NEGLEY GT
Serving Gifted Students since 2006
Fall 2023 Edition
Negley Gifted and Talented Program
https://www.edglossary.org/differentiation/
GT students also have the opportunity to do higher level/interest projects during daily WIN time. We believe that our students need to know the TEKS first. When it is clear the student knows the expected standards, that is when the student can be challenged to take the subject to a deeper level. We want DEEP roots, not surface level roots. DEEP roots will anchor our GT students for their future classwork.
Hays G/T website
Negley GT Liason- Stephanie Estes
GT EXTENSION ACTIVITIES
Ms. Stautz and Ms. Stone - 2nd grade
Short Term Project - On Top of Spaghetti: A short term project is a project that is completed in three weeks or less. To introduce project-based learning to our G/T students, students analyzed the poem “On Top of Spaghetti.” After reading each part of the poem, students had to identify what happened to the meatball and what they would do if they witnessed this scenario in real-life. Once this was completed, students synthesized the information read to create new understandings and deepen reading comprehension by creating rules about when you should and should not eat food on the ground using various scenarios. The scenarios were chips on the floor, fries in the parking lot, ice cream outside, and noodles a cat is eating. After rules were created and justified, students were given a choice of presenting their rules using the Chatterpix Kids app, creating a comic strip, or creating a poster to display.
Long Term Project - Traditional Tale Board Game: A long term project is a project that is completed longer than three weeks. Students chose a traditional tale (i.e. fairytale, folktale, fable, etc.) to analyze using the plot elements of identifying the problem characters have and how they resolve those problems. After students picked out their traditional tale and identified the plot elements, they created a comic strip outlining the problem at the beginning, how the problem was starting to be resolved in the middle, and the resolution at the end. Once the fairytale was fully analyzed, students began drafting a board game. The board game required students to include events, mistakes, and lessons from the tale in sequential order. Students will present their games to their peers and take turns playing all the games created. (Note that this project is underway right now, and students are currently in the comic strip portion.)
Ms. Brauchle - 3rd grade (all 3rd grade WIN time)
Ms. Beveridge - 4th grade Math/Science
In our Enrichment group we have been doing some amazing projects with a focus on Math and Science these first few months of school!
Our first project was focused on each student creating their own charity group. They had to brainstorm and decide what type of philanthropy their charity would be involved with and how they would make the community a better place. Then they moved on to planning a carnival fundraiser in order to raise money to support their charity. This involved mapping out area and perimeter for the carnival map, budgeting how much things would cost to have the carnival, and then what amount of proceeds would be left to donate towards the charity work. So many of our students were excited and even wanted to try to start their charity of choice in real life!
Our latest project that we are currently working on is planning and starting their own business of a restaurant. They are learning how to research what the most profitable and popular types of food are to base their restaurant on. Many of our students are realizing there are a lot of details that go into getting it started and staying successful.
Ms. MacDaid's First Grade (all 1st grade WIN time)
First graders have been busy this fall! The 2 big projects we’ve completed are gummy bear boats and spiderwebs. Each student planned a design and thought through possible obstacles. Then they built them and tested them. Spiderwebs had to catch and hold a bug to be successful, so revisions were made if the first design didn’t work.
We’ve also worked on math extension choices during the addition and subtraction unit, like creating a fact game or a puzzle with number bond facts. For reading, we focus on comprehension strategies and finding information about things that interest them.
I’m excited to learn and create more with them as the year continues!
Ms. Bell - 4th grade
In our Gifted and Talented classroom, students are diving into an engaging Ice Cream Truck Project. They're applying math and language arts skills to run their own ice cream businesses and will soon create 3D models of their imaginative trucks.
Additionally, our talented students have the opportunity to choose and complete extra projects in science, math, and English Language Arts (ELAR), allowing them to explore their interests and excel in various academic areas.
Ms. Segovia - 4th grade ELAR
This semester our Enrichment projects have been amazing! We have really explored our creativity as well as expanded our knowledge of using the Google suite. Our first ELAR project was poetry. Students read and analyzed poetry in different forms and by different authors. Then they created a digital portfolio of at least five poems in different forms. Their creativity is astounding! Some students created and stayed with a common theme for their collection, while others simply explored different types of poetry. Finally, students reflected on their own work. The second project has been to develop a character and biography. The next step will be to write a story about their character interacting with another student's character. In order to do so, each character must be developed enough for another person to infer how they will act in unknown situations. We will be looking for clarity and detail in addition to creativity!
Mr. White and Ms. Cauble - 4th grade
Students in Mr. White's class constructed Harry Potter circuit wands during the first nine weeks of the school year. Students used copper tape as conductors, a CR2032 battery, 3 large craft sticks, electrical tape, tempera paint, and a bulb with a color of their choice. For their second nine-week project, students have started a bridge project where they will be tasked with building a truss bridge with 80 or less small craft sticks. When finished, their bridge must span over 30cm in length and hold two 5 pound bricks. Students will learn the importance of triangulation for strength of construction and learn about six types of bridges. Students also work off of a GT playlist that they use for personal choice projects when they are not working on a major in-class project.
