PYP and MYP Enrichment, Ms. Alexa Banks

March 3, 2017

This week in 2nd/3rd Grade Enrichment…

Hello!

We have finished our New Orleans unit, and our insect/graphic organizer came out so cool!! Now how to attach it to the wall to scare the other grades….

Our next unit will look at animal adaptations as they survive/hunt/live in different environments. We are using animals as a jumping off point for examining how we, as humans adapt to different environments. Your children have homework this week, to identify 3 ways that they change their behavior or “camouflage” to suit their varying situations. Whether that is social or environmental, they all count!! Please help your child make the connection that they too are quite adaptable creatures.

Thanks!

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This week in 4th/5th Grade Enrichment…

Hello!
We are nearly finished with our cultural convergence unit. Students have used their math skills to create a radially symmetrical mandala that represents their cultural background (or the modern traditions that define their family now). They utilized their creative writing skills to express memories of their childhood through an “I am” poem…very beautiful!

We should be wrapping up this unit this week or next, so ask your child about the memories that they used in their poem and the symbols they chose for their mandala.

Thanks!

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This week in MYP Enrichment…

Hello!

This is the last week to work on the projects, so it is a very busy time for your children. They are all due on Tuesday of next week and we will be presenting on Thursday and Friday of next week if you’d like to pop in and watch.

Additionally, some of the students have chosen to use materials from home. We have talked in depth about preparing ahead of time, but consider this a heads up to avoid a frantic last minute trip to Hobby Lobby for cardboard.

This is also the time to be thinking about what comes next, for our 4th quarter project. Its such a great time to think outside the box and create a real showstopper for the end of the year. Please help your child start thinking about what their next move might be.

Thanks!

January 30, 2017

Hello 2nd/3rd Grade parents!

This week we are taking all of the great information that we researched about New Orleans and putting it together in a visual organizer. We are using the model of an insect to demonstrate the different parts of our research (antennae = topics; head=thesis, body=main ideas and opinions, legs = subtopics, etc.) We are having a great time getting organized and it will eventually by a large model to represent all of the information we gathered, should be great fun.

If you have helped your little one with research, please send them with all their notes so we can make sure their voice is heard.

Thanks!

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Hello 4th and 5th grade parents!

We fully concluded our board game unit, which was very fun (and a little stressful in the end for those in charge of details…there were a lot to consider). It created a great opportunity to look at how our students work together and also how they independently manage their time, ask your child how they thought they did.

Currently, we are starting our new unit on how a culture is unique based on a variety of factors, like economics, climate, religious beliefs, war, global presence, etc. Students were sent home with a mini homework assignment to connect two parts of a culture and explain how they influence each other. Please encourage conversation about their particular topic, as it is complex and there are many details to uncover.

Thanks!!

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Hello 6th grade parents!

We are rocking and rolling on our Exhibition projects as students are figuring out details and refining the scope of their research. My 6th graders are being encouraged to think beyond the essay and express their understanding in a creative way. Please help them brainstorm some interesting options.

Additionally, since their projects are community issues, if you have any ties to the community that may help us better understand the social reach of these issues we would appreciate it. Our group is working on the effects of poaching; tobacco use, and drug use in teens.

Thanks!!

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Hello MYP parents!

We are well into the quarter and our class has some wonderful ideas flowing about projects. Please speak with your child about what they are doing in my class, they SHOULD have lots to talk about. If there are ways that they can use additional support, or if you see that their academics are suffering as a result of this additional project, please let me know. Well rounded success is the goal!

Thanks!

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January 17, 2017

Hello 2nd/3rd Grade Parents

Hello Parents!
This week we are continuing our unit on cultural convergence, focusing on New Orleans and the Creole/Cajun cultures and the traditions unique to them. Please encourage your child to finish their research so that we may move forward to our concept analysis.

Thanks!

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Hello 4th/5th Grade Parents!

This week we are finishing our board games, putting final touches on designs, playing cards and pieces. We will hopefully play them on Wednesday, which will be such a fun way to celebrate all the hard work the students have been doing. Since this was a group project and there were lots of moving parts, after we play we will make time to reflect on how the process went for everyone. Please encourage your child to think critically about their role in the successes and challenges of this project, we will talk about it as a class on Thursday.

Thank you for your involvement!

