NEGLEY GT

At Negley, we cluster our students into classes. This means there are between 3 and 8 students in a GT teacher's classroom. Our teachers differentiate the curriculum on a daily basis for each subject. Differentiation can happen by process, content, or product.

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.

• The District's Spring G/T Magazine is full of great information!

Spring District G/T Magazine - English

Spring District G/T Magazine - Spanish

• Please Nominate an amazing teacher for the G/T Spotlight Award: GT Teacher Spotlight Award

• Parents and Guardians: Please fill out this District Survey when you have a chance: Parent Survey

• Also, CLICK HERE for the link to the summer opportunities presentation. There are some wonderful opportunities for your child to participate in this summer.

• Students are working hard to showcase projects and activities for the Negley G/T IDEAS Showcase on Thursday, May 9th from 5:30 - 6:30.

G/T Website: The district G/T website is titled G/T: At Home Learning Resources. It can be viewed at THIS LINK.

I am a graduate of Texas State University and hold an Undergraduate Degree and Masters Degree in Education. I am currently in my 16th year of teaching, all of which I have been a proud Negley Navigator! I am currently the STEAM teacher. Prior to teaching STEAM, I was a 3rd and 2nd grade teacher. Ever since I was a little girl I wanted to be a teacher. I qualified for the Gifted & Talented Program as a Kindergarten student. As a child, my entire educational experience was in classroom environments that fostered our creativity and allowed our learning to blossom. I have great memories of the different teachers, books, projects, and engaging activities. Being able to connect with other gifted and talented students, understand their excitement of learning, and foster their specific interests, has always inspired me as a teacher. Each student served, has such unique talents and needs. I have truly enjoyed enhancing their education over the years. I have had the wonderful opportunity to serve on the GT Selection Committee, be a GT Cluster Teacher for over ten years, serve as a member of the GT Vertical Team, attend the Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented (TAGT) Conference, and currently serve as the GT Liaison for Negley. I look forward to another wonderful year and sharing my passion of teaching with our students and colleagues.

Take a look at these grade levels!

This semester in 3rd grade we learned about If/Then statements with Marty the Robot. For example: IF Marty sees the color green, THEN he moves 4 steps forward. Groups programmed Marty to navigate through a maze they designed and later built out of paper and cereal boxes.

After successfully completing that challenge, 3rd grade GT students took a deep dive into Ancient Egypt. We studied famous pharaohs and life thousands of years ago. We compared and contrasted Ancient Egypt with Texas today. The students built 3D pyramids and created their own dynasties. Then, students crafted a pharaoh and wrote a persuasive brochure in the point of view of that character.

This spring, 2nd graders have been busy enriching their learning through the use of personalized learning in the form of projects. Students are in the process of completing a short-term and long-term project. Our short-term project encompassed the subjects of writing and science, and our long-term project was for our math core subject. Within these projects, students have to analyze, think critically, problem-solve, and collaborate with peers to create the end product. The descriptions of the project-based learning extensions are as follows:

Short-Term Project: Animal Research - A short term project is a project that is completed in three weeks or less. Students were given the choice to pick an animal of their choice to research. They had to research the animals' appearance, habitat, diet, and interesting facts. Once they were finished researching, students had to write an essay paraphrasing the facts they found without plagiarizing.

Long-Term Project: Creating a Zoo - A long-term project is a project that is completed for longer than three weeks. Students are building a zoo using a spiral review of the following math concepts learned in 2nd grade: addition and subtraction within 1,200, linear measurement, area, telling time, geometry, fractions, counting coins, and collecting/graphing data. Students had to create a budget to purchase animals, use measurement and area to create zoo grounds, design a zoo keeper’s schedule, create a new exhibit to feature at the zoo, figure out how much each animal eats, calculate revenue, and analyze the effectiveness of the business.

Here's a peek into the awesome projects we've been diving into this semester:

1. 3D Printing Fun: We kicked things off by getting hands-on with Tinkercad, where our kids unleashed their inner designers to create their very own 3D ice cream trucks. Watching those creations come to life on the printer was pure magic!

2. Bridges Galore: Ever wondered how those big ol' bridges stay standing? Us too! That's why we dove into the world of bridges, doing some deep digging into how they're made and what makes 'em tick.

