GT LEADers

December edition

Thank you to all the families that were able to attend the "Meet and Greet" Wednesday evening.  I was delighted to see so many faces that resemble the EXACT face I get to teach each week.  Thank you for your time during this busy time of the year!  And special thank you to Mrs. Roberson for her time in planning the event, serving Cannon as the SAGE representative and for recognizing the importance of our meeting.

Special guest, Nash.....wonder if this precious, young man is a future LEADer in my classroom?
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2 WEEKS OF NO GT CLASS 

OVER THE BREAK?!?

Several parents have asked for ideas about activities that can keep their talented child occupied during quiet moments over the two week break. 

Here are some fun and engaging experiences:

1.  All LEAD students can SCAMPER something, such as an ornament or even the way the family celebrates the holiday season together.   Ask them to substitute, combine, adapt, magnify/minify, put to another use, elaborate/elimate, or reverse/rearrange some characteristic about a family tradition!  They'll love it!

2.  Brainstorm ideas as a family, to see how many holiday words you can each come up with and compare ideas.  You can brainstorm Hanukkah, Ramadan, Kwanzaa or Christmas breakfast or dinner ideas.  Or you can brainstorm as many ideas for holiday activities that can be done in the backyard.  The goal here is to create fluency, but fun is a free, added bonus!

3.  What's In The Box is a fun way to develop questions about a mysterious item in a sealed box.  Perhaps you can hide some holiday item that celebrates a tradition or memory that is special to your family.  This is played like "20 questions" where they ask simple questions that elicit a "yes" or "no" reply until the mysterious item is finally figured out.

4.  Encourage your child to jump into a great book!  Here are some ideas that can be read aloud or silently.

1st grade:  Chris Van Allsburg books,
Janet Steven's books,
Shel Silverstein books,
Bad Case of the Stripes by David Shannon

2nd grade:  Roald Dahl books,
The World According to Humphrey by Betty Birnery

3rd grade:  Amulet by Kazu Kibuishi,
Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

4th grade:  Because of Mr. Terupt by Robuyea,
Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo,
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate,
Wonder by R. J. Palacio,

5th grade:  The Keeping Room by Anna Myers, or
Eliza's Freedom Road by Jerdine Nolen,
Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper

Thank you to the Lamas family for the "coolest gift ever," 

according to 2nd graders....HEX BUGS....the kids loved them!

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I want to take this moment to wish all of you a very special Christmas and holiday season.  My family is planning to go snow skiing in Wolf Creek, Colorado for a few days, and then we will return home just in time to greet Santa on Christmas morning. For New Year's Eve, we will attend a friend's wedding, but mostly we will give great thanks for all the blessings of 2015.  

Being at Cannon Elementary as a GT LEAD Specialist will be at the top of that list!

GT LEADers in Action!
November 2nd edition

The depth and complexity continues to grow in LEAD.  Our talented scholars are realizing that Mrs. Gable is looking for ideas and responses DAILY that are innovative and unique!  In other words, the majority of the world would not think of the same answer.  What a delight it is to see the students using metacognition to reflect on their own thinking!  Man, I love my job!

1st Grade enjoyed a lovely little book called My Dog Is As Smelling As Dirty Socks to see the power of similes in describing characters.  Just wait until you see the similes they wrote about their families.  At first you were just "stick people," but look at your now....some mothers are as brilliant as diamonds, but some fathers snore as loud as trains!  First grade also attempted XVO puzzles, Draw Starts and Perplexor logic problems independently.

1st grade using SCAMPER Strategies to minify, magnify, elaborate
or substitute something on their pumpkin masterpieces.

2nd grades' brains continue to grow as we learn new experiences.  The pathways between our neurons becomes stronger and stronger as we practice getting better over time with new skills, such as cursive writing, algorithms, gymnastics, etc.  We are also discovering that the more we persevere through challenges, the more stamina in our brains we build.  Next week we will write goals focusing on our growth-minded thinking by using the word "yet" in our goals.

We love the new pillows, Mrs. Lamas!  Thank you.

Brainiac, Alex (2nd grade) modeled how his brain functioned after learning a new skill.

