Welcome to GATE Gifted and Talented Education Language

Welcome to GATE! Gifted and Talented Education Language Arts 2015 -2016

Quotes to ponder… • It is not enough to have a good mind; the main thing is • • to use it well. – Rene Descartes Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night. – Edgar Allan Poe Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow. – Ronald E. Osborn What happens to the rat that stops running the maze? The doctors think it's dumb when it's just disappointed. – Mark Eitzel Give me rigor or give me mortis! – Michael Clay Thompson

About me… • Grew up in Northeast Ohio • Went to Westminster College in New Wilmington, PA • B. A. in Elementary Education • Moved to Colorado • Taught 4 th and 5 th graders for 6 years • M. A. in Curriculum with an emphasis in Gifted Education • Was a building and district administrator for 5 years • IB and STEM experience • Moved Back to Ohio • 6 th year here in Bexley

• Superior Cognitive Ability Gifted Criteria Why is my child in this class? • Two standard deviations above the mean • OLSAT test (126+) • In. View/COGAT(128+) • AND • Specific Academic Ability • At or above 95 th% in Total Reading • Terra Nova/Stanford Tests

Schedule • 4 th and 5 th grades 70 minutes of Language Arts All 5 days! • 10: 00 -11: 10 am • 6 th grade • 12: 55 -2: 05 pm • Before and after GATE • Teacher consult • Classroom support k-6 • Math focus

What are we trying to do in GATE? • Instruct them in Reading and Writing first and foremost, but…also… • • • Give them time each day with intellectual peers Have a focus on critical thinking Accelerate the pace of instruction, but also deepen their thinking Challenge them with the rigor of the subject matter Build their ability to express their thinking through writing and speaking • Help their social/emotional development as it relates to their giftedness • Provide chances to be creative • Practice functioning in both ambiguity and structure

Units of Study 4 th/5 th grade • Reading • Mystery/critical thinking • Character studies • Historical Fiction • Non-fiction • Poetry • Fairy Tales/Folk Tales • Social Issues

Units of Study • Writing • Narratives/Folklore 4 th/5 th grade • Personal Narratives/memoirs • Non-fiction articles/reports • Poetry • Opinion essays • Literary essays

• Reading Units of Study 6 th grade • • Mythology Utopias Mystery diseases Historical Interdisciplinary Project • Poetry • Writing • Research • Poetry • Opinion/Literary essays • Historical Fiction • Memoirs • Mythology

• Monday Musings Routines • Quotes for discussion and items to ponder or to be amazed by • Translating Tuesdays • Looking at similes, metaphors, idioms and word play • Wednesdays • Wordy Wednesdays-expand our vocabulary in a variety of ways • Cartoons, dictations, sentences, Greek and Latin roots • Writing Wednesdays-creative writing assignment over several days • Thinking Thursdays • Activities for creative thinking-puzzles, debates, etc. • EIC-Editor In Chief. They should strive to do their best. It is about growth, not perfection. • Defend yourself Fridays • An opportunity to practice some extemporaneous speaking and/or quick writing on an opinion topic

Expectations • Reading at home about 20 -30 minutes each evening. Sometimes I will have books for them; sometimes they will have their choice. • Posting in books as well as creating reader’s notebooks throughout the year. • They all have writing workshop times in their homerooms to work on our writing assignments. That is what they are expected to do. It is not a study hall for them to do other work. They should do GATE work at that time. • Students write all their work in their assignment book before they leave class and I sign it. • That they give their very best-even when it is tough

What to have for class… ü Folder ü Book to Read ü Assignment Notebook Travel Daily Travels Daily ü Writer’s notebook ü Reader’s notebook Travels as needed, but frequently ü Binder Stays Here for references Travels Daily

Formative Grading Informs my instruction Looking for patterns and growth • Daily work receives checkmarks with +/- • • Check plus means excellent and above expectations A check alone means meeting expectations Check minus means there is some work to do to meet expectations Fractions may be used for homework, quizzes, etc. • Usually out of 4 • 1 or 2 meaning students need some more work in this area • 3 means they are right on target • 4 means exceptional work • EIC • Students get As or Bs or Ns depending on how many they missed

Summative Grading • • Larger tasks/projects/final pieces • • Help determine larger portion of grades • Grades are letter grades typically based off rubrics. Percentage and letter grade may not correlate. Students are being asked to perform at very high levels. I do not punish them grade wise for taking risks or if the instruction/direction was unclear for the whole class. End of units tasks: writing pieces, presentations, tests, and other products Report card-A, B, C, etc. • All students receive an A or a B unless they are failing to complete work. • • Heavy on Thinking Skills/Problem Solving Ratings from 4 to 1 on subskills

Conferences v Sign up with your homeroom teacher first. v I will try to join your homeroom as it helps give me a well-rounded picture of your kiddo and hopefully saves you a trip. v Where there are conflicts, I will contact you to set another time.

Communication • I will try to send home a weekly email summarizing, highlighting and forecasting our happenings • If you haven't received an email from me yet, send me a quick email and I can add you. • Check the assignment book regularly • Email or call anytime • Carrie. corlew@bexleyschools. org