Welcome everyone,
We've had a long and great start to the beginning of the 2014-2015 School Year. Direct GTD Resource has begun in 3rd-5th Grade and Mr. Packer has been going into the K-2 classrooms for Thinking Skills sessions. Below is a summary of what has been happening at each of the grade levels thus far this school year.
Kindergarten:
Mr. Packer has been going into the Kindergarten classrooms for Thinking Skills, once a week for 1/2 hour. We began with a name activity so that Mr. Packer could learn everyone's names (which he is still working on). We then spent the next couple of sessions working on the position terms; IN, ON, UNDER, IN FRONT OF, BEHIND, NEXT TO, BETWEEN by learning a song and then the kids spent time following directions and placing dots in the correct position next to a box.
1st Grade:
Mr. Packer brought in his friend DOT to give the kids an idea of what higher level thinking skills are about and the kids experienced DOT's first day at school. Recently the kids have been introduced to "Dudley the Detective". Dudley is part of the P.E.T.S. program and teaches kids, through various activities to become good deductive thinkers, including the skills of; gathering ALL of the information, not jumping to CONCLUSIONS, and that there is ONE correct answer. The kids have created detective badges to remind them of these Thinking Skills and have done the first activity "Mystery Creatures" which will be assessed for their ability to listen and use these skills.
2nd Grade:
2nd Grade students have continued with their friends from Crystal Pond Woods and the P.E.T.S. program and have met Max the Magician. Max teaches the kids to use their visual/spatial skills and identify and look for shapes and patterns which help in identifying problems and solving them. The kids have created Max the Magician hats to help trigger a memory for this as well as have begun to work with different types of patterns.
3rd Grade Reading
Students who qualify for Direct GTD Resource services in Language Arts have been working on Reading stories by Rudyard Kipling and building our vocabulary.
3rd Grade Math
Students have been working on multiplication strategies with 1 and 2 digit numbers, helped Ms. Creehan by counting the number of Eagle Slips the school earned, and have been working on problem-solving.
4th Grade Reading
We have been working on the Mystery genre and reading "The Wright 3", "The Calder Game", and the "Westing Game". We are working on identifying character traits, red herrings, clues, and having small group discussions. We are also working on vocabulary and turning verbs into nouns.
4th Grade Math
We have been working on operations with decimal numbers.
5th Grade Reading
We are studying Edgar Allen Poe by reading about his life, and reading several of his stories including; "The Cask of Amontillado", "The Fall of the House of Usher", and "The Masque of the Red Death".
5th Grade Math
Working on Units 1 and 2 of Big Ideas Math. Unit 1 being Prime numbers, Greatest Common Factor, Least Common Multiple, and operations. Unit 2 is operations with fractions and decimal numbers.
If you have questions regarding Gifted/Talented/Differentiation Services at Irving School, do not hesitate to contact me at packer@op97.org. Looking forward to seeing many of you at conferences the week of October 20th.
All my best,
Mr. Packer
Friday, October 10, 2014
Saturday, August 30, 2014
FIRST WEEK BACK 8/25-8/29
Hello all,
I hope everyone had a most enjoyable summer. Mine was busy spent traveling coast to coast, CA one week and the next week in FL. I ended the Summer teaching theater for a week in New Buffalo, MI and well...here we are.
For those of you new to my blog, or new to Irving School, this is the place to come for updates on Gifted/Talented/Differentiation (GTD) Resource services at Irving School. For more information on Gifted Education in Oak Park, visit the Gifted Education site on the District 97 homepage and follow the links to Elementary Programs.
At Irving School, I "push-in" to the primary grades K-2 and provide Direct "pull-out" services in Math and Language Arts for those students who meet District 97 Direct Service Criteria. Those students are identified at the beginning of 3rd grade after the Fall M.A.P. tests are given and the results are shared with the staff.
I look forward to working with you and your families this year. If you have questions regarding Gifted Education in District 97, services provided at Irving School, or how we meet your child's academic and social needs, please contact me at packer@op97.org
All my best,
Mr. Packer
I hope everyone had a most enjoyable summer. Mine was busy spent traveling coast to coast, CA one week and the next week in FL. I ended the Summer teaching theater for a week in New Buffalo, MI and well...here we are.
For those of you new to my blog, or new to Irving School, this is the place to come for updates on Gifted/Talented/Differentiation (GTD) Resource services at Irving School. For more information on Gifted Education in Oak Park, visit the Gifted Education site on the District 97 homepage and follow the links to Elementary Programs.
At Irving School, I "push-in" to the primary grades K-2 and provide Direct "pull-out" services in Math and Language Arts for those students who meet District 97 Direct Service Criteria. Those students are identified at the beginning of 3rd grade after the Fall M.A.P. tests are given and the results are shared with the staff.
I look forward to working with you and your families this year. If you have questions regarding Gifted Education in District 97, services provided at Irving School, or how we meet your child's academic and social needs, please contact me at packer@op97.org
All my best,
Mr. Packer
Friday, December 13, 2013
December 16-20
Season's Greeting Everyone!!
Sorry it's been awhile since the last update. The end of the 1st trimester is such a busy time and transitioning activities takes a lot of preparation. I hope you are all doing well and gearing up for our upcoming Winter Break!
Kindergarten:
Kindergarten students have been practicing being creative. They looked at the book "10 Dots" and "Curious George's ABC's" to see how dots and the alphabet can be used to create things we see in the world around us. The kids were then given dots and letters of their own and asked to use their imaginations to create their own versions of things we see in the world. Some very creative uses of the letters and dots. You can expect to see these come home soon.
First Grade:
First Grade students have finished up their detective work with Dudley the Detective by looking for clues and using their logic to solve puzzles. We are now on another adventure with our friend DOT entitled DOT's ADVENTURE IN THE SNOW-how appropriate. This time, students are recording their answers on a sheet instead of discussing all of the questions out loud together.
2nd Grade:
Second Grade students continue to have fun with Yolanda the Yarnspinner and learning how to have fun with words. They heard a story called "That's Good, That's Bad" and created their own versions of Good News/Bad News, some very fun and creative stuff. They are currently working on creating their own animal riddles, and if time permits, they'll perform in Packer's Comedy Playhouse and tell each other their jokes.
3rd Grade Math:
3rd Grade Math students continue to work on logic and problem solving, using guess and check strategies on 5th grade material.
3rd Grade Reading:
Reading students are creating their own "Just So Stories" in a Google Doc that can be worked on anywhere they have internet access and a keyboard. They are required to have dialogue, and a moral to their story. Mr. Packer will edit their stories over Winter Break.
4th Grade Math:
4th Grade Math students are beginning to learn about being consumers and investing their money. They are learning about various businesses and the Stock Market. After break they will be given "$10,000" to invest in the Stock Market Game", buying and selling stock in imaginary companies.
4th Grade Reading:
Students are reading "The Breadwinner", a story about an 11 year old Afghanistan girl who, due to circumstances beyond her control and the Taliban, needs to become the caretaker for her family. It's pretty deep and we've had some great discussions about the Taliban and Afghanistan.
5th Grade Math:
Students are working on CCSS-Rational Numbers-operations with positive and negative numbers, plotting points on a graph, and using algebra to solve for x and y. Along with some of their peers and 4th grade students they have competed in the 2nd of 5 Math Olympiads.
5th Grade Reading:
Students in Packer Reading are just beginning to read the novel "Tuck Everlasting" by Natalie Babbitt and we began with a discussion of the pros and cons of eternal life, making some predictions after reading the dialogue, and identifying similes and metaphors that the author uses in the story.
Have a great holiday season, and a Happy New Year. See you in January.
All my best,
Mr. Packer
Sorry it's been awhile since the last update. The end of the 1st trimester is such a busy time and transitioning activities takes a lot of preparation. I hope you are all doing well and gearing up for our upcoming Winter Break!
Kindergarten:
Kindergarten students have been practicing being creative. They looked at the book "10 Dots" and "Curious George's ABC's" to see how dots and the alphabet can be used to create things we see in the world around us. The kids were then given dots and letters of their own and asked to use their imaginations to create their own versions of things we see in the world. Some very creative uses of the letters and dots. You can expect to see these come home soon.