3rd grade faced a "hair tangling" challenge by solving Tangler Problems in a small group.  They were forced to listen and focus intently by the clues that were shared by their teammates.  After organizing their data, they had to decide as a team which information was irrelevant and which was purposeful to solving the challenge.  Next, they used SCAMPER Strategies to appreciate all the design and creativity that altered my "clunky desk phone, laptop computer and 35 mm camera," into a modern, hand-held, cordless iPhone.  Next week students will become CEOs of a styrofoam cup company to design a new and improved cup that will prevent the company from going bankrupt and having to layoff employees.....lots of responsibility, for sure.

4th grade presented their Texas Our Texas PBL commercials today.  Their job was to research a specific region of Texas and to develop an ad campaign that encouraged others to want to visit that region.  (After seeing the presentations today, my family will struggle trying to narrow it down which regions we should travel to first next summer as a family.)  The scholars did a terrific job!  Like any group project, however, they also witnessed first hand that group work is never easy....getting along with others, sharing ideas and resources, putting leadership skills to the test, etc.  Wonderful reflection after the presentations allowed the children to see what they overcame and succeeded in.

5th grade continued to "zoom in" on their research topic for their SPARK Talks, and they were introduced to incorporating the STAR Idea (Student Taking Active Responsibility) in their projects.  Not only are they being asked to create a powerfully moving speech about their selected topic, but it is also my hope they find a creative way to positively impact the community or the world through their actions and/or awareness.

ATTENTION KINDERGARTEN PARENTS:  It is time for parents to refer their Kindergarten children for GT LEAD.  The window lasts from Monday, Nov. 9th-Nov. 20.  This is a direct link to the parent referral forms.  Please pass this information to other families that might be interested in the LEAD Program.  Thank you.

http://gcisdtraining.wikispaces.com/file/view/GT+Parent+Inventory+2015.pdf

GT LEADers in Action!

October 23, 2015 edition

First of all, special thanks to Spring Creek Barbecue for hosting family dinner night in Grapevine.  It was so great to see the kids and pass out hot rolls.  I took home a dozen for my hungry family, too!  
SCB is very generous to schools and teachers, so I am truly grateful to them!

ATTENTION KINDERGARTEN PARENTS:  Next Thursday, October 29 at 6:00 pm is the Kindergarten LEAD Identification Informational Meeting at the Panther Den of the Professional Development Education Center on Colleyville Boulevard.  Please join us to learn of the referral and identification process in LEAD.  


Guess what we've been up to this week?

1st grade got their creative juices flowing by using SCAMPER strategies. Successful businesses employ these ideas to improve, adapt, adjust, minimize or maximize their products, based on market trends or needs.  It is an essential part of product development and customer service.  First graders used SCAMPER strategies to modify and improve a pumpkin image.  Bravo on the masterpieces! We also brainstormed, and then exercised problem solving skills with grid logic challenges. 

2nd grade began a fascinating study on the brain.  We made predictions about what the brain looked like and observed a short film showing how our brains compared to other species' brains.  Clearly our brains are not the largest on earth, but they are, by far, the most complex, with the ability to empathize and understand fairness, perseverance and courage.  Research will continue next week, as we look at short-term memory and functionality of the brain.

Orange you glad we wore orange today?

3rd grade worked on grid logic challenges and completed the final missing piece in the Think Like a Disciplinarian unit, by importing "selfies" into images of adults doing the profession they selected. Who knew Dr. Seuss could be a girl???  We will present our discipline research projects next week.  Time to stand on the stage and practice our presentation skills.  Dress for success on Tuesday!

4th grade using deductive logic to solve puzzles.

4th grade has been busy doing research for Texas Our Texas PBL. Students are working in small groups to develop a television commercial that brags about the resources, attractions and reasons for Texas pride in their assigned regions.  The 4th grade teachers are excited for our LEAD students to share their projects with the regular classroom, as it's a wonderful extension of what's going on in their social studies curriculum. Don't mess with Texas!

5th graders visiting Blendspace.com to SPARK ideas.

5th grade discussed TED Talks (Technology, Entertainment and Design) and how they motivate, inspire or educate their audiences.  The students were then told they would get to create speeches of their own, and we will call them SPARK Talks (speaking passionately about real-world problems....because Mrs. Gable doesn't have a multi-million dollar budget like TED does!)  We will work on these speeches for several weeks, focusing on the essential elements of an independent quality product:  research, technology, organization and giving a professional presentation.

Research is a lot more fun with friends on a comfy learning space!

