VBPS Gifted and Talented Program Newsletter 2007/2008 Volume 2

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NEWS FROM
THE 11/13/07 GPA MEETING

The topic of the GT parent group meeting in November was “Competition and Games for Gifted Children.” The discussion centered on the purposes for games, how to select appropriate games for bright children, and the positive and negative aspects of competition.

Good games and toys for gifted children should:

• Encourage higher-order thinking skills.
• Provide unique approaches to creative problem solving.
• Promote cooperative learning and competitive fun.
• Build visual-spatial, logical-mathematical, verbal-linguistic, and personal intelligences.
• Captivate and challenge the mind.
• Intrigue and stimulate the child’s imagination.
• Teach a skill, strategy, or deductive reasoning.

(Not every game will have all these qualities!)

Parents were given resources for finding quality and unique toys and games including:

MindWare (www.mindwareonline.com) and Bright Ideas (www.awpeller.com).

Remember – Parents and children can make up many creative games that can teach and reinforce many skills and learning processes!

School psychologist, Katie Lamb, discussed the topic of competition. She mentioned many things that children can gain from being involved in competition:

• Provide opportunities for fun.
• Learn new skills, time management, self-discipline, and good sportsmanship.
• Spend time with friends and improve social skills.
• Learn that success can hinge upon how well you work with others.

She advised parents to be role models for their children in the area of competition. While competition has its positive aspects, there can be a downside when winning and losing become a child’s only goals. Parents need to foster a healthy self-esteem for their child, encouraging their efforts and helping them to understand that enjoying an activity does not mean that you have to be the best at it. The ultimate goal is to have self-confidence, to treat everyone with courtesy and respect, to realize that what is important is to put forth the best effort possible, and to realize that sustained effort leads to improved performance. Mrs. Lamb suggested that parents read books with their children about winning and losing to help children better understand and relate to these ideas.

Come and Watch the 5th Grade Play!

High School Musical

Date: Wednesday, Dec. 19

Time: 6:30 PM

Location: Tyler Cafeteria

Performed by the fifth graders in
Ms. Andrew’s & Mr.Hunwick’s GT Classes

News from the Coordinator

We’re well into the second marking period, and there are many exciting activities happening in all the GT classes. The students are so fortunate to have such creative, dedicated, and energetic teachers.

Most of the elementary teachers have had a day to meet with me and the consultant from Wayne County RESA to continue working on our curriculum writing project for the GT Program. Third grade teachers will be meeting on November 27, and middle school teachers will have their professional development days in January. Some great ideas are coming from these sessions!

Referral packets for the 2008/2009 school year will be available in January. Please inform anyone who might be interested. Also remember that we have a GT cluster in kindergarten; so if you know of a child ready to start kindergarten in September, s/he can be tested this winter.

We’re always looking for ways to improve our program and welcome your ideas, suggestions, and input. Please feel free to contact me anytime you have questions or comments.

Barbara Woody
734-697-6370
bwoodygt@yahoo.com

GPA (Gifted Parents Association)
2007/08 Meeting Schedule

The parent group meets on the second Tuesday of the month from 7:00 – 8:30 PM in the Tyler Media Center. (That’s a fancy word for “Library.”) The dates for 2008 are:

• January 15
• February 12
• March 11
• April 8
• May 13

Because of everyone’s busy schedules, there will not be a GPA meeting in December. The next meeting will be Tuesday, January 15, at 7:00 PM in the Tyler Media Center. We’re going to have a lot of fun viewing film clips of movies and discussing how Hollywood depicts gifted children. This should make for some stimulating discussion!

The January 15 meeting is “A Night at the Movies.” After viewing several film clips, the discussion will center on how gifted children are portrayed by Hollywood, and how a goal or vision can lead to success for gifted individuals. (We might even have popcorn!)

These meetings are for YOU! Come and be heard Share your suggestions. Bring your ideas – we need to hear from parents from every grade level, including middle school!