First Grade:
First Grade students have finished up their detective work with Dudley the Detective by looking for clues and using their logic to solve puzzles. We are now on another adventure with our friend DOT entitled DOT's ADVENTURE IN THE SNOW-how appropriate. This time, students are recording their answers on a sheet instead of discussing all of the questions out loud together.
2nd Grade:
Second Grade students continue to have fun with Yolanda the Yarnspinner and learning how to have fun with words. They heard a story called "That's Good, That's Bad" and created their own versions of Good News/Bad News, some very fun and creative stuff. They are currently working on creating their own animal riddles, and if time permits, they'll perform in Packer's Comedy Playhouse and tell each other their jokes.
3rd Grade Math:
3rd Grade Math students continue to work on logic and problem solving, using guess and check strategies on 5th grade material.
3rd Grade Reading:
Reading students are creating their own "Just So Stories" in a Google Doc that can be worked on anywhere they have internet access and a keyboard. They are required to have dialogue, and a moral to their story. Mr. Packer will edit their stories over Winter Break.
4th Grade Math:
4th Grade Math students are beginning to learn about being consumers and investing their money. They are learning about various businesses and the Stock Market. After break they will be given "$10,000" to invest in the Stock Market Game", buying and selling stock in imaginary companies.
4th Grade Reading:
Students are reading "The Breadwinner", a story about an 11 year old Afghanistan girl who, due to circumstances beyond her control and the Taliban, needs to become the caretaker for her family. It's pretty deep and we've had some great discussions about the Taliban and Afghanistan.
5th Grade Math:
Students are working on CCSS-Rational Numbers-operations with positive and negative numbers, plotting points on a graph, and using algebra to solve for x and y. Along with some of their peers and 4th grade students they have competed in the 2nd of 5 Math Olympiads.
5th Grade Reading:
Students in Packer Reading are just beginning to read the novel "Tuck Everlasting" by Natalie Babbitt and we began with a discussion of the pros and cons of eternal life, making some predictions after reading the dialogue, and identifying similes and metaphors that the author uses in the story.
Have a great holiday season, and a Happy New Year. See you in January.
All my best,
Mr. Packer
Friday, November 8, 2013
NOVMEBER 4-NOVEMBER 8
Hello everyone
I hope everyone is settling into the weather change and enjoying the Fall weather and the Fall colors. I love getting up in the morning and having sunlight and not the darkness, though I know we will be soon rising and going to sleep in pitch darkness.
KINDERGARTEN
For Thinking Skills with Kindergarteners Mr. Packer has been addressing some of the CCSS in Math and the students have been actively showing that they can quickly identify the number of dots projected in front of them, and tell if there are more or less of an item in front of them.
FIRST GRADE
First graders have been receiving their Dudley the Detective badges and continue to work on applying the skills Dudley is teaching us which are 1). Look for all of the clues or information 2). Don't jump to CONCLUSIONS, and 3). There is only one right answer (unless we are creating something) but many ways to get that one right answer
SECOND GRADE
Second graders have met Yolanda the Yarnspinner and have begun working having fun with words and seeing that words can be arranged in multiple ways so that a variety of sentences can be created. We have started to talk about ways to become better writers by simply rearranging the words in our sentences, and we've talked about fluency and the ability to change when their is an obstacle in front of us.
3rd GRADE READING
Third grade reading students have read "How the Camel Got Its Hump" and have turned the story in short skits on which they were judged on how well they took key elements of the story and communicated the message of the story to the audience. They are going to read "The Elephant's Trunk" and be given a limit on how many frames of a cartoon they can use to retell the story (summarizing and identifying key events).
3rd GRADE MATH
Third grade math students have been working on excessing our mind's eye by using visualization to solve problems. We have also been learning how to draw pictures to solve problems as well as use logic.
4th GRADE MATH
Students are finishing up their "Average Fourth Grader" project which will soon be displayed in the halls. They have begun working on some Math Olympiad problems in preparation for upcoming competition and will share various strategies for solving these types of problems.
4th GRADE READING
Students are finishing up their MovieMaker movies retelling "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" and some of those will be shared soon on here and YouTube
5th GRADE MATH
Students have been working on unit 2 (Ratios and Proportions, Expressions and Equations). They have done a lot of work writing ratios, creating equivalent ratios, finding Unit rate, solving percent problems, and a lot of Algebra work (expressions) and have been impressing Mr. Packer with their skills greatly.
5th GRADE READING
Just finished reading our second Edgar Allen Poe story, "The Fall of the House of Usher". Finishing up some work and will begin reading either "The Mask of the Red Death" or "The Cask of Amontillado".
That's all for now. Enjoy your 3 day weekend with Monday off for Veteran's Day.
All my best,
Mr. Packer
I hope everyone is settling into the weather change and enjoying the Fall weather and the Fall colors. I love getting up in the morning and having sunlight and not the darkness, though I know we will be soon rising and going to sleep in pitch darkness.
KINDERGARTEN
For Thinking Skills with Kindergarteners Mr. Packer has been addressing some of the CCSS in Math and the students have been actively showing that they can quickly identify the number of dots projected in front of them, and tell if there are more or less of an item in front of them.
FIRST GRADE
First graders have been receiving their Dudley the Detective badges and continue to work on applying the skills Dudley is teaching us which are 1). Look for all of the clues or information 2). Don't jump to CONCLUSIONS, and 3). There is only one right answer (unless we are creating something) but many ways to get that one right answer
SECOND GRADE
Second graders have met Yolanda the Yarnspinner and have begun working having fun with words and seeing that words can be arranged in multiple ways so that a variety of sentences can be created. We have started to talk about ways to become better writers by simply rearranging the words in our sentences, and we've talked about fluency and the ability to change when their is an obstacle in front of us.
3rd GRADE READING
Third grade reading students have read "How the Camel Got Its Hump" and have turned the story in short skits on which they were judged on how well they took key elements of the story and communicated the message of the story to the audience. They are going to read "The Elephant's Trunk" and be given a limit on how many frames of a cartoon they can use to retell the story (summarizing and identifying key events).
3rd GRADE MATH
Third grade math students have been working on excessing our mind's eye by using visualization to solve problems. We have also been learning how to draw pictures to solve problems as well as use logic.
4th GRADE MATH
Students are finishing up their "Average Fourth Grader" project which will soon be displayed in the halls. They have begun working on some Math Olympiad problems in preparation for upcoming competition and will share various strategies for solving these types of problems.
4th GRADE READING
Students are finishing up their MovieMaker movies retelling "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" and some of those will be shared soon on here and YouTube
5th GRADE MATH
Students have been working on unit 2 (Ratios and Proportions, Expressions and Equations). They have done a lot of work writing ratios, creating equivalent ratios, finding Unit rate, solving percent problems, and a lot of Algebra work (expressions) and have been impressing Mr. Packer with their skills greatly.
5th GRADE READING
Just finished reading our second Edgar Allen Poe story, "The Fall of the House of Usher". Finishing up some work and will begin reading either "The Mask of the Red Death" or "The Cask of Amontillado".
That's all for now. Enjoy your 3 day weekend with Monday off for Veteran's Day.
All my best,
Mr. Packer
Sunday, October 13, 2013
October 14-18, 2013
Hello all,
Here is what's going on in the world of Gifted/Talented/Differentiation (GTD) Direct and Classroom Resource Services at Irving School.
Kindergarten:
Mr. Packer goes into the Kindergarten classrooms once a week for one half hour. The past several times he has been working with the kids on positional words such as; over, under, near, above, below, etc.). The first session the kids had to connect cubes at put the white cube in the correct position. The last time Mr. Packer was in, the kids did an activity with placing a diamond pattern block and plastic cup in positions related to each other (i.e. "the diamond is next to the cup").
1st Grade:
In first grade Thinking Skills, the kids have finished up with DOT's adventure at school and now are being introduced to Dudley the Detective. Dudley teaches the kids to look for all of the clues, don't jump to conclusions (answers or endings), and that there is only one correct answer. The kids will begin working on using their deductive reasoning skills and solve some logic problems.
