"Blaze your own trail." - Anonymous
All GATE students, 3rd, 4th and 5th embarked on a journey of self discovery this year with the addition of growth mindset instruction and reflection added to their curriculum. As one of the students quickly realized and remarked to me, "This is so much like our character traits for success!". I agree. Almost every lesson possible, we reflected on which character traits we had used well that day and which ones still needed our attention to develop. Then students reflected on how growth mindset and their character traits were connected. The goal: positive, active mindset to continue positive growth. Additionally, all GATE students researched a self chosen topic with the goal to produce an Action or Passion Project. Topics for Passion Projects can be almost anything, but must meet these basic criteria: 1) they must be presentable in a school setting (as the school is almost always the first audience), and 2) the content must be something the student wishes to explore. Passion Projects can grow further than the school audience (I hope they do!), or they can even be continued and broadened the following year in GATE. In addition to and embedded in our concept based units of study are depth and complexity questions for reflection/ emphasis, creative problem solving opportunities, and HOTS (Higher Order Thinking Skills): Remember/ Recall, Knowledge / Understanding, Application, Analyzation / Explain, Evaluation, Synthesis, Creation. We also use and teach thinking skills based on the Talents Model: Communication, Forecasting, Planning, Decision Making, and Productive Thinking.
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Check out the slideshow, the links on the right, and the gallery below to see:
"What's going on in GATE ?" |
5th Grade Units of Study: Growth Mindset, Mysteries and Forensics, Problem Solving (PBL) and Passion Projects
Fifth grade GATE students took on the role of practicing professional investigators as they delved into the world of mysteries and forensics. The year began with the reading and study of the clever and classic Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's young adult mystery, The Hound of the Baskerville's, a Sherlock Holmes mystery. After completing the novel, GATE students received a special visit from Dr, Jonathon Coupland (direct from the UK) who shared an amazing presentation on Dartmoor with pictures and historical information of all the real geographical features of Dartmoor which are critical elements in the novel. In the harrowing plot of the novel, GATE students were using high level reading skills such as text evidence and inference to predict what would happen next and what the outcome of the novel might be. Another favorite investigative work this year was the short study of a real life unsolved mystery, the Lizzie Borden case. Students read a kid friendly readers' theater version of the case and then took on various real life professional roles to examine the case from multiple perspectives including: a juror in the case, an investigator relying on investigative techniques of the 1890's, compared to an investigator using the modern techniques available today. Students also had fun reviewing the cell, learning abut DNA and how DNA can be used to solve crimes, extracting DNA from a strawberry, fingerprinting themselves and developing latent prints using cyanoacrylate, learning handwriting analysis techniques and using real data to solve a different type of mystery. Along the way, students also busted the Ghost Whisperer, and joined forces and clues to solve a mini mystery. Check out the link above to see their thoughts, reactions, and reflections as they had fun learning, uncovering and discovering the truth.
Fifth grade GATE students took on the role of practicing professional investigators as they delved into the world of mysteries and forensics. The year began with the reading and study of the clever and classic Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's young adult mystery, The Hound of the Baskerville's, a Sherlock Holmes mystery. After completing the novel, GATE students received a special visit from Dr, Jonathon Coupland (direct from the UK) who shared an amazing presentation on Dartmoor with pictures and historical information of all the real geographical features of Dartmoor which are critical elements in the novel. In the harrowing plot of the novel, GATE students were using high level reading skills such as text evidence and inference to predict what would happen next and what the outcome of the novel might be. Another favorite investigative work this year was the short study of a real life unsolved mystery, the Lizzie Borden case. Students read a kid friendly readers' theater version of the case and then took on various real life professional roles to examine the case from multiple perspectives including: a juror in the case, an investigator relying on investigative techniques of the 1890's, compared to an investigator using the modern techniques available today. Students also had fun reviewing the cell, learning abut DNA and how DNA can be used to solve crimes, extracting DNA from a strawberry, fingerprinting themselves and developing latent prints using cyanoacrylate, learning handwriting analysis techniques and using real data to solve a different type of mystery. Along the way, students also busted the Ghost Whisperer, and joined forces and clues to solve a mini mystery. Check out the link above to see their thoughts, reactions, and reflections as they had fun learning, uncovering and discovering the truth.
4th Grade Units of Study: Growth Mindset, Bizwiz / Stock Market Game of Alabama, CPS and Passion Projects
Fourth grade GATE students took on the role of practicing professionals by diving into the world of economics and investing. Applying the concept of change, 4th graders examined how our economy is affected by events going on in our world. Students used teamwork and cooperative skills to learn the basics of investing with BizWiz. For real life numbers and experience, students followed their BizWiz study by playing Stock Market Game of Alabama. With $100,000 to invest, students carefully researched stocks and other types of investments before deciding how to invest their money. As with previous years, students would come back to class teaching me investing strategies I had not yet learned. Students really do make the best teachers sometimes. Along the way students reviewed Creative Problem Solving and researched their own Passion Projects.
Fourth grade GATE students took on the role of practicing professionals by diving into the world of economics and investing. Applying the concept of change, 4th graders examined how our economy is affected by events going on in our world. Students used teamwork and cooperative skills to learn the basics of investing with BizWiz. For real life numbers and experience, students followed their BizWiz study by playing Stock Market Game of Alabama. With $100,000 to invest, students carefully researched stocks and other types of investments before deciding how to invest their money. As with previous years, students would come back to class teaching me investing strategies I had not yet learned. Students really do make the best teachers sometimes. Along the way students reviewed Creative Problem Solving and researched their own Passion Projects.
3rd Grade Units of Study: Growth Mindset, GATE Scope and Sequence, Creativity and Inventing / CPS/ Passion Projects
Third grade GATE students began their year learning some basics about how their brain grows, learns and recalls information and then jumped into a unit on Inventing. We explored Creative Problem Solving which forced us to use brainstorming and productive thinking strategies, as well as create and use criteria questions to narrow down a decision making process. We journeyed into the world of inventing to take creativity to a new and practical level. Students created and sailed aluminum boats (working in teams) to come up with the boat which could hold the most dice. We had such amazing boat builders that we had to add fishing sinkers to several boats before we managed to sink them. We explored deductive reasoning, math analogies, patterns, learned character traits for success, and were introduced to the world of growth mindset. Third graders also researched and pieced together their first passion projects.
Third grade GATE students began their year learning some basics about how their brain grows, learns and recalls information and then jumped into a unit on Inventing. We explored Creative Problem Solving which forced us to use brainstorming and productive thinking strategies, as well as create and use criteria questions to narrow down a decision making process. We journeyed into the world of inventing to take creativity to a new and practical level. Students created and sailed aluminum boats (working in teams) to come up with the boat which could hold the most dice. We had such amazing boat builders that we had to add fishing sinkers to several boats before we managed to sink them. We explored deductive reasoning, math analogies, patterns, learned character traits for success, and were introduced to the world of growth mindset. Third graders also researched and pieced together their first passion projects.