First Two Weeks in Pictures

Our TAG theme this year is simple: Experiment. Fail. Learn. Repeat.  Sometimes gifted students have a really tough time when they do not get something right away, but failure is part of the learning process. We are digging deeper this year. We are pushing our brains to think. The truth is, the great minds of the world learned from many failed attempts before their accomplishments marked them as part of our history. As long as we learn from the ideas that didn't work and don't give up, we are being the best we can be!

First graders challenging their problem solving skills using Q-bitz.

K'NEX challenge: What are the key components of a good helmet? If it doesn't work the first time, what could you change or tweak?

"My Gifted Self" - This web-quest is forcing the students to learn more about their own learning styles and intelligence types. Each student will then present what they have learned about themselves through a choice chart project. We have students making books, building a word filled Lego building, composing songs, and many other projects. 

New Beginnings

What an exciting new experience! The TAG students have been coming to our room for just over a week now, and we are having a great time getting to know one another. This year, TAG is going to look slightly different than it has in the past. All students who have scored at or above the 90th percentile in reading or math will be coming to TAG during the same WIN block.

WIN is a new portion of the elementary schedule. It stands for What I Need, When I Need. Each grade band has one hour built into their daily schedule. While classroom teachers will be using this time to differentiate for all students needs, TAG students will come to our room for advanced challenges.

During our first class period, each grade level came up with, "Their Ideal TAG Activities". These subjects ranged anywhere from Greek Mythology to K'NEX challenges to learning more about square roots. My plan is to use these ideas as a spring board for our curriculum.

Just a hint of what TAG students are working on this week:

• K'NEX helmet challenge
• "My Gifted Self" Web-quest
• Introduction to Design Thinking - Design the ideal wallet
• Math Riddles and Challenges
• Pattern Competitions - Q-bitz

It has been a great start to a great year in TAG!

Welcome to TAG

Welcome to the new school year!

For those of you who haven't seen me around the building, I'm Mrs. Fitz. While I was in 5B last year, I am so excited for the opportunity to take an adventure with your TAG students. Throughout the year I will use this blog as a means of communication between home and school. Subscribe in the right column and check back often!

I look forward to meeting you and your children! Feel free to stop by or send me an email (best form of immediate communication).

Enjoy the last few weeks of the summer!