2nd Grade:
2nd Grade students have been working on solving problems by drawing pictures. We did an activity that was teacher directed, the students then completed a similar activity with Mr. Packer, and they have now begun to solve some problems on their own using this strategy. After completing the activity on their own, they will then continue to work on their own or with partners (as necessary) to solve some more difficult problems.
3rd Grade Math:
Students who receive Direct GTD Resource services in Math have been working on solving logic problems and have been brushing up their math skills by playing "I've Got: Who Has" for speed. We will begin working on our multiplication facts and strategies.
3rd Grade Reading:
Students have read "How the Camel Got Its Hump" by Rudyard Kipling and are turning the story into a skit. They will then be put into small groups to condense their individual scripts in to one, and then work on performing it for the group and their classes.
4th Grade Math:
Students continue to work on their "Average 4th Grader" drawings and will continue to work on studying averages and data.
4th Grade Reading:
Students continue to work on turning their summaries of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves into storyboards using Google Drawings, which will then be turned into presentations.
5th Grade Math:
Students are working on CCSS in the area of Ratios and Proportions. Having been assessed on CCSS in Number Sense, they will receive extra instruction and practice in division.
5th Grade Reading:
Students have read and discussed our first Edgar Allan Poe story "The Tell Tale Heart" and have begun to read "The Fall of the House of Usher" on their own.
Hope you are enjoying the cooler weather. All my best,
Mr. Packer
Here is what's going on in the world of Gifted/Talented/Differentiation (GTD) Direct and Classroom Resource Services at Irving School.
Kindergarten:
Mr. Packer goes into the Kindergarten classrooms once a week for one half hour. The past several times he has been working with the kids on positional words such as; over, under, near, above, below, etc.). The first session the kids had to connect cubes at put the white cube in the correct position. The last time Mr. Packer was in, the kids did an activity with placing a diamond pattern block and plastic cup in positions related to each other (i.e. "the diamond is next to the cup").
1st Grade:
In first grade Thinking Skills, the kids have finished up with DOT's adventure at school and now are being introduced to Dudley the Detective. Dudley teaches the kids to look for all of the clues, don't jump to conclusions (answers or endings), and that there is only one correct answer. The kids will begin working on using their deductive reasoning skills and solve some logic problems.
2nd Grade:
2nd Grade students have been working on solving problems by drawing pictures. We did an activity that was teacher directed, the students then completed a similar activity with Mr. Packer, and they have now begun to solve some problems on their own using this strategy. After completing the activity on their own, they will then continue to work on their own or with partners (as necessary) to solve some more difficult problems.
3rd Grade Math:
Students who receive Direct GTD Resource services in Math have been working on solving logic problems and have been brushing up their math skills by playing "I've Got: Who Has" for speed. We will begin working on our multiplication facts and strategies.
3rd Grade Reading:
Students have read "How the Camel Got Its Hump" by Rudyard Kipling and are turning the story into a skit. They will then be put into small groups to condense their individual scripts in to one, and then work on performing it for the group and their classes.
4th Grade Math:
Students continue to work on their "Average 4th Grader" drawings and will continue to work on studying averages and data.
4th Grade Reading:
Students continue to work on turning their summaries of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves into storyboards using Google Drawings, which will then be turned into presentations.
5th Grade Math:
Students are working on CCSS in the area of Ratios and Proportions. Having been assessed on CCSS in Number Sense, they will receive extra instruction and practice in division.
5th Grade Reading:
Students have read and discussed our first Edgar Allan Poe story "The Tell Tale Heart" and have begun to read "The Fall of the House of Usher" on their own.
Hope you are enjoying the cooler weather. All my best,
Mr. Packer
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
September 30, 2013
Hello everyone,
Just a reminder that conferences are next week. If your child receives Direct GTD Resource services (Grades 3-5) in Reading/Language Arts and/or Math, I will be coming to the conference that you have scheduled with our child's classroom teacher. If I have overlapping conferences, and for some reason I do not meet with you, I will be in touch to discuss your child's progress.
Updates
5th Grade Math
Students working on 6th Grade CCSS in Math have been working on their Summative Assessment for the skills learned in Unit 1 (operations with fractions and decimals). Our next unit will cover Ratios and Proportions
5th Grade Language Arts
Students have read up on the background of Edgar Allan Poe. They have begun reading and discussing the classic tale "The Tell Tale Heart". We have been discussing the use of various literary elements (repetition, simile, etc.). The next story we will be reading is "The Fall of the House of Usher"
4th Grade Math
Students in Packer Math for 4th grade have been working on measurement and averages and finding the measurements of "The Average 4th Grader". This is an introduction to data collection, averages, and measurement and the students will apply these skills on their own in a data collection project in the near future.
4th Grade Reading
4th Grade Packer Reading students have read the classic tale "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves". We are using our analytical skills and summarizing the important parts of the story into storyboards with which we are then going to create iMovies. The students are using their D97 Google accounts to work on their drawings which will then save as jpegs and import into iMovie on Mr. Packer's MacBook and iPad.
3rd Grade Math
3rd Grade Math students have been practicing their estimating and rounding skills. They had the challenge of creating the longest piece of paper from a single piece of 8 1/2 x 11 piece of paper, which we then estimated their lengths, and then measured their actual length.
2nd Grade Thinking Skills
We continued to work on our own to solve problems using manipulatives and "acting out" a problem in order to solve (i.e Bob had 6 apples, Mary had 12 apples. How many did Mary give to Bob so they had the same number). The important concept was EQUAL. We are now learning to solve problems by using pictures to help us.
1st Grade Thinking Skills
First Graders continue to go along with DOT on DOT's adventure at school and use higher level thinking skills to solve problems encountered in the scenarios DOT find's itself throughout the course of the first day of school.
Kindergarten Thinking Skills
Mr. Packer introduced himself to Kindergarten classes last week and worked with the kids on identifying the 5 ways that the brain gets information (the 5 senses). This week, we are working on POSITIONAL words and putting blocks in certain spatial relationship orders (ABOVE, BELOW, NEXT TO, etc.).
That's all for now. Hope to see you during conferences next week.
All my best,
Mr. Packer
Just a reminder that conferences are next week. If your child receives Direct GTD Resource services (Grades 3-5) in Reading/Language Arts and/or Math, I will be coming to the conference that you have scheduled with our child's classroom teacher. If I have overlapping conferences, and for some reason I do not meet with you, I will be in touch to discuss your child's progress.
Updates
5th Grade Math
Students working on 6th Grade CCSS in Math have been working on their Summative Assessment for the skills learned in Unit 1 (operations with fractions and decimals). Our next unit will cover Ratios and Proportions
5th Grade Language Arts
Students have read up on the background of Edgar Allan Poe. They have begun reading and discussing the classic tale "The Tell Tale Heart". We have been discussing the use of various literary elements (repetition, simile, etc.). The next story we will be reading is "The Fall of the House of Usher"
4th Grade Math
Students in Packer Math for 4th grade have been working on measurement and averages and finding the measurements of "The Average 4th Grader". This is an introduction to data collection, averages, and measurement and the students will apply these skills on their own in a data collection project in the near future.
4th Grade Reading
4th Grade Packer Reading students have read the classic tale "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves". We are using our analytical skills and summarizing the important parts of the story into storyboards with which we are then going to create iMovies. The students are using their D97 Google accounts to work on their drawings which will then save as jpegs and import into iMovie on Mr. Packer's MacBook and iPad.
3rd Grade Math
3rd Grade Math students have been practicing their estimating and rounding skills. They had the challenge of creating the longest piece of paper from a single piece of 8 1/2 x 11 piece of paper, which we then estimated their lengths, and then measured their actual length.
2nd Grade Thinking Skills
We continued to work on our own to solve problems using manipulatives and "acting out" a problem in order to solve (i.e Bob had 6 apples, Mary had 12 apples. How many did Mary give to Bob so they had the same number). The important concept was EQUAL. We are now learning to solve problems by using pictures to help us.