3. Building Bridges (Literally!): Now, we're not just talking the talk, we're walking the walk! Our students are getting their hands dirty (figuratively, of course) building truss bridges. It's all about teamwork, problem-solving, and a whole lotta fun!

4. Pick Your Passion: But wait, there's more! Our classroom is a hive of activity, with students diving into all sorts of cool projects. Think Law activities, making math and science flashcards, creating welcome guides, drawing up educational posters, you name it! If it's fun and educational, we're all over it.

Let me say it has been so much fun working with your kiddos. I hope they are having just as much fun as I am. We finished up our unit on thermal energy. Now we are working on a giant unit that has been covering volume, area, perimeter, art, engineering, technology, and NOW we are going to throw in some science.

We started by creating a volume zoo where students made a 3D zoo animal out of boxes where they had to build, wrap, and find the volume of their animal. They then created a mini 2D zoo map where they had to provide a minimum area and perimeter per habitat and map it all out. Our next activity led us to our computers where we got on Tinkercad and designed our 3D animal on a much smaller scale. Once these are all printed, they will then get to color in their animals and use them in our final step of the unit.

This final step is where the students research what ecosystem their animal comes from. They will research that particular ecosystem as well as the animal to find out what helps that animal/ecosystem thrive and what the threats may be (natural and human). Students will then create a digital presentation of their ecosystem and animal, followed by building a diorama where they will use their 3D printed animal.

Students in Cauble and White's class finished their popsicle bridge project. Requirements for their Truss Bridge were that they use no more than 80 popsicle sticks to build a bridge that measures over 30cm in length and can hold two 5-pound bricks. Students used their knowledge of triangulation to design their bridges to be strong enough to bear 10 pounds of weight.

In addition, each student selected a famous bridge from around the world, ranging from iconic landmarks like the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco to architectural wonders like the Tower Bridge in London. They spent time learning about their bridge's background, investigating its construction, architectural style, historical significance, and cultural impact. Once the research phase was complete, the students were tasked with the job of creating a slideshow presentation. Using google slides, they carefully curated a mix of captivating images, detailed diagrams, and informative text to narrate the story of their chosen bridge.

Many of our GT students have also been spending time with our librarian for Battle of the Books or working on independent assignments and projects during their GT time.

Bridges, bridges, bridges! Students spent the majority of this semester immersed in their bridge projects. They researched famous and noteworthy bridges and presented their findings to the class. Students then investigated some engineering concepts and concluded that the triangle is the strongest shape, which is why they are so prevalent in the bridges we researched. Equipped with this knowledge, students designed and constructed their own bridges. They were given 80 popsicle sticks and glue guns to build a bridge which could support 10 lbs. Presentation day was definitely exciting!

In addition, students have been developing and adding to their digital portfolios. Students cannot wait to share them with you.

First graders have been busy this spring! They completed passion projects, which were creative and informative. There was an interactive "mini" mini golf game that taught the rules of golf, a basketball set to practice shooting, a video about Peter Brown and a flower shop with a grand opening featuring Taylor Swift!

Additionally, they have planned and created leprechaun traps and a farm. For their farms, they made informed decisions based on a given budget and knowledge of farm animals through research.

Our final project will be a research presentation of a chosen topic in PebbleGo.

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.

Books:

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

http://www.nagc.org

Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented

https://www.txgifted.org/

Hoagies Gifted Education Page

https://www.hoagiesgifted.org/

Pod Casts:

https://educationaladvancement.org/grc/gifted-education-podcast/

Family Confidential: Guiding Gifted Kids

Giftedness Knows No Boundaries

Check out this link for all the GT buzzwords you need to know!

https://nagc.org/page/glossary

According to IQ measurements, the following labels are generally accepted:

• Bright - 115 and above •

Gifted - 130 and above •

Highly gifted - 145 and above •

Exceptionally gifted -160 and above •

Profoundly gifted - 175 and above

Depth and Complexity

Asyncronus Development

Ability Grouping

Compacting

Differentiation

Authentic Assessment

Overexcitability

Twice Exceptional

“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

Academics: Your child's teacher

General: Ms. Crowther or Ms. Estes

Testing: Dr. Cervantes, Ms. Taylor

District: Tish Cawley