Parents Need Information, Too

Several weeks ago our district had a parent information meeting.  After reading through some of their forms, it reminded me of the power of sharing information with parents.   This idea reminded me of this blog that seems to get put aside.  I guess one reason the blog gets put aside is the idea of the “other needs” for our children.  Parent questions and needs are also critical for those of us raising children with advanced potential, and I feel like the blog is a great way to feed information to parents.  Shout out to our amazing parents for reminding me of this!

One question that seemed to pop out at me (with the Holidays around the corner) was, “How do we keep little Suzie (not a real person) engaged at home?”  Parents also noted the need for more help with increasing their child’s perseverance.  The first thing that popped into my mind was ThinkFun Games.  The games from this company offer critical thinking opportunities that are actually fun!  Some games can be played alone.

Check out their website.

Think Fun Games

Another thing that popped into my mind was coding.  One app I really like is LightBot.  I like this because when students “run” the program it becomes a “self-checking” device.  Students have to figure out what they did wrong.  This game also provides students with some basic knowledge about coding.  Check it out.

LightBot

Two other great places to find games…

MindWare

Fat Brain Toys

Providing games, building blocks, science kits, etc., that require imagination, thinking, and/or revisiting the problem give students an opportunity to build critical thinking skills and perseverance that will nurture potential and increase student success in many areas.  And…it’s fun.

If you have a child who likes to opt out of challenge, you may have to play the games with them and not allow your child to quit playing.  Set a timer, have your child attempt for that amount of time, and then let them walk away.  They need to revisit the challenge at a later time.

So look into some of these games to engage your children at home, but also, make them READ a BOOK.  That’s a soapbox for another day.

 

Organizing Your Thinking

As I was looking online for tools/resources for some current projects, I came across this nice little clutter free resource for thinking maps.  I haven’t used the “double bubble” map much, and it intrigued me.  I’ll be looking for a way to use it in the near future.

Remember that mind maps/graphic organizers help organize thinking.  This builds metacognition when we are strategic with the organizers we select.  Often times, high ability learners struggle with organization (not just their desks).  They swim in conceptual thinking and can have trouble organizing all those ideas.  Pairing purpose with organizers will give the high ability learners tools for becoming more of an autonomous learner.  It’s important for study skills, note taking, and articulating thoughts.  What a great reminder of thinking about thinking!

I’ve missed this blog! 🙂

Thinking Maps

National Parenting Gifted Children Week 2014

Check out the opportunities provided by the National Association for Gifted Children.  There are archived webinars and convention presentations that might interest you!

http://www.nagc.org/resources-publications/resources-parents/national-parenting-gifted-children-week-2014

Why Do We Make School Boring?

What boy wouldn’t like doing math if you used LEGOS?  Look what I stumbled upon today.  I love to find those ideas that 1) create instant engagement and 2) make our jobs easier!

Are we afraid kids might accidentally have fun?  Wouldn’t that be a crime.  When did learning become a “school” thing instead of a “life” thing?  Step out of the box.  The world is depending on you.

LEGOs Build Math Concepts

More ideas with LEGOs.

Quest

(This could become an activity to use for curriculum compacting.)

Great Expectations

After recently reading a blog, I began to wonder if the kiddos we are with every day know and understand what our expectations really mean and when is it enough?  The idea of having to live up to someone else’s expectation without a break seems exhausting. Pressure.  Too much of it begins to work against us.  So how can we push our kids without pushing them over the edge?  I like these.  It’s a real good start.

Simple expectations of children…

1) Learn to work hard

2) Put forth reasonable effort at learning and facing challenges

3) Maintain a healthy perspective on what you can and cannot do in your life

Fabulous.  Gee these are good for the “big” kids, too.

Read the rest of the blog.  It will give you language to help kids know it’s okay to not be perfect.  Reassure your children and affirm their value.  You’ll make someone’s day!  Someone’s life.

Great Expectations Original Post

VTS

I’m done after this.  But trust me, you’ll like this.  Check out the video that shows VTS with CCSS.

Visual Thinking

“Caption”less?

Quick cool idea!

What’s Going On in This Picture?

My brain is going crazy with the possibilities…especially since writing and research seems to be such a tough area on TCAP.  Let me know if you use this and how!!!

 

Yo, Yo Listen Up ‘Cuz I Can’t Rap

But Flocabulary can!!  While I was at John Pittard last week, Mrs. Stone shared two websites she has been using in her class.  Check them out!  & THANK YOU Mrs. Stone.

Sample from Flocabulary

http://learnzillion.com

DBQ (plus curriculum compacting)

Bet you don’t know what THAT means.  Neither did I.  I was doing some digging online, looking for resources to help teachers learn more about Curriculum Compacting because the 5th grade teachers at Cason Lane and I are planning to get together this week to collaborate.  I ran into this website, and I really liked what she had to say about curriculum compacting.  So I decided to continue to explore her webpage.

Then I saw the DBQ.  I scrolled through the document because I had never heard of it.  It stands for Document Based Question.  Okay.  The concept isn’t new.  Got it.  But listen to this!!  The assignment was about comparing and contrasting.  The students were given a brief description of an event at the mall.  Several “witnesses” had comments.  The students had to compare and contrast all the statements to decide what REALLY happened at the mall and write a thesis.  How cool is that!!

DBQ_Mall

Since I also mentioned compacting…here’s some good information about it and Carolyn Coil’s website.

Curriculum Compacting

CCSS Units with TEXT Suggestions!!!

The other day, Sheri Arnette told me about a website.  I happened upon it this morning and was amazed at the possibilities it offered.  I haven’t had an opportunity to dig deeply, but from my surface skim, this could give you a plethora of ideas!!  I like how it gives suggested texts, but I LOVE how it breaks the modules into a scaffold approach.

The way I stumbled onto it was through a resource page from another county in the state.  It had some items worth exploring.

Sullivan County

EngageNY is the website Sheri shared with me.  It is found here.

Enjoy!