CSI Field Study

We had so much fun on our CSI field study with the Richland County Sheriff's Department!  Students were able to learn about tools and processes for crime scene reconstruction including fingerprinting, footwear impression molding, evidence documenting and collection, and DNA.  I know this experience helped students gain a deeper understanding of our year-long systems theme.

 

 

September

A big THANK YOU to all my wonderful students for making the first month of ALERT a success! Here are some highlights of what we were working on in September.

Systems: Students were introduced to this year's theme of Systems and became familiar with system parts and how these parts interact. (Input, Output, Boundary, Elements) They used these terms and concepts to identify and label systems they come in contact with everyday and to create a list of generalizations that can be made about systems.

• Systems have parts that work together to create a whole.
• Systems interact.
• Parts of systems are interdependent and rely upon one another.
• A system may be influenced by another system.

We are highlighting our study of systems by looking at forensics and crime scene investigation. Students began their study by looking at fingerprint evidence and handwriting analysis.

Critical Thinking: Using the Children's Guide to Critical Thinking, the three types of thinkers were introduced. Students learned about Selfish Sam, Naive Nancy, and Fair-minded Fran. Using these characters as a conversation starter, we began to look at the importance of being a critical thinker, and traits that critical thinkers have.

Creative Thinking: Students have gotten familiar with our mascots of creativity, the Nerds! We use these particular mascots because no two are alike, they are colorful, fruity, and fun- just like creative thinking! Students explored our creative side by discussing and demonstrating the four keys to creative thinking. We began by taking a simple figure, looking at it from various perspectives (flexible thinking), brainstorming what it could become (fluency of ideas), choosing the idea like no one else's (originality), and filling in the details of our picture (elaboration)! These creative pieces became the covers of our ALERT binders reminding us to "think outside the box"!

Habits of Mind: Art Costa's Habits of Mind represent 16 traits that successful people can use when faced with a problem. Throughout the year, we will be focusing on building these individual traits in students. As an introduction, students looked at the habits collectively and became familiar with them playing our Habits of Mind matching game.

Morphic Thinking: We kicked off our Morphic Thinking morning routine where students warm-up with a spontaneous problem and boundary breaker. We will be including these weekly. A spontaneous problem is a brainstorming type problem to be solved in a specific amount of time and scored according to the number and creativity of responses generated. The point is to challenge students to be flexible thinkers, to elaborate on original ideas and to think fluently and creatively about a specific topic. A boundary breaker is a group experience which works toward creating a sense of community. Students gain an awareness of and respect for the opinion of others by the use of questions that go beyond superficial depth and have no right/wrong answers.

M^3 (Mentoring Mathematical Minds) Digging for Data: We had our commencing Digging for Data math lessons and students looked at both their rights and obligations as we embark. This math curriculum focuses heavily on discussion, defense of one's thinking, and writing about concepts.

 

Welcome!

Welcome to a new year! I am thrilled to have the opportunity to serve your child in the ALERT program. This will be my fifth year teaching ALERT and my 11th year teaching in the district. I am originally from the midwest where I received my B.A. from the University of Missouri. I moved to South Carolina in 2008, attending graduate school and receiving my MAT from Columbia International University. I love being in the classroom, doing craft projects, and relaxing at home with my husband and two sons.

I am looking forward to sharing an incredible curriculum with your child. This year students will be focusing on our year-long theme of Systems. In the fall, they will investigate interactions in systems by following the evidence trail from a crime scene to a courthouse. Students will participate in forensic science labs and visit the Richland County Courthouse. In the spring, we will look at environmental systems where students will take on the role of environmental detectives studying the impact of changing factors in an ecosystem. A gifted mathematical curriculum, “Digging for Data: The Search in Research” (M3-Mentoring Mathematical Minds) introducing students to research data complements our study of systems.

Communication is the key to a successful year. Each student will be given a take home folder as one way to keep information organized. Any notes, papers, and assignments will be placed in the folder. Please take the time to check your child’s ALERT folder each week and use it to return any correspondence. I will also keep families informed by the use of a classroom blog that you may check for a glance at what we have been up to in class. You can find the link to your child’s day of instruction at http://hoftalert.blogspot.com/.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to call or email me. Email is usually the best form of communication. My address is jhoft@richland2.org. I look forward to getting to know you and your child as we work together to make this a great year in ALERT!

* Monday & Tuesday Catawba Trail Elementary: 699-3501, ext. 35205
* Wednesday, Thursday Lake Carolina Elementary Upper Campus: 691-3360, ext. 37148

Mrs. Jessie Hoft
ALERT Teacher



Gifted Specialist