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The quarter is off to a great
start. With a new teacher, Courtney Moffitt, and a new
paraprofessional, Lori Mullane everything is running smoothly. Mrs.
Moffitt is the lead teacher of the primary class and is working on some self
awareness activities and a unit called Secret Formulas. The 5th and 6th
graders are completing a self-discovery webquest called So You're
Gifted...Now What? Sixth graders are reading a novel called The
Wright 3 and studying the work of Frank Lloyd Wright. The
fifth graders are reading Chasing Vermeer and studying
the artist, Vermeer. All students will be working on an Algebra unit called
HandsOn Equations. Check back occasionally and see what we are up to.
Have a wonderful summer. The
Center will open August 24 with some major changes. Mrs. Wimmer, my
co-teacher for 20 years, is retiring. We have hired Mrs. Courtney
Moffett, an experienced gifted teacher from Blue Valley. We will also
have a new paraprofessional this fall. Mrs. Howell is going to be
doing free lance editing. Have a great summer.
The major focus of the 2nd and
3rd quarter for 4th, 5th and 6th grade students was the completion of major
projects. These projects focused on our study of Greek Mythology.
Fifth and sixth grade students designed game boards and the fourth graders
designed computer games based on what they had learned. Fourth graders
are reading City of Ember and answering questions on our online book
discussion. Older students are reading science fiction short stories.
Younger students finished "The Great Honey Robbery" and worked on other
problem solving activities. All students continue to work on personal
goals.
First Quarter- Students in
grades 4-6 will be studying Greek Mythology and thinking about how it
relates to their lives today. Using the internet and other sources,
students will complete a series of activities. Students in grades 5
and 6 are reading Airborn by Kenneth Oppel and using Blackboard.com
to answer questions in an online discussion. Students in grades 2-4 are
reading Phantom Tollbooth by Norman Juster and will also be
participating in an online discussion. Monday's students are working
together to solve a mystery call "The Great Honey Robbery". Students
also spend time working on their individual goals.
Third Quarter--The online book discussion has been a big success. To
date there have been over 2200 responses! Fifth and sixth graders
finished reading Eragon. The book was a big hit, with only one
student not choosing it as a favorite. Everyone is looking forward to
the sequel, The Eldest, and the movie. Fourth graders have finished
City of Ember and are working on the questions. All students are
in the final stage of the year's major projects.
A group of 5th and 6th graders
enjoyed an evening at the movies. After Mrs. Bosch saw Phantom of
the Opera on Broadway, we decided to see the movie.
Sixth graders also got to
attend a fine performance of Oklahoma at SM North High School.
We've got some exciting
activities planned for the Spring.
Second Quarter--Students have completed their first online book discussion.
With over 1000 responses from students, teachers and parents we consider our
first effort a great success. We are beginning books for the new
quarter. Fifth and sixth graders are reading Eragon by Christopher
Paolini, fourth graders will be reading City of Ember. Parents please
drop into Blackboard.com to participate in this new format.
The online courses continue to
be a challenge as students learn to use this new format. The biggest
obstacle is reading directions which is not a strong suit for many high
ability students. Feel free to access the online coursework at home and take
a look.
The primary students are
working on a simulation called The Great Chocolate Caper. Check out
the newsletter for details about what else is going on at the Center.
_________________________________________________________________________________
 Fall
2004--We are planning a lot of exciting activities for our students this semester.
For the first time the Nieman EL Center curriculum is going online. By using
Blackboard.com, students in the 5th and 6th grade classess will complete an online course
called Exploring Leonardo da Vinci.
Parents will also have access
to the curriculum and can work along side their student.
Another component of the online environment will be the use of threaded discussions to
discuss two new novels. We will begin studying the first novel as soon as students
acquire the book, The City of Ember. Students and/or parents will
read the book and log on to the Blackboard site to answer questions and discuss the site
with other students/parents. The most exciting part of this adventure is the author,
Jeanne DuPrau, will join us in our discussions. We plan to invite former students to
join the fun. The second novel we are going to read is Eragon.
One of the things that makes this a good choice is that it was written by
Christopher Paolini when he was just 15!! We are in the process of choosing a good
book for younger students.
Look for information regarding these upcoming
events.
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