Pruett's AIG Blog for IBJ

Today Jones marked Memorial Day with a moving assembly. I was proud to be part of a school that honors this holiday!

Here are a couple of interviews about student submissions to the fifth grade art show. Students wrote questions, interviewed each other, and recorded these videos.

So here are some more detailed shots of the art from last night's show. Vicki Hall and ALL Jones students are to be commended!

All fifth grade Jones AIG students met today with Ms. Jo Landreth, one of the AIG specialists at Asheville Middle. Ms. Landreth provided an overview of services at AMS. It was a fascinating conversation about the amazing programming opportunities for students at AMS. Our conversation included houses of worship, trout farming, and shrunken heads! Ask your fifth graders more!

Here are some additional snaps of a different third grade ESG.  They're hard at it using shapes to solve symmetry problems. Both of these groups move toward determining area and perimeter for the shapes, as well.  

Here is a letter that was sent home today with current fifth grade (rising 6th) AIG students. Please contact me with any questions. May, 2015 Parents of Rising AIG 6 th Graders: As we start looking toward the end of the school year, it is time to look ahead to what gifted services will look like next year at Asheville Middle School.  We are beginning now to collect data on each AIG student in order to determine the very best service match for your student.  This process will continue in the fall.  While this data is being collected and services are being determined, all sixth grade AIG students will be served through a weekly enrichment opportunity called Transition Study Group.  In Transition Study Group, the AIG Specialists work with the students to consider the nature of giftedness, offer enrichment opportunities, and help the students to transition academically to the sixth grade. Here is the process that will be used to match appropriate services to student’

Hey, here's a snap of Spring Fling - my first at Jones! Shout outs to Mr. Crone who helped me chase balls around the field AND Ms. Wink who was such a great sport in the dunk tank! Hope everyone had fun!

What is Trap the Mouse? Ask these students! I'll tell more later...

Hola! ESG students in third grade have been reviewing geometric concepts by using shapes called pentominoes. They've constructed them and are now using sets to solve challenging symmetry problems. Next? We'll be revisiting a conversation about dimensions to kick off solving area and perimeter problems with pentominoes.

Our fifth grade ASG for reading has shifted to working with Junior Great Books (JGB). If you've followed the blog this year, you may remember JBG from earlier groups. In this work, students participate in 'shared inquiry' lesson focused on a specific written piece. Students then address open-ended questions about the work in a structured, conversational environment. I tally student participation, NOT to judge how much students participate BUT TO ensure everyone is in on the discussion. This story was called Ooka and the Honest Thief. Pronounced oh-oh-kuh, this story led to an excellent conversation about honesty. Ask your kids about it! Here's a snap of my participation map from our first fifth grade meeting:

Hey, here's a tasty looking recipe from one of our fourth graders. Warm Milk (my comfort food) By Amelia Ingredients: lowfat milk pumpkin pie spice cinnamon nutmeg honey vanilla extract   Fill a large mug with lowfat milk. Sprinkle in four pinches of pumpkin pie spice. Then, put in two pinches of cinnamon. Add two to three pinches of nutmeg. Squeeze in a dollop of honey. Pour in half a capful of vanilla extract. Warm in microwave until milk is at preferred temperature. Add ingredients as needed. En-JOY!