💡G1FT3D Newsletter💡
Gifted Classroom Newsletter - Second Semester (end of the 2024-2025 school year)
Gifted Classroom Newsletter - Second Semester (end of the 2024-2025 school year)
This school year in the gifted classroom has been exciting, filled with many projects, engaging challenges, and rewarding learning opportunities for our gifted learners. I am proud of their innovative ideas and very impressed with the leadership that they have exhibited throughout the learning process.👏🏻 ~Dr. Schucker
G1FT3D Website: https://sites.google.com/schuylkillvalley.org/svgiftedprogram/home
G1FT3D End-Of-The-Year - Highlights: Gifted student projects and guest speakers:
Imagine being tasked with tackling this real-world challenge: researching, innovating, and designing a practical yet creative solution to a transportation or infrastructure problem here in Pennsylvania!
Guided by our engineering mentor, Mr. Dave Brown who is known for his own design for a solar-powered median strip prototype, students embarked on a step-by-step journey to develop unique solutions addressing a range of issues across the state—everything from road surface conditions and traffic delays to accident clean-up, travel comfort, and even preparing a financial report on highway and road expenses.
Their final presentations were clear, thoughtful, unique, and creative! Well done 5th grade gifted!👏🏻
Creating a blueprint... with a little help along the way from Mr. Brown!
Research, blueprints, and technical designs
Reviewing and editing... it's all part of the engineering and design process!
"Let's review what we have learned so far..."
Presentations of designs, prototypes, and blueprints
"Let us show you how this works."
Showing off all the hard work!
The prototypes had so many detailed and technical aspects to show the group!
Dave taking the group through the Engineering and Design Process of a real-world invention that he is working on!
SOme digital prototypes were displayed on programs like Tinkercad
Demonstrations helped us understand how the prototypes work!
SO many cool ideas!
It is not enough to have a good mind; the main thing is to use it well.
– Rene Descartes
The 5th-grade gifted student team went on to collaborate enthusiastically to plan, design, and run a fully student-driven Battlebotz tournament. From brainstorming creative strategies and engineering their robots to organizing the event logistics, these young innovators took charge every step of the way. With guidance inspired by real-world problem-solving approaches—like those used in transportation challenges—the students combined creativity, teamwork, and technical skills to bring their competition to life.
Their dedication not only showcased their engineering talents but also highlighted their ability to manage complex projects independently and work together toward a common goal.🏎️🏁
5th grade G1FT3D End-Of-The-Year - Slideshow
Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow.
– Ronald E. Osborn
The award-winning Albert M. Greenfield Foundation UNLESS Contest has empowered thousands of K-12 students to take action for wildlife. This extended PBL investigation (project-based) contest encourages students to create real solutions to environmental issues. https://www.philadelphiazoo.org/unless-contest/
Congratulations to our 6th-grade gifted student team, who recently competed as state finalists in the Philadelphia Zoo’s ‘Unless Contest’. As its name suggests, the ‘Unless Contest’ challenges students to think outside the box to create an environmental awareness campaign to connect global and local issues. The team’s focus was on how technology use and poor recycling practices can negatively impact the environment, leading to issues such as deforestation and habitat loss for many animals. The students connected this issue to their project animals, which were the Golden Lion Tamarins, along with other local wildlife through a campaign to use ‘walking classrooms’ that they created in partnership with Nolde Forest. Their ‘Unplug, Give Nature a Hug’ initiative attracted visitors who came to hear each of the 8 students speak about their research and information in their pop-up classrooms along the trail. We even had a visit from a reporter/photographer from the PA Department of Education who included our students' work in a featured post! The students proudly presented their research and project at the awards ceremony at the Philadelphia Zoo on Thursday, May 8th. Congratulations to these outstanding panthers!”
Our engaging 'walking classroom' boards were beautiful and informative!
Making connections to global and local wildlife impacts.
Our young visitors enjoyed learning about the Golden Lion Tamarin and why it is endangered.
Some of our 'walking classrooms' even had interactive elements... there was a lot to learn!
A little rain couldnt' stop the fun!
Having a lot of fun in between presentations🤣
So thankful for our chaperones and we enjoyed a great hike at the end of our trip!
Each board was different and SO interesting!
6th grade G1FT3D End-Of-The-Year - Slideshow
Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes from your actions.
