Sage Department: Elementary Level
Sage is a program for students who are identified to have a substantial need for further abstract, creative and global thinking experiences. In Sage, we encourage children to take academic risks that they might not be comfortable sharing with their classmates in the regular classroom. We challenge students to think of unique and original ideas, and to take pride in their creative work rather than simply look for a correct and safe answer. We learn about who we are as learners through the lens of Multiple Intelligences by Dr. Howard Gardner, and how to approach problems using the 16 Habits of Mind by Dr. Art Costa. We also teach children ways that they can successfully advocate for their needs in the regular classroom.
P.E.T.S. is a systematized enrichment and diagnostic thinking skills program that stands for Primary Education Thinking Skills. Lessons are presented in convergent analysis, divergent synthesis, visual/spatial thinking, and evaluation, suitable for grades K-3. The program aligns to the higher levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy.
Habits of Mind are dispositions people use when confronted with problems and situations to which answers are not immediately apparent. When we draw upon these intellectual resources, the results that are produced are more powerful, of higher quality and of greater significance than if we fail to employ those intellectual behaviors.
Project Spotlight: Abstract Selfie Sculptures
Students recognized social and emotional characteristics and needs within themselves and represented them in a “Selfie Sculpture.” These scultpures represent each student as an individual while encouraging creativity and a sense of community in our classroom.
Eleven areas or lenses of Depth and Complexity thinking have been identified:
- Discipline
- Details
- Patterns
- Rules
- Trends
- Unanswered Questions
- Ethics
- Big Idea
- Over Time
- Multiple Perspectives, and
- Across Disciplines
Each area has each assigned a symbol that forms a Depth and Complexity Icons. In short, the Depth and Complexity Framework helps students develop the ability to analyze and evaluate more deeply. In turn, students are able to develop a more complex understanding and discover creative solutions that improve the world.