET Project was introduced in these grades at the beginning of the year. Students learned about the importance of having a growth mindset and how you need to practice something for a long time to see improvement. They wrote personal goals about an area in which they wanted to see growth this year. Please ask them about their 'Yet"! Students are encourage to share their progress on their goal with our class before the break in December. The expectation is that they document their progress and build a visual to teach others about their goal.
The Torn Paper Challenge started with a curiosity video about an artist who used a single piece of paper to tear or fold in ways to create a new design. The constraint comes when you must tear or fold the paper in some way but that torn part must become something else in your design. This will turn your project from 2D to a 3D visual creation. I was amazed by their ability to use Tolerance for Ambiguity showing different points of view.
Building Curiosity is a year long project where each week we will discuss a video, visual art piece or thought provoking article that encourages questions and the need to explore further for understanding. I am already seeing progress in their ability to look for details and ask deeper questions to improve their critical thinking.
Picasso's Math Puzzles are a way to refine our multiplication and division skills while working on critical thinking. These puzzles were introduced by learning more about the artistic style of Picasso and his use of simple lines in his designs. The objective of the puzzle is to use his design of lines to create a picture while connecting multiplication facts. The real challenge comes as you try to use as many boxes as possible with the constraints of a few rules. Have your child explain their strategy on the example below.
wakeboarder riding a wave and being towed by a rope
The Clock (notice how the space torn around the face becomes the hands and the chime in the middle of the clock
The Giraffe (notice the torn parts to show the lines on the body become the food in its mouth
Yet Project: Learning to play the piano
YET Project: Learning a foreign language
YET Project...coming soon!
Taking our learning beyond our four walls!
Exploring the depths of the ocean to the mysteries of space with Google 3D Expeditions
Just another fun day of learning in GT LEAD!
Ken Ken: Math App
Next week students will be challenging themselves with mathematical puzzles on the KenKen app. This app was created by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and offers puzzles at all levels. Students may start as small as 3X3 and extend themselves as far as 9X9. Students may also select any combination of mathematical operations: addition, subtraction, multiplication, and/or division. Be sure to check it out!
SAGE Parent Support Group
SAGE: Supporting & Advocating for Gifted Education
Why Join SAGE?
Together, we can give a voice to gifted children in our community. With the support of parents and teachers we can advocate on students’ behalf, network with each other, and provide our students with access to challenging enrichment activities, showcase opportunities, and programs designed just for gifted students.
Benefits of supporting SAGE:
- Regular newsletters with everything you need to know about advanced academics in GCISD
- Parent education opportunities regarding the unique social, emotional, and educational needs of gifted children & invitations to special events
- Discussions with Administration personnel about the state and future of Advanced Academics in GCISD
- Networking and showcase opportunities for gifted students and their parents
- Notification of special scholarships, programs, and membership opportunities for gifted children
- Information on proposed changes to gifted education by GCISD, state, and national authorities and ways to support making education a priority
- Valuable scholarship opportunities for gifted children and classroom teachers
Tax-Deductible Donations
Tax-deductible donations to SAGE help support our mission even further — and many employers will match those donations! See the membership form for additional information. GC-SAGE is a 501(c)(3) non-profit.
Join SAGE and Support our GT Learners!
Websites to explore and learn more about Gifted Students!
SAGE: Supporting & Advocating for Gifted Education (GCISD parent group)
https://www.facebook.com/gcsage
NAGC: National Association for Gifted Children
TAGT: Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented
Mensa
SENG: Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted
TED: Riveting talks by remarkable people, free to the world
Searching for the perfect book to meet your needs or interests?
● Prufrock Press: http://www.prufrock.com/
● Great Potential Press: http://www.giftedbooks.com/
● Free Spirit Publishing: http://www.freespirit.com/
Please see the GCISD Advanced Academics web page for a full list of links to resources for parents of gifted students!