Online Resources

The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development posted two web sites that are great to use for help with math homework:

• Math.com (http://math.com/)


• The University of Cambridge (http://nrich.maths.org/public/)

Elementary GT Classroom News

Mrs. Preuss – Kindergarten

In Mrs. Preuss’s kindergarten class the students are currently studying about Indians and Pilgrims and the story of why the Pilgrims left England. They are also learning about the first Thanksgiving. Soon they will have a big feast with Ms. Liu’s class to celebrate the holiday. The students are helping to make the food and set up for the feast. Since Ms. Liu doesn’t know a lot about Thanksgiving, the kids are having fun telling her about American traditions.

The most unique thing about the kindergarten class is that the children are learning to speak Chinese. It is called Mandarin Chinese, and the kids have learned how to count, sing, write their names, and say many things in Mandarin. It’s pretty exciting to be learning a language like Mandarin in kindergarten!

Mrs. Preuss is planning some field trips for the future including a gymnastics trip to Westland sometime in January or February.

By Hannah Smith

Mrs. Dybicki’s First Grade

Mrs. Dybicki’s class is currently working on U.S. landmarks, including the Liberty Bell, Washington Monument, Mt. Rushmore, the White House, and other interesting sights. Every child made a project for a different landmark and presented it to the class. The projects had a lot of exciting pictures, and the kids learned a lot from these awesome projects. The next project is a shoe box diorama book report.

To practice place value with noodles, Mrs. Dybicki took her class to “Mrs. D’s Italian Restaurant.” The kids had a serving of fun learning and pretending to eat at an Italian restaurant.

The first graders took a field trip to downtown Belleville. They visited the mayor’s office, library, bank, fire department, and Bayou Grill Restaurant. They certainly learned a lot about Belleville!

Mrs. Dybicki is planning several great field trips. The class will be going to a Dr. Seuss play, Cosmic Bowling, and a museum. The kids already went swimming on November 16.

Many teeth have been lost in Room 13 – coincidentally thirteen teeth in all since the beginning of the school year.

Mrs. Dybicki thinks that her class is wonderful. She said that the kids are great writers, and they just love to learn. They’re a wonderful class to have!

By Shawnee Lawson and Jeanette Lenze

Mrs. Anguilm’s First and Second Grade

Would you like to know what is going on “behind the door” of Mrs. Anguilm’s classroom? This reporter thought so! Mrs. Anguilm’s first and second graders are learning about weather and how to graph it. If you haven’t noticed it, the students have also been announcing the daily weather forecast during morning announcements.

Mrs. Anguilm’s class has a fun way of learning! In fact they are in the middle of acting out a play for the water cycle. See how fun science can be?

The first and second graders took a trip to the city of Belleville for their city unit. The students talked to merchants about what they do for a living, so the merchants showed them what they do for their jobs. Now for the final job, one of the most important jobs – the mayor. The kids were so excited to see the mayor!

Mrs. Anguilm said that she couldn’t ask for a better class and that she enjoyed talking to all the parents at conferences.

By Kaylee Barnes

Mrs. Jedinak's Second Grade

Mrs. Jedinak’s class is currently studying geography. The students made maps of their bedrooms and they made a giant map of the classroom which is hanging in the hallway. It’s really cool – take a look if you get a chance!

In math the students are practicing rounding and estimating numbers. The students are excited about reading The Mouse and the Motorcycle.

Last week the students had a family feast. They brought in favorite family recipes from home and had a great time. Writing recipes helped the students learn how to write directions.

Mrs. Jedinak is planning to take her class to Greenfield Village to study communities of the past and relating them to our community now. One last thing – according to Mrs. Jedinak, the kids in her class are “losing teeth like crazy!”

By Michelle Pruss

Mrs. Mallon’s Second Grade

The students in Mrs. Mallon’s class are studying maps in social studies. After Thanksgiving they are going to start a novel. In math they are learning about larger numbers and estimating. Mrs. Mallon’s class also does very well on their spelling tests. That’s quite a bit!

