Super Heroes Fighting Against Drugs!

There were a few SUPER HEROES fighting drugs today at AES!

Clark Kent...with Superman ready to come out if needed!  

Very cute and creative, Evan!

Bat People Hang Together!

 You never know what you might see your principal and GATE teacher doing!

It has been a fun week celebrating Red Ribbon Week...Most importantly, students, please remember....

DRUG FREE!  WAY TO BE!

BE SMART! Don't Do Drugs!

Nerd day!  Be smart - don't do drugs was our Red Ribbon Week theme of today.  

Here are a few photos from today in GATE!

Click on the slideshow at the bottom to see all 3rd grade GATE kids on Nerd Day!

Enjoy this slideshow!

BE BRIGHT! Don't Do Drugs!

Wow!  Today was B R I G H T! :)  

Students and teachers wore neon colors today in celebration of Red Ribbon Week...

DRUG FREE WAY TO BE!

Special Guest...Mr. Morrow Visits GATE!

4th grade group 1 had a special guest today...Courtney's grandfather!  Mr. Morrow, a retired art teacher, spent a couple of hours in GATE today.  He brought gourds that a friend had shared with him.  He also brought many art supplies that the students would need to create their painted gourds.  The students had a great time designing each individual gourd.  We had polka dots, monograms, bats, sports teams, and even a dinosaur gourd!

Thank you, Courtney, for sharing your grandfather and his artistic talent with us!  Another fun fact about Mr. Morrow...his wife is our AES librarian, Mrs. Armorette Morrow!  We all had a great time and look forward to another visit from him again soon!

Please enjoy this slideshow of today's painting.

Red Ribbon Week...Give Drugs the Boot!

Give Drugs the boot!  Western Day was a success!  Today students and teacher wore their western wear to kick off Drug Free Week!  Check back all week to see updates of our dress up days!  Remember, kids...

DRUG FREE...WAY TO BE!

Alabama Public Televison Presents...Colonial Williamsburg

Alabama Public Television is a great supporter of education. There are many programs and resources for teachers to use in the classroom.  This year our GATE program is so fortunate to be one of the four classrooms from around the state to participate in the Colonial Williamsburg history series.  This was a grant worth $250.00 offered to our classes.  I am so grateful!

There are many components in the available series.  Our first adventure with this APTV project was with the 4th graders.  Technology research projects are in full swing in GATE.  As these students are continuing to find reputable resources for their research projects, the Research Rescue Squad video series was an entertaining approach to citing information from credible sources.  The materials provided with this series looked at the difference in PRIMARY and SECONDARY sources of information.  The students played  a game in teams deciding if certain items were a PRIMARY source or SECONDARY source.  They became great at knowing the difference.  Online games through this program also helped us to think about if a website is a credible source, if it is up to date, and if the information is factual.  I know these skills will benefit the students as they progress through their research tech projects!

Thank you, APTV, for investing in our gifted program this year!  We look forward to many adventures in learning about history this year!

Below:  Students work together in teams to decide which items would be a PRIMARY SOURCE or a SECONDARY source.

Circle Creations by 4th Grade GATE

Isn't this a FUN piece of art!?  4th grade GATE students each had a part in creating a circle of their choice!  Students painted circles of their choice of size, color, design, and placement.  This is what happens when 30 students paint 30+ circles!  I love it!  This art is hanging outside the GATE classroom where all students can enjoy this happy work of art.  Each 4th grade GATE student can take pride in this project because EACH student played an important part of this art!

Do you ZENTANGLE? We do!

Third grade students have been introduced to the art form of Zentangle.  Zentangle is an art strategy that combines doodling, drawing precise "tangles", and promotes focus and relaxation.  All the students listened to the same directions, yet their creations are quite different!  We will continue to learn new tangles throughout the year.   

Technology Projects use COOL GADGETS!

Do you like Raspberry Pi?  That's just what Ethan brought to GATE this week!  Ethan and his dad are learning how to program this credit card sized computer (called a Raspberry Pi) which is held inside the blue box Ethan is holding in the picture above.  We can't wait to hear more about what Ethan is creating with this tiny computer!  Below is a picture of Ethan sharing with the class about his cool gadget!

Raspberry Pi was not the only cool gadget brought to GATE last week...check this picture of Kalvin and his GoPro camera!

Kalvin and his family took this GoPro camera on a plane ride at the Albertville Airport.  Our class saw a view as if WE were actually on the flight with them.  VERY COOL!  Thanks, Kalvin, for sharing those videos with us...can't wait to see your tech project when it is complete!