Welcome to PEP/SAGE Parent Curriculum Night ! What is peculiar about these numbers?

Native Washingtonian Bachelors of Science and Masters in Teaching from the University of Washington Issaquah School District veteran PEP/SAGE Teacher Wife and Mother Who is Mrs. Lombardo?

PEP and SAGE are both acronyms Do you know what P.E.P. and S.A.G.E stand for? Primary Approach to Gifted Education Special Approach to Gifted Education

PEP is a pullout program in Issaquah School District for highly-capable gifted students in grades K-2. PEP is available at each elementary school in the district. First and Second grade receive an hour of PEP a week. Kindergarten receives 30 minutes a week. Current Kindergarten students were screened in October in their classroom. All students will be tested again in the spring of Second Grade for qualification into the SAGE program in 3 rd, 4 th and 5 th grades. Information about PEP

SAGE is a pullout program in Issaquah School District for the most highly-capable students in grades 3-5. SAGE is available at each elementary school in the district. Students typically qualify in the spring of their second grade year, begin the program in the fall of third grade, and continue through 5 th grade. Once a student qualifies for SAGE, they remain in the program until they leave elementary school. SAGE meets once a week for two hours. In those two hours, students work on math and higher level thinking skills using science, technology and engineering-based activities and units. Information about SAGE

Why Do We Have Gifted Programs? Research says – in order for gifted children to be challenged to their full potential and intellectually and emotionally validated, they need to be with other students of like ability.

WAC Definition—Students who are highly capable. Highly capable students are students who perform or show potential for performing at significantly advanced academic levels when compared with others of their age, experiences, or environments. Outstanding abilities are seen within students' general intellectual aptitudes, specific academic abilities, and/or creative productivities within a specific domain.

A gifted child is more than just a bright child

What are some common characteristics of gifted learners?

What are some of the challenges that gifted learners face?

Asynchrony Uneven development Just because some kids are born intellectually advanced does not mean that their physical, emotional or social development will also be advanced. This can create the feeling of being “out of sync”.

Risks Associated With Giftedness gifted underachiever disillusioned about education lack of perseverance and/or risk taking anxiety perfectionism

In other words… Myth: Gifted students are happy, popular, and well adjusted in school Truth: Many gifted students flourish in their community and school environment. However, some gifted children differ in terms of their emotional and moral intensity, sensitivity to expectations and feelings, perfectionism, and deep concerns about societal problems. Others do not share interests with their classmates, resulting in isolation or being labeled unfavorably as a “nerd.” Because of these difficulties, the school experience is one to be endured rather than celebrated. It is estimated that 20 to 25% of gifted children have social and emotional difficulties, about twice as many as in the general population of students. (

What will you work on in PEP and SAGE?

Goal 1 Intellectual/Academic To enrich and expand each student’s intellectual horizons. To encourage each student to take responsibility for his/her learning. To make learning a life-long habit.

Objectives Students will learn and practice: 1. Problem solving strategies by accurately applying them to real problems; 2. Collect and analyze data using information processing skills such as classifying, inferring, and predicting; 3. Creative thinking skills of fluency, flexibility, elaboration, and originality; 4. Thinking behaviors by demonstrating risk-taking, goal-setting, decision making, persistence, inquisitiveness, and self-evaluation.

Goal 2 Social/Emotional To provide a safe environment for gifted students to interact on a regular basis with others who have similar abilities and interests.

Objectives Students will learn and practice: The student will exhibit a sense of confidence, ownership, and independence in his/her own learning. The student will be able to work cooperatively in groups, collaborate with a learning partner, and work independently. The student will develop quality work products that reflect excellence, precision, thoroughness, creative innovation, and best effort. The students will be responsible for following through and completing assignments.

HOW will you do that in PEP/SAGE?

