1. Welcome to the First & Second Grade GT Parent Meeting FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15TH, 2013ENCINO PARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ROOM 1150MRS. CHANDLER

2. How did my child qualify for GT? Childrens skills in the following areas wereassessed: Logical, mathematical reasoning Visual, spatial reasoning Verbal and figural skills Academic aptitude GT students scored higher than 90% of their agepeers on a majority of our testing measures. 3. When does my child attend GT? Second Grade Mondays from 12:00-2:30 First Grade Mondays & Fridays from 9:45-11:15 GT students remain with homeroom class in the case of a special event such as a field trip or class party. 4. What kinds of activities does my child work on in GT? Developing thinking and reasoning skills Supporting ideas and opinions Recognizing and valuing opposing viewpoints Accepting ambiguity 5. Convergent Thinking Develop logical thinking by learning to: Find and organize clues Take time for reflection (dont jump to conclusions) Put clues together Determine the ONE right answer 6. Logic Puzzle MoneyBallsPrizestargets 1. Laura, and the girl SeanLauraNathanHeatherwho collected money, and the boy who handed out balls, and the boy who set up targets really enjoyed working in the booth. 2. Nathan did not hand out balls. 7. Divergent Thinking Develop creative thinking by recognizing that: The more ideas the better! Changing categories is great Wild and zany ideas are welcome Ideas shouldnt be judged Piggybacking on the ideas of others is cool. 8. BrainstormingWhat do you see?An airplane flying over a mountain The top of a beanie A grumpy face 9. Visual Thinking Develop spatial reasoning byLooking at things in different ways Using what is seen as clues Moving shapes around in your mind Recognizing patterns 10. How can you use 3 popsicle sticks to divide each figure into an area by itself? 11. Evaluative Thinking Putting the other thinking skills to practicalpurposes: Determining the problem Brainstorming possible solutions Developing criteria Judging the best answer 12. What kind of birthday party should I have? How many people do I want to invite? How much money can I spend? When is the best time to have my party? What will be the most fun? 13. Six Hat Thinking Builds a foundation forproblem solving program used in grades 3-5.Gives students anopportunity to consider points of view, consequences of actions, and to explore a variety of potential solutions. 14. Depth & Complexity 11 icons or pictures thathelp students dive deeper into the curriculum or specific topic Helps guide students thinking. Adds rigor and relevance. 15. Wonders 1st Grade Phineas Frog All over the world cultural connections contain similarities and differences. Wonders of the World Geography Other Cultures 16. Structures 2nd Grade Natural and Manmadestructures in the world What is a structure? What gives a structure strength? What similarities and differences are there in structures made my man and those found in nature? 17. Future Years in GT NEISD has 3 GT programs: K-2, 3-5, and secondary. A student in GT in kinder or 1st grade will continue toremain in GT through the end of 2nd grade with no additional testing. At the end of 2nd grade all GT students are exited from the program and must be retested at the beginning of 3rd grade. Not all 2nd grade GT students will qualify as 3rd graders. All students in that were in GT previously will be retested. The qualification standard is higher in the 3-5 Program. Any student with an InView score at or above the 95th percentile will be tested at the beginning of 3rd grade for the 3-5 program. 18. Student Progress & Report Cards Report cards will go home 2 times for 2nd grade (January, and May) 1 time for 1st grade (May) Please return signature slip. You may keep thereport and any work that comes home at that time. 19. WebsitePlease visit my website and blog with yourchild. Many of the online resources we use in class are posted there. I also have a variety of games and activities that the children enjoy under Links on my teacher webpage. 20. Wish List We are always in need of Glue sticks our most needed supply! Watercolor paper Baby wipes Ziploc bags (gallon and/or sandwich, quart) Oil Pastels or Chalk Pastels Black Sharpie markers (regular and fine point) Another option gift cards for supplies: HEB, Target, Hobby Lobby, Michaels, Half Price Books. Thank you for your help! 21. Contact me Feel free to contact me if you have questions orconcerns. Email is the best way to get in contact with me. My email address is achand4@neisd.net Teacher website:http://tw.neisd.net/webpages/achand4 Our GT classroom blog: http://blogs.neisd.net/achand4/