Moodle Survey Helps in Planning for the
2010-11 School Year
In an effort to evaluate the gifted program, parents/guardians of students who participated in the Moodle Gifted classes last year were asked to complete a survey about these online offerings. These findings, as well as student and parent/guardian comments given throughout the year, helped the Office of Gifted Services plan for the coming year. The results of the survey can be found by clicking on the link on the right.
Milford Gifted Services Information
In an effort to serve students in numerous grade levels and to keep up with the world of technology while assuring students challenging opportunities, gifted has gone virtual. Moodle is an acronym for Modular Object Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment. Moodle is a free Open Source Course Management System or a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).
Students in 3rd – 6th grades, who are identified gifted by the State of Ohio in reading, math, or superior cognitive, will be served through the use of online courses and activities. Students will be meeting with a gifted intervention specialist two times each week. (See schedule below) Younger students will also benefit this year as the Gifted Intervention Specialists will be involved in the team-teaching of the Primary Education Thinking Skills (PETS) Program to all 2nd graders.
Course Titles and Descriptions for Gifted Services 2010-11
Math - Session I (Courses begin the week of September 13th and end the week of November 1st.)
Offered to students identified in superior cognitive and/or specific academic math, grades 4-6
Shape Up With Geometry (4th grade math course)
What did the acorn say when he grew up? Gee, I’m a tree!
Some skills covered in this course include 2-d and 3-d shapes, angles, points, lines, rays, coordinate graphing, tangrams, and shapes around us.
Real World Math (5th and 6th grade math course)
Real World Math will engage students in the mathematics of real-life by reinforcing concepts, skills, and strategies that directly relate to daily living. Various mathematical situations and content area situations will help students extend and enrich their understanding and spark their creativity as students engage in challenging tasks. Let’s experiment mathematically with the content of every day events!
Reading - Session I (Courses begin the week of November 8th and end the week of January 17th.)
Offered to students identified in superior cognitive and/or specific academic reading, grades 4-6
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH – Novel Study (4th grade reading course)
Mrs. Frisby is a mouse who lives with her four children on a farm belonging to Mr. Fitzgibbon. Her husband, Jonathan, dies, leaving them all alone. When her son Timothy gets sick, she seeks help from Jonathan's old friend, Mr. Ages. But when her family's troubles grow worse, she is forced to ask for help in other, very frightening places. "Go ask the rats, the rats of NIMH" she is told. Mrs. Frisby bravely goes to the rats for help. What she gets is a strange story: the truth about the rats, the laboratory of NIMH, and her husband Jonathan's part in the strange adventure. Find out how Mrs. Frisby helps the rats of NIMH.
Get a Clue! (5th and 6th grade gifted reading course)
Challenge your critical thinking skills as you read and solve who dunnit stories, investigate crimes with the FBI, and enjoy being chilled with spooky stories as you complete the Get a Clue! course. Let's go gumshoe!
Math - Session II (Courses begin the week of Jan. 24th and end the week of Mar. 14th.)
Offered to students identified in superior cognitive and/or specific academic math, grades 4-6
Algebra (4th grade gifted math course)
Throughout this class, students will need to put on their mathematical thinking caps as they solve equations, complete function tables, graph linear equations, and complete algebra logic problems. Students will enjoy combining algebra, geometry, artistic, and creative talents as they complete their final project, The Beauty of Numbers.
The Golden Ratio in Math, Art, and Architecture (5th and 6th grade math course)
Students will discover and apply the golden ratio as it appears in art, architecture, and its use in photography.
Reading - Session II (Courses begin the week of March 21st and end the week of May 23rd.)
Offered to students identified in superior cognitive and/or specific academic reading, grades 4-6
The Magician’s Nephew – Novel Study (4th grade reading course)
In this unforgettable story, British schoolchildren Polly and Digory inadvertently tumble into the Wood Between the Worlds, where they meet the evil Queen Jadis and, ultimately, the great, mysterious King Aslan. We witness the birth of Narnia and discover the legendary source of all the adventures that are to follow in the seven books that comprise the series.
A Wrinkle in Time – Novel Study (5th and 6th grade reading course)
Father is missing! His top secret job as a physicist for the government has taken him away—but where?—and how? Meg and her younger brother, Charles Wallace, set out with their friend Calvin on an exciting adventure through time and space to search for him. With the help of the mysterious Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who and Mrs. Which, the youngsters learn to expect the unexpected as they move in the fifth dimension known as the "tesseract".
Third Grade (Group I will follow Math schedule and Group II will follow Reading schedule.)
Third grade students identified in superior cognitive, math, and/or reading will all be taking the same courses this year. In most buildings the students will be divided into two groups and will have class either first and third quarters, or second and fourth quarters.
Introduction to Moodle and Primary Education Thinking Skills - Part I
This class has been designed to introduce third grade students to Moodle, show them how to navigate through the site, and complete different types of assignments. Also, this class will begin Primary Education Thinking Skills (P.E.T.S.). Join the animals of Crystal Pond Woods as they use their convergent thinking skills to solve problems.
Primary Education Thinking Skills - Part II
During this class students will join the animals of Crystal Pond Woods as they use their divergent, visual, and evaluative thinking skills.