1st Grade Thinking Skills
First Graders continue to go along with DOT on DOT's adventure at school and use higher level thinking skills to solve problems encountered in the scenarios DOT find's itself throughout the course of the first day of school.
Kindergarten Thinking Skills
Mr. Packer introduced himself to Kindergarten classes last week and worked with the kids on identifying the 5 ways that the brain gets information (the 5 senses). This week, we are working on POSITIONAL words and putting blocks in certain spatial relationship orders (ABOVE, BELOW, NEXT TO, etc.).
That's all for now. Hope to see you during conferences next week.
All my best,
Mr. Packer
Monday, September 16, 2013
Week of September 16
Week of September 16
Hello everyone,
Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend, got to enjoy the weather on Saturday and the nice fall-like Sunday we had (and the Bears win!)
5th Grade Math
5th Grade Math students continue to work on CCSS Math Standards 6NS1 (operations with fractions). We have been reviewing adding, subtracting, and multiplying fractions (regular and mixed). We have begun to work on modeling (drawing pictures to represent) multiplication of fractions. This will lead us to work on division of fractions later this week.
2nd Grade Thinking Skills
2nd Grade Thinking Skills students have been working on applying what we learned about problem solving using manipulatives (acting it out) or drawing a picture. Last week's activity was done as a class and this week students were asked to work on their own. This week they will work in small groups and share their strategies and solutions with the class.
1st Grade Thinking Skills
Students in first grade will be meeting my friend "DOT" this week. Dot goes on adventures and has some higher level thinking skills questions about the events and activities that are come across on the adventure.
That's all for now. My schedule is pretty much done, so you may be hearing more about Thinking Skills and/or Packer Math and Reading as the weeks progress.
All my best,
Mr. Packer
Hello everyone,
Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend, got to enjoy the weather on Saturday and the nice fall-like Sunday we had (and the Bears win!)
5th Grade Math
5th Grade Math students continue to work on CCSS Math Standards 6NS1 (operations with fractions). We have been reviewing adding, subtracting, and multiplying fractions (regular and mixed). We have begun to work on modeling (drawing pictures to represent) multiplication of fractions. This will lead us to work on division of fractions later this week.
2nd Grade Thinking Skills
2nd Grade Thinking Skills students have been working on applying what we learned about problem solving using manipulatives (acting it out) or drawing a picture. Last week's activity was done as a class and this week students were asked to work on their own. This week they will work in small groups and share their strategies and solutions with the class.
1st Grade Thinking Skills
Students in first grade will be meeting my friend "DOT" this week. Dot goes on adventures and has some higher level thinking skills questions about the events and activities that are come across on the adventure.
That's all for now. My schedule is pretty much done, so you may be hearing more about Thinking Skills and/or Packer Math and Reading as the weeks progress.
All my best,
Mr. Packer
Monday, September 9, 2013
Week of September 9
5th Grade Math
5th Grade Math
I hope you had a chance to enjoy the wonderful weekend. Looks like it will be a warm one these first couple of days this week please make sure the kids are dressed appropriately for school and the weather, and water bottles are highly encouraged. I do have two fans going in the room, so the air is circulating.
Last week we continued our work with operations with decimals (CCSS 6.NS.3-Common Core State Standard-Grade 6-Number Sense-Goal 3) and the kids took a formative assessment on Friday. Today we are going to apply our computation skills with decimals and build the first order for the School Spirit Store which allows the kids to apply these skills to a real world situation.
This week we will begin reviewing operations with fractions and start our introduction of division of fractions. The kids will not only need to learn the standard algorithm for dividing fractions, but they will also have to draw models to demonstrate their understanding.
GTD Resource
I am still working on scheduling going into classrooms. 2nd Grade classes have begun working on solving problems by acting them out and drawing pictures. We did a whole class activity about sharing candy equally and this week the kids will apply these strategies and solve problems on their own
ALL
Just a couple of reminders: Open House is this Thursday from 6:30-8:30. I am only able to be present from 6-7 and would love to see you. If you are not able to make it at that time, I am always available to meet at a time convenient for us both. Also, Friday is an Institute Day, no school for the kiddos.
Thanks and have a great week.
All my best,
Mr. Packer
Thursday, August 29, 2013
WELCOME BACK!
Irving Families
Welcome back to a wonderful new school year. So many exciting things going on with the NEW playground, field, and staff parking AND the introduction to Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in Mathematics, as well as our continuation of CCSS in Reading/Language Arts.
For those of you new to PACKER's Post, this is where you can find updates as to Gifted/Talented/Differentiation Resource services provided in D97, as well as GTD Resource information specific to Irving and what is happening at each grade level.
I look forward to providing services for your children this year.
All my best,
Mr. Packer
Welcome back to a wonderful new school year. So many exciting things going on with the NEW playground, field, and staff parking AND the introduction to Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in Mathematics, as well as our continuation of CCSS in Reading/Language Arts.
For those of you new to PACKER's Post, this is where you can find updates as to Gifted/Talented/Differentiation Resource services provided in D97, as well as GTD Resource information specific to Irving and what is happening at each grade level.
I look forward to providing services for your children this year.
All my best,
Mr. Packer
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Hello everyone,
Welcome to the end of the 1st trimester. Below you will find a summary of the activities and skills that we worked on in Thinking Skills in Grades K-2 and in Direct GTD Resource Services provided in grades 3, 4, and 5.
Kindergarten:
Kindergarteners have been working very hard on PROBABILITY. We first discussed the words ALWAYS, SOMETIMES, and NEVER and made personal connections to those words with events that happen at those occurrences. We then discussed PROBABILITY and the CHANCE of something happening by guessing what was in the secret bag of bears. We then made a chart/graph of what was in the bag and completed an experiment to see if our PREDICTIONs came true based on the information or data we had.
1st Grade:
1st Graders had the experience of meeting DOT at the beginning of the trimester and going on an adventure with DOT at school. We then transitioned over and met one of many characters we will meet from Crystal Pond Woods to teach us HIGHER LEVEL THINKING SKILLS. That friend was Dudley the Detective who teaches us to: GET ALL of the INFORMATION; DON'T JUMP to CONCLUSIONS, and unless we are being creative there is only ONE RIGHT ANSWER. We created badges to help remind us of these important skills and we then completed several logic activities. We are ending the trimester by working with ATTRIBUTE blocks and talking about ATTRIBUTES and relationships.
2nd Grade:
2nd Grade students have been working on Algebraic Thinking Skills and learning how to solve for unknowns using pictures and clues. Students learned that numbers can be represented with pictures and shapes, they learned that once a picture is assigned a value it stays the same throughout a problem, and they were encouraged to write number sentences to help support and prove their final answers.
3rd Grade:
Math:
Students who are pulled for GTD Direct Services in math were supported in their transition into 4th grade EVERYDAY MATH through mulitplication review and strategies, solving logic problems, and learning how visualization can help them solve a problem.
Literature:
Students read Rudyard Kipling's "Just So Stories" (How the Camel Got Its Hump, How the Alphabet Was Made, and How the Leopard Got Its Spots) and had activities to expand their knowledge of each of the stories. They had to create skits for How the Camel....using main idea and character as a focus, they had to create a 6 panel comic strip for How the Alphabet..., and for a final activity they are writing their own Just So Story using Google Docs.
4th Grade:
Math:
Fourth Grade math students learned about data collection and using a sample group to make prediction and applying those skills to predicting the winner of the Presidential election and the numbers. They did a great job. They also have been learning about different number systems and different strategies for compuation not found in EVERYDAY MATH.
Literature:
Students are continuing to read and discuss "The Westing Game". They learned some strategies for reading mysteries and continue to talk about important terms like MOTIVE, EVIDENCE, and ALIBIS. Hopefully we'll soon discover the secret of the WESTING GAME.
5th Grade:
Math:
Students have finished the first 3 units of 6th GRADE EVERYDAY MATH and continue to work into Unit 4. They completed data collection projects and created PowerPoint Presentations of their work and their findings.
Literature:
We have finished up our Unit on Edgar Allen Poe and are looking for a play to perform.
