Fourth quarter is another busy time of year for PA.  Fifth grade is focusing on autobiographies starting with students presenting the projects that they created based on the autobiography of Jean Fritz, Homesick: My Own Story.  We've seen paintings, timelines, heard diaries read, and so many other interesting projects that have exhibited creative and critical thinking skills.
Fourth grade continues with conflict as the major theme of the literature they read.  Black authors are the primary focus for the next couple of weeks, followed by Hispanic authors.  This area of study correlates so well with the World Culture Fair.
How many oceans are there?  Although different authorities have different answers, third grade students are studying four.  As they study different facets of oceans such as currents and tides, students will be conducting experiments to better understand them.
Will second graders be learning Greek as they try to solve the Athenian Secret?  Probably not, but they may be able to show you some of the interesting things they're learning about numbers.   At the end of the math problem solving activities, they will learn what the secret is.

IPPA PTA last general meeting announcement:

When:  Tuesday, April 16th

Time:    7PM
Where:  Crouse Education Center (CEC), 780 Shoreline Drive, Aurora, IL

Room: Multi Purpose Room DOWNSTAIRS
 

2013-2014 Nominations/Elections

2013-2014 App Boot Camp details for MEMBERS

Guest speakers:
Cathy Greene - IAGC (IL Associationn Gifted Children) board member will be here to speak about advocacy for the Gifted and Talented.  Mrs. Greene will be briefing us on other neighboring gifted/talented programs.  She will also be discussing advocacy at the state and federal levels.  Did you know that in Illinois, Gifted Programming is NOT mandated and that NO funding is allocated for this program?  You will be surprised what our neighboring districts are doing with their Gifted and Talented programs.

If you have any questions, please contact the IPPA PTA at ippa.pta@gmail.com

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Because of ISAT testing, I will not be seeing the Project Arrow classes until the week of March 11, so I have assigned the following:

2PA  Finish reading Frindle, chapters 13-15.  Write 1 interpretive question for each chapter and record any vocabulary words that are unknown.

3PA  Read The Landry News, chapters 1-3.  Write 1 interpretive question for each chapter and record any vocabulary words that are unknown.

4PA Read The Cay, chapters 1,2.  Write 2 interpretive questions for each chapter and record  any vocabulary words that are unknown.
        Write definitions for Mimi vocabulary 1-3.

5PA  Read Homesick, chapters 1,2.  Write 2 intepretive questions for each chapter and record any
vocabulary words that are unknown.

These  assignments are due the week of March 11.  Students in grades 3-5 should have the assignment and due date written in their assignment book.  Students in grade 2 should have the assignment on a piece of paper in their book.

Thanks for your help and remember STEM night, March 13!

Now that testing is over, it's back to work for all the PA classes. 

Fifth grade begins the economics unit with the Stock Market Game, where each team has an imaginary $100,000 to invest in the online game. In April, at the close of the game, teams will hopefully have more than the $100,000 with which they started.
On Tuesdays for 6 weeks, fifth grade students take part in the Junior Achievement program of Global Marketplace.  Mr. Jay Mitchell, who works at Lucent, comes and teaches the students about how markets are different in various parts of the world.

Fourth grade starts marine biology this week. In their fourth grade classes, students study the different regions of the United States.  In this unit we expand the exploration to the coast of the northeast and the Atlantic Ocean. We'll not only be looking at marine life, but studying global warming and how it affects the environment.

Third grade continues their study of fairy tales and soon begins learning about the formation of the earth and the oceans.  Various aspects of the oceans are explored including currents, tides, and sea life.

Students in second grade are reading Frindle and soon start learning about prehistoric life, focusing on dinosaurs.  In addition, they will begin "Athenian Secret,"  in which students will solve math based problems to discover the secret of Athen's "power."

Jeanne Strepacki, Brookdale's Project Arrow liaison, attended the IAGC Convention (Illinois Association for Gifted Children), where she sat in on a session by Susannah Richards, who developed two different reading lists for gifted children that are listed on the following website:

http://richardsiagc2013.wikispaces.com/

 

Along with the books is Susannah's PowerPoint Presentation. 

Thanks for passing this along, Jeanne!

 

During the next 7 school days I'll be testing students for possible PA placement in the fall of 2013.  Fifth grade students are the only current PA students that require testing.  As a result of  PA classes not meeting during the 7 days (Jan 28-Feb 5), I have assigned homework for each grade.  The assignments are as follow:
5th grade - read The Toothpaste Millionaire and complete worksheet.  This assignment will be due on Monday, February 11.

4th grade - finish reading The Secret Garden. Complete Quiztime and write 5 interpretive questions on the back.  Due date is Feb 6.

3rd grade - read The Ugly Duckling handout, write unknown vocabulary words, and 3 interpretive questions.  Due date is Feb 6.

2nd grade - read chapters 1-5 of Frindle, write unknown vocabulary words, and 3 interpretive questions. Due date is Feb 6.

All students should have appropriate books and handouts.  Let me know if you have any questions or concerns.  Thanks for your support.

Bertie Kingore is a nationally known authority on gifted education and a very entertaining speaker.  The following is a rare opportunity to hear her. 
 A message from IPPA PTA:

 

Monday, February 11, 2013  7PM-9PM

A joint presentation hosted by STAGE (D203) and IPPA PTA(D204).

 

Speaker Dr. Bertie Kingore an international consultant who has worked with students, their teachers, and their parents for over 30 years. Recognized for her humorous and practical presentations, this energetic session will guide parents through an overview of differentiation and match differentiation strategies to the learning needs of advanced students. Dr. Kingore shares multiple suggestions for nurturing talents at home and away from home.  

 

The meeting will be held on Monday, February 11, from 7-9 p.m. at Naperville Central High School, 440 Aurora Avenue, Naperville, entrance #24. 

 

RSVP's requested at www.stage203.org