TD PIEDMONT MIDDLE SCHOOL



PIEDMONT MIDDLE SCHOOL

an IB World School

Talent Development News

Volume 1, Issue 32 May 29, 2015

6th Grade Language Arts

The 6th grade TD students have learned how to be independent, inquisitive, and principled IB students through the proper use of their Chromebooks, asking questions, completing projects and turning work in on time.

After our End of Grade tests, we will continue on to our last and final project, “The Time for Piedmont” magazine. Students will design, write, and create a magazine entitled “Time for Piedmont.” Students will use the various genres and literary techniques from throughout the school year to create a magazine for next year’s rising 6th grade students. Students will also incorporate content and skills they have learned in all of their classes.

Our MYP Unit question for this project is, “How does what you’ve learned in 6th grade affect your 7th grade year?” This MYP Unit question supports our Reflective IB Learner Profile. For this project, each student will reflect upon the school year and think about the things that a new Piedmont 6th grader would like to know on his or her first day of school. “Time for Piedmont” is what a new 6th grader would like to know about Piedmont on his or her first day of school. Next year, sixth grade students will find our “Time for Piedmont “magazines sitting on top of their desks on the first day of school. It is our hope that these magazines will help reduce anxiety, answer questions, and perhaps generate a few smiles and laughs for the “first day back to school jitters.”

We have enjoyed working with each and every student and we wish them the best of luck in 7th grade!

6th Grade Math

It’s hard to believe our year is almost over, and as we reflect back on all the learning and growth that has taken place this year, we are all proud to be Piedmont Pirates! This 4th quarter saw the culmination of our 6th block Love of Learning Project which was a huge success! This was an amazing opportunity for our students to extend their knowledge beyond the core curriculum and make real-world connections with topics they are passionate about. Topics like photography, interior design, music, baking, sports, event planning, law, engineering, coding, dance, and everything in between were represented during this year’s Love of Learning Showcase. Congratulations to our sixth graders for all their time and effort with this 5-month long endeavor.

In relation to mathematics, students have worked extensively with the Statistics and Probability unit of the Common Core State Standards. Students analyzed data by looking at the mean, median, mode, range, its Mean Absolute Deviation (MAD) and the Inter-Quartile Range. Students graphed and analyzed data through dot plots, box plots, and histograms. We also completed our Geometry unit during the fourth quarter. To make geometry fun and engaging, we introduced students to the art of Christo and Jeanne Claude, a husband and wife team who are known for their “wrapping” of natural and man-made objects. Using their art as our inspiration, students chose a prism of their own to find the volume, surface area, net, and cost of hypothetically wrapping this object in fabric. Students also collaborated with their language arts teacher to write a business letter to the Mint Museum, asking for their Christo and Jeanne Claude-inspired project to be included in a hypothetical art exhibition. This interdisciplinary unit was a great way to help students connect art, math, and language arts in an engaging project.

Currently we are in the middle of our EOG review which involves class activities like our “Around the Room” math scavenger hunts, individualized “tiers” of differentiated practice, and review games like “Math-O” and Jeopardy. Soon we will be through with the EOGs and celebrating our success with end-of-year activities like a class picnic, “Around the World” day, our 6th grade talent show, and a day trip to visit the Biltmore in Asheville.

We are proud of all of the work our students have put forth this year and wish them the best of luck in 7th grade. In just a few short months we will be meeting our next batch of 6th graders and can’t wait for another great year. Happy summer vacation!

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PIEDMONT MIDDLE SCHOOL, an IB world School

Talent Development News

Seventh Grade Math

It has been an exciting year!  Students are reviewing for the EOG’s, however; we are not done…

The 7th grade math teachers are continuing to teach our students to prepare them for next year. The last IB math assignment was given with the Scale Model Projects.  The three criterions being assessed were A (Knowing and Understanding), C (Communicating) and D (Applying Mathematics in Real-Life Contexts).  Teachers will be looking for math content and grammar, mechanics, fluency, etc.  We believe it is important to use interdisciplinary approaches on our assignments.  

This past spring, 7th graders attended a field trip to Washington D.C. and utilized their math skills throughout the trip.  They viewed and discussed various scale models and monuments around the city and compared them to actual sizes of the real objects.  Budgeting their money and time were important skills that all teachers emphasized, as well. 

  We look forward to ending the school year on a high note.  There are many fun and academic activities for students to be involved in. 

 

Seventh Grade Language Arts

In 7th grade Language Arts the students completed a project called “The Poem Catcher.”  The project gave students the opportunity to create original poems in many different styles.  In addition to their own poetry, they were also required to research a famous poet and analyze two of his/her poems.  At the end of the unit, students shared their work in something called “The Lyrical Lounge.”  The students are currently preparing for the reading EOG by using the Holt McDougal online textbook tutorials.  The tutorials are used in conjunction with mini assessments that test the students knowledge in various topics that will be on the reading EOG.

