First Grade Gifted & Talented
The first graders are learning a lot about themselves and others throughout the “Others & Me Unit”. They are exploring what makes each of them unique and special while expressing themselves through oral language, writing, and drawing. Students created “All About Me” t-shirts. They made “All About Me” glyphs. They wrote and illustrated poems that told about a friend. Upcoming projects include writing an acrostic poem and creating a puzzle that tells the story of how each child was given his/ her name. The writing process will start by making a plan at home. Students will be required to talk with parents about why they chose their names and record that information on a plan. The plans were used to write rough copies of text that will tell the story on a puzzle. The puzzle and story will include illustrations.
Second Grade Gifted & Talented
In the “Learning from the Past'” unit, the second graders participated in lessons and activities that taught them how archaeology can help interpret the past. Students learned first-hand that an archaeologist’s job requires creative, analytical, and problem solving skills in order to piece together a story that tells about the past. Students began the unit by talking about their own pasts. Each student brought in an object from his/her past. Students interviewed each other to find out about the object and to learn what it tells about his/her past.
One artifact that has the ability to tell us something about the past is a mask. Students looked at and read about masks from different cultures around the world. By learning what masks were used for and what they symbolized, students learned about the past lives of others. After completing their research, the second graders gathered materials from nature and each child created a mask that served a specific purpose. After much hard work, students presented each of their masks to their classmates and the masks were hung in as part of a “Mask Gallery”.
Our final project will be an archaeological dig. First students will study different parts of New Jersey. They will learn about the natural resources that are present in each part of the state, the types of land and water that could be found there, farming products, weather, and climate. Then each class will be assigned one of those areas. They will create artifacts that may have been left behind by some of the earliest settlers in that area. Once the artifacts are completed, students will pack boxes filled with layers of “dirt” along with the artifacts. Boxes will be traded between classes and students will carefully remove the “dirt”, unearthing the buried artifacts. Working as a team, students will examine all of the artifacts and determine which area of New Jersey they believe the box is from.
Third Grade Gifted & Talented
Third graders are preparing to write their very own fairy tales. In order to produce a well written and interesting fairy tale, students are engaging in writing assignments designed to improve the quality of their writing. They are using techniques such as alliteration, onomatopoeia and similes to make their writing more interesting. The third graders are reading, discussing and analyzing fairy tales. In doing so, students are becoming familiar with fairy tale story elements.
In an ongoing project, third graders are also learning all fifty states and their capitals. They are practicing states and capitals daily. We have been using computer games and other challenges to help them memorize all of the states and their capitals.