P ort E nrichment P rogram Meeting the Diverse Needs of Students

PEP Program Goals PEP encourages students to: Demonstrate divergent and creative thinking Participate in group decision making Implement problem solving skills Produce creative solutions to problems Develop good questioning techniques

PEP Program Goals (continued) PEP encourages students to: Acquire advanced technology skills that can be applied across the curriculum Function at higher levels of cognitive and abstract thinking (analysis, application, synthesis, evaluation) Establish hypotheses, and use the scientific method to arrive at valid conclusions

Elementary PEP Components  School Wide Enrichment  Challenge Workshops  Staff Development  Core Group Program

School Wide Enrichment The PEP teacher works with all students (K-5), teaching enrichment units of study in the regular classroom. School wide enrichment involves curriculum development and modeling of instruction.

Sample of Primary Enrichment Units  Attribute Logic  Data, Chance, & Probability  Involving Dissolving  Creative Dramatics

Sample of Intermediate Enrichment Units  Cooperative Problem Solving  Crime Lab Chemistry  Architecture  Creative Language

Additional Enrichment: Math Olympiads  All fourth and fifth year students have the opportunity to participate  Students are challenged with non-routine, multi-step mathematical problems  Five monthly Olympiads are administered (November- March)  Pre- and post-strategy sessions are held.

PEP Challenge Workshops PEP Challenge Workshops are rigorous and designed to reflect the diversity of student learning styles, multiple intelligences and interests. Every student in grades 3 and 4 had the opportunity to select a PEP Challenge Workshop in which to participate. PEP Challenge Workshops are offered during lunch/recess.

Third Grade PEP Challenge Workshops  Brain Bubblers (Strategic Thinking)  Computer Cartooning (Computer Animation)  Paper Shapers (Spatial Reasoning)  Sweet Science (Kitchen Chemistry)

Third Grade PEP Challenge Workshops Accommodating All Interested Students 328 third graders are participating district-wide

Fourth Grade PEP Challenge Workshops  Mystery Science (Forensics)  Sky’s the Limit (Aerodynamics)  Smart Shoppers (Consumer Science)  Web Explorers (Internet Research/Web Design)

Fourth Grade PEP Challenge Workshops: Accommodating All Interested Students 337 fourth graders are participating district-wide

Staff Development  Conference with teachers to plan class activities  Serve as a resource person for materials and methods  Participate in joint planning for team teaching activities

Core Group Program  The PEP Core Group component offers instruction to qualifying 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students.  Core Group students meet with the PEP teacher, in a pull-out format, for a total of two and one-half hours per week.

Core Group Selection Criteria (Starting in Third Year)  Standardized test scores in math and/or reading  Teacher appraisals  Individual I.Q. test

Core Group Curriculum  Student driven  Enhances curriculum  Academically rigorous  Fosters accountability

Core Program Goals In addition to general PEP Goals, Core Group Students are expected to:  Foster individual responsibility and accountability  Develop public speaking and presentation skills  Apply academic skills to simulations  Exhibit fluent, flexible, original and elaborative thinking.

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