Professional development presentation

1. Applications to a Gifted Education
Program in an Elementary School
FIRE ECOLOGY
WORKSHOP 2013
Michele Thelen
Gifted Education
June 2014

2. Overview
My Story
How Did Content Fit In?
Scientific Method
Dichotomous Key Lesson
Archaeology Lesson Ideas

3. My Story
• Gifted Ed in
Elementary School
• 80 students, grades
K-6
• Cluster Model
• 4-Day Compacted
Curriculum
• Enhance, Enrich
Accelerate
 CCSS
 Gifted Standards
 Science
 Social Studies
 Technology
 Social-Emotional

4. Where did it
“fit in”?
• Alignment to
classroom teacher
units
 Scientific Method
 Plant Ecology
 Archaeology
 Weather
• Collaboration with
gifted-cluster
teachers
• Resources
 Career Day

5. Scientific Method
• Presented to grades
3-6
• Used format for all
science experiments
& activities
• Common
language/common
concepts
• Aligned to SARSEF
(Southern Arizona
Regional Science &
Engineering Fair)

6. Understanding
Using
Creating
DICHOTOMOUS KEYS
(Lesson plan included in binder)

7. Productive
Group Work
 Teacher models
“thinking”
 Students
collaborate
 Frequent pause &
check for
understanding

8. Where to begin?
 Activating prior
knowledge
 2nd graders & plant
ecology background
knowledge of desert
plants & animals
 Extension for 3rd &
4th graders
 Think like a scientist
 Work like a scientist
*Meet with students weekly

9. Dichotomous Keys
Resources
Provide the background knowledge for future units (older grades)
Lesson built on previous lessons using dicot keys
Resources available at
www.thelenlearningteam.wikispaces.com/forest+fire+ecology

10. Lesson Overview
 Activated prior
knowledge
 Whole group
activity: creating
class shoe dicot key
 Partner work: candy
dicot key
 Fine arts extension:
shoe art

11. 4th grade unit
ARCHAEOLOGY

12. Activate Prior
Knowledge
• Review what
classroom teacher
had taught
• Create a starting
point based on
knowledge that was
retained from class
unit that was
previously taught
 What is an
archaeologist?
 What do they do?
 What are their
tools?
 How do they
“know” about
ancient cultures?

13. Introduction to
Archaeology
• Introduce concept of
“context”
• Summarize story for
students
• Show some of the
illustrations
• Conversations on how
those that found the
artifacts made deductions
about them
• Students select common
household object and
brainstorm “alternate”
uses for item
• Illustrate in black & white,
give new name to object,
& write up “description”
to what it was used for

14. Wupatki National
Monument
Great lessons available
from National Park
Service at:
Wupatki National
Monument Teacher
Resources

15. Walnut Canyon
National Monument
More hands-on,
interactive lessons
found at:
Walnut Canyon Teacher
Resources
Tree Ring Activity
Walnut Canyon Web
Quest

16. Questions???