1. Academically High Aptitude Program, AHAP
Chestnut Hill
Signal Hill
Forest Park
Academically High Aptitude Program, AHAP
Half Hollow Hills Central School District
Renée Clarke
Vanderbilt
Sunquam
Paumanok
Otsego

2. Agenda Introductions Academically High Aptitude Program Our goals
Curriculum
3rd
4th
5th
Housekeeping

3. Our Goals Develop higher order thinking processes
Facilitate in depth learning within an area of study through investigation and exploration
Promote creativity and critical thinking skills
Empower your children to take ownership and leadership roles in their learning
Develop the ability to demonstrate knowledge in a variety of ways
Departure from regular curriculum

4. Curriculum Designed with an over-arching theme
All curricular areas are integrated into our study
Allows for in-depth learning through investigation and exploration
Instruction in productive thinking skills is integrated to help students develop their ability to problem solve and think critically, creatively, and analytically.
Encourages the production of products that challenge existing ideas and produce new ideas

5. Productive Thinking
including problem solving, creative thinking, critical thinking, logic and reasoning
Engage with challenging problems that provide opportunities to explore productive thinking
Learn to understand how ‘productive struggle’ helps us as learners
Engage in self-monitoring

6. Third Grade Aqueous Adventures
Explore the importance of freshwater around the world
Explore the properties of water and how humans use water as a natural resource through scientific investigation
Create a project that applies our learning about challenges with the Earth’s clean water supply while offering solutions

7. Fourth Grade Mystery - Taking a Closer Look
Explore multiple ways in which the word mystery can be interpreted
Solve a variety of literary, mathematical, and scientific mysteries
Uncover the history of mystery as a genre
Stimulate divergent thinking, problem solving, critical thinking skills and deductive reasoning abilities
Use scientific thinking processes to conduct investigations and build explanations about forensic science

8. Fifth Grade Lego Robotics Learn fundamentals of engineering
Learn principles of design and programming 
Apply knowledge of science concepts, such as motion and forces, speed and motion 
Strategically solve problems
Please note that LEGO Robotics will run in the fall for our Group A AHAPers and in the spring for our Group B AHAPers.
Fifth grade AHAPers will work with LEGO MINDSTORM NXT kits to build robots.  These are projects in engineering and design, as well as programming.  Creating robots allows us to apply knowledge of science concepts, such as motion and forces, speed and motion.  We will also focus on the role of troubleshooting, invention and innovation, and experimentation in problem solving.

9. Fifth Grade Collaborative Projects
Pursue areas of interest through investigation, guided and independent research
Students decide on topics that they would like to explore or projects they would like to embark upon
Propose a plan, gather resources, and conduct research
Developing collaboration skills, research skills, and project skills
Learn larger life skills like managing goals, managing time and being self-directed learners
Understand the role of reflection and evaluation to project success
Please note that Collaborative Projects will run in the fall for our Group B AHAPers and in the spring for our Group A AHAPers.

10. Fifth Grade Civic Literacy & Service-Learning Projects
Understand that how we live today will effect how others live in the future
Increase awareness of and interest in current events
Design and implement service learning projects that address current real world issues
Engage students in generating ideas for the planning, implementation and evaluation of a service-learning experience
Develop interpersonal skills through group decision-making and communication of ideas to a larger audience
The knowledge and ability to meaningfully participate in community, politics, etc.

11. Thank you for coming and for your support
Thank you for coming and for your support! We are all looking forward to an AHAPpy year!