[giftedteacher]

Me, again, More questions.

Okay, I've all these wonderful websites to look through.

Would someone spend a few minutes giving me the run down on how your day looks?
a. during your gifted pullout class
b. your day - start to finish

Thanks!
Debbie

[AngieB.]

Debbie,
I'm like you. This is only my second year and I'm still trying to figure it all out. Last year I had 7th graders for 1st and 2nd period all 5 days. That was easy. We'd start out on Monday with a "word of the week". I'd give them a challenging vocabulary word/definition and they had to use it in a sentence and sketch a picture to show the meaning. They would get a famous quote and write what they felt it meant to them/how it applied to them. Then they responded to a journal topic (very short). All this was kept in 3-ring binders. Usually we would get started on a unit and work on it during the rest of the week. I had various centers set up for those who finished early. On Fridays, I let them have "game day". They had to participate in games like Chess, Checkers, Chinese Checkers, Mancala, Dominoes, Monopoly, etc.

Now, for the rest of my day, I had 6th graders. They came in two groups, and each group only came 4 days a week. I did similar things with them, just based on 4 days.

I did units on Mexico, Medieval Times, The Ancient Middle East, etc.
This year I think I'm going to do Ancient Greece, Unsolved Mysteries, and Cryptozoology.

[Artbex]

Do you use a lot of mind benders? This is a neat website that has perplexers online. I print them and let them figure them out. You can click on the middle of the picture and it will tell you the answer. If I let them use the computers to do them they would give up too easily and click on the answer. They love to solve the Red Herring Book problems too. I usually do those as warmups.
http://www.joe-ks.com/outside/Outsid...Box_Puzzle.htm

angie, did you find the vistaprint postcards?
artbex

[AngieB.]

Yes, I use mind benders a lot. I print them out, too. I also use the Red Herring books. My kids love those.

[yesteach]

Not sure what sort of day you have - but for me I have one grade level all day long - from 9:00 to 2:30.

We start with math in the morning - I take whatever concepts they're covering that week and extend it to the next grade level's standards. Then we have computer. We have a web-based technology program that I used from Learning.com. Then we have lunch, after lunch we stop in the library. Reading is independent - this year they'll have a genre each grading period, have to select one book from that genre and complete a product. Lastly we have science/social studies time. Each group will be working on a group project that is science or social studies based each semester (first semester we're all doing Ancient Egypt and astronomy to tie in to our King Tut field trip in October), not sure about the second semester yet... Also, one week out of the month, the day will be devoted to UIL coaching (academic competition).