Ready North Carolina, Common Core, ELA Practice Tests, 1, 2, and 3 were also used in preparation for EOG. This review program focused on the reading and language strands of the Common Core Standards. Students were also able to identify areas that need further practice, or study.

Team Buccaneer completed second writing assignment, Personal Narrative that addressed standard W3a-e. Writing Task was to write a Personal Narrative, a story that focused on small pieces of their life incorporating NPR’s “This I Believe.” The writing task included all Common Core Traits: Development of Ideas, Organization of Ideas, and Language Facility/ conventions.

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PIEDMONT MIDDLE SCHOOL, an IB World School

Talent Development News

Eighth Grade Language Arts

The eighth grade Language Arts team is excited to wrap up an exciting and successful year with our students. They are prepared for high school.

We have been extremely busy and highly productive this quarter. Each student read at least one novel in class. Students chose between Nazi Hunters and Bomb, two literary nonfiction novels which explore different perspectives of World War II. Honors students were also expected to read the highly acclaimed novel Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand. We gathered information on World War II, worked on identifying vocabulary meaning based on context, and practiced literary analysis. By exploring different “stories” during World War II, we aimed to get a more complete understanding of this important time period (and supplement the social studies curriculum).

In addition to our World War II inquiry, we completed an extensive poetry inquiry this quarter. We started our poetry analysis by completing TPCASTT—a helpful acronym to remind students of important poetry elements (Title, Paraphrase, Connotation, Attitude, Shift, Title (revisited), Theme). Students closely analyzed poems looking at sound devices, form, style, mood and theme. We saw great gains in poetry reading comprehension and appreciation.

Finally, as part of the Piedmont tradition, students created a Piedmont poem to share at the end of the year ceremony. We collaboratively wrote in each Language Arts class about our Piedmont journey. Students thought critically and creatively to select an extended metaphor that represents Piedmont. Then the three language arts teachers combined all of the poems into one Piedmont poem, which all students will memorize and recite at the recognition ceremony.

Thank you for an outstanding year. We have truly enjoyed working with your student!

Eighth Grade Math

Third quarter ended with the students going to the Outer Banks. Most students thought Jockey’s Ridge, staying in a hotel and the dance party were some of the best parts. Students studied the lighthouses found on the outer banks and had to estimate the volume of the lighthouses using either the cylinder or cone formula or a combination of the two. Because information on the dimensions of the lighthouses is difficult to find, that information was provided for them. Students did pick up brochures at the various lighthouses and many of the sketches were very lifelike.

After the trip, it was still more math work for the students. They learned about scatter plots and two-way tables which began the lessons to prepare them for their EOGs. Students were provided with released EOG test questions and practiced gridded response questions without a calculator. Math I students prepared for two tests – the 8th grade EOG and the Math I EOC. Students did a lot of partner work to answer rigorous questions that use many different mathematical concepts in order to draw conclusions and finally answer the question. Students found these questions challenging, yet persevered to find answers to the problems. Math II students also prepared for two tests – the 8th grade EOG and the Math II MSL. Students practiced by completing the 2 released MSLs. Luckily for these students, it is all calculator active.

It has been a pleasure teaching your TD student this year. We wish them much success in high school.

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PIEDMONT MIDDLE SCHOOL, an IB world School

Talent Development News

PIEDMONT MIDDLE SCHOOL

an IB World School

Talent Development News

1241 East 10th Street

Charlotte, NC 28204

Phone: 980-343-5435

Fax: 980-343-5557

E-mail: piedmontopenmiddle@cms.k12.nc.us

Website:

Piedmont … You Know … We Care!

TALENT DEVELOPMENT TEAM

• Academic Facilitator

Dawn Johnston

• 6th Grade Team

Language Arts Math

Karen Bailey Sarah Harman

Molly McCarthy Aaron Kolla r

Shelley Lyttle Sara Suckstorff

• 7th Grade Team

Language Arts Math

Patrice Frilot Karen Gorman

David Milligan Ellen Bare

Cynthia Alexander-Brown Susie Palgut

• 8th Grade Team

Language Arts Math

Elizabeth Immel Cheryl Lamb

Jessica Hon Janet Delery

Kelly Hanson Stacey Callahan

TALENT DEVELOPMENT NEWSLETTER

Piedmont Middle School, an IB World School

MIDDLE SCHOOL May 2015

It is time to think about summer camp! There are many opportunities created especially for gifted students –great ways for students to “keep on learning” all year long! The following list offers just a sample of what is available for summer 2015:

WHAT: Discovery Place WHERE: 301 N. Tryon Street

CONTACT: Phone: 704-372-6261 x 300 Charlotte, NC 28202

Discovery Place camps:

Nature Museum camps:

INFO: Camps outlined by Discovery Place are focused on nature, science and/or math with specific topics in each category. Camps are being held at 4 different locations this year so check it out!

WHAT: UNC-Charlotte Camps on Campus WHERE: 9201 University City Blvd, Charlotte 28223

CONTACT:

INFO: UNC-Charlotte Camps on Campus strives to offer a safe, fun, hands-on, and educational summer enrichment experience for campers in rising grades 1-12. Middle school-age offerings include: Business, Law, Engineering, Robotics, and more.

