Talent Development in Grades 2 and 3

1. Talent Development in Grades 2 and 3 By Trinette Atri Talent Development Teacher

2. It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge. – Albert Einstein

3. Mission and Goal of Talent Development GOAL: To support the development of a content-rich educational experience for students from all cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds throughout CMS. MISSION: To provide gifted students the opportunity to maximize their potential, demonstrate their motivation, and realize their contributions to self and the global community.

4. Resources and opportunities for learners to … • attain levels of academic achievement consistent with their • abilities • engage in abstract, creative, and affective reasoning • apply insightful questioning • develop a capacity to see interconnections among disciplines • practice self-directed learning and independent problem • solving • strive for self actualization • maximize their leadership potential • become active participants in the global community

5. The Catalyst Model “Gifted learners are gifted all the time” – Mary S. Landrum Therefore, gifted education is notan add on for ninety minutes a week. The focus of the Catalyst Model is to differentiate instruction for the gifted and high performing students consistently.

6. So how does the Catalyst Model work? • The classroom teacher and TD/Catalyst teacher share • responsibility for the education of gifted students • The TD/Catalyst teacher provides lessons and activities for • teachers to use in the heterogeneous classroom AND/OR • teaches students directly • The TD/Catalyst teacher provides enrichment and • acceleration for students who have shown mastery (at • least 90%) of objectives being taught through classroom • work and assessments/pre-assessments in the regular • classroom through direct or indirect instruction

7. What are Direct Services? • Direct services, or “face time,” are lessons that are created and taught by the TD/Catalyst Teacher • Direct services can be “pull out” (students pulled into TD/Catalyst classroom) or “push in” (students remain with classroom teacher when TD/Catalyst teacher comes in to co-teach with classroom teacher)

8. What are Indirect Services? • Indirect services are lessons and activities developed by the TD/Catalyst teacher and provided to the classroom teacher during weekly team planning for him/her to use in his/her classroom • Examples are: centers, independent contracts, projects, alternative homework/classwork, lessons

9. What is the breakdown for direct and indirect services?

10. Why the need for direct and indirect services? • Often there are too many students for one person to reach alone. Differentiation is required in the regular classroom to provide all students with the education they need and deserve. • Since the TD/Catalyst teacher cannot see all children, all day, every day, the classroom teacher requires activities and lessons from the TD/Catalyst teacher for those students while they are in the regular classroom. • Without differentiation, everyone would move at the same pace, be evaluated in the same way, and complete the same activities – regardless of their prior knowledge or individual needs.

11. How do I teach gifted and high ability learners? • Focus on creative thinking, problem solving and • logic • Ask higher level questions during novel studies, • rather than lower, “knowledge” level questions • (Bloom’s Taxonomy) • Work in abstract thinking and concepts – • symbolism, themes, etc. • Increase awareness of the global community • through novel studies and discussion • Teach problem solving strategies in math

12. How do you determine who receives direct services in math and reading? • Depends on pre-assessments – math and reading, • classroom work and observations, grades, • behavior (ability to work independently) • Groups are flexible and can change from unit to • unit and/or quarter to quarter or more frequently • See both TD certified and catalyst students (non • certified students who are working at higher level) • Direct – 40%, Indirect – 60% services • Students can be seen for both or just reading or math, • depending on their individual needs

13. The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them. - Mark Twain

14. 2nd Grade DWT • Students are pre-assessed for reading levels and • comprehension using CMS and teacher-created assessments • and benchmarks • Students showing mastery on 90% of the objectives pre-tested • are placed into DWT group – up to the number of students • allowed in a classroom according to NC Wise • Students will work on novel studies, figurative language and • higher order thinking • 2nd grade services start later in the school year than other grades due to the time it takes to identify students

15. Examples of 2nd Grade Literature Units & Novels • William and Mary Beyond Words (teaching figurative language) • Analogies – word relationships • SEM-R (School-wide Enrichment Model for Reading) – students • self-select challenging texts at the top of their reading level • Frindle by Andrew Clements • The Eleventh Hour by Graeme Base • Punished! By David Lubar • An Angel for Solomon Singer by Cynthia Rylant (picture book) • The Hundred Penny Box by Sharon Bell Mathis • Gooney Bird Greene by Lois Lowry

16. 3rd Grade DWT • Students are pre-assessed for reading levels and • comprehension using CMS and teacher-created • assessments and benchmarks • Students showing mastery on 90% of the objectives pre-tested are placed into DWT group – up to the number allowed in a classroom according to NC Wise • Students will work on novel studies, figurative • language, concepts/themes, and higher order • thinking

17. Examples of 3rd Grade Literature Units & Novels • William and Mary Journeys and Destinations (exploring concepts, • especially change) http://cfge.wm.edu • Fantasy Worlds Unit: The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis, The • Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis & 100 • Cupboards by N. D. Wilson • The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan • Poetry analysis • African-American History picture books • SEM-R (School-wide Enrichment Model for Reading) – students • self-select appropriately challenging novels

18. The essence of mathematics is not to make simple things complicated, but to make complicated things simple. – S. Gudder

19. 2nd Grade Mathematics Enrichment/acceleration • Primarily Math Problem Solving • Pebble Math (algebra and spatial relations) • Singapore Math (problem solving using a • scripted method that is used in Singapore) • Math Superstars (problem solving – often given • as homework) • Problem Solver (problem solving strategies) • K’Nex math using manipulatives – fractions and • geometry • Coin Clues – using logic and problem solving

20. 3rd Grade Mathematics Enrichment & Acceleration • Math Superstars (problem solving - usually given as • homework) • Athenian Secret (problem solving, logic – • cooperative learning, Ancient Greek culture) • Problem Solver – introducing them to Math • Olympiad-type problems • Hands-On Equations (algebra – hands on) • Fibonacci (patterns in nature) • Geometric concepts (projects, class activities – • creating cities on grids)

21. Student performance ratings • At the end of each year, each TD certified student in grades 2-5 receives a TD student performance rating, in addition to their regular report card. Each of the 4 sections are scored from 1-4, as follows: • 1 – Needs immediate improvement • 2 – Needs some improvement • 3 – Meets expectations • 4 – Exceeds expectations

22. contact You may contact me at school: (980) 343-3755 Or via email (fastest): trinettej.atri@cms.k12.nc.us Homework, projects and newsletters or updates will be posted on my website: http://www.giftedteaching.com