September 12-September 16

Hello everyone,

So good to see so many of you at Open House night. Thanks for stopping by.

This past weeks GTD Resource direct and push-in services began. Push-in services are for kids in K-2 in which I go into the classrooms and work with the kids on "Thinking Skills". I provided different activities which requires the kids to use logic and problem-solving, and teaches them strategies for using these skills. Direct services for students in 3-5 are for students who meet District 97 Guidelines for services and are in the area of Math and Reading.

K-This past week and upcoming week in Kindergarten I am getting to know the kids and letting them get to know me by going into the classrooms and observing and participating in the activities that the class is working on that time. I go into the Kindergarten class 1/2 hour a week.

1st Grade-This past week I went into the classes and introduced the kids to my friend DOT. DOT is just that, a DOT, who goes on adventures and requires the children to use observation, prior knowledge, and logic to answer questions regarding the situation that DOT is in. Currently "DOT Goes to School" and we are working orally.

2nd Grade-Building on skills learned in 1st Grade last year, we reviewed some of the characters we met (Dudley the Detective, Isabel the Inventor, and Sybil the Scientist) and what they taught us about problem-solving. I then introduced a problem to the kids call "Zooley". Zooley requires logic to solve.

3rd Grade-
Math-we began working on geometry skills, working on vocabulary, and doing activities with line segments and triangles.
Reading-getting to know the kids, we worked identifying literature we liked and disliked and we began to talk about Folklore and read "How the Leopard Got Its Spots" by Rudyard Kipling.

4th Grade-
Math-we reviewed concepts like square numbers and square roots, looking for and identifying patterns.
Reading-we are working on "If I Were a Book" books. Some very fun and creative ideas coming out of this.

5th Grade-
Math-working on Unit 1 (Data Collection and Organization)
Reading-same as 4th Grade

That's all for now until next week.

All my best,
Mr. Packer

September 5-September 9

Hello everyone,

I hope this Labor Day finds you well.

Now that the students have finished taking their MAP tests in Math (Grades 2-5), I can organize the data, see which children meet GTD criteria, and create groups. Scheduling is done for the upper grades (3-5) and I will be working with the Kindergarten through 2nd grade teachers to create a schedule for me to push into their classes.

Groups should begin next week the 12th. Hope to see many of you at Open House night on Thursday September 15.

All my best,
Mr. Packer