Language Arts - Manchester Public Schools

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Curriculum & Instruction Newsletter Spring 2012 in-depth research about a designated region of Italy in that unit. Students picked a particular topic regarding the region and presented it to the class. Now as the end of year approaches the students truly have a cultural understanding on the perspectives and products of each region. In addition, the Italian club has offered some more indepth experiences by having a make your own pizza day, panini day and is looking into having a “gelato day at the end of the school year. French classes in conjunction with the French Club have also experienced a variety of cultural practices and perspectives. Students participated in an experience of crèpes in September, the traditional beginning of the year activity. After hearing about the origin of crèpes in France, and learning about similar traditions in other cultures, students then got to create their own dessert crèpes, all washed down with apple cider, the traditional drink with crèpes in France. During the holidays, emphasis was changed to the traditions throughout the francophone world. Students also participated in a Beaujolais Party, learned about Mardi Gras, and experienced French music presented by a French DJ. CORE Enrichment Program CORE, which stands for: Creativity, Opportunity, Resources, Engagement/Encouragement is Manchester Public Schools Enrichment/Gifted Program, coordinated by Dr. Nancy Eastlake, provides differentiated learning experiences for high potential students and/or students identified as gifted. The program formally serves students in grades three through eight, and provides some enrichment to students in grades one and two. Every grade level within the CORE Program’s work has an independent investigation component. It is in the realm of these investigations that students have the greatest opportunity to be challenged to discover the heights of their abilities and talents as independent learners in a world full of dramatic changes and challenges. CORE seeks to have its students become more sophisticated and seeks answers to more complex questions as they progress through the program. The program goal is to select a research/investigation methodology that will carry students through elementary and middle school and prepare them for advanced studies in high school. The rubric for evaluating students’ independent investigations is the “Student Product Assessment Form” (SPAF) found in the Schoolwide Enrichment Model. The utilization of Renzulli Learning (RL) as enrichment for second grade students shows a profile of peaks and valleys across the district. There are a number of factors for the uneven integration. Frequently mentioned as the greatest challenges to using the system are: • Time for teachers to learn and become comfortable using an on-line resource that has many capabilities • Availability of computers in some schools • Varied student ability to work independently All teachers have received two half-day professional development sessions for training in RL. An additional half-day session has been offered to Manchester as a gift from a district that could not use all of the professional development time it purchased from RL. The day and time for this training is to be announced after consulting with principals and enrichment teachers. Thank you to the “Mystery District.” 10
Curriculum & Instruction Newsletter Spring 2012 Note: One sixth grade team at Bennet is piloting RL very successfully. The teachers have received two, half days of training as well. Nominations for new members for the CORE program in grades four through eight will be reviewed in each school by the Nomination Committee. This will take place from mid-April through the first week of June. Enrichment teachers have nomination forms for classroom teachers to complete. Enrichment teachers will be setting meeting dates at each school. Grades K-5 Third grade Investigators, fourth grade Innovators, and fifth grade Scholars are working diligently on the lessons and activities developed in each curriculum to teach our youngest learners how to develop their talents. Bennet Academy Congratulations to Samantha Randazzo for another year of successfully coaching her Future Problem Solvers. Four teams have qualified and are preparing for FPS State Competition to be held on March 30-31 at North Haven High School. The topic they are researching is “Trade Barriers.” All enrichment students are preparing creative projects to display at the May 31 Enrichment Showcase at Bennet Academy. The projects will all have a futuristic theme. Illing Middle School A second author visit was held in February. P.W. Cantanese is a local author who writes for children and teens and specializes in fantasy series. Three large group presentations were held in which the author discussed his books and his career as a writer. A small workshop followed, attended by aspiring writers who were able to ask many questions about careers in writing. Students who attended were recommended by their classroom teachers. “Illing Night” at Barnes and Noble was held the evening of the author’s visit. P.W. Cantanese and Carah O’Brien (author) were present to sign their books and have an informal author talk. The money raised will be used for Odyssey of the Mind World Finals, if any of this year’s teams qualify to attend. The State Odyssey of the Mind (OM) Competition is March 31. The November fund raiser earned over $250.00. If the OM funds are not used this year they will be held in an Enrichment Program Student Activities Fund for the time when they are needed. Two highly successful evening events occurred in January, showcasing seventh and eighth grade projects. The projects evolved from non-fiction reading, self-selected by each student who then turned the book’s theme into a lengthier exploration. The students were very excited to share their work with parents, teachers and district administrators. Excitement mounted in the Enrichment classes one Thursday morning in February while students waited for the arrival of Brad Drazen and his videographer from NBC news, who were coming to Illing as part of a feature story about gifted education. The news team started their morning at UCONN where they interviewed Dr. Joseph Renzulli about his decades of work in gifted education. Later, the news team and Dr. Renzulli arrived at Illing to talk to students and video tape them showing Dr. Renzulli’s work in action. The feature was broadcasted the following week on the evening news. The feature can be seen at: 11
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Language Arts - Manchester Public Schools

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