By Kim Leider on
9/8/2008
LANGUAGE ARTS: We shared our all-time favorite books. Now we have a wall-full of suggestions from peers to help us pick out the next book to read. The first reading strategy will be connections: linking what we read with ourselves, our world, and other books.
WRITING: The focus for the beginning ...
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By Kim Leider on
9/1/2008
LANGUAGE ARTS: We will start changing classes for language arts and math on Friday, September 5. Students will be given their class assignments Thursday afternoon.
LANGUAGE ARTS: We will be self-selecting nonfiction books to read. The genre for this month is realistic fiction. These books refle ...
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By Kim Leider on
8/22/2008
I thought you might like to know a little bit about me. So here’s the Readers Digest condensed version!
I was born and raised in Norfolk, VA. My passions as a child included horses, ballet, and music. I graduated with a BS in education from the University of Virginia. I also hold a Masters Degree in gifted education. I’ve taught for 20+ years in grade levels K-6.
Before coming to Colorado five years ago, I taught at a school for the gifted in Huntington Beach, CA called the Pegasus School. I was a gifted center teacher at Hackberry Hill Elementary in Jeffco for three years. Prior to arriving at Stargate, I worked as a Gifted and Talented resource consultant traveling to 15 sch ...
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By Kim Leider on
8/21/2008
We've been having a great first week of school so far!
As our "experienced" families know, we spend a great deal of time during the first two weeks of school testing our students. They take a standardized test called the ERB as well as teacher-made tests in the areas of math, reading, and writing. Why? It is vital to know what a child already knows and what skills they may be lacking in order to have them enter instruction at their correct level. We want them to be appropriately challenged, and we want to make sure there are no huge gaps in knowledge. Based on the information gathered through testing, we will place students in reading/writing and math classses to best meet their needs.
Please understand that this testing is not a "waste of time." Instead, judicious pre-testing allows us to move gifted students at their optimal rate by avoiding repetition in ...
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By Kim Leider on
8/19/2008
I wanted to let all my families know what a great first (and part of a second)day we've had. I'm thrilled to have students with such varied interests, skills, and hobbies.
We'll be spending much of our time exploring giftedness and learning styles this week. Specifically, we'll be discussing ways to be successful using our strengths and learning styles at school and in the broader world. I'll be sending home articles (via the Monday Folder) addressing various aspects of giftedness that parallel what we are discussing in class. I hope you'll find the articles informative, supportive, and useful.
I'm excited about teaching your children this year and look forward to working with each family.
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