That's all for now. Happy Holidays to all.
Mr. Packer
Welcome to the end of the 1st trimester. Below you will find a summary of the activities and skills that we worked on in Thinking Skills in Grades K-2 and in Direct GTD Resource Services provided in grades 3, 4, and 5.
Kindergarten:
Kindergarteners have been working very hard on PROBABILITY. We first discussed the words ALWAYS, SOMETIMES, and NEVER and made personal connections to those words with events that happen at those occurrences. We then discussed PROBABILITY and the CHANCE of something happening by guessing what was in the secret bag of bears. We then made a chart/graph of what was in the bag and completed an experiment to see if our PREDICTIONs came true based on the information or data we had.
1st Grade:
1st Graders had the experience of meeting DOT at the beginning of the trimester and going on an adventure with DOT at school. We then transitioned over and met one of many characters we will meet from Crystal Pond Woods to teach us HIGHER LEVEL THINKING SKILLS. That friend was Dudley the Detective who teaches us to: GET ALL of the INFORMATION; DON'T JUMP to CONCLUSIONS, and unless we are being creative there is only ONE RIGHT ANSWER. We created badges to help remind us of these important skills and we then completed several logic activities. We are ending the trimester by working with ATTRIBUTE blocks and talking about ATTRIBUTES and relationships.
2nd Grade:
2nd Grade students have been working on Algebraic Thinking Skills and learning how to solve for unknowns using pictures and clues. Students learned that numbers can be represented with pictures and shapes, they learned that once a picture is assigned a value it stays the same throughout a problem, and they were encouraged to write number sentences to help support and prove their final answers.
3rd Grade:
Math:
Students who are pulled for GTD Direct Services in math were supported in their transition into 4th grade EVERYDAY MATH through mulitplication review and strategies, solving logic problems, and learning how visualization can help them solve a problem.
Literature:
Students read Rudyard Kipling's "Just So Stories" (How the Camel Got Its Hump, How the Alphabet Was Made, and How the Leopard Got Its Spots) and had activities to expand their knowledge of each of the stories. They had to create skits for How the Camel....using main idea and character as a focus, they had to create a 6 panel comic strip for How the Alphabet..., and for a final activity they are writing their own Just So Story using Google Docs.
4th Grade:
Math:
Fourth Grade math students learned about data collection and using a sample group to make prediction and applying those skills to predicting the winner of the Presidential election and the numbers. They did a great job. They also have been learning about different number systems and different strategies for compuation not found in EVERYDAY MATH.
Literature:
Students are continuing to read and discuss "The Westing Game". They learned some strategies for reading mysteries and continue to talk about important terms like MOTIVE, EVIDENCE, and ALIBIS. Hopefully we'll soon discover the secret of the WESTING GAME.
5th Grade:
Math:
Students have finished the first 3 units of 6th GRADE EVERYDAY MATH and continue to work into Unit 4. They completed data collection projects and created PowerPoint Presentations of their work and their findings.
Literature:
We have finished up our Unit on Edgar Allen Poe and are looking for a play to perform.
That's all for now. Happy Holidays to all.
Mr. Packer
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
October 9, 2012
Hello everyone,
I hope you enjoyed your Columbus Day weekend. I was able to work in my yard and get my Halloween decorations up and enjoy some of the last days of nice weather. Here's what's happening in the world of GTD Resource services at Irving School
Kindergarten
We had a great time figuring out what was coming up in "Tomorrow's Alphabet" a book which requires kids to use critical thinking skills and build background knowledge for what things are in the present and what they will become in the future. For example "A is for seed, tomorrow's ?" Apple
Next we will begin to work on probability and start discussing the important probability words of "Never", "Always", and "Sometimes".
1st Grade
1st Grade classes have finished up their adventure with "DOT" who is now on "Vacation" as the students are introduced to the residents of Crytal Pond Woods and learn strands of higher level thinking through these characters. First up, Dudley the Detective. Dudley teaches the kids to 1) Get all of the information 2) Not jumpt to conclusions and 3) There is only 1 right answer (unless we are doing something creative).
2nd Grade
2nd Grade students continue to work on algebraic thinking and solving for unknowns. They are currently working on building background knowledge for groups and multiples and drawing pictures to solve algebraic problems.
3rd Grade
Math
3rd grade math students have been working on multiplication strategies and problem-solving involving groups of numbers and breaking numbers apart and performing math operations and then adding them back up.
Language Arts
3rd grade math students have started to read "Just So Stories". We have read "How the Camel Got Its Hump" and we have written summaries and are going to perform skits of the story.
4th Grade
Math
4th Grade math students have been studying prime numbers and patterns as well as making predictions of how student voting will turn out at Irving School in the upcoming Presidential Election in November.
Language Arts
We continue to work on vocabulary, comprehension, and character study of the characters in "The Westing Game"
5th Grade
Math
Students are working on reading and writing extremely large and extremely small numbers with the powers of 10 and multiplying and dividing decimals.
Language Arts
We have finished our first Edgar Allen Poe story "The Fall of the House of Usher" and are working on activities to strengthen our depth of understanding of the story. Next up, "The Tell Tale Heart".
That's all for now. I look forward to seeing many of you at conferences next week. If you have any questions or concerns regarding Gifted/Talented/Differentiation Resource services at Irving School, feel free to contact me at ppacker@op97.org
All my best,
Mr. Packer
I hope you enjoyed your Columbus Day weekend. I was able to work in my yard and get my Halloween decorations up and enjoy some of the last days of nice weather. Here's what's happening in the world of GTD Resource services at Irving School
Kindergarten
We had a great time figuring out what was coming up in "Tomorrow's Alphabet" a book which requires kids to use critical thinking skills and build background knowledge for what things are in the present and what they will become in the future. For example "A is for seed, tomorrow's ?" Apple
Next we will begin to work on probability and start discussing the important probability words of "Never", "Always", and "Sometimes".
1st Grade
1st Grade classes have finished up their adventure with "DOT" who is now on "Vacation" as the students are introduced to the residents of Crytal Pond Woods and learn strands of higher level thinking through these characters. First up, Dudley the Detective. Dudley teaches the kids to 1) Get all of the information 2) Not jumpt to conclusions and 3) There is only 1 right answer (unless we are doing something creative).
2nd Grade
2nd Grade students continue to work on algebraic thinking and solving for unknowns. They are currently working on building background knowledge for groups and multiples and drawing pictures to solve algebraic problems.
3rd Grade
Math
3rd grade math students have been working on multiplication strategies and problem-solving involving groups of numbers and breaking numbers apart and performing math operations and then adding them back up.
Language Arts
3rd grade math students have started to read "Just So Stories". We have read "How the Camel Got Its Hump" and we have written summaries and are going to perform skits of the story.
4th Grade
Math
4th Grade math students have been studying prime numbers and patterns as well as making predictions of how student voting will turn out at Irving School in the upcoming Presidential Election in November.
Language Arts
We continue to work on vocabulary, comprehension, and character study of the characters in "The Westing Game"
5th Grade
Math
Students are working on reading and writing extremely large and extremely small numbers with the powers of 10 and multiplying and dividing decimals.
Language Arts
We have finished our first Edgar Allen Poe story "The Fall of the House of Usher" and are working on activities to strengthen our depth of understanding of the story. Next up, "The Tell Tale Heart".
That's all for now. I look forward to seeing many of you at conferences next week. If you have any questions or concerns regarding Gifted/Talented/Differentiation Resource services at Irving School, feel free to contact me at ppacker@op97.org
All my best,
Mr. Packer
Monday, September 24, 2012
September 23, 2012
Hello everyone,
Here is an update of what has been going on with GTD Resource services since the last post.
Kindergarten
Mr. Packer has gone into each of the Kindergarten classroom's and introduced himself and played a game using movement to help him get to know each of the student's names. Our first activity will be reading a book called "Tomorrow's Alphabet" in which the students have to think about what something will be in the future. We may do an activity where they will create their own page.
1st Grade
Dot has been coming with Mr. Packer to each of the 1st grade classroom. This adventure is "Dot Goes To School". We discuss varioius strategies for solving the problems and questions that arise as Dot continues on his/her adventure. Look for your child to create their very own Dot story.
