Wallaby Wonders

Quarterly Quests for Gifted Minds

Quarter 1 Curriculum Updates!

Dear AIG Families,

Welcome to a new school year in AIG! I’m so excited to reconnect with our returning students and meet the new faces joining our program. This year, each grade level will dive into a unique theme to guide our learning and spark curiosity. Our 3rd graders will focus on Systems, exploring how parts work together in nature, technology, and society. In 4th grade, we’ll take on the theme of Mysteries, using problem-solving, critical thinking, and inquiry to uncover solutions and make discoveries. Our 5th graders will explore Impact, examining how individuals, events, and innovations shape the world around us. Across all grade levels, students will engage in challenging lessons, hands-on projects, and thought-provoking discussions that stretch their thinking and creativity.

I’ll be sharing updates throughout the year so you can see what we’re working on and how you can support your child’s learning at home. Please feel free to reach out anytime with questions or ideas—I value our partnership in helping each child reach their full potential. Here’s to a year filled with curiosity, perseverance, and plenty of “aha” moments!

Warmly,
Lauren Roy
AIG Specialist
West Lake Elementary School

3rd Grade Updates

This quarter, our 3rd-grade AIG students will engage in activities designed to strengthen their foundational skills while encouraging higher-order thinking in both math and reading.

Mathematics Focus

This quarter in 3rd grade AIG math, students are participating in our Building Thinking Classrooms (BTC) review series.

Throughout this unit, students will:

Practice solving multi-step problems using operations, place value, fractions, measurement, and data skills
Revisit key standards from all domains including Operations & Algebraic Thinking, Numbers & Operations in Base Ten, Fractions, Measurement & Data, and Geometry
Strengthen their BTC habits such as active listening, productive struggle, peer collaboration, and risk-taking in sharing their thinking
Develop independence in mathematical reasoning and the ability to explain their ideas clearly to others

By integrating year-long math content with our BTC routines, we are not only reviewing essential skills but also continuing to grow our students’ confidence, flexibility, and joy in math.

Reading Focus

This quarter, our 3rd grade AIG students are diving into the I Survived series as they strengthen their comprehension skills and engage in deeper literary analysis. Through these high-interest historical fiction texts, students will explore key 3rd grade reading standards in a meaningful and enriched way.

Using the Depth and Complexity icons as thinking tools, students will:

Ask and answer questions using text evidence (RL.3.1)
Recount stories and determine the central message (RL.3.2)
Describe characters and explain how their actions contribute to the plot (RL.3.3)
Interpret literal and nonliteral language (RL.3.4)
Understand how each part of the story builds on the next (RL.3.5)
Distinguish their own point of view from that of characters or the narrator (RL.3.6)

Icons like Details, Patterns, Unanswered Questions, Ethics, and Multiple Perspectives help students examine text structures, character decisions, and underlying themes in a more complex way. We’re excited to watch our students grow as readers and thinkers through this integrated and enriched learning experience!

4th Grade Updates

Mathematics Focus

This quarter in Math AIG, students will engage in hands-on, problem-based lessons designed to deepen their reasoning skills, strengthen their understanding of key math concepts, and encourage creative thinking. We’ll start by reconnecting as a class and reviewing routines, then dive into rich math tasks that blend real-world data, visual models, and collaborative problem-solving. Students will also participate in BTC (Beyond the Curriculum) activities that challenge them to think critically and apply concepts in new contexts.

Highlights of our work this quarter include:

Data Analysis & Graphing: Using “slow reveal” graphs and real Olympic medal counts to make predictions, create coordinate graphs, and compare results.
Multiplicative Comparison: Designing products for a “Math Marketplace” and writing multiplicative comparison problems based on classmates’ creations.
Area & Perimeter: Designing a dream playground, applying knowledge of rectilinear shapes, and using grid paper to bring designs to scale.
Multi-Step Problem Solving: Tackling real-world challenges, such as estimating the size and revenue of Disneyland’s parking structure, and exploring problem-solving strategies.
Place Value Exploration: Investigating addition and subtraction in creative scenarios, including “What if there were no hundreds place?” challenges.
Two-Step Word Problems: Practicing with task cards, solving escape room puzzles, and applying skills across multiple operations.

By the end of the quarter, students will have strengthened their ability to analyze data, solve multi-step problems, think flexibly about numbers, and explain their reasoning clearly.