  

WHAT: Providence Day School Summer Programs WHERE: 5800 Sardis Rd, Charlotte, 28270

CONTACT: , or call for catalog 704.887.7006

INFO: Providence Day summer programs offer something for everyone –sports, arts, drama, cooking, service, science, technology and many more! Browse through program offerings and sign up early using the registration form on-line.

WHAT: Summer Programs at Charlotte Latin School WHERE: 9502 Providence Rd, Charlotte 28277

CONTACT:

INFO: “…promotes a joy for learning and where campers can develop cognitively, socially, emotionally, and physically through growth-promoting experiences. Our coeducational day programs foster a passion for lifelong learning...” Offerings include: sports, cooking, video games, chess, robots and theatre.

WHAT: Summer Programs at The Green River Preserve WHERE: 301 Green River Rd

CONTACT: Phone: 828-698-8828 Cedar Mountain, NC 28718

Fax: 828-698-9201 info@

INFO: Focused on environmental education and located in western NC near Hendersonville and Brevard.  “Green River Preserve is a non-competitive, coed summer camp connecting children with nature. Located on a 3,400 acre private wildlife preserve in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina, this extraordinary natural setting inspires campers to have a greater understanding of themselves, their environment, and their fellow man. Designed for bright, curious, and creative children, our program nurtures character development and fosters skills like perseverance, curiosity, communication, optimism, creativity, and GRIT.”

WHAT: Kids for Conservation Summer Day Camp WHERE: Carolina Raptor Center

CONTACT: Huntersville, NC

INFO: Camps include:

Raptors of the Silver Screen, Young Veterinarians Camp and Birds and Beasties Camp

WHAT: All-Arts, Sciences & Technology Camp

WHERE: 1-week residential experience at either participating college campuses- NC State or UNC-Greensboro

CONTACT: or email allarts@uncg.edu, or call (336) 315-7044 or (866) 334-2255

INFO: Designed to give in-depth, hands-on instruction in the arts, sciences, and technology, the camp also includes recreation, citizenship, and multi-cultural entertainment. During camp, each camper attends a morning class and an afternoon class, chosen from a wide variety of course offerings that suit individual tastes and preference. Our class size is small, and the curriculum encourages problem solving and critical thinking, all while spending time on a college campus.

WHAT: iD Tech Camps WHERE: UNC Chapel Hill or NC State University in Raleigh

CONTACT: !

INFO: week-long camps, ages 7-17, focus on STEM, hands-on, high-energy summer computer programs for kids and teens. “Our NC summer camps immerse students in a STEM learning experience unlike any other. Choose from courses in game design, web design, coding, programming in Java™ and C++, Minecraft modding, filmmaking, robotics, photography, and more. With 8 students maximum per instructor, we customize our curriculum around you. You’ll build real-world skills, make new friends, and discover how your talents and passions can lead to a future career.”

WHAT: MarineQuest WHERE: University of North Carolina Wilmington

CONTACT:

INFO: Camps and programs designed around marine science, biology, leadership, diving and coastal environments. To explore, discover and value our marine habitats through week-long camps for ages 10-17.

WHAT: Summer Enrichment Camp WHERE: Ferrum College in Virginia

CONTACT:

INFO: Academics with social and recreational activities, ages 9-13

Select from Two One-Week Sessions July 12-18 or July 19-July 25, 2015

“Located at Ferrum College in the beautiful foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, this residential camp offers an exciting opportunity to: pursue academic interests, explore new ideas, experience campus life, make new friends, and have traditional summer-camp fun.” Classes involve ACTIVE PARTICIPATION with a variety of daily projects and group activities. Instructors are specially chosen for their unique abilities to make learning come alive.

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Mission Statement

Piedmont exists to inspire in its students a passion for learning and a commitment to personal integrity and academic excellence. Students demonstrate self-confidence and creativity, are open-minded and inquisitive, and display a sense of social responsibility and global awareness.

What is Talent Development?

The Talent Development Program for gifted services is based on consultation and collaboration between the talent development and classroom teachers. They work together to meet the needs of the high achieving student.

Program Benefits

• Gifted education and general education are related, connected and integrated.

• Out of class sessions are scheduled when needed most.

• The pace of learning is enhanced.

• High achieving students receive more challenging tasks within the classroom.

• Classroom and TD teachers work together to maximize student learning.

Did you know?

• Research on the TD Program indicates that students receive at least three times the amount of services using this model compared to the old pullout, once a week program.

• The TD model is most effective when high achieving students are flexibly grouped together based on their instructional needs.

• Every school has a Talent Development teacher.

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hE-CJaJhE-CJOJQJaJ-jh5.–U[pic]mHnHtH u[pic]h])Vh·s±CJOJ[?]QJ[?]The TD teacher at your child’s school can tell you how they work with your child and your child’s teacher.

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