Rita Jury, Elementary Gifted Coordinator, Hits Highlights For The Year So Far...

I've had parents ask me about what happens in the AIM program for identified gifted children at Gateway. I usually stumble through a response, so I asked Rita Jury, the Elementary Gifted Coordinator to give me a snapshot of what the elementary AIM students have been up to this year. Having read this, all I can say is...Wow. Here are Mrs. Jury's comments:

"Everyone is working hard here in the elementary buildings. We have begun implementing an Intervention Block in grades K through 4. This allows the Gifted Support teacher to actually get into the classrooms and build upon the skills and concepts being taught, while integrating more depth and complexity into the lessons.

Some second graders have studied various countries around the world and created their own A to Z books detailing facts about that particular country. Photo essays have also been created, with the students acting as photographers, interviewers, and writers. Writing in response to literature the children read has become a real focus, with an emphasis on elaboration and creativity. Following the reading of a biographical selection in second grade, students created a bio-poem including key facts related to the individual read about.

Many of the third graders have written and illustrated their own hard-backed books based upon interest, which are placed in the school library for everyone's reading enjoyment. Third graders are also involved in the Hands-On-Equations Program which is an introductory course in Algebra. Accelerated logic and problem-solving learning experiences are also an integral part of the our time together.

Fourth graders are busy working on a unit of study based upon interest. Some examples are Ancient Egypt, American History, and Colonial America. The fourth graders also completed a persuasive writing unit after studying all aspects and characteristics of a persuasive piece. Some fourth graders have created a newspaper with articles ranging from editorials to local and national news of interest. Students studied all elements of a newspaper before researching and writing their individual articles. As mentioned with third grade, accelerated math, logic, and problem-solving experiences are being utilized with this group of students. We are beginning a mystery unit where students will be challenged to use higher-level thinking skills to sift through evidence and solve a crime.

All of these grade level students are involved with accelerated math experiences based upon the pre-assessments taken during math class. They are also required to complete research using the library and internet/website resources. Some of these students are utilizing power point as a means of presenting their completed products. The Junior Great Books Program is being used with the third and fourth grade students. This program is specifically designed for advanced students as it delves into Socratic questioning, high-end critical thinking, exploratory discussion, and writing in response to focus questions.

So as you can see, the students in our elementary buildings are actively involved in their learning. It is a joy to work with such industrious, motivated young people. Their thirst for knowledge is the key to a bright future for all of us!"

Thanks so much for all of your efforts, Mrs. Jury !