-Dalai Lama
The seventh-grade gifted students won an award for the 'What's So Cool' About Manufacturing' contest! https://www.whatssocool.org/
This PBL opportunity invites teams from around the state in county-wide competitions to use digital media to tell the story of the company, include highlights that make the company a stand-out leader in manufacturing, as well as allowing students to present a theatrical, unique, and creative video, which will be evaluated by the MRC judging team!
The team worked with a local manufacturing company, EasyPak, located near Leesport, PA. https://www.easypak.com/ The students learned a lot about manufacturing in PA, videography, and digital storytelling!
This year's seventh-grade team received the popular 'Outstanding Cool' award for their innovative 'Shark Tank' parody. Check their video out, below!
Whatever you can do or dream you can begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.
~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
The 7th grade team took their creativity to the next level by designing their own exciting and challenging escape rooms! After mastering different strategies and problem-solving techniques, each student team crafted a unique digital adventure filled with clever puzzles and surprises. What made it even more fun? They invited friends and other gifted teams to try and crack their codes, turning the whole experience into a thrilling challenge filled with teamwork and friendly competition!
Aimee and Aria M.: 'Dress to Impress'-themed escape room
Cassie, Aria D., Nariah, Vienna: 'The Game of Clue'-themed escape room
Jacob, Cole, Ryan, Wilson, and Soren: 'Hunters and Huntees' escape room
Oliver: 'Radioactive Escape-If-You-Can' escape room
https://docs.google.com/document/d/18ndXysuvAc53PSSEuxN7l76b1IS1dW_NHsQpBxBIrFs/edit?usp=sharing
Watching a video called, 'The Cole Show', which had important clues to unlock the next step!
The Clue-themed escape room was an awesome experience which immersed you in the game!
... walking the runway during the 'Dress to Impress' escape room!
Cracking the codes of the 'Hunters and Huntees' escape room!
Cracking the breakout boxes...
working together as a team to solve the puzzles and find the next clue... and break out!
Double-checking that the codes are accurate!
Solving the puzzles before the other team breaks in!
7th grade G1FT3D End-Of-The-Year - Slideshow
The gifted students loved the launch of our escape room unit with digital escape rooms! The student teams developed a variety of important skills during this digital escape room activity. They enhanced their critical thinking and problem-solving abilities as they worked through puzzles and challenges that required logic and creativity. There was a great amounf of collaboration and communication happening as they worked together to share ideas and find solutions. Time management was essential as they raced against the clock to complete tasks. Additionally, they practiced attention to detail and perseverance, and even some grit when the challenges were tough. These activities also encouraged flexibility and adaptability, as they needed to change strategies when faced with new clues or obstacles. Overall, the interactive digital escape room helped them to build academic growth and everyday real-world problem-solving.🧩🧠
Wisdom is not a product of schooling but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it.
-Albert Einstein
'INgenioUS' ... the genius in us!' is an innovative student-led podcasting initiative, empowering learners' roles as transformative change agents through dialogue to engage social, and emotional support. This creative broadcasting endeavor challenged the 8th-grade gifted students to examine their social affect perplexities, such as navigating perfectionism and fostering greater self-awareness. This series provided insights into the social-emotional learning of our gifted students as they navigate important topics and share their collective experiences of what it means to 'BE gifted'! 🧠Posted links coming soon!
8th Grade - Let's look back through the years - end-of-the-year- Slideshow
During the cow eyeball dissection lab, students in each grade developed several important skills. They enhanced their observation skills by carefully examining the different parts of the cow eye, learning to identify structures like the cornea, lens, retina, and optic nerve. We used precise tools to carefully dissect and handle delicate tissues. Critical thinking and scientific inquiry grew as students made hypotheses, asked questions, and connected what they saw to how the eye functioned. They also developed patience and attention to detail, since dissections require careful, step-by-step work to avoid damaging important parts. Finally, students gained a deeper understanding of anatomy and biology by seeing firsthand how complex organs are structured and how they relate to human vision. So cool!😎👁️
Hide not your talents. They for use were made. What's a sundial in the shade?
– Benjamin Franklin
'Turning the PAGE Podcasts: https://www.giftedpage.org/podcasts/
Teacher to Teacher Webinar Sessions: https://www.giftedpage.org/teacher-2-teacher-program/
Parent to Parent Webinar Sessions: https://www.giftedpage.org/parent2parent/