Geography Terms Analysis Grid

The first week of school exceeded all of my expectations.  The ASPIRE 5 students were ready to think creatively and critically from day one.  This blog will be used as a platform to highlight an activity from the previous week.  Today I would like to explain how even the most simple task can be transformed into a lesson suitable for GT students.  There are times when we will need to cover basic information.  For example, they have to be familiar with the science lab tools so that our experiments will be safe.  However, that doesn't mean that the lesson should not contain critical thinking.

On Tuesday, the students learned some of the basic geographic vocabulary used for reading a map.  After a brief discussion of the terms, we plugged them into an Analysis Grid developed by Dr. Bertie Kingore, an expert in GT education.  The top columns were labeled with ten of the vocabulary words we reviewed such as the Prime Meridian and the Northern Hemisphere, and a latitude or longitude line of their choice.  The rows on the side were labeled with the seven continents, and a country of their choice.  The next step required the students to think about the relationship between the continents and the geographic terms.  For example, since the Equator passes through South America, they would place a "Y" in the box, but since it does not pass through Antarctica, they would leave it blank.  The beauty of the instrument is how it can often create a dilemma.  Things are not always black and white, and the students have to analyze, collaborate and even research before they can decide on the best answer.  

In the end, the students were able to demonstrate their understanding of the material by applying the skills to their atlas.  The conversations that were generated were high level and allowed students to share their reasoning and analysis.  While this was not a lesson that would capture headlines, I think it is important to show how we are able to increase the rigor of every ASPIRE lesson, and provide challenging and thought provoking opportunities regardless of the content.

                                           Kingore, B. (2008). Teaching Without Nonsense, 2nd ed.

Here We Go!

After a summer of anticipation and preparation, the first day of school is finally here.  The lights are on, and the curtain is about to open.  It is time for the 5th Grade students of the ASPIRE Academy to shine as never before.  Before we get started, I would like to share a few thoughts about the first week of school.  First, the entire ASPIRE Academy will be using the parallel curriculum model this year.  Because it is sequential, Social Studies is the anchor we plan around.  The other subjects will be integrated when they fit naturally.  This gives us the freedom to move through the curriculum in a different order while allowing the students to make important connections across disciplines.

Next, you may have noticed that I have not posted my syllabus yet.  This is intentional, as the students will have input on our classroom management design.  The syllabus will be finalized this week, and I will be sure to post it to my classroom website.

Google will play an important role in the ASPIRE Academy this year.  Students will be able to save assignments to their Google Drive, and turn them in through Google Classroom.  They will also create digital portfolios to highlight their favorite samples, which will allow them to monitor growth throughout the year.  I am anticipating that at least 50 percent of our work will be digital this year, as GCISD continues to provide teachers and students with the latest technology.

I am humbled to be in this position, and I am grateful for the support everyone has shown throughout the summer.  My goal is to challenge my students every day and to give them opportunities to think critically and creatively during every learning experience.  We will hit the ground running tomorrow, so they will know from the very first day it will be different.  I welcome all of your questions and concerns.  My door is always open, and I promise to respond quickly to your emails and phone calls.  Be sure to check back here every week for an in-depth look at one of our lessons.  And so it begins.  Have a great year everyone!

Welcome!

Welcome to the 2014-2015 school year!  It is my pleasure to serve the GCISD community in the ASPIRE Academy at Glenhope Elementary.  The new year promises to be full of unique learning opportunities designed to meet the needs of our highly gifted students.  This blog will highlight some of the experiences the students have each week.  It is sure to be an amazing journey, and we are excited to share it with you on this platform.  As always, thank you for your support of the ASPIRE Academy!