November Newsletter for Madeira’s Gifted Program
Third Grade
Parents,
Hello! Our first semester is coming to an end. We have five classes remaining and lots to finish. We are having a wonderful time learning about puns, oxymorons, new types of technology, Native Americans, multiplication, Leonardo da Vinci, and much more!
You can check out my teacher website for great parent resources and photos of our class activities.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Dr. Alley
We are finishing four multidisciplinary units in our third grade class during first semester. Here is a summary of our current projects:
- Leonardo da Vinci Study – We are studying the life of one of the greatest geniuses of all time – Leonardo da Vinci. We will be reading a book and discussing his many contributions to our world. We will begin building mini models of some of his inventions this week. Students are gathering facts about Leonardo da Vinci and incorporating them into a radio show script. Students will record their radio show on the computer program Garageband. They will add music, commercials, and conduct an interview with Leonardo! We experienced a “Leo Walk” a couple of weeks ago. Leonardo loved nature and enjoying observing, drawing, and thinking about nature. Nature had a huge impact on his inventions. We took digital cameras on our nature hike (behind our school) and looked at the photos on the Smartboard the following week.
- “Punished” – We are finishing the book Punished by David Lubar. The book talks about anagrams, palindromes, puns, oxymorons, and much more. We are creating word board games on the computer which will reinforce what we are learning in the book.
- Lost Tribe of the Tocowans – Students will be working in pairs going through the “desert” to find the lost tribe of the Tocowans. Students will solve complicated math problems focusing on multiplication and division to find the lost tribe. There will be unique food challenges as well. We already sampled buffalo and elk jerky as well as ate “rocks”.
- Native American Research – Students are researching a Native American tribe or famous Native American throughout first semester. Their research will be showcased in a slideshow/movie. We will showcase our movies in a “movie theatre” atmosphere in our classroom. Students will be paid to be movie producers. The play money will be used to buy their theatre ticket and concession stand items such as popcorn, movie theatre candy, and more.
*Our days begin with a logic puzzle from a fourth/fifth grade book. Students complete another logic puzzle or challenge sheet after first recess. We will be playing various brain games each week as well.
EXTRA ENRICHMENT IDEAS:
- “The Nutcracker” will be performed by the Cincinnati Ballet at the Aronoff Center for the Arts December 14-23. Tickets start at $31.00. You can visit cballet.org or call 621-5282.
- “Santa’s Toy Factory” will be performed by the Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati Dec. 7-9 as well as the 15th. More information can be found on their website or by calling 569-8080 ext. 10
- The annual “Festival of Lights” will open at the zoo the day after Thanksgiving. Have you checked out Cat Canyon at the Cincinnati Zoo? It is an excellent new exhibit. I visited the zoo a few weeks ago to see it. Plus, I watched a 4-D theatre show. It was awesome!
- Super Saturday is an amazing program for gifted kids offered through the dynamic parent support group called PAGE (Parent Association for Gifted Education). Students get a chance to meet with other students who are gifted from around the county. Students choose various classes such as theatre, engineering, chemistry, veterinary science, chess, French, and more. The class offerings change each quarter (Fall, Winter, and Spring). The classes are held at the University of Cincinnati-College of Applied Science on Victory Parkway. Registration is open now for winter. There is a link on my teacher webpage, or you can visit the website for Super Saturday at
- There is an exciting book club opportunity for children in grades 2-5 called “Book Explorers”. It is a parent-run book club led by Madeira parent Cathy Born and her children, Nathan and Lexi. Children read a book, meet for a book discussion, and participate in a field trip and/or activity related to the book. If you would like to receive information, you can contact Ms. Born at
- COSI (Center of Science & Industry) in Columbus is an amazing science museum. They have a special exhibit beginning Sept. 29th and ending Jan. 6th for LEGO fans called “LEGO Castle Adventure”.
Stores:
The following children’s bookstores offer neat family programs so checkout their websites: The Blue Manatee Children’s Bookstore in Oakley, The Blue Marble Children’s Bookstore in Fort Thomas, and Joseph-Beth Booksellers Children’s Department at Rookwood Commons.
Mindware (online), United Art and Education in Sharonville (lots of craft kits and science experiment kits), Ted’s Toys in Madeira (lots of our classroom games can be found here), and King Arthur’s Toys in Oakley (doors away from The Blue Manatee Children’s Bookstore) are great places for kid’s gifts. Each site has unique and challenging items.
The LEGO store at Kenwood Mall has a free monthly mini model build on the first Tuesday of each month. Call 791-4241 for details on hours. They have 250 available each month. The line can be long so bring a book to read!