Kids Into Thinking Skills: Stretch your Mind Keeping Instruction Topnotch AND Strong! A Training Model for Parents

Stretch your Mind Mission Statement Our mission is: Design extension tasks that will assist classroom teachers in effectively differentiating instruction. Develop each student’s potential through active participation in the learning process. Stretch your Mind Kids Into Thinking Skills Changed a few words

Stretch your Mind Our Objective Provide activities that are extensions of the core curriculum Provide students opportunities to explore differentiation strategies in content, process, product and learning environment Stretch your Mind Kids Into Thinking Skills Changed a few words Empower students to take ownership for their own learning Develop independent work habits

What Are the Different Components of KIT? Based on a concept from the second grade core curriculum, a KIT includes: Adventure Cards Stretch your Mind At Home Project Kids Into Thinking Skills Sharing with the Classmates

What is an “Adventure Card”? Development of these cards: Prior Wake County KITS Way to help teachers differentiate Chance to develop independent, creative thinkers Address all learning modalities Stretch your Mind Kids Into Thinking Skills

What is an “Adventure Card”? Write a story about something of interest to you. Use your story to create a technical product (PowerPoint, Photo Story, Glogster, Prezi, etc.) that includes related sound effects. Stretch your Mind Kids Into Thinking Skills

What is an “Adventure Card”? Analyze the ways your world would be different if you could not hear sounds of any kind. Describe the sound of “silence.” Brainstorm things that keep you from hearing silence. Use words, pictures, colors, etc. to convey your ideas. Dramatize a short skit without using any sounds. Stretch your Mind Kids Into Thinking Skills

What is an “Adventure Card”? Look up the definition of the word onomatopoeia. Can you think of any word like this? Read “Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears.” Analyze the use of sound words in the story. What if the sound words were not in the story, how would the story be different? Explain. Create a word bank of sound words (Example: bang, splish-splash, vroom, yipe, etc.). Define and illustrate each word. Write and illustrate a story using sound words from your word bank. Share. Stretch your Mind Kids Into Thinking Skills

What is an “Adventure Card”? Adventure 4 (Model Lesson) Read “Hey, You! C’mere” by Elizabeth Swados or another poetry book. Identify all of the sound words in the different poems. Classify and categorize the sound words in two or more of the poems. Write your own poem(s) using sound words. Illustrate and share. Stretch your Mind Kids Into Thinking Skills

What is an “Adventure Card”? When does sound become a noise? Write an explanation. Investigate “noise pollution.” Report what you learned. Identify noise pollution in your home, school, and community. Develop a plan to reduce noise pollution in your world. Share your4 plan with others and encourage them to help. Write a rhyme/slogan to remind people to eliminate noise pollution. Design a poster to inform others about the noise pollution problems. Stretch your Mind Kids Into Thinking Skills

What is an “Adventure Card”? Compare and contrast (using the Open Compare/Contrast form or Venn Diagram) the different ways people and animals hear sounds. Create detailed illustrations of what you learned. Examine an object that generates a sound (ex. Whistle, tambourine, telephone, bell, etc.). Invent a way to change the sound of the object. Create a model. Demonstrate. Stretch your Mind Kids Into Thinking Skills

What is an “Adventure Card”? Investigate the characteristics, parts, and functions of the ear. Develop a visual and written sharing of this information. Explore how at least 2 different animals’ ears vary from the human ear. Develop a visual and demonstration to share of this information about hearing which compares the animals you studied with humans. Stretch your Mind Kids Into Thinking Skills

What is an “At Home Project”? Stretch your Mind What is an “At Home Project”? Kids Into Thinking Skills A special project related to sound to be done at home This is a project that will need to be completed and ready for the student to present to the class (date will vary by track). The students receiving this project are being considered for a pull out group for extra enrichment. This group will meet at least once a week when we return from track out. This group will be required to complete some outside projects and homework from time to time as part of this class. The pull out, projects and some additional homework will allow students to work with partners or independently to develop their higher mental processes and, in some cases, their creative production as well. We will use substantive content to nurture thinking processes. We also wish for them to have fun and enjoy completing the projects as well.

What is an “At Home Project”? Stretch your Mind What is an “At Home Project”? Kids Into Thinking Skills Requirements: Choose one of the following project ideas Creation of a product or experiment Written Report- shows a thorough knowledge of how project progressed and was completed. They should demonstrate clear and focused writing skills. A clear beginning, middle and end to their report. It should also be neatly written. Class Presentation- clearly communicates and understands their project. The rest of the class will be able to learn and benefit from their project findings/completions. Visual Aids- Actual product, along with any aids (technology, experiments, manipulatives, etc.) may be included in the creation or experiment.

What is an “At Home Project”? Stretch your Mind What is an “At Home Project”? Kids Into Thinking Skills Sample Home Activity Sound: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly Hypothesize which sound you believe people find most pleasant and the sound people find most annoying. Conduct a survey to test your hypothesis. You may need to organize answers. Graph your findings in writing or using a computer. Interpret your data. Write a headline for a newspaper that summarizes what you discovered. How might your results be different if you surveyed only one group of people? Investigate and explain.

How will the classroom sharing be incorporated? During the presentation week, the entire class may be doing additional activities about sound. These at home projects will be included as part of this week. Stretch your Mind Changed “will” to “may” Kids Into Thinking Skills

Stretch your Mind Evaluation Process Rubrics will be used as evaluation for school. An open-ended evaluation will be used for the home projects. Both evaluations will rely on the self-evaluation by the student. Stretch your Mind Kids Into Thinking Skills

Stretch your Mind Evaluation Process Completion of Project Cooperation Adventure ____ Insufficient Progressing Proficient Exemplary Completion of Project Did not follow directions to complete the project Did not complete entire project Completed entire project following directions Completed entire project along with extended ideas. Worked independently. Cooperation Cooperation with others did not happen very often Did not listen to others. Cooperation with others happened only some of the time. Listened to others part of the time. Spent all of the time on task. Followed directions of the adult. Cooperated with others. Helpful to others. Appearance Finished product does not meet expectations. Not easy for audience to understand. Finished product does not reflect best efforts. Easy for audience to understand. Time and best effort reflected in finished product. I put forth my best efforts to make finished project attract to the audience. Stretch your Mind Kids Into Thinking Skills

YOU! Stretch your Mind What Is the Volunteers Role in the Process? To guide and assist up to 6 students at a time! Act as a coach! What Type of Person Makes a Good Volunteer for KIT? Energy YOU! Stretch your Mind Positive Attitude Flexibility Kids Into Thinking Skills Commitment and Dependability Punctuality Passion