What's buzzin' in GT???

Friday, March 2, 2012

2nd grade GT students have recently completed their Texas Performance Standards Projects on rare animals. These are independent research projects. The students took notes on index cards and categorized their information into the following pockets in their research folders:

Physical Description
Habitat
Young
Food
Survival
Fun Facts

They recorded their sources in a bibliography. Then it was time to create a product that showed off their new expertise! Each student created a powerpoint presentation on his/her animal. We look forward to posting these on the blog. You may also check out these presentations at Open House!

3rd grade GT students are finishing the wonderful novel called The Tale of Despereaux. Along with learning to read with increased expression and with appropriate "voices" for each character, these students have examined and written about the following elements of Depth & Complexity:

Multiple Perspectives -- with "I Am..." poems written from the point of view of a character, object, or location in the book! The students also wrote letters to the main character and received letters back written from his perspective! We were suprised Despereaux wrote back to the students, as busy as he is trying to save the princess and all!
Ethics -- We categorized quotes and events in the book into Light vs. Darkness, or Good vs. Evil (a major theme of the novel)
Big Idea & Details -- Students summarized each chapter and division of the book, recounting important supporting details.

As a culminating activity for this unit, students will create a Photo Story on the computer that includes a photo and sentence for every letter of the alphabet... somehow related to... you guessed it... A Tale of Despereaux! These will be posted on the blog as well as available for you to view at Open House!

4th grade GT students are nearing the completion of their Texas Performance Standards Projects. The study of enigmas has been intriguing for all! Each student is creating a Photo Story on the computer that will focus on the following aspects of his/her chosen enigma:

Description
History
Claims/Sightings
Theories
The Student's Theory Based on Research
Fun Facts
Unanswered Questions

The students are exploring new aspects of technology as knowledge and creativity meet in their outstanding products. Get ready for some awesome Photo Stories... coming soon... to a blog near you! You can also view your child's Photo Story at Open House!

5th grade GT students are finishing their reading of the exciting novel Call it Courage by Armstrong Sperry. We have examined what true courage means to us as individuals. Students located and summarized two articles for our class -- one in which courage was shown and one which clearly showed a lack of courage. They created icons for courage and will soon be creating Photo Stories that display their personal interpretation of COURAGE through photos, music, and narration.
Check them out on the blog as soon as they are ready... or view these creative interpretations at Open House!

Monday, February 20, 2012

Welcome to this blog!

I am at a workshop to learn more about blogging. Check out the new audio welcome!

Monday, February 6, 2012

February in GT

IMPORTANT NOTE FOR PARENTS OF STUDENTS WHO WILL COMPLETE FOURTH OR FIFTH GRADE IN JUNE.... There is going to be an awesome opportunity for your child to take part in Adventure Camp at Dubiski High School this summer! This will take place in MarketPlace and sounds like it is going to be super! Stay tuned for more information. Sign up's will begin in April.

GT Update...

Second grade students have finished researching their rare animals of Japan. They are currently working on their technology presentations! These experts on Hondo Stoats, Japanese Macaques, and Puffer Fish will soon be sharing their knowledge with a real live audience!

Third graders are engrossed in A Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo. This is always a favorite read! They are writing letters as pen pals with Despereaux the mouse in their journals. It is amazing how quickly Federal Express can get our letters back and forth from Grand Prairie to Despereaux's castle! This week they will write "I Am" poems from the perspective of a character, object, or place (personification) from the book. "Different Points of View" is one of the elements of depth and complexity that we address in GT class regularly. It requires higher level thinking, for sure!

Fourth grade GT students at Whitt are exploring the mysterious world of enigmas. An enigma is a puzzling mystery that has not yet been solved. Each day the students gather their research folders and we head to the library where encyclopedias, websites, and nonfiction books fill their heads with information about their chosen enigmas. Of course, there are still so many UNANSWERED QUESTIONS!

Fifth graders are reading a Newberry award winner entitled Call It Courage by Armstrong Sperry. The story of the Boy Who Was Afraid has us on the edges of our seats. Will Mafatu prove through his journey to a distant island that he is deserving of the name Stout Heart after all?

Saturday, January 21, 2012

2nd grade Researchers!

Each second grade student has chosen a rare animal of

Japan to research. The students will become "experts" on their

animals and create a product/presenation for the class.

The animals they have chosen are:

Hondo Stoat

Japanese Macaque

Puffer Fish!

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to all of you, and welcome back to school!

There is a lot going on in GT right now...

2nd grade is starting to work on research projects -- on rare Japanese animals! Get ready to learn from our 2nd grade students about these interesting animals.
3rd grade has begun reading the wonderful novel by Kate DiCamillo called The Tale of Despereaux. It is one of those books that is hard to put down!
4th grade is about to begin researching enigmas... the Loch Ness Monster, BigFoot, UFO's, and crop circles... There are many others. It will be exciting to learn more about these puzzling mysteries from our 4th grade researchers!
5th grade is reading Call it Courage by Armstrong Sperry. This award winning novel is one that the students are sure to enjoy as we follow Mafatu on his adventures through Polynesia!

MATH NOTE: I got an iphone for Christmas. Any of you parents have one? Check out all the aps for math fact practice. I found a free one that is basically just fun flashcards on the phone! The kids can play this in the car, in the waiting room at the doctor's office, etc. I have noticed that many of my GT students have not yet fully memorized their multiplication facts. If your child is in third grade or above, please take some time to quiz him or her on these. In order for your child to be successful in math, these must be mastered. If your child is in first or second grade, quiz him/her on addition and subtraction facts. Once those are mastered, try moving onto multiplication! It never hurts to get a jumpstart on math!

Please know that I thoroughly enjoy teaching your children. They are a delight!

Let me know if I can be of any assistance to you!