Listen to this biography of Michael Jordan before he became the GOAT. Did you know he wasn’t born a naturally gifted basketball player but had to practice and train to make his school’s team?

In this lesson, students investigate and learn more about how mail travels and the different careers involved with transporting mail. Students analyze the process of mail delivery and consider its importance. Why is it important to know how mail travels? Students will consider the perspectives of different postal workers.

In this lesson, students review creative thinking as we connect our learning to the phrase “thinking outside the box.” Students are introduced to “thinking inside the box” by watching a video about creative constraints. Students practice creative thinking as they view a series of pareidolia images. Pareidolia Definition: the illusory perception of meaningful patterns or images of familiar things in random or amorphous data, such as a face seen on the moon. In addition, students will be learning about the Cinquain poem and writing poetry about several innovators and inventions they learned about earlier in the year.

Students love diving into division using problems and tasks related to Hogwarts and the world of Harry Potter!! This lesson gives students the opportunity to review their fourth grade competency, self-management, through a forced association activity. They also utilize their critical thinking skills to solve multi-step division problems focused on the Hogwarts Express.

This month we will continue our work on advocacy with an anti-bullying lesson. Some of you may remember the boy in Florida who was bullied for creating his own UT t-shirt. When the University of Tennessee heard about the boy’s shirt, UT representatives offered to print the shirt with part of the profit going to an anti-bullying organization. Students will use information from a news story and an article to complete a Thinking Triangle about the topic. Throughout this lesson, students have a bullying discussion question frame and a multiple perspectives activity they may choose to work on in their classrooms.

Casey Lane, a Pennsylvania native, moved to Tennessee in 2006 to attend Maryville College—and it didn’t take long for her to fall in love with the Volunteer State. Now in her 12th year with KCS, she spent six years as a dedicated 3rd and 4th-grade teacher before stepping into her current role in the GT Department. As a gifted instructional coach and specialist, Casey’s favorite part of the job is the opportunity to build meaningful relationships with students, teachers, administrators, and parents at schools across the district.

Outside of work, Casey stays busy with her husband and their energetic 2.5-year-old daughter, Sutton. An animal lover, she fully embraces their “urban wilderness” lifestyle in South Knoxville, sharing her home with two dogs and caring for five outdoor cats. In her free time, she enjoys reading and watching movies—especially anything scary!

Did you know that Knoxville has over 60 miles of trails and greenways? Knoxville’s Urban Wilderness is an outdoor adventure area where you can hike, bike, climb, or paddle in nature. Click on the picture to learn more about this gem right here.

Click below to view the KCS Gifted and Talented website.