1 START/SIGNET Back-to-School Night Mrs. Biendl START Teacher Grades K-3

2 START Strategies for Teaching And Reaching for Talent START is a pull-out resource program designed for potentially gifted students in Kindergarten through Third Grade. Kindergarten: 30 minutes per week 1 st Grade: 45 minutes per week 2 nd Grade: 45 minutes per week 3 rd Grade: 90 minutes per week Students are identified for services in Math, Language Arts, or both. Students are offered a variety of educational opportunities that extend and enrich the county curriculum and support the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOLs). The goal is to challenge students to develop their skills in thinking critically, creatively and reflectively. Collaboration with classroom teachers occurs to provide instructional support and strategies, feedback on student progress, and assistance in identification.

3 SIGNET Schools Involved in Gifted Needs in Education Today SIGNET is a pull-out resource program designed for identified gifted students in grades 4 through 12. Students in 4 th and 5 th grade identified with Resource Services will receive 225 minutes (3 hours 45 minutes) of instruction per week directly from the Gifted Resource teacher at Marshall. Students identified with Classroom Services only will receive extension from their classroom teacher, with planning and collaboration from the resource teacher. Students can be identified for services in specific aptitudes: language arts and/or mathematics. SIGNET provides a variety of educational opportunities that extend and enrich the PWCS curriculum and support the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOLs). Our goal is to challenge students, develop their skills in thinking critically, thinking creatively, thinking reflectively, and in problem-solving. The SIGNET teacher plans and collaborates with the 4 th and 5 th grade classroom teachers, provides instructional support and strategies in and out of the classrooms, assists with identification for grades 4 and 5, and coordinates the 3 rd grade Spring Screening process for SIGNET.

Differentiated Services Plans (DSP’s) Each child identified for Gifted Education Services will receive a Differentiated Services Plan in mid-November. This plan will be written collaboratively with the child’s classroom teacher and the gifted education resource teacher. The plan will indicate how direct gifted education services will be provided for your child in START or SIGNET this year. The plan will also indicate how the regular classroom teacher will differentiate his/her instruction to meet the needs of your child this year. 4

START Weekly Schedule 5 DayClass Mondays/ThursdaysMarshall ES TuesdaysLoch Lomond ES WednesdaysPenn ES FridaysCollaboration/District Meetings/Testing

6 A Typical START Session Warm-Up Interdisciplinary Unit Choice Time Reflection

7 Warm-Up Examples Hink Pink (or Hinky Pinky or Hinkity Pinkity) A rhyming riddle that encourages a playfulness with language, logical thinking, and vocabulary development. (i.e. A low mist covering a large pig) Game of 24 Addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division are used to make 4 digits on a card equal 24. This math game challenges students to seek relationships between numbers and operations, look for patterns, and find multiple solutions. It also reinforces math facts. Question/Answer Students have to formulate a question to go with the answer that has been provided.

8 Interdisciplinary Units 1 st Grade Exploring Shape Games (Project M²-Mentoring Young Mathematicians) Students will develop an understanding of the properties of two-dimensional shapes, the relationships among shapes, symmetry, and congruence. They will be engaged as practicing mathematicians as they learn to clarify their thinking, explain their reasoning, justify their ideas, and communicate with others. They will help create, test, and provide feedback about geometry- based games. Yolanda the Yarnspinner (Language Arts) Students will determine the structure of various pieces of literature and will then use that structure in their own original creative writings. As a final product, students will write and illustrate an original trickster tale. They will use technology to create a short video of their story.

9 Case of the Broken Fishbowl (Language Arts) As practicing detectives, students will follow the scientific investigation process to collect and analyze evidence from a simulated crime scene. They will use critical thinking and deductive reasoning to narrow down the suspects and ultimately solve the case. Students will use persuasive oral and written communication skills to share their findings. Interdisciplinary Units 2 nd Grade Using Everyday Measures (Project M²-Mentoring Young Mathematicians) Students think and act like mathematicians and answer questions about measurement while gaining an understanding of the concepts of measurement and skills involved in the measurement process.

Cultural Kaleidoscopes (Language and Social Studies) During this unit the students will travel the globe learning and presenting information about different countries. Throughout their “journey” they will encounter various fates and challenges. They will have to keep track of supplies they purchase and keep track of funds earned and spent. This unit supports Virginia SOLs in Language Arts, Math and Social Studies. It also encourages students to work both collaboratively and cooperatively. As a final product, students will create a Power Point to share with others to showcase the information they collected about their country. EITHER: What’s the ME in Measurement? (Project M³-Mentoring Mathematical Minds) Hands On Equations-Developing Fraction Sense Interdisciplinary Units 3 rd Grade

11 Choice Packets: Students will have a Language Arts and Math extension packet in their START folder. Examples: Math Path, Link Winks, Pentaminoes, Logic Safari, Eye Cues, Tangram Animals Hands-On Thinking Games: Blokus, Cat and Mouse, Chocolate Fix, Izzi, Noodlers, Impuzzables, Logic Links Creative/Verbal Thinking Exercises: Wiz Kidz, Brain Quest, 20 Questions Choice Time

12 Did I… 1.Stay on task? 2.Share my ideas? 3.Listen to others? 4.Ask questions? 5.Solve problems? 6.Create quality work? Reflection

13 Questions for Mrs. Biendl? Navigating School Fusion, & parent/student links questions and/or concerns to

14 Thank You for Coming!