Merry Christmas!

On behalf of the staff at the GERD team leaders Linda Lenzi and Patty Ferrell, we would like to extend our warmest wishes for a very Merry Christmas and joyous New Year!

FYI: New & Updated VLA Courses

Consider these when thinking of enrichment for your gifted students:

Updated courses:

* ENG/LA II

* Physical Science

* Integrated Physical Science

* Social Studies Kindergarten

* Social Studies 110

New courses:

* Physics (Full year)

* Games through the Ages

* Study Skills

* Digital Skills

* Game Design Studio

* Modern Storytelling

* AP Physics

* Integrated Eng/LA I

* Integrated Eng/LA II

* Integrated Eng/LA III
* Integrated Eng/LA IV

Coming Soon:

* Social Studies 120 (Updated)

* U.S. History (Updated)

* Game Production & Marketing (New)

* AP World History (New)

PBL Project - Weekly Warm Up

Educators,


     Hello from the PBL Project, and I'm excited to present another Problem-Based "Weekly Warm-up"!  Actually, there are two this week because there were two events last week that I couldn't pass up.  As always, these are completely free (I hope it's a great way to share our PBL Project), and are created each week based on current events.


     The first event is the official announcement by Apple that they are going to soon be releasing their "Smart Watch" (like a Smart Phone, but on your wrist where it can do a lot more... like monitor your heartbeat).  I actually had a great Problem-Based "Weekly Warm-up" in the archives that works great for this event, so I wanted to share that.  Students will become tech investors and decide on the "next big thing" in the world of wearable technology (smart watches, glasses, jewelry, and even clothes).  Here's the link to that exercise:  http://pblproject.com/page.aspx?pageid=PBL-ww-Wearables


     The next exercise is one I promised a week ago because it has to do with the start of the NFL season.  I went a unique direction with this one.  This year, the NFL will be playing several football games in London as part of its longterm effort to help American football catch-on with the rest of the world.  Your students will become advisors to the NFL commissioner and consider all of the issues involved.  Is this a realistic goal, and what strategy should be used to help American football become a worldwide sport?  Here's the link:  http://pblproject.com/page.aspx?pageid=PBL-ww-Football


     As always, the Teacher Instructions, Classroom Discussion sheet, "Stimulus Items" (videos, articles, etc.), note-taking sheets, and grading rubric have been provided.


     Again, these exercises are used to promote PBL strategies, and will pay off when students are asked to put all of their knowledge to good use.  I hope you enjoy!  Please let me know if you have any questions or comments, or if there's anything else I can do.


Thanks,


Ben Bache

The PBL Project, manager

2435 E. North St., #245

Greenville, SC 29615-1442


(864) 877-5123

www.pblproject.com

50 top ed-tech products, straight from educators

SN’s annual Readers’ Choice Awards highlights readers’ favorite ed-tech products and solutions
This past spring, we asked readers to give us their top picks for school hardware, software, websites, and services—and more than 1,300 readers responded online.
In nominating their favorite products, we asked readers to tell us how they’re using these products to improve teaching, learning, or school administration—and to what effect. We then those the 50 best responses, which appear alphabetically by product name.
The results is a list of ed-tech products and services that have proven to be effective, as noted by your colleagues in K-12 schools and districts nationwide.

Check out this link for an article from eSN Staff of eSchool News written on August 1, 2014:

50 top ed-tech products, straight from educators

12 Summer Ideas for Children

1. Plan a Picnic
   You don't have to travel far to have a picnic. In fact, you don't have to travel any farther than your own backyard. The fun isn't only in the picnic alone, but in the planning of it. It is a perfect way to create some cheap summer fun.
2. Plant a Garden
   Gardens offer kids a perfect opportunity for learning about plant life. If you start early enough in the season, you can start the garden from seeds. That is the ideal way to start a garden since the kids can watch the garden grow from the very beginning sprouts. However you start too late in the season to plant seeds, you can buy a few seedlings from just about anywhere, including many grocery stores. The kids can still watch the plants grow. Have them keep a chart of the growth every day or two. They can even draw pictures of the plants as they grow. And be sure that your child waters the plants and gets rid of the weeds. 
3. Visit the Library for Summer Fun
   Libraries are wonderful sources of free fun for gifted kids. For one thing, libraries often have free programs for children. But it's not just the programs that make libraries fun for gifted kids. It's the books the libraries hold that gifted kids will also find fun and exciting. 
4. Plan Some Family Fun Nights
   Families don't need to go on vacations or spend lots of money to enjoy some time together. All they need to do is plan some fun activities to share. Among the possibilities are watching movies or playing games together. Family nights can provide summer fun anytime, but especially on those rainy days when the kids can't play outdoors.
5. Camp in the Backyard
   You don't need to travel any farther than your own backyard to plan a camping trip. Part of the fun is in the planning, so take your time to find the right spot to pitch a tent and decide on activities the whole  family can enjoy. 
6. Create a Backyard Waterpark
   A waterpark in the backyard? Absolutely! If you already have a playset, all you have to do is get a hose (or two) and prop them up to spray water on it. If you don't, this might be the time to get one. You may have to spend money on one, but it will still be cheaper than what you'd pay for a family vacation. If you don't want to go with a playset, get a small backyard pool. Again, all you have to do is set up some hoses to spray either over the pool or around it. You're limited only by your imagination!
7. Plan a Scavenger Hunt
   You can encourage your children to explore nature with a nature scavenger hunt which could include items as simple as different shaped stones and leaves. Or you can hide objects of your own around the yard and give your children clues that will help them find them!
8. Make Music
   You can create music with just about anything that makes a sound. You can buy cheap kazoos or make your own by covering a comb with waxpaper (a clean comb!) Pots can serve as drums and lids can be cymbals. Empty jugs can be used, too, to make "music." It's easy to kids to get carried away with just making noise, so be sure to make this activity a musical one. Help your kids learn about music, while having fun.
9. Have a Yard Sale
   This activity can have several goals. You can get your house cleaned of clutter, give your kids something to do, and make a little money! You can also take the opportunity to teach your children a little about economics!
10. Make a Map of the Neighborhood
    This activity can provide a little exercise, too, since children have to walk around the neighborhood to make notes of what they see and determine what belongs where on a map. You should set boundaries so your children don't go farther than you want them to go. For areas farther from your house than you would like your children to go and for children who are too young to walk around the neighborhood on their own, you can go with them and get a little exercise yourself!
11. Conduct Simple Experiments
    Most of us don't have a handy list of easy experiments to draw from, but libraries have plenty of books with experiments for children. Plan a trip to the library (another great activity) and find a book or two with experiments.
12. Put on a Play
    This activity can be as simple or as complex as your children would like it to be. The simplest way to put on a play is to act out a familiar story (like Little Red Riding Hood), using whatever you can find around the house for costumes. The more complex methods of play production would start with the children making up their own story, writing a script, planning the costumes (that mom and others might help make), rehearsing, creating a flyer, and making tickets.  

From website giftedkids.about.com 

Special Days and Observances in June for gifted kids

The month of June has some really fun and interesting days to celebrate. The days listed here are those that should be of special interest to gifted children and their families. The month has also been set aside to focus on some special interests. You can find information and activities for the month as well as the special days in it. (See holidays and observances for each month.)

Language Arts Needs of Gifted Learners

Byrdseed Website has an article about Language Arts needs of gifted learners.  It's from an article on Hoagies Gifted, Dr. David Levande compiled a list of general guidelines for working with gifted learners in language arts.

Click on the link to read:
Byrdseed