Dear Parents of
Gifted Students,
I would like to take this
time to express to you how much I have loved having the opportunity to teach your
creative and caring children! It has truly been an honor.
On the last day of gifted
class, we will have a fun day themed as the “Classroom Olympics”! Information
can be found below regarding donations that will be needed for this event.
To our lovely 5th graders-
Happy graduation! I’ll miss you and I wish you the best in middle school!
Last Days of Gifted
MONDAY, May
21st- K-2nd Grade
TUESDAY, May
22nd- 3rd Grade
WEDNESDAY, May
23rd- 4th Grade
THURSDAY, May
24th- 5th Grade
Classroom Olympics- Students
will compete in teams to participate in activities that mirror the Olympic
Games, such as cotton-ball shot put, straw-javelin throw, paper plate discus,
and more!
Items needed for Classroom
Olympics
- Cotton Balls
- Round paper
plates
- Straws that
do not bend
- Small
Plastic containers of all shapes (cylinder, square, rectangular) (holds
1-3 oz)
- Plastic
cups, plates, napkins, plastic-ware for party
- If your
child wants to bring sports gear (like headbands, team shirt, etc.)- cool!
Food for the Celebration!
Of course we’d appreciate any snacks, but here are
a few Olympic-themed ideas that might be fun!
- Gold Medals-
Golden Oreos for Medal, Fruit by the Foot as the Chain
- Torches-
Small Ice Cream Cones with Cheetos or Popcorn inside for the flame
- Pretzel
Javelins- pretzel sticks, maybe even chocolate dipped
- Ring-shaped
Treats- like donuts, bagels, or candy
- Veggie/Fruit
Tray- in the 5 colors- black (olives), green (celery, cucumbers), yellow
(pineapple), red (watermelon, strawberries), blue (blueberries) etc.
- Rehydration-
drinks like water, Gatorade, fruit juice
Of
course anything else from your imaginations would be great too! Please let me
know if you can bring in anything! Volunteers are also welcome to help out in
the classroom on the special day of festivities. A sign-up genius will be
sent home shortly!
THANK
YOU! J Have a great summer!!!!!!!!
Dear Parents of 4th Graders,
We are winding
down to the end of the year. Even though we are coming off a nice Spring Break
it is important to maintain our focus on the last weeks of school. I know we
have a lot planned so let’s bring our best game.
Project Based Learning-
The American Revolution
Students
will begin a simulation entitled “the Spirit of 1776.” It is a unit in which
students rotate to centers representing different phases of the American
Revolution and complete tasks according to higher order thinking skills to
express their learning. The center topics include The Colonists, The Statesmen,
The War, and The Constitutional Convention.
Students
will explain the issues and events that caused conflict between the colonies and
England
between 1763 and 1776 and determine whether these events were fair or not.
The
class will describe the Stamp Act and the Boston Tea Party.
Learners
will explain the causes of the American Revolution and criticize whether it
should have been fought.
Students
will recreate the Constitution for our school, identifying the Three Branches
of Government and the Bill of Rights.
Unit 5: Feb.
Dear
Parents of 4th Graders,
Right
here in our very own classroom, we have a number of little “stars” who will be
performing this month in Oasis Arts’ production of “Madagascar Jr. – A Musical
Adventure”! We hope you will all be able to see this wild journey come to life
on stage! The dates are: Feb. 7, 8, & 9 at 6:30 PM at Ida Baker High.
Tickets will be sold at the door or they can be purchased online right now at
showtix4u.com. Just search “Oasis Arts” and you will find the event! We hope to
see you there!
Project
Based Learning- Ancient China
Students will embark on a far-away journey to
explore Chinese culture. They will study the geography of the giant country and
become experts on some of the most well-known cities in the nation.
Students will role-play as travel agents trying to
entice customers to visit one of the following cities- Shanghai, Beijing, Hong
Kong, Xi’An, Nanjing, or Chengdu.
The learners will create brochures to persuade
vacationers to spend time in their particular city. They will research land
features, language, population, attractions, historical background, and more!
Unit 4: Jan.
Dear Parents of 4th Graders,
Welcome back from
winter break! I hope you all enjoyed your time off and made amazing memories
with your family and friends! Now that we are all well-rested and full of
positive hopes and aspirations for the future, let’s dive into the second half
of our school year!
Project Based Learning-
The Human Body
Students
will research the functions of four body
systems (circulatory, respiratory, skeletal, and digestive) and synthesize how
those functions relate to theme parks: rollercoasters, rides, games, etc.
Students
will work cooperatively to construct giant diagrams and models of these
systems.
