2. The Garden City Public School District is committed to meeting the special and individual needs of all its students through offering an enriched special education program.

3. The QUEST program is designed to challenge the abilities of the academically talented student through flexible and creative learning experiences that tap higher level thinking skills.

4. Goals of the Quest Program To develop each student’s ability to recognize, integrate and utilize her/his potential in order to become a self- actualizing individual. To develop higher level thinking skills. To promote skills in critical thinking and problem solving. To develop and apply the processes of creative thinking.

5. Goals of the Quest Program (con’t.) To develop the research and organizational abilities necessary for students to become independent learners. To identify and nurture special talents and abilities. To develop leadership ability and interpersonal skills.

6. Did you know that there are different levels of thinking? The Quest program is designed to have the students tap into the higher levels of thinking through their activities and assignments. BLOOM’S TAXONOMY OF THE COGNITIVE DOMAIN KNOWLEDGE COMPREHENSION APPLICATION ANALYSIS SYNTHESIS EVALUATION

7. MEETING TIME The fourth and fifth grade Quest students meet for one period every day. Fifth Grade – 9:05 - 9:45 Fourth Grade – 9:45 - 10:25

8. This semester the Quest students will be challenged by the theme – INVENTING THE FUTURE Just imagine how all the inventors of the past have touched the future.

9. Why invent? When a student is asked to invent something, she/he is not only developing skills in critical thinking and problem solving but also developing and applying the processes of creative thinking – two of the most important goals of the Quest program!

10. HOW TO INVENT? When a student is asked to invent something, she/he must first find a problem that needs to be solved. This is the hardest part of inventing.

11. For inspiration throughout the semester, the students will research famous and (not so famous) inventors. Marion Donovan Disposable diapers Wright Brothers Airplane Dr. Martin Cooper Portable cell phone

12. In order to find a problem to solve, the students will conduct “Invention Idea Surveys.” The youngsters will ask: What does not work as well as you would like it to? What problems would you like to see solved? What is the most annoying problem: At home? At school? At work? At the airport? On the road? At the bank? At the mall?

13. The students will also work on Accept the Challenges to get the creative juices flowing. Accept the Challenges are a series of scenarios that call for creative solutions!

14. Another activity to tap into individual creativity will be creating Rube Goldbergs. Rube Goldberg was an award winning cartoonist who drew machines and contraptions of marvelous complexity and ingenuity. He made simple things complex!

15. Once the youngsters are in the inventive mode, they will begin the process of creating their own inventions.

16. The student will draw upon their new found creativity, previous knowledge, skills and experience.

17. The student will recognize areas where new learning must be acquired in order to understand and address the problem.

18. This information must then be applied, analyzed, synthesized and evaluated.

19. Each student will begin the invention process by journaling in an “inventor’s log.”

20. The inventor’s log is a diary and a record of the inventive thinking. It is a place to record all thoughts, reflections, realizations, observations about inventions.

21. Intend to Invent The next step in the process will be to complete the “Intend to Invent” sheet which asks exactly what the youngster will invent, how the invention would work and what supplies they need to create their invention.

22. The Breadboard Inventors call their first rough constructions Breadboards. So, the next step in the process of invention will be to create a Breadboard, which is the working proof that you have taken an idea and translated it into a physical device.

23. Model Planning Sheet Once the Breadboard is made, they will be ready for the next step – the model. While planning the model, the students needed to answer questions about the features and consumers of their creations.

24. The Prototype The Prototype is a handmade sample that looks and performs exactly like the finished product will. Of course in the case of our young inventors, an explanation of how it would work if it could will be acceptable!

25. What’s in a Name? Now, it will be time to choose a name for the invention. Students will think about advertisements and commercials they have seen. They will be challenged to come up with a name that is catchy, easy-to- remember, funny, unusual or clever.

26. The Patent A patent is a kind of trade agreement between the United States Government and the inventor. With this agreement, the inventor must agree to make public all the details and technology of the invention. In return, the government grants the inventor exclusive rights to make and sell the invention for a period of time.

27. Types of Patents There are 3 types of patents: 1.Utility patents - cover all mechanical and electrical devices. (Most patents fall under this category.) 2.Design patents – cover a new, original, unique styling of a product 3.Plant patents – covers any new variety of plant life.

28. The Trademark The students will then create trademarks for their inventions. A trademark can be a symbol, a name, a word or group of words, a picture, a design, or even a sound.

29. Advertisement The last step in the invention project is to create an advertising campaign to sell the new invention. Students will study various advertising techniques and employ them in a PowerPoint presentation or movie using Microsoft Movie Maker

30. Through critical and creative thinking and problem solving, ideas will become reality as children create inventive solutions, illustrate their ideas and make models of their inventions.

31. As you can imagine, the youngsters will be very busy this semester as they are challenged to “INVENT THE FUTURE!”

32. In addition to the thematic unit study, the Quest students will also engage in the following activities: Junior Great Books Program of Interpretive Reading, Writing and Discussion

33. Critical Thinking Activities (Mindbenders and Tanglers) Fun Fridays

34. GUEST SPEAKERS FIELD TRIPS

35. Optional participation in The Institute for Creative Problem Solving (Students selected each year have gone on to be named Young Scholar of Math) Fifth Grade participation in CONFERENCE FOR KIDS

36. THANK YOU FOR COMING! LET’S HAVE A GREAT YEAR!