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!!!!!!!!
Unit 7: March
Dear Parents of 1st and 2nd 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- Great Barrier Reef
Students will become scientists studying
all of the fascinating complexities of the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of
Australia. They will consider what types of qualifications and qualities a
marine scientist would need to have, culminating in creating a job application
to endorse themselves as a candidate for the position as well as an interview.
Students will research to learn about the
sea life that makes coral reefs its home. What types of animals live there?
What do they eat? What/who threatens them? How do they protect themselves? Etc.
They will also choose one marine animal to
become an expert on. Students will conduct thorough investigation about the
creature and will eventually build a 3D model of it to present to the class.
Students will lead an experiment to
understand the effects of oil spills on the wildlife living near the coral
reef. They will also brainstorm and test solutions to this problem.
Unit 6: Feb.
Dear Parents of 1st
and 2nd Graders,
This
month is 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-
Dinosaurs
Students will journey back in time to
the Age of the Reptiles. Through role-playing as paleontologists, they will
study how fossils are formed, learn how to investigate remains to learn more
about these prehistoric creatures, and discuss various extinction theories. No
doubt your child will love “digging in” to this unit!
Students will visit “fossil sites” where
they will learn how to map, label, and remove fossils. They will study these
remains to gain clues and rebuild the skeletons of various dinosaurs.
The learner
will even role-play as a dinosaur searching for food while simultaneously
protecting itself from the dangerous Tyrannosaurus Rex.
Students will
evaluate the likelihood of a variety of theories posed by scientists to explain
the mysterious disappearance of dinosaurs from the world scene.
The students
will complete a variety of artistic tasks, such as designing a dinosaur of
their own and performing in a dinosaur play.
Literature- Sophie Simon Solves Them All by Lisa Graff
Unit 5: Jan.
Dear Parents of 1st and 2nd
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- Roberto’s Rainforest Simulation
Roberto’s Rainforest is a scientific
canoeing trip that allows naturalists to explore a tropical rainforest in South
America (the Amazon). It is designed to broaden the students’ scientific
knowledge through the study of life forms found in the rainforest. It includes
the study of weather, insects, plants, water, birds, people, and animals.
Students will enhance vocabulary by familiarizing
themselves with rainforest science terms and illustrating those terms in visual
images, summaries, and poetry.
Learners will cooperatively work together
to create mural illustrating the canopies and layers of the rainforest, and the
plant and animal life found on each layer.
Groups will compare and contrast the
fruits, flowers, reptiles, birds, insects, fish, and mammals and their
attributes from the rainforests.
Literature:
Sophie Simon Solves Them
All by
Lisa Graff
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
Unit 4: Dec.
Dear Parents of 1st
and 2nd Graders,
This
year is just flying by! I hope you child is loving his/her experience so far in
the gifted classroom. I am happy to see that our family is growing and slowly
but surely we are gaining more classmates!
Project Based Learning- Ancient Greece
Students will explore ancient Greek culture
and practices by forming poleis and taking on Greek identities.
Students will
become experts on major Greek city-states such as Athens and Sparta.
Students will
create poems or skits to teach their classmates about the culture of their
particular city-state.
Students will
study classic Greek myths such as ones pertaining to Zeus or Narcissus.
Students will
construct picture cubes about Greek gods or goddesses.
Students will
study Greek architecture and build a model of the Acropolis using classroom
supplies such as construction paper, rubber bands, and craft sticks.
Literature:
Wayside
School
by Louis Sachar
Unit 3: Nov.
Dear Parents of 1st
and 2nd 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- Asian Civilizations
Students will do an in depth study of the
country of India, including the culture and history of its over 1 billion
inhabitants.
Students
will learn about the significance of the elephant to the country of India, as
well as engage in an art project focused on this majestic creature.
Students will also explore ancient Chinese culture and practices by creating a scroll with
their names written in Mandarin.
Students will
explore various art forms native to Asia, including origami, lantern poetry,
and rangoli designs.
Literature:
Wayside
School
by Louis Sachar
Tikki
Tikki Tembo
by Arlene Mosel
Adventures
in Ancient China by Linda BaileyUnit 2: Oct.-Nov.
Dear Parents of 1st
and 2nd 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 to
the seven continents and became masters of geography! Meanwhile… our next unit has
much in store.
Project Based
Learning: Simple Machines and Humans
Students
will define machines and explore the functions of simple machines.
Students
will explore the reason for creating machines (making life easier, convenience,
uniformity).
Students will
compare and contrast machines and the functions of the human body.
Students
will learn about how the body moves by the use of bones, joints, muscles, and
tendons.
Literature:
Wayside School
is Falling Down by Louis
Sachar
Unit 1: Aug.-Sept.
Dear Parents and Guardians of 1st
and 2nd 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: Map Skills & Continents
Students will
explore the “Map Skills and Continents” unit by first learning about the
earth’s land to water ratio. We will then take an in depth look at each of the seven
continents including information about the language, weather, animals, music,
etc., of each continent. Additionally, we will discuss the key geographic and
cultural features of each of these giant land masses. Your child will even get
the opportunity to become an expert on his/her favorite continent and create a
travel poster enticing others to come visit! Throughout this unit we will also
be learning about the oceans as well as general map skills such as- the
cardinal directions, the compass rose, keys, and more!
Literature: Wayside School
is Falling Down by Louis
Sachar
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