As
a team, students will design theme parks based on one of the body systems,
fully equipped with rides and attractions that coincide with the parts and
functions of that particular system.
Students
will create a 3-D model of their theme park and present it to the class
thoroughly explaining how it relates to the human body’s anatomy.
Literature: Holes by Louis Sachar
Donations
Needed
If you could be so kind,
the following items are in short supply in our classroom and would greatly be
appreciated:
pipe
cleaners, pom poms, feathers, straws, glitter, googly eyes (any general craft
supplies)
small
prizes for the treasure box
Thank you!
Unit 3: Nov.-Dec.
Dear Parents of
4th Graders,
Gifted
learners have varying levels of abilities and talents in different areas. Some
students are great readers and love music while others are good at math and
enjoy hands-on building projects. Most children will not excel in every aspect
of school either. If your child starts to waiver in a subject and needs extra
help, please remind them that gifted learners do not have to be “gifted” at
everything and we all have something to bring to the table. It is best to
appreciate ourselves and our children for what makes us special and help each
other in areas that need attention. Have a great month!
Project Based Learning- Medieval Europe
Students will
experience what it was like to live in the middle ages (AD 600-1300). In Phase
One they are places in manors and explore feudalism. Phase Two is manorialism
in which students learn to manage a medieval household. Knighthood is Phase
Three in which they will become knights and explore a squire’s challenge as
well as the concept of chivalry. Phase 4 puts them in guilds and they learn a
trade to sell their goods at the market. Finally, they will create a tapestry
expressing the phases of the simulation.
Students will
simulate roles of Medieval society including lords, ladies, serfs, vassals,
knights, and royalty.
Learners will
recreate maps of a feudal manor, outlining all of the sections of a manor
including serfs’ quarters, fields for crops, mills, etc.
Learners will
study the Knight’s Code of Chivalry and create a modern day one.
Literature- Holes by Louis Sachar
Dear Parents of 4th Graders,
We had a… rocky
beginning of the school year, to say the least. With all of the crazy weather
our area has experienced, unfortunately it has taken us a little while to get
in a groove. However, amongst all of the interruptions we did get to “travel”
the world learning about continents and cultures. We took our maps skills to
the next level. Meanwhile… our next unit has much in store.
Project Based Learning: Geology- Shake,
Rattle, and Roll Simulation
This
unit is designed to be a hands-on, interactive study of rocks and minerals. The
unit activities will include scientific inquiry labs, cooking, and writing.
Students
will classify types of rocks- igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary, and their
origins.
Students
will determine relevance of rocks and minerals in our everyday lives and how
they give us clues to our past.
Students
will create a narrative essay following the rock cycle and its various stages
through personification.
Students
will apply the scientific method to identify their mystery mineral/rock samples
and use the terminology learned throughout the unit.
Literature:
Holes by Louise Sachar; Shake, Rattle, and Roll by Spencer
Christian;
Rock by Chris Oxlade; Simply Science: Rocks by Alice K.
Flanagan
**Necessary Items for Experiments (needed per class, not
per student):
- 4 Regular Sized Chocolate Bars,
- 1 Loaf of Bread
- 4 Sandwich baggies with sand, gravel, or
pebbles
- Any rock/mineral samples we can investigate
Unit 1: Aug.-Sept.
Dear Parents and Guardians of 4th
Graders,
It
is thrilling to begin a new year of investigation, enrichment, and exploration!
We have begun our Interactive Notebooks. I want to reiterate the importance of
having the 3-subject notebooks and what we will be doing with them. We are
going to be completing Interactive Notebooks in class. The purpose of the
interactive notebook is to enable students to be creative, independent thinkers
and writers. Interactive notebooks are used for class notes as well as for
other activities where the student will be asked to express his/her own ideas
and process the information presented in class. We will glue in diagrams,
pictures, vocabulary, and much more! It will also serve as an ongoing portfolio
of all their gifted work. Ours will be divided up into three sections: Critical
Thinking, Project Based Learning, and Reflections.
Project
Based Learning: Geography & Map
Skills
Students will explore
through hands-on activities and research the continents, longitude and
latitude, relative location, and end the unit as cartographers constructing
their own countries with maps and flags! Students will create a model of the
earth labeling oceans, continents, prime meridian, and equator, out of
construction paper, brads, and yarn.
Students will become
experts on 2 out of 7 continents and explore landmarks, cultural aspects,
capitals, etc; presenting this information to the class in a creative medium.
Students will make a
physical map for an imaginary country they create, include 5 different land
forms, compass rose, 5 major cities, design a flag, and determine government.
Literature:
Holes by
Louis Sachar
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