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Hello 6th Grade Parents!

This week in Enrichment we continue to work on the kid’s Exhibition projects, which is a wonderfully interesting and complex task. If you haven’t already, ask them about their topics! Additionally, we will now meet on Thursdays as well to work on creativity, critical thinking and problem solving projects/challenges. Any suggestions for cool puzzles, mind-challenging games or hands-on problem solving projects would be appreciated.

Thank you for your involvement!

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Hello MYP Parents!

This week in our Mentorship/Enrichment time the students will be working toward their Quarter 3 projects. Everyone has decided on a topic, and most have also picked a final product to showcase their findings. Please talk with your child about what they are researching and how they will be showing their information at the end. This process can be difficult as we are making connections and using abstract symbols, representations and creatively showcasing interesting information. The students have a ton of power each quarter to do something innovative and interesting, and I am pushing them to step outside their comfort zones. There is a tremendous amount of potential with each project and its important that your child continue to choose challenging topics and products.

Thank you for your support!

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September 23, 2016

Parents

We are well into the year and our Enrichment classes are doing some amazing things!

2^nd/3^rd Grade is reading Seedfolks by Paul Fleisher as we explore the Hero’s Journey and the impact on individuals on social change. It’s a fairly challenging book for our younger readers, and has some great discussion starters about racial diversity, family dynamics and the power of community. We are working on our critical thinking and making connections as we read.

4^th/5^th Grade is finishing up their big genetics unit. Thanks again for the giving our kids the opportunity to talk about their identities, families and passed down traits, it’s such a fun and enlightening conversation that spilled over into our class time. Great stuff. As I am sure most of you are aware, there is a final project due October 5^th, and some of it may need to be done at home. If there is any confusion, stress, misunderstandings or meltdowns related to this assignment, please email me!

MYP may have the coolest projects to date! If your child has not yet shared with you what they are working on, let me shed some light. Each student has picked a year-long theme that is of interest to them. They have a new partner every Quarter and are tasked with delving into how their respective year-long themes intersect and producing something creative to show their understanding. Some examples so far include a cookbook based on literary characters and recipes adapted from books, a musical presentation about the effects of art therapy in prisons, and more! These projects will be completed by the end of the Quarter, so if your child needs support in completing their project on time, please communicate with me!

Our first Gifted Advisory Committee meeting is scheduled for October 27 at 4pm. Please attend if you can, it is such a good opportunity to participate in our Enrichment program, as well as share resources that may benefit all our students.

Your kids are great, I’m excited for another year at CIS!

Alexa Banks

September 21, 2016

4th and 5th grade parents,

First of all, thank you so much for helping our kids with the family Punnett Square, it gave us such a good discussion and we are tabulating our data tomorrow!

The final project of our Genetics Unit has been sent home. There will be plenty of time for the kids to work on it in class, but please chat with them about it so they can get their creative juices flowing. Since there is a creative component, there is a chance they will want to complete it at home, which is fine. We went over all the expectations today in class, but, as always, if there is any uncertainty, please let me know.

I am attaching this project as well, so you can print if any get lost. genetics-unit-4th-5th-grade

Thank you!

September 19, 2016

Hello 4th/5th grade Parents!

We are finishing up our unit on Genetics, and it is getting so exciting. We practiced the Punnett Square to get very good and understanding dominant and recessive genes, as well as how traits are passed on from generation to generation. Now we are ready to experiment with the idea that personality traits may be passed on as well. Students have been sent home with a quick worksheet to help them map out some family traits, and they need your help. They have been instructed to ask both parents about the personality traits of both sets of grandparents and whether or not they have been passes down genetically. We are using the Punnett Square as a loose outline to keep ourselves organized, but the assignment is largely designed to get the students thinking about their own personalities. If there are step-parents, guardians, or not family but “family” members, that you would like to include, please do. It will only give us a chance to further our investigation of the “nature vs nurture” debate.

This is due next Wednesday 9/21/2016, so please help your child with some good stories about their family. We will follow this up with a final assignment, including an abstract family tree and some good data analysis. I will send out that rubric as we get closer.

Students received a copy of this today, but I have attached the files as well, just in case. family-mapping-for–personality-traits-1

4th-5th-inherited-personalities

Please let me know if there are any questions, thank you for your support!

Alexa Banks