PEP (Pupil Enrichment Program) in the STEAM Lab, formerly the library: It's wonderful to see students back in the STEAM Lab after a sun filled summer! We will start off the year reviewing expectations and what all the acronyms stand for, along with the Engineering Design Process. We will explore some of the activities and experiments planned for the year like Ozobots, microbits, keyboard/typing skills, Civil Air Patrol's ACE curriculum and STEM kits, Sphero Indi robots, holiday-themed STEAM crafts- just to name a few! And, of course, in October, we made our traditional Halloween slime. PEP meets once every OTHER week this year for grades K-8.
All WIN opportunities for grades K-5 in Language Arts and Math began 2nd marking period. Students' WIN placements were announced via a note home. Our instructional framework aims to provide personalized learning experiences for every student based on what each student needs. Every grade level has one period a day built into the schedule in both LA and Math that promotes a prescription for growth and success. WIN” (which stands for “What I Need”) is a time when teachers will be personalizing instruction to further meet the unique needs of each learner in every classroom. It is a period of reinforcement, support, and/or enrichment. WIN time provides students with small group instruction, and targets specific skill area(s) that are required to become proficient in grade level standards, and allows for maximum growth.
Grades 1-5 completed a study of "Just Because" by Matthew McConaughey, illustrated by Renee Kurillo. Their writing and some of their drawings were shared with Ms. Kurillo, who shared her excitement and praise. Motivated by this response, the students' turned their work into a hardcover book from Student Publishing that was published in March.
Grades 2 & 3 are working on a unit from Leave Your Sleep Gifted Ed curriculum. They read and discussed "Bleezer's Ice Cream" by Jack Prelutsky and demonstrated their understanding of the poem through a student-chosen project. Grades 3, 4, & 5 are working on learning the formal structure of debate, becoming skilled in each component, and then practicing those skills in classroom debates. This unit on debate will lead into a unit on mock trials.
CogATs: Cognitive Abilities Tests (achievement tests in quantitative, verbal, and non-verbal batteries) are given in spring of 2024. AimsWeb: AimsWeb assessments for grades K-8 are given three times a year in Early Literacy/Reading and Early Numeracy/Math: fall, winter, and spring. Fall assessments will be given in September, and the data collected will be shared with classroom teachers as just one measurement tool to help all students receive personalized instruction. .