Reading & Writing Focus

In Reading AIG this quarter, students will dive into the world of poetry through reading, writing, and creative expression. We’ll begin by reviewing classroom procedures, building our learning community through “get-to-know-you” activities, and reading a Shel Silverstein poem each day. From there, students will explore a variety of classic poems while learning how to identify and use figurative language, practice inferencing, and analyze themes and imagery. Along the way, they will write multiple original poems and complete a culminating Poetry Bento Project to showcase their favorite piece.

Highlights of our work this quarter include:

Daily poetry reading and discussion to spark ideas and model literary techniques.
Learning and applying figurative language, including similes, metaphors, idioms, hyperbole, onomatopoeia, alliteration, personification, and imagery.
Close reading and analysis of poems such as If I Can Stop One Heart from Breaking (Emily Dickinson), Nothing Gold Can Stay (Robert Frost), and The New Colossus (Emma Lazarus).
Writing four original poems inspired by mentor texts and figurative language lessons.
Creating a Poetry Bento Project—a visual and written presentation of their favorite poem.
Presenting Poetry Bento Projects to the class to share their creativity and insights.

By the end of the quarter, students will have strengthened their poetic vocabulary, honed their critical thinking skills, and gained confidence as both readers and writers of poetry.

5th Grade Updates

Mathematics Focus

This quarter, our 5th grade Math AIG students will take on challenging, real-world math investigations that combine data analysis, graphing, volume, and problem-solving. Lessons will encourage students to think critically, make predictions, justify their reasoning, and communicate their findings in both written and visual forms. We’ll start with slow reveal graphs to build curiosity and discussion, then move into larger projects that connect mathematics to topics like movies, technology, and design.

Highlights of our work this quarter include:

Data Analysis & Prediction: Using “slow reveal” graphs to analyze trends, make predictions, and uncover surprising real-world connections.
Movie Industry Investigation: Researching box office returns and critical ratings for a chosen movie series, adjusting data for inflation, creating scatter plots, identifying trends, and making recommendations on whether to produce another film.
Multi-Step Word Problems & Breakouts: Solving complex word problems involving time and volume, paired with breakout challenges that require teamwork and strategic thinking.
Volume Exploration: Calculating the volume of laptops from different time periods, sketching accurate 3D scaled drawings, and experimenting with shapes that have equivalent volumes.
Design & Engineering Connection: Reimagining laptops with new dimensions but the same volume, then building both the original and reconfigured designs to compare form and function.

By the end of the quarter, students will have applied advanced problem-solving skills, strengthened their understanding of volume and data analysis, and experienced how mathematics can inform decision-making in real-world contexts.

Reading & Writing Focus

This quarter, our 5th grade Reading AIG students will be diving into Refugee by Alan Gratz, a powerful historical fiction novel that follows the journeys of three young people—Josef, Isabel, and Mahmoud—fleeing their homes in different times and places. Through this text, students will strengthen their reading comprehension, vocabulary, and inferencing skills while engaging in deep discussions about character development, conflict, and global themes.

Highlights of our work this quarter include:

Weekly Reading & Vocabulary: Reading assigned sections of Refugee each week, paired with targeted vocabulary study and discussion.
Character Analysis: Examining how characters respond to adversity, change over time, and reveal traits through their actions, dialogue, and decisions.
Literary Skills: Exploring conflict, point of view, tone, and mood; using these elements to make deeper inferences about the text.
Theme Discussions: Considering themes such as courage, love, sacrifice, and the human impact of world events.
Critical Thinking & Connections: Discussing complex questions, such as the responsibilities and consequences of being a world superpower, and relating the novel’s events to real-world history and current issues.
Refugee Simulation & Extension Activities: Participating in an interactive refugee simulation and analyzing political cartoons to deepen empathy and understanding of the refugee experience.
Final Reflection: Examining what it means to make a new life and the courage it takes to leave everything behind.

By the end of the quarter, students will not only have completed a rich literary analysis of Refugee, but also gained a greater awareness of global issues, empathy for diverse experiences, and a deeper appreciation for the resilience of the human spirit.

Morning Clubs and Activities

Coming soon!

Around Town

Summer Enrichment Opportunities

One of the many great things about being a WCPSS parent is having access to an astounding array of options for enrichment learning programs over the summer.

The Summershine Online Directory is a comprehensive list of summer camps, activities, daycare, clinics, and track out programs for children in the Triangle area.

Summer enrichment programs can help students to bridge the gap from one school year to the next by keeping their reading and math skills honed, while also providing time for fun. We encourage parents to consider investigating these and other opportunities.

Page updated

Report abuse