That’s not all! Mrs. Mallon’s class is going on a field trip to Greenfield Village on November 30. They are going to look at the communities of the past and learn about some American history. The kids are also going swimming in December.

Wait – there’s more! There is a “Star of the Week” every week in Mrs. Mallon’s class. There is a “Ten Point Club” on Fridays too. The kids find this very exciting.

Mrs. Mallon says that she likes being a teacher and that it’s fun, interesting, and different every day. When Mrs. Mallon was a kid she loved reading. She plans many great activities to help her students love reading too.

By Lauryn Jenkins

Ms. Geshel’s Third Grade

There are a lot of exciting things going on in Ms. Geshel’s third grade class! Currently the students are studying the fifty states and capitals. Wahsnoday Pamp and Grace Lovelace are members of the “Hundred Club” because they got 100% on all their state capital tests!

The kids are reading Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume. The third graders found it enjoyable and “laugh out loud funny.” The next book that the class will be reading is The Indian in the Cupboard.

On Tuesday, November 20, Ms. Geshel’s class went to the Leslie Science Center to learn about Native Americans, nature, and math. More exciting news is that ten out of twenty-five students were on the honor roll. Jacob Hill was “Student of the Month” from Tyler School and was honored at the School Board meeting.

As you have noticed, there are a lot of things happening in Ms. Geshel’s class!

By Brianna Buncan and Noelle Pierce

Mrs. Wozniak’s Third and Fourth Grade

Mrs. Wozniak’s fourth grade students are having exciting fun learning about the states of matter in science and working with decimals in math. The third graders are learning about the life cycles of plants in science and algebraic expressions in math.

The students ate all doing a special family project about ancestry, traditions, and diversity. Each student will interview a family member who has had an interesting life. After they write a narrative report, the students will research their family’s origin and bring a favorite family recipe to class. Each student will make a presentation to the class. Everyone is looking forward to this!

The class took a field trip to the Leslie Science Center where they studied many things including photosynthesis.

By Whitney Roll

Middle School GT Classroom News

GRADE 6

To the ancient Greeks, myths were both entertaining and educational. Well, we, the six graders, are finding out just how educational, but mostly how highly entertaining myths are in Enrichment. We are reading different Greek myths to come up with our interpretations and explanations. which will eventually end with us producing different types of projects that will be presented to the class in early December. The projects range from wire sculptures of mythical beasts, structure of early Greek architectures, new costumes for a god or goddess, to board games and much, much, more.

In English, we are continuing with the high-interest novel, The Ear, The Eye, and The Arm. One of our final assessments will be to create a Story board with well-defined lines and vivid colors. This quarter is geared towards our CREATIVITY!!

GRADE 7

In GT 7th grade English, Mrs. Porzondek’s class, we've been working on a couple of projects which included the autobiography and the memoir. For our first project, we had to choose an autobiography to read and an informational writing project to demonstrate what we learned. Some of the choices were: a bio-box, timeline, interview with your character, Kamishibai {flipbook} as well as many other options. This allowed students to tell about their person in a very creative way. Students also had to present it in front of the class as part of their final grade. Allix Hutchison, did an outstanding job on her project about Anne Frank. Also, Julia Leake introducing Ekatrina Gordeeva, a Russian ice skater, through her bio-box. Their projects were very creative, fun, and interesting to listen to, along with many others.

Our next project was a memoir. We had to find an event in our life that we learned something from and explain it adding sensory details and using the six traits of writing. Topics varied from water slides, to attending a new school, to the death of a loved one. Students needed to include an illustration and make a cover page for their memoir.

Lastly, our job is to be the teacher for a day. We are to choose three stories out of six to read in "literature circles". In conclusion, we will create a test incorporating questions and answers around the elements of a story which our fellow classmates will take. During this project, we are learning about the elements of a story such as antagonist, protagonists and other key concepts in literature.