Everyone, stay dry this weekend!  Looks like baseball, swim team, 2 birthday parties, cheerleading and choir tryouts will likely be on hold at my house!

Melanie Gable

Parents, here's the powerpoint notes from Curriculum Night for GT LEAD.   

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/19MRj9pAdmxR4XPNorz5E6t6qb_gsLuxrHT-mo-EqcK4/edit#slide=id.p4

Here is the survey link.  (The LEAD teachers across the district are looking for parents who are willing to serve as "experts" in different fields or professions for 5th grade students who are researching their individual passions or future careers.  The interviews could be in person, over the phone, through email or Skype.)

http://goo.gl/forms/HpWDoRL8PL

GT LEADers in Action

October 2nd edition

Our week was terrific with lots of brainstorming, fluency and original thinking!

1st grade showed their creativity through draw starts and brainstorming.  They were challenged to show originality in the ideas they could "see" on the draw start of their picture.  We evaluated each others, looking for ideas to spark our own imagination.  Brainstorming was about the color BLUE and all the various ideas we could generate. That's fluency!

2nd grade was involved in archeological teams that had to reconnect the "remains" of an extinct animal.  Their challenge was to create the species, name it and next week they will present the animal's story as a group.

2nd grade archeologists sharing resources.

3rd grade continued with their academic discipline research.  They focused on using the language of the discipline and began developing quality research questions, all the while, remembering what great thinkers do.  Finally, they set up Frayer Models to organize their notes for next week's career investigations.

4th grade had some deep thinking through logical number problems that included complex numeral thinking.  (Don't tell them, but it also had a little Algebra in it!  sshhhh.....)  The draw starts were remarkable as the students focused on adding details to elaborate their designs.  Finally, I conferenced with most of the students to look closely at their selected goal for this year.  

5th grade completed most of the Apps (which connected their Intellectual Trait to the App design model they created).  Students added details/descriptions and wrote three "personal" reviews from "users" of the App.  The completed Apps will be posted on our giant gPAD that is posted in the room.  Please feel invited to come see it any time.  They will present their App to the class next week in a convincing 1 minute power presentation, much like the show Shark Tank.  Let the bidding wars begin!

"Mark Cuban, do I hear $3 million for these Apps?"

GT LEADers in action!

The first week of regularly scheduled g/t classes have gone beautifully.  The children are so excited to be a part of the program, and I am equally as thrilled to be discovering and learning with them!  We were busy setting up some of the Google Classroom sites, setting up some of the classroom notebooks, and getting started with our curriculum.  Though the content taught at each grade level is unique, the overarching skills addressed in the program are:

     developing critical thinking,

     enhancing creative thinking,

     research skills,

     independent study skills,

     problem solving, and

     leadership skills.

In 1st grade we focused on our personal traits and compared and contrasted those to unique and gifted characters in stories.  We looked at ourselves through the lens of others, trying to understand how other people might view and/or understand why we are who we are.  We also practiced problem solving through awesome challenges called XVO.

2nd grade was busy using FFOE skills to brainstorm ideas with fluency, flexibility, originality and elaboration to generate ideas.  Problem solving was utilized in challenges called Perplexors.  Ask them how to play Alien, Tiger, Cow at a your next family gathering!

5 minute brainstorming in action

3rd grade showed their leadership skills by working cooperatively in a group settting.  They used their FFOE skills in brainstorming a complex term.  And they were challenged to evaluate clues to solve a problem.  We also completed an interest inventory to get to know who they are better.

4th grade reflected on "mistakes" they've made in the past (and the lessons learned), and were invited to select one they felt comfortable blogging about on Google Classroom.  Their brains were stretched when they were then faced with writing a double acrostic poem about their topic.  Ask them how easy it was....not!

Noticing the stage in the classroom for the first time!

Fabulous 5th graders analyzed the term "expert" after creating a list of their most favorite passions and interests.  They will design an App next week that encompasses their ultimate passion and their Intellectual Traits, as outlined in class.  Additionally, they solved Quotation Quizzlers, and that was a class favorite!

Parents, I will try my best to update you weekly or so on the exciting things we're doing at Cannon.  

Thank you to the families that have generously donated to my project on DonorsChoose.  I am so grateful that you share the vision I have for an engaging and inspiring learning center for gifted kids. This is an amazing place, and I'm overjoyed to be here!

Melanie Gable

GT LEAD Teacher