2nd Grade
2nd Graders have had two thinking skills activities. The first, "How Old Are....?" was an activity that introduced the concept of solving for unknowns by working backwards. The 2nd activity "Number on a Hat" introduces solving for unknowns by using clues to narrow down our choices and reading clues carefully.
3rd Grade
Math
3rd Grade math students are getting acclimated to the 4th grade curriculum and their teachers. With Mr. Packer we have been working on logic problems (strategies for solving) and our multiplication facts.
Language Arts
Groups have not begun, but will start in the coming weeks beginning with a read of Rudyard Kipling's "Just So"stories.
4th Grade
Math
We have been working on learning about Data Collection and landmarks, prepping ourselves for the upcoming election where we will take a poll of one class and make election prediction outcomes for the whole school.
Language Arts
We are reading Ellen Raskin's "The Westing Game". A great book to discuss plot, plot twists, and characters. Look for us to create Google Docs and create character snapshots for each of "suspects" in Sam Westing's final game
5th Grade
Math
We are working in Everyday Math. Having finished Unit 1 on data collection, we have started a project that should take us up to the end of the trimester (see side bar ). We have begun Unit 2, operations with decimals and Powers of 10.
Language Arts
We have started to read Edgar Allen Poe and are reading and discussing "The Fall of the House of Usher"
Hello everyone,
Here is an update of what has been going on with GTD Resource services since the last post.
Kindergarten
Mr. Packer has gone into each of the Kindergarten classroom's and introduced himself and played a game using movement to help him get to know each of the student's names. Our first activity will be reading a book called "Tomorrow's Alphabet" in which the students have to think about what something will be in the future. We may do an activity where they will create their own page.
1st Grade
Dot has been coming with Mr. Packer to each of the 1st grade classroom. This adventure is "Dot Goes To School". We discuss varioius strategies for solving the problems and questions that arise as Dot continues on his/her adventure. Look for your child to create their very own Dot story.
2nd Grade
2nd Graders have had two thinking skills activities. The first, "How Old Are....?" was an activity that introduced the concept of solving for unknowns by working backwards. The 2nd activity "Number on a Hat" introduces solving for unknowns by using clues to narrow down our choices and reading clues carefully.
3rd Grade
Math
3rd Grade math students are getting acclimated to the 4th grade curriculum and their teachers. With Mr. Packer we have been working on logic problems (strategies for solving) and our multiplication facts.
Language Arts
Groups have not begun, but will start in the coming weeks beginning with a read of Rudyard Kipling's "Just So"stories.
4th Grade
Math
We have been working on learning about Data Collection and landmarks, prepping ourselves for the upcoming election where we will take a poll of one class and make election prediction outcomes for the whole school.
Language Arts
We are reading Ellen Raskin's "The Westing Game". A great book to discuss plot, plot twists, and characters. Look for us to create Google Docs and create character snapshots for each of "suspects" in Sam Westing's final game
5th Grade
Math
We are working in Everyday Math. Having finished Unit 1 on data collection, we have started a project that should take us up to the end of the trimester (see side bar ). We have begun Unit 2, operations with decimals and Powers of 10.
Language Arts
We have started to read Edgar Allen Poe and are reading and discussing "The Fall of the House of Usher"
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Welcome Back
Hello ALL Irving Families,
Welcome to Packer's Post, a blog where you can keep up with the latest happening with Gifted Talented and Differentiation services at Irving School provided by Mr. Packer.
In grades K-2, Mr. Packer "pushes in" to the classrooms as does THINKING SKILLS with the whole class so everyone has the benefit of learning to become great problem solvers through the use of higher level thinking skills. Mr. Packer also works with the classroom teacher to help provide differentiated instruction and materials for those students demonstrating a need for enrichment and challenge in a specific subject matter.
In grades 3-5, Mr. Packer is responsible for "pulling" students out for DIRECT instruction in the subject areas of Math and Reading. Students are identified for DIRECT INSTRUCTION services based on criteria set forth by District 97. To learn more about GTD Services within the district follow this link: http://www.op97.org/teach-learn/Gifted.cfm
I look forward to working with your families and our wonderful school community in the upcoming year. You will find useful websites for all on top left of my blog and some really cool links below that.
Welcome Back!
All my best,
Mr. Packer
Welcome to Packer's Post, a blog where you can keep up with the latest happening with Gifted Talented and Differentiation services at Irving School provided by Mr. Packer.
In grades K-2, Mr. Packer "pushes in" to the classrooms as does THINKING SKILLS with the whole class so everyone has the benefit of learning to become great problem solvers through the use of higher level thinking skills. Mr. Packer also works with the classroom teacher to help provide differentiated instruction and materials for those students demonstrating a need for enrichment and challenge in a specific subject matter.
In grades 3-5, Mr. Packer is responsible for "pulling" students out for DIRECT instruction in the subject areas of Math and Reading. Students are identified for DIRECT INSTRUCTION services based on criteria set forth by District 97. To learn more about GTD Services within the district follow this link: http://www.op97.org/teach-learn/Gifted.cfm
I look forward to working with your families and our wonderful school community in the upcoming year. You will find useful websites for all on top left of my blog and some really cool links below that.
Welcome Back!
All my best,
Mr. Packer
Monday, January 16, 2012
January 9-January 20
Happy New Year!
I hope everyone had a wonderful winter break, spending time with friends and family. Now that we are rested up, here is what's happening in our first several weeks back.
Kindergarten
Kindergarten students are going to be playing with words and have been using their logic to figure out "Tomorrow's Alphabet", a wonderful book which teaches us that "A is for SEED, tomorrow's APPLE". A fun book and fun game to play at home which will help your child deal with sequencing and build their vocabulary.
1st Grade
1st Graders continue to work with DOT and will be finishing up in the next week or two using their logic and sharing the answers and reasoning for the specific answers they recorded on their DOT sheets.
2nd Grade
2nd Graders are being introduced to Max the Magician, who is teaching them to visualize and use visual-spatial reasoning to solve problems. Students learn to flip, rotate, and slide shapes to help solve visual problems, and use their imaginations to visusualize solutions.
3rd Grade
Reading students have finished up their respective rodent novels "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH" or "Poppy". They have created and are now evaluating and judging each others board game projects that were assigned over break.
Math students have finished up Unit 4 and begin on Unit 5 in EVERYDAY Math 4th Grade. This unit focuses on extending multiplication skills, estimation, and multiplication strategies.
4th Grade
Reading students are finishing up "The View from Saturday" and our gathering information about the 4 areas of expertise of the main characters in the story. They are then taking that information and using technology to share with peers.
Math students are working on mathematical problem-solving from math competitions, are reading a mathematical theme novel called "The Toothpaste Millionaire", and as an extension will be exploring the Stock Market.
5th Grade
Reading students are learning various approaches for reading the works of William Shakespeare. They have been given short scenes from variouis plays such as The Tempest, Macbeth, and A Midsummer Night's Dream and have auditions on Friday.
Math students are working on Unit 6th of EVERYDAY math which focuses on creaating compass and straight edge constructions, and using a compass to create circle graphs.
That's all for now. If you have questions about GTD Services at Irving School, I can always be contacted at ppacker@op97.org
All my best,
Mr. Packer
I hope everyone had a wonderful winter break, spending time with friends and family. Now that we are rested up, here is what's happening in our first several weeks back.
Kindergarten
Kindergarten students are going to be playing with words and have been using their logic to figure out "Tomorrow's Alphabet", a wonderful book which teaches us that "A is for SEED, tomorrow's APPLE". A fun book and fun game to play at home which will help your child deal with sequencing and build their vocabulary.
1st Grade
1st Graders continue to work with DOT and will be finishing up in the next week or two using their logic and sharing the answers and reasoning for the specific answers they recorded on their DOT sheets.
2nd Grade
2nd Graders are being introduced to Max the Magician, who is teaching them to visualize and use visual-spatial reasoning to solve problems. Students learn to flip, rotate, and slide shapes to help solve visual problems, and use their imaginations to visusualize solutions.