Students in Mrs. Cauble's class: Our initial project was centered around the world of poetry, encompassing a diverse range of thirteen distinct poetic forms, from haikus to two-voice poems. Upon completing our study of the different poetic styles, it was time to create! Students then crafted seven original poems that reflected their individual voices and unique perspectives. Their creations were then displayed as part of a google slideshow. All of the projects look amazing!
Ms. Andrade and Ms. Iverson - 4th grade
Language Arts
This semester our Enrichment projects have been amazing! We have really explored our creativity as well as expanded our knowledge of using the Google suite. Our first ELAR project was poetry. Students read and analyzed poetry in different forms and by different authors. Then they created a digital portfolio of at least five poems in different forms. Their creativity is astounding! Some students created and stayed with a common theme for their collection, while others simply explored different types of poetry. Finally, students reflected on their own work. The second project has been to develop a character and biography. The next step will be to write a story about their character interacting with another student's character. In order to do so, each character must be developed enough for another person to infer how they will act in unknown situations. We will be looking for clarity and detail in addition to creativity!
Science/Math
During science and math enrichment students are working at their own pace on 3 projects.
First they completed modules over how to properly use the internet for research projects. They completed 9 total models. Some of the topics were Avoiding plagiarism, Judging online information, citing your sources, and Getting More out of Google Search.
Once students completed the modules, they moved onto a science research topic of their choice. They had to come up with 5 questions about their topic and use the internet Safely and accurately to answer their research questions. They completed the project by creating a google slideshow with a cited sources page and presented it to the class.
Students that completed and presented their research projects have moved onto our mini-golf project
During the minigolf project students get to design their own mini-golf course. This project is cross curricular for math, language arts, engineering, and art. They have to create a business plan, design the course, set a budget to buy material, prices for tickets, and refreshment sales, they design a webpage and social media posts for advertisement. The final part of their project is when they actually build the ninth hole from their mini-golf course.
Mrs. Cook - 5th grade (all 5th grade WIN time)
Project 1: Students studied the history of windmills and how their energy works. Once they researched; they built, tested, and improved their windmills to see how many binder clips they could get their windmill to lift. This was definitely a trial and error project where students had to find a consistent way to get their blades to spin.
Project 2: We completed brain teasers where students were given popsicle sticks and a problem, then they had to solve the problem.
Project 3: We are still in the process of completing. We looked at different topics that were turning points in history during the American Revolution time period. We then chose and event or person to focus on and researched how that event or person was a turning point. Students are taking their research and creating a poster to share and present at the Hays History Day competition in January.
Parent Resources
There are so many resources these days for parents! Here are a few to get you started. The newest additions will be in bold at the top of each category.
Parenting Gifted Children 101: Tracy Ford Inman & Jana Kirchner
A Parent's Guide to Gifted Children - James T Webb
The Survival Guide for Parents of Gifted Kids: How to Understand, Live With, and Stick Up for Your Gifted Child - Sally Walker, PhD
Websites:
National Association for Gifted Children
Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented
Hoagies Gifted Education Page
https://www.hoagiesgifted.org/
Pod Casts:
https://educationaladvancement.org/grc/gifted-education-podcast/
Family Confidential: Guiding Gifted Kids
Terms you need to know!
Buzzword - Twice Exceptional
Buzzwords we have previously discussed
Depth and Complexity
Asyncronus Development
Ability Grouping
Compacting
Differentiation
Authentic Assessment
Overexcitability
Twice Exceptional
What is Gifted and Talented?
“Gifted and Talented student” means a child or youth who performs at or shows the potential for performing at a remarkably high level of accomplishment when compared to others of the same age, experience or environment and who:
- exhibits high-performance capability in an intellectual, creative or artistic area;
- possesses an unusual capacity for leadership; or
- excels in a specific academic field.
- Texas Education Code
This definition is now codified in The Texas State Plan for the Education of Gifted/Talented Students (Texas Education Agency, 2009), it is the basis for identification and services that must be provided for gifted and talented students in Texas.
“Gifted individuals are those who demonstrate outstanding levels of aptitude (defined as an exceptional ability to reason and learn) or competence (documented performance or achievement in top 10% or rarer) in one or more domains. Domains include any structured area of activity with its own symbol system (e.g., mathematics, music, language) and/or set of sensorimotor skills (e.g., painting, dance, sports).”
- National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC)
"The term ‘gifted and talented,” when used with respect to students, children, or youth, means students, children, or youth who give evidence of high achievement capability in such areas as intellectual, creative, artistic, or leadership capacity, or in specific academic fields, and who need services or activities not ordinarily provided by the school in order to fully develop those capabilities."
- Federal Definition
Questions/Concerns about GT at Negley?
General: Ms. Crowther or Ms. Estes
Testing: Dr. Cervantes, Ms. Taylor
District: Tish Cawley