We’re looking forward to our next exciting unit, Chinese Cinderella, an autobiography written by Adeline Yen Mah. It’s the true story of an unwanted daughter, Adeline Yen Mah, who returns to her roots to paint an authentic portrait of twentieth-century China as well as to tell the story of her painful triumph over despair. After reading Chinese Cinderella, students will explore several international versions of the well-known Cinderella story. Lastly, they will write their own Cinderella story.

By: Chelsea Cooper

Social Studies with Mr. Hudock: We’ve just finished up our Communism and Democracy essay assignment. We are moving into exploring the North African and Middle East regions of the world. In this unit students learn about the three major religions that evolved from this area of the world, past and current conflicts in this region, and aspects of culture these people share.

Tentatively the unit test is scheduled for Thursday, December 20 this will be over chapters 8 and 9. The first week of school in January students will be researching, writing, and giving speeches. They will take their Mid-Term Exam the second week back from break in January which will be cumulative for the first semester.

GRADE 8

Currently in Mr. Hutchinson’s GT American History class, the students are researching Native American tribes. Starting the week of November 5, 2007, each student found a partner to work with and chose a tribe to study. The class spent time in North’s library and computer lab finding information on each group’s tribe from books, as well as from the Internet. The students then began working on letters to Mr. Hutchinson about what they learned. Each group will also be making a poster about the Native American tribe they chose to research. This research will be used as a transition into the Lewis and Clark expedition which the class will be learning about soon.

By Emily Verde

Elementary GT Classroom News (cont.)

Mr. Hunwick’s Fourth and Fifth Grade

Would you like to know more about Mr. Hunwick’s fourth and fifth grade class? The fourth grade is now reading a book called Ruby Holler, while the fifth graders are reading Island of the Blue Dolphins. The students are also working on an ABC poetry book. Each student is writing a poem which Mr. Hunwick will put into the poetry book. The students are creating the illustrations with water colors, but the whole thing is a collage. Mr. Hunwick is so proud of these books he’s thinking about selling them at the auction.

Mr. Hunwick is planning an interesting project in science for the fifth graders. It includes making a planetarium out of big boxes such as refrigerator boxes. And here’s some shocking news: the fourth graders finished their unit on electricity!

Now let’s take a splash into field trips! The most recent trip was swimming at Belleville High School. The fifth graders spent three days at the Cranbrook Science Museum with the fifth graders from Ms. Andrew’s room. The students also went to see a play, Anne of Green Gables. Another field trip took the students to Lillie Park to do some geo-caching. Using GPS and compasses, the kids found some stashed and hidden items.

By Alexis Hatchard and James Korpics

Ms. Andrew’s Fifth Grade

In social studies the students are currently learning about the early settlers and the thirteen original colonies. One amazing place they learned about was Roanoke. The people in this colony disappeared, and nobody knows what happened to them.

In reading the students are reading the novel The Sign of the Beaver. Ms. Andrew has broken up the class into five literature circles for better discussions.

The class has already taken four field trips this year. They went to Cranbrook for three days, geo-caching at Lillie Park, the theatre to see a play, and swimming at Belleville High School.

Studying economics is a year-long project in fifth grade. There are bills called “Andwicks,” and the students have jobs around the room for which they can earn money. They can also be fined for forgetting to put their names on their papers, having a messy desk, nor being prepared, and having poor behavior.

The big event in Ms. Andrew’s class right now is getting ready for the big play. This year the class is performing High School Musical! Right now it seems kind of chaotic, but with lots of practice, everyone will be ready by December 19. Like they say in the play, “Success or failure, we’re all in this together!”

By Emily Mall

Come and Watch the 5th Grade Play!

High School Musical

Date: Wednesday, Dec. 19

Time: 6:30 PM

Location: Tyler Cafeteria

Performed by the fifth graders in
Ms. Andrew’s & Mr.Hunwick’s GT Classes