There is so much going on...

I am excited because 4th and 5th grade are starting! At Laurel Mountain, there is a lot of energy and attention placed on enrichment clusters. But today, I wanted to take a moment highlight a few other awesome things that have been going on that are related to the Schoolwide Enrichment Model (SEM). Because SEM is more than just enrichment clusters.

At the beginning of the school year all of the students completed an interest survey. Each class and grade level got their results. You can see the top interest areas posted outside each classroom. And you can see the top interest areas displayed on the enrichment board. This gives teachers a great insight into the interests of their class and individual students. The interest survey results allow us to create meaningful learning experience centered around our kids' interest areas.

And the interest survey data drives the various activities that have been taking place during the Enrichment Slot, or E-slot, on Friday. There have been a TON of different activities taking place, all centered on the students' different interest areas. I have seen cupcakes being baked, space murals being created, volcanoes erupting, LEGO constructions being built, dog trainers presenting...the list goes on and on.

PETS (Primary Educational Thinking Skills) lessons have started. These lessons center around a group of characters who live in Crystal Pond Woods. Each character represents a different type of thinking we use everyday to solve problems (convergent, divergent, visual and evaluative). These lessons take place in kinder, 1st, 2nd, 3rd and some of 4th grade. 

So far this year, I have been able to go into 2nd and 3rd grade classrooms to help with math differentiation. The purpose of this is to create learning opportunities based on the students' skill level and needs. Sometimes I work with students who have mastered a concept, so I bring a challenge activity that focuses on the math concept being taught in class that day. Sometimes, I work with students who need some extra support or a reteach of a certain math concept. 

We have also started to revamp our Total Talent Portfolios. We are renaming them our PRIDE Portfolios. According to Dr. Renzulli, the major purposes of the PRIDE Portfolios are:

• To collect several different types of information that portrays a student’s strength areas, and to regularly updates this information. 
• To periodically review and analyze the information in order to make purposeful decisions about providing opportunities for enrichment experiences in the regular curriculum, the enrichment clusters, and the continuum of special services. 
• To use the information as a vehicle for educational, personal, and career counseling and for communicating with parents about the school's talent development opportunities and their child's involvement in them. 

This year, we are working towards the students taking ownership of the PRIDE Portfolios.  The portfolios are a tool for the teacher to get to know his/her students better.  But more importantly, we want to students to be able to use to portfolios to learn more about themselves.  We want the kids to focus and discover their interests and talents that will hopefully lead to a life-long passion.  The PRIDE Portfolios are a new work in progress and will be shared at PRIDE Night in the spring.

So like the title of today's blog entry says, there is so much going on!  But all of these things are positive, exciting, engaging and fun for the students, All of these activities create world-class talent right here at LME.