3rd Grade
Reading students have finished up their respective rodent novels "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH" or "Poppy". They have created and are now evaluating and judging each others board game projects that were assigned over break.
Math students have finished up Unit 4 and begin on Unit 5 in EVERYDAY Math 4th Grade. This unit focuses on extending multiplication skills, estimation, and multiplication strategies.
4th Grade
Reading students are finishing up "The View from Saturday" and our gathering information about the 4 areas of expertise of the main characters in the story. They are then taking that information and using technology to share with peers.
Math students are working on mathematical problem-solving from math competitions, are reading a mathematical theme novel called "The Toothpaste Millionaire", and as an extension will be exploring the Stock Market.
5th Grade
Reading students are learning various approaches for reading the works of William Shakespeare. They have been given short scenes from variouis plays such as The Tempest, Macbeth, and A Midsummer Night's Dream and have auditions on Friday.
Math students are working on Unit 6th of EVERYDAY math which focuses on creaating compass and straight edge constructions, and using a compass to create circle graphs.
That's all for now. If you have questions about GTD Services at Irving School, I can always be contacted at ppacker@op97.org
All my best,
Mr. Packer
Monday, December 19, 2011
December 9-December 23
Hello everyone,
I hope you are enjoying this holiday season with family and friends, and able to find time for yourselves.
Here's what's been going on in the world of GTD Services at Irving School.
Kindergarten
Kindergarteners have continued to work on sometimes, always, and never and learning the correct terminology that goes with PROBABILITY: certain, not certain, and maybe. We are using our skills by listening to three stories, voting on a favorite, and then talking about the choice someone would make who didn't hear the stories if they were to join the class and vote, based upon the results already gathered and organized in a bar graph.
1st Grade
Some 1st graders had been selected to work on deductive reasoning skills based on their group work in learning about Dudley the Detective. These students have been working on organizing information into Venn Diagrams to find the solution to a "mystery". Before and after break, DOT will be making a return as students go on an adventure with DOT at the Grocery Store and learn to think.
2nd Grade
Some 2nd grade students had been selected to work on language skills based on their group work in learning with Yolanda the Yarnspinner. These students learned to play with words and create riddles and puns, as well as write a group ONOMATOPOEIA poem. Before and after break students will be introduced to Max the Magician who teaches students to a visualize a problem in order to come up with a solution.
3rd Grade
Math students have been working very hard on their MULTIPLICATION facts, learning how to add and subtract decimal numbers, and learning about the metric system and base 10. These students also participated for the 1st time for Irving School in the ICTM Math Contest in a team and individual event.
Language Arts students have been reading one of two books "Poppy" by Avi and "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH" by Robert C. O'Brien, answering comprehension questions, and have an assignment due AFTER break to create a BOARD GAME based on the plot of the book (see sidebar for assignment).
4th Grade
Math students finished their data collection project "The Average 4th Grader" of which they constructed a paper replica which will be hung in the 3rd floor hallway. 4th Grade students also participated in the ICTM contest.
Language Arts students have been reading "The View from Saturday". A novel about 4 students from diverse backgrounds brought together by fate to represent their school at the state Scholastic Bowl.
5th Grade
Math students have been working on Unit 4, introduction to Algebra concepts, converting fractions/decimals/percents, and using a full circle protractor to create pie graphs. These students aslo particpated in the ICTM competition, as well as the second round of the Math Olympiad competition.
Language Arts students completed and shared their Poe projects and are excited to begin a new unit on William Shakespeare, learning about Elizabethan times and reading about the Bard and his works. HUZZAH!
May you all have a joyous holiday season and the happiest of New Years.
All my best,
Mr. Packer
I hope you are enjoying this holiday season with family and friends, and able to find time for yourselves.
Here's what's been going on in the world of GTD Services at Irving School.
Kindergarten
Kindergarteners have continued to work on sometimes, always, and never and learning the correct terminology that goes with PROBABILITY: certain, not certain, and maybe. We are using our skills by listening to three stories, voting on a favorite, and then talking about the choice someone would make who didn't hear the stories if they were to join the class and vote, based upon the results already gathered and organized in a bar graph.
1st Grade
Some 1st graders had been selected to work on deductive reasoning skills based on their group work in learning about Dudley the Detective. These students have been working on organizing information into Venn Diagrams to find the solution to a "mystery". Before and after break, DOT will be making a return as students go on an adventure with DOT at the Grocery Store and learn to think.
2nd Grade
Some 2nd grade students had been selected to work on language skills based on their group work in learning with Yolanda the Yarnspinner. These students learned to play with words and create riddles and puns, as well as write a group ONOMATOPOEIA poem. Before and after break students will be introduced to Max the Magician who teaches students to a visualize a problem in order to come up with a solution.
3rd Grade
Math students have been working very hard on their MULTIPLICATION facts, learning how to add and subtract decimal numbers, and learning about the metric system and base 10. These students also participated for the 1st time for Irving School in the ICTM Math Contest in a team and individual event.
Language Arts students have been reading one of two books "Poppy" by Avi and "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH" by Robert C. O'Brien, answering comprehension questions, and have an assignment due AFTER break to create a BOARD GAME based on the plot of the book (see sidebar for assignment).
4th Grade
Math students finished their data collection project "The Average 4th Grader" of which they constructed a paper replica which will be hung in the 3rd floor hallway. 4th Grade students also participated in the ICTM contest.
Language Arts students have been reading "The View from Saturday". A novel about 4 students from diverse backgrounds brought together by fate to represent their school at the state Scholastic Bowl.
5th Grade
Math students have been working on Unit 4, introduction to Algebra concepts, converting fractions/decimals/percents, and using a full circle protractor to create pie graphs. These students aslo particpated in the ICTM competition, as well as the second round of the Math Olympiad competition.
Language Arts students completed and shared their Poe projects and are excited to begin a new unit on William Shakespeare, learning about Elizabethan times and reading about the Bard and his works. HUZZAH!
May you all have a joyous holiday season and the happiest of New Years.
All my best,
Mr. Packer
Friday, October 28, 2011
October 24-October 28
Here is what’s happening in the world of GTD Services at Irving School.
Kindergarten
Kindergarten students have been working on using their imaginations and creating recognized pictures to go with statements using a certain number of shapes. For example “Using 3 shapes, make something that goes with the phrase ‘My Mom bought a new shovel”. We have done this with two different sets off shapes. As part of our school beautification, the Kindergarteners and Mr. Packer have been planting tulip bulbs in front of the school. Ask your child about bulbs and what we did.
1st Grade
Students in 1st grade have been good detectives, using the skills they learned from Dudley the Detective. When solving problems they are to look at ALL of the clues, not jump to conclusions, and come up with the one correct answer. We have practiced using our observation skills to solve problems and are currently working on reading clues, finding important words, and using logic to solve problems.
2nd Grade
2nd Grade students are learning to write colorful and exciting sentences and stories, playing with words, and staying on the topic through Yolanda the Yarnspinner. The kids have created sentences using a limited number of words and are currently working on creating “That’s Good/That’s Bad” stories.
3rd Grade
Math students are working on Multiplication facts recall by several means. We are taking daily timed tests (1 and 3 minute intervals), we are counting by a given number out loud, and playing a game called “Snap It Up”.
Reading students are working on their very own “Just So Stories” written in the style of Rudyard Kipling and using Google Docs. Their rough drafts are due on Tuesday November 1.
4th Grade
Math students continue to work on the Average 4th Grader project. They have gathered data measurements from a sample group at Irving and are getting data collected at Whittier school from 4th grade students there. They are compiling the data in an Excel Spreadsheet and using the “Average” function to figure out the averages. Once done, a drawing of the “Average 4th Grader” will be constructed.
Students in the Reading group finished reading “Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes” and are working on finding an organization to raise awareness of their purpose (The Children’s Leukemia Foundation”
5th Grade
Math students are getting ready to present their Data Projects next week and are beginning Unit 3 on Algebra.
Reading students continue to read the short stores of the master of the macabre, Edgar Allen Poe.
