Dear Parents of 4th grade AIM students, August 24, 2016

Welcome to a fabulous experience with AIM (Activating Inquisitive Minds), your child’s Gifted and Talented Program. Our studies will set the groundwork for an exciting year. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with your child and explore our fascinating curriculum! I have had the privilegeof working extensively with gifted kids throughout my 22 years of teaching and I look very forward to challenging your child with intriguing activities and experiences this school year!

This year our 4th grade AIM students will have the benefit of being enthusiastically engaged in many facets of the Texas Performance Standards Projects (TPSP) especially designed for gifted and talented learners. These intermediate projects as well as details about the fourth grade tasks can be located at this TEA website…. Fourth grade students will have the opportunity to experience and encounter many problem solving activities from tasks such as “Enigmas,”“Math Around Town,”“Gift of Age” and “Innovation Celebration”. These TEKS-based projects are cross-curricular, with components from English language arts, mathematics, social studies, and science. Each TPSP project targets two phasesof implementation:

  • Phase I presents developmental and instructional lessons using advanced content and a discipline-based research model to gain an understanding of the background knowledge for the task.
  • Phase II provides an opportunity to delve into independent research. Students will synthesize learning, apply knowledge to a novel situation, and provide an advanced, high quality demonstration of their knowledge. After encountering an understanding of each topic, fourth graders will select a specific task to delve into PHASE II of project development. Here are abstracts of a couple tasks we will be investigating …

In the “Enigmas” project, students will investigate a naturally occurring enigma, an unsolved mystery. Each student will have an opportunity to explore in depth an enigma and hypothesize possible solutions. In their explorations, students will use scientific research processes.

In the “Math Around Town” project, students will discover the application of mathematicsto the real worldby investigating how various professions involve mathematics, discovering and creating problems that illustrate how professionals use math concepts in real-world problem situations, as well as discovering ways in which students use math concepts in and out of a school setting. This project will be supplemented with other resources to provide investigations and activities introducing algebraic thinking patterns.

In the “Innovation Celebration” project, students will investigate the process of innovative thinking and study why society calls for certain inventions at certain times. Students will gain an understanding of the process of innovation as well as the invention process. Students will also develop an understanding of contributions that individuals have made to society and appreciate the impact of these contributions over time. After studying and "interacting with" famous inventors, scientists, thinkers, and philosophers, students will celebrate the spirit of innovation by creating and marketing their own invention.

Each fourth grade AIM student will have the opportunity to research, contribute to discussions, and present various products and projects throughout the school year. Our TPSP Showcase held on Thursday, May 11th at Allen High School will feature projects from all of the 4th grade AIM students across the district. Thanks to The Foundation for Allen Schools we received funding to make this grant showcase possible. In addition to the intriguing investigations centered around theTexas Performance Standards Projects, we will continue to focus on critical thinking skills, problem solving, inductive and deductive reasoning, and logic skills through advanced explorations in the four core subject areas.Our focus on critical thinking skills and problem solving will highlight the multiple intelligences and differing learning styles.

I am DELIGHTED about working with your child this year! We will meet most of the day each Fridayfor interactive and in-depth explorations in AIM class. Your child will attend specials, recess, and lunch with his/her classmates. I hope you follow our AIM class investigations/explorations at my teacher web page link…

I know that Fridays are an optimal day to plan appointments and trips to leave to go out of town early. PLEASE NOTE THAT YOUR CHILD’S ATTENDANCE AT FRIDAY AIM CLASS IS VERY IMPORTANT TO THE SUCCESS OF HIS/HER FINAL TEXAS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS PROJECT THAT WILL BE VIEWED AT THE SHOWCASE IN MAY. I look forward to seeing your child each Friday as we explore many exciting curricular venues.

Feel free tocontact me if you have any questions. I can be reached by phone at (972) 236-0600 ext. 6557 or by email at . Our first AIM class will meet on Friday, September 2nd. Please complete/submit the student information link sent to you on email, return AIM supplies, and have your child complete the “ME MEDAL” assignment by our first class on F, 9/2. Thanks so much for your support! Let’s AIM for the stars!-Beth Wininger, Boon Gifted and Talented Specialist