How will each SAGE session be spent? Mathematical Problem Solving Math and higher level thinking skills through science, engineering and technology-based units

4 Step Problem Solving Framework Find Out What does the problem mean? What question must you answer to solve it? Identify important and unimportant information. Determine if any important information is missing. Break the problem into smaller problems if necessary. Choose a Strategy Solve the Problem Record your work in a way that lets you see at a glance what you have completed. You may have to try more than one strategy. Look Back Reread the problem. Check the solution to see that it meets the conditions stated in the problem and that it answers the question. Ask yourself: Is it logical and reasonable?

Further develop their Problem Solving Strategy Toolbox Guess and Check Look for a Pattern Act it Out Make an Organized List, Chart, or Table Draw a Picture Try a Simpler Problem Use an Object/Make a Model Work Backwards Use Logic Brainstorm

Your child will… Discover answers for themselves. Understand that failure is ok. We learn more from our failures than our successes. Have the freedom to fail Have the freedom to think and create in a way that works for them. Understand that learning is a "process" rather than “product”. You are never “done learning.” Understand that there is more than one way to get the right answer.

1st Grade2 nd Grade Problem Solving Liquid Explorations Discovering Density Oobleck Engineering Problem Solving Who Stole Mr. Bear? Fingerprinting Chromatography Secret Formulas Engineering Probable Units of Study

3 rd Grade4 th Grade5 th Grade Problem Solving Lego WeDo Scratch Bubble.ology Problem Solving Topology or Polyhedraville Paper Towel Testing EV3 Basics Inventions or Capsela Problem Solving Dry Ice or Understanding Physical and Chemical Changes Lego EV3 Skateboard Science or Hands On Engineering Probable Units of Study

Will the students get grades in SAGE and how are they assessed?

Assessments and Evaluations Problem Solving Assessments District—October and March Classroom—Bi-monthly Informal—Weekly Self-Assessments March June Reflection End of Unit Before Self-Assessments

Student Self-Assessment: Part 1 STUDENT SELF- ASSESSMENT FOR SAGE Student ________________ Grade _______ Year ________ School ________________ SAGE Teacher ___________________ Classroom Teacher _______________________ INTELLECTUAL/ACADEMICConsistently/ Sometimes/ Not Yet I use the 4-step problem solving method. (Problem Solving) Mid-term4 321 End of Year4321 I gather and analyze information precisely using Skills such as predicting, inferring. (Data & Information Processing) Mid-term4321 End of Year4321 I demonstrate the four components of creativity – fluency, flexibility, elaboration, originality. (Creativity) Mid-term4321 End of Year4321 I keep trying even when the answer is not clear. (Persistence) Mid-term4321 End of Year4321

Student Self-Assessment - Part 2 SOCIAL/EMOTIONAL I am willing to make a mistake in order to try something new.(Confident learner) Mid-term4321 End of Year4321 I participate with and contribute to the group. (Collaborative worker) Mid-term4321 End of Year4321 I take pride in producing quality work. (Quality producer) Mid-term4321 End of Year4321 I follow through and complete my assignments. (Responsible producer) Mid-term4321 End of year4321 Comments: ___________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ Student Signature ___________________________ Date _______________

Do students have to make up the work they miss in class?

What current and former SAGE students have said… I get to be creative without getting in trouble It has a lot of creative projects and teaches you to look at things in a different way SAGE lets us think outside the box and lets us use a creative focus. It also lets us think at our own level. It stretches my brain and helps me think outside of the box I discovered that things were not as hard if I just set my mind to it SAGE enhanced my problem solving skills as well as I started to like school more than before SAGE is a better class for me because it runs at a more suitable pace for me.

Resources SAGE/PEP Website for Discovery and Maple Hills Issaquah School District’s Highly Capable Progam

Hand Outs What Parents Ask About Pullout Programs 20 Tips for Nurturing Gifted Children SAGE Makeup Work Guidelines

Questions?  Feel free to me any time with questions  is often a better way to reach me than calling me