April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
GIFTED STUDENTS
Their knowledge is surreal - and they know what that means
They've also tackled "integrated," "astonishing" and "intercession" as they learn to decode and define similar words.
"They get very excited" about using impressive vocabulary, said Vanessa Volpe, the school's reading specialist and program instructor.
The three kindergartners in the program are reading chapter books, writing letters and learning about the U.S. postal system. Three first-graders are reading and writing poetry and learning about poetic technique.
Three times a week, the groups spend half an hour working on subjects they wouldn't normally see. The program started in September after Ms. Volpe assessed the reading levels of every student in the school.
More than ABCs
"We had some kids that were way beyond their grade level and we wanted to challenge them even more," she explained. "As a teacher, you really want to [meet] the needs of every student you have. You always want to give them something to be pushing toward. It gets them excited; it gives them something to look forward to."
Aidan Crowtcher was an advanced reader upon entering kindergarten, according to his mother, Erin.
"Every night, he reads me a book," Mrs. Crowtcher said, adding that the program has helped improve his reading comprehension. Aidan loves books from the "Berenstain Bears" series and books with big words.
"I was blown away that he didn't need any prompting or help from me. It just seems that challenging him has helped him a great deal," Mrs. Crowtcher continued. "When kids are bored, they get in trouble. He enjoys the fact that he sort of goes to a special room. He's very enthusiastic, too, about doing homework."
Other diocesan schools find different ways to enrich students deemed "gifted and talented."
Holy Spirit School in East Greenbush, for instance, uses a technique called "differentiated instruction," as well as peer tutoring, to challenge such students.
"It meets them where they are," said Terri McGraw, diocesan assistant superintendent of schools, of the instruction technique. "It builds on their strengths."
Differentiated instruction, she said, uses tools like learning centers and portfolio work. Students might choose to learn about water in science class by picking topics of interest to them, like global warming or disappearing coral reefs.
They can express their knowledge through a multimedia presentation, an oral report or whatever makes them comfortable.
A teacher becomes - as Ms. McGraw put it - "a guide on the side," as opposed to "a sage on the stage."
Gina Alvord, a third-grade teacher at St. John the Evangelist School in Schenectady, uses interactive educational software that allows individual students to move at their own pace.
At St. Clement's School in Saratoga, principal Jane Kromm works on square roots with a gifted third-grader who took fifth-grade math last year.
In previous years, qualifying students attended gifted and talented classes at a public elementary school; this year, parents of qualifying students decided to keep their children at St. Clement's for that instruction.
A consultant has advised St. Clement's teachers about gifted students, and an extra teacher can serve as a remedial instructor or an enrichment instructor if needed. The school also offers after-school enrichment classes in topics like banking, robotics and science experiments.
Third-grade teacher Stephanie Kleindienst says an advanced student thrives in her classroom at St. Clement's, where she offers large groups, small groups, partner learning and more: "I try to mix it up all the time."
Label-less
But she frowns upon using labels. "It seems that many students have areas of strengths and weaknesses," Mrs. Kleindienst observed. "Even remedial students benefit from gifted and talented students."
St. Mary's School in Waterford currently sends 19 third-, fourth- and fifth-graders - about 9 percent of the total kindergarten through eighth-grade population - to Waterford-Halfmoon Elementary School for one hour a week.
The public district pays for the transportation to the Talented and Gifted (TAG) program, where students build models, solve problems and engage in group hands-on activities.
Students are recommended for TAG by teachers. They must exhibit good grades and test scores and perform well in a problem-solving and reading comprehension assessment.
"We're blessed to have a public district that works hard to extend offers like this to the Catholic school," said Mary Rushkoski, principal of St. Mary's. She added that teachers make sure to challenge those who don't go to TAG, as well.
In Latham, Ms. Volpe said she hopes to add another grade to the enrichment program every year. She currently concentrates on reading and writing, but will eventually add science.[[In-content Ad]]
250 X 250 AD
250 X 250 AD
Events
250 X 250 AD
Comments:
You must login to comment.