Kindergarten
Kindergarten students have been working on using their imaginations and creating recognized pictures to go with statements using a certain number of shapes. For example “Using 3 shapes, make something that goes with the phrase ‘My Mom bought a new shovel”. We have done this with two different sets off shapes. As part of our school beautification, the Kindergarteners and Mr. Packer have been planting tulip bulbs in front of the school. Ask your child about bulbs and what we did.
1st Grade
Students in 1st grade have been good detectives, using the skills they learned from Dudley the Detective. When solving problems they are to look at ALL of the clues, not jump to conclusions, and come up with the one correct answer. We have practiced using our observation skills to solve problems and are currently working on reading clues, finding important words, and using logic to solve problems.
2nd Grade
2nd Grade students are learning to write colorful and exciting sentences and stories, playing with words, and staying on the topic through Yolanda the Yarnspinner. The kids have created sentences using a limited number of words and are currently working on creating “That’s Good/That’s Bad” stories.
3rd Grade
Math students are working on Multiplication facts recall by several means. We are taking daily timed tests (1 and 3 minute intervals), we are counting by a given number out loud, and playing a game called “Snap It Up”.
Reading students are working on their very own “Just So Stories” written in the style of Rudyard Kipling and using Google Docs. Their rough drafts are due on Tuesday November 1.
4th Grade
Math students continue to work on the Average 4th Grader project. They have gathered data measurements from a sample group at Irving and are getting data collected at Whittier school from 4th grade students there. They are compiling the data in an Excel Spreadsheet and using the “Average” function to figure out the averages. Once done, a drawing of the “Average 4th Grader” will be constructed.
Students in the Reading group finished reading “Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes” and are working on finding an organization to raise awareness of their purpose (The Children’s Leukemia Foundation”
5th Grade
Math students are getting ready to present their Data Projects next week and are beginning Unit 3 on Algebra.
Reading students continue to read the short stores of the master of the macabre, Edgar Allen Poe.
Saturday, October 1, 2011
September 26-September 30
Hello everyone,
Happy Fall! Here's what's happening in the area of GTD services at Irving School.
Kindergarten
Mr. Packer has been going into the Kindergarten classes and using an activity called "Smart Snips". Smart snips, level 1, requires students to use their imaginations and recall to create everyday pictures with just four shapes (triangle, square, rectangle, skinny rectangle). Some of the creations were a pine tree (2 shapes), a robot with a big nose (2 shapes), a robot with a big nose (4 shapes), and my house is nice (2 shapes and 3 shapes).
1st Grade
Mr. Packer has been visiting the 1st grade classes with his friend "Dot". Dot goes on adventures and asks the kids to think. This time Dot's adventure was the first day of school. Using visual cues and logical thinking, the kids are asked to analyze the situations that Dot is in, or identifying which pictures go with which scenarios.
2nd Grade
Mr. Packer introduced the kids to the planet Zooley a couple of weeks ago. On the planet Zooley, the zoo and all of it's inhabitants are exactly the same as here on Earth, but given names in the Zooley language. Using clues from the questions, students have to answer the questions and identify the animals in the cages using patterns, size, shape, and number to help them. They learned a very helpful vocabulary word "appendages".
3rd Grade
Math-3rd Grade math students are finishing up Unit 1 on geometric terms and shapes and will be taking the test on Monday of next week.
Reading-students are continuing to learn how to complete different types of projects through the use of Rudyard Kipling's short stories from "Just So Stories". We did improv skits based on "How the Camel Got His Hump" and will be creating cartoons based on "The First Letter".
4th Grade
Math-we are beginning to gather data for our project "The Average 4th Grader". We learned to create spreadsheets to organize the data, and we are in talks with Whittier for assistance in gathering as much data as we can.
Reading-students are learning about Japan, Hiroshima, and the atomic bomb in order to build background for the story we began "Sadako and the 1, 000 Paper Cranes"
5th Grade
Math-we are continuing to work on our Data Collection projects and have begun Unit 2 (large numbers, multiplying by powers of 10 (positive and negative), and operations with decimals.
Reading-we are finishing up our "If I Were a Book" books and will begin reading and discussing stories written by Edgar Allen Poe. The first story will be "The Masque of the Red Death".
If you have questions or need more information regarding the GTD Resource services at Irving School please contact me at ppacker@op97.org
All my best,
Mr. Packer
Happy Fall! Here's what's happening in the area of GTD services at Irving School.
Kindergarten
Mr. Packer has been going into the Kindergarten classes and using an activity called "Smart Snips". Smart snips, level 1, requires students to use their imaginations and recall to create everyday pictures with just four shapes (triangle, square, rectangle, skinny rectangle). Some of the creations were a pine tree (2 shapes), a robot with a big nose (2 shapes), a robot with a big nose (4 shapes), and my house is nice (2 shapes and 3 shapes).
1st Grade
Mr. Packer has been visiting the 1st grade classes with his friend "Dot". Dot goes on adventures and asks the kids to think. This time Dot's adventure was the first day of school. Using visual cues and logical thinking, the kids are asked to analyze the situations that Dot is in, or identifying which pictures go with which scenarios.
2nd Grade
Mr. Packer introduced the kids to the planet Zooley a couple of weeks ago. On the planet Zooley, the zoo and all of it's inhabitants are exactly the same as here on Earth, but given names in the Zooley language. Using clues from the questions, students have to answer the questions and identify the animals in the cages using patterns, size, shape, and number to help them. They learned a very helpful vocabulary word "appendages".
3rd Grade
Math-3rd Grade math students are finishing up Unit 1 on geometric terms and shapes and will be taking the test on Monday of next week.
Reading-students are continuing to learn how to complete different types of projects through the use of Rudyard Kipling's short stories from "Just So Stories". We did improv skits based on "How the Camel Got His Hump" and will be creating cartoons based on "The First Letter".
4th Grade
Math-we are beginning to gather data for our project "The Average 4th Grader". We learned to create spreadsheets to organize the data, and we are in talks with Whittier for assistance in gathering as much data as we can.
Reading-students are learning about Japan, Hiroshima, and the atomic bomb in order to build background for the story we began "Sadako and the 1, 000 Paper Cranes"
5th Grade
Math-we are continuing to work on our Data Collection projects and have begun Unit 2 (large numbers, multiplying by powers of 10 (positive and negative), and operations with decimals.
Reading-we are finishing up our "If I Were a Book" books and will begin reading and discussing stories written by Edgar Allen Poe. The first story will be "The Masque of the Red Death".
If you have questions or need more information regarding the GTD Resource services at Irving School please contact me at ppacker@op97.org
All my best,
Mr. Packer
Sunday, September 18, 2011
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
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
Monday, September 5, 2011
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
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
Monday, August 29, 2011
August 29-September 2
Hello everyone,
Welcome back to another school year. I am looking forward to once again working with all students in Grades K-2 as I push-in to the classes and work on thinking skills and problem-solving and pulling out small groups of students who qualify for services in grades 3-5.
5th Grade Math
Students in Mr. Packer Math for 5th grade are working a grade level ahead with EVERYDAY MATH for 6th Grade with Transitions Algebra as one of many supplements that will be used. This past week we took a pre-test for Unit 1 which focus on data collection and organizationl. Parents should have received a letter describing the class, as well as the first of the groups weekly Math update.
Don't forget, OPEN HOUSE night is Thursday September 15. Mark it on your calendars.
All my best,
Mr. Packer
Welcome back to another school year. I am looking forward to once again working with all students in Grades K-2 as I push-in to the classes and work on thinking skills and problem-solving and pulling out small groups of students who qualify for services in grades 3-5.
5th Grade Math
Students in Mr. Packer Math for 5th grade are working a grade level ahead with EVERYDAY MATH for 6th Grade with Transitions Algebra as one of many supplements that will be used. This past week we took a pre-test for Unit 1 which focus on data collection and organizationl. Parents should have received a letter describing the class, as well as the first of the groups weekly Math update.
Don't forget, OPEN HOUSE night is Thursday September 15. Mark it on your calendars.
All my best,
Mr. Packer
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)