1. Welcome Parents to PEP/SAGE Curriculum Night!

2. Jennifer Smith
• I teach because I love to work with kids and I am passionate about the needs of gifted kids
• Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education- Univ. of Puget Sound
Masters in Curriculum and Development- Seattle University
Teaching experience – grades 1, 3, 5 and SAGE /PEP
30th Year Teaching – Kent and Issaquah
• Mother and wife - Haley (age 19 , Spencer (age 16) and Ron (husband)
I enjoy walking, skiing, reading, entertaining, friends & family

3. Mrs. Smith’s family

4. A High Achiever vs. A Gifted Learner
from “The Gifted and Talented Child” by Janice Szabos, Maryland Council for Gifted & Talented, Inc.
A High Achiever
Knows the answers
Is Interested
Is attentive
Has good ideas
Works hard
Commits time and effort to learning
Answers questions
Absorbs information
Copies and responds accurately
Is a top student
Needs 6 to 8 repetitions for mastery
Understands ideas
Grasps meaning
Completes assignments
Is a technician
Is a good memorizer
Is receptive
Listens with interest
Prefers sequential presentation of information
Is pleased with his or her own learning
A Gifted Learner
Asks the questions
Is highly curious
Is intellectually engaged
Has original ideas
Performs with ease
May need less time to excel
Responds with detail and unique perspectives
Manipulates information
Creates new and original products
Is beyond his or her age peers
Needs 1 to 2 repetitions for mastery
Constructs abstractions
Draws inferences
Initiates projects
Is an innovator
Is insightful; makes connections
Is intense
Shows strong feelings, opinions, perspectives
Thrives on complexity
Is highly self‐critical
Highlight the last one under gifted: Is highly self-critical
Possible activity: Break group into two sides alternate reading each characteristic out loud.

10. For Primary Enrichment Program
PEP is an acronym
For Primary Enrichment Program

11. Information about PEP
PEP is a pullout program in the 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 students receive an hour of PEP each week.
Kindergarten receives 30 minutes each week.
Current Kindergarten students will be 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 3rd, 4th
and 5th grades.
PEP students will remain in the program, but will be tested to determine how they will receive services.

12. Special Approach to Gifted Education
SAGE is an acronym
For
Special Approach to Gifted Education

13. Information about SAGE
SAGE is a 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 5th grade. Once a student qualifies for SAGE, they remain in the HCAP program through twelfth grade.
SAGE Math meets once each week for two hours. In those two hours, students work on a variety of activities to provide enrichment and challenge in the area of math. This may be through the use of science or technology.
SAGE Reading meets once each week for one hour. During that time, students take a deeper look at text and have meaning full discussions about their reading material. They engage with other SAGE readers and they do a research project in an area of interest.

14. In PEP and SAGE Math, we focus more on the way students THINK than the content. The units we study are a means for practicing thinking skills, problem solving and creativity.

15. Probable Units of Study
1st Grade
2nd Grade
Problem Solving
Liquid Explorations Discovering Density Oobleck Engineering
Who Stole Mr. Bear?
Fingerprinting Chromatography Secret Formulas
Engineering

16. Probable Units of Study
3rd Grade
4th Grade
5th Grade
Problem Solving
Lego WeDo
Scratch
Bubble.ology
Topology or Polyhedraville
Paper Towel Testing
EV3 Basics Inventions or Capsela
Dry Ice
Inventions
Lego EV3
Skateboard Science Hands On Engineering

17. Information about SAGE Reading
SAGE is available at each elementary school in the district.
Students typically qualify in the spring of their second grade year and begin the program in the fall of third grade.
SAGE reading is a 1 hour weekly pull out.
Once a student qualifies for SAGE, they remain in the program through 5th grade.

18. SAGE Reading (Pull-Out) What the SAGE teacher does…
Inquiry Based Learning Projects (student led individual and/or group projects)
A project is an in-depth study, over an extended period of time, of a topic that is of high interest to an individual, a small group, or a whole class. (Katz & Chard, 2000)
“Inquiry-based learning” is one of many terms used to describe educational approaches that are driven more by a learner’s questions than by a teacher’s lessons.
Components of Inquiry Based Learning Projects:
Interest Focusing (Topic Generation and Research Question Formulation)
Problem Focusing (Research and data collection)
Product Focusing (Creating, designing)
Audience Focusing (Presenting)
Evaluation of student research and process
Celebration/Research Fair
Shared Inquiry method used in discussions about text (Technique used with Junior Great Books)
Individual Reading and/or Writing Projects using higher level thinking skills and independent reading and to be completed over time in the general education and SAGE classrooms.
May include:
Genre studies
Author’s craft analysis
Theme studies
Vocabulary analysis
Poetry

19. SAGE Reading (in classroom) What the Classroom teacher does…
Use of leveled readers and guided reading groups held regularly for the highly capable students
Use of additional challenging reading material such as Junior Great Books
Conferring regularly with SAGE readers
Asking higher level questions
Student self-selected reading material in a topic of interest with goal of becoming “local expert.” Report to the class.
Incorporate student accountability.
Consultation with the SAGE teacher to provide differentiation ideas for SAGE readers
Use of SAGE teacher as a resource and a consultant for teachers
Use of SAGE teacher as the “Case Manager” of the SAGE reading students.

20. SAGE Goals and Objectives
Goal 1: Intellectual/Academics
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:
The student will learn and practice:
Problem solving strategies
Information processing skills: classifying, inferring, and predicting;
Creative thinking skills: fluency, flexibility, elaboration, and originality;
Thinking behaviors: risk-taking, goal-setting, decision making, persistence, inquisitiveness, and self-evaluation.

21. SAGE Goals and Objectives
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:
Confidence, ownership, and independence
Work cooperatively in groups, collaborate and work independently
Produce quality work reflecting excellence, precision, thoroughness, creative innovation, and best effort
Responsibility

26. 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

27. SAGE Class Requirements
Make Up Work Guidelines
Basically, students are responsible for any learning they miss while at SAGE.
2. Communicate with the classroom teacher and with me if any problem arises.
SAGE Class Requirements
Be in class every week.
Think deeply.
Persist.
Collaborate.

28. A million thanks to the Issaquah Schools Foundation for the very generous grant they provide each year. We have been able to purchase 40 EV3 MindStorms kits to be used with the 5th grade SAGE students in the district. We have also received LEGO Wedo kits and LEGO More To Math kits.We appreciate their ongoing support of gifted education in the Issaquah School District.

29. It is now mandatory for all school districts to identify k-12 gifted and to serve them. We are making a big effort to educate teachers about gifted studentes and their needs so that they realize that these kids are at risk if their needs are not met.

30. Contact Information
Jennifer Smith
I am at Endeavour on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday
(425)
I am at Clark on Thursday and Friday
(425)
is the best way to contact me…