August 2014-Newsletter

 Dear Parents-

Hello my name is Frances (Francie) Snyder and I would like to welcome you for the 2014-15 school year. I am so excited about this year and really can’t wait to get started. I have been teaching here in Manatee County for over eighteen years with the last seven of which working with the Gifted Populations at Oneco, Tara, Manatee and Palm View. This year, I will be here at Prine Elementary on Monday and Tuesday with the rest of my week being spent at Oneco Elementary.

Throughout this year we will be exploring ways that we as individuals can be a heroic and promote others to do the same.  Before we will be exploring literature and current events to help us define exactly what a hero (heroine) is and what characteristics are needed to make up a true hero. From there we will be exploring ways to be heroic on Prine’s Campus, in our community, and within the worldwide digital community.  To help us with that process we will be using the Challenge Based Learning (CBL) framework.  With CBL students are required work collaboratively to solve a real world problem. This framework consist of the following elements:

-Big Idea: a broad concept that can be narrowed down by asking questions and exploring its different aspects.
-Essential Question(s): Comes out of the Big Idea and helps identify what is important and helps narrow down the topic and define the idea.
-The Challenge: Comes out of the essential question(s) and students are asked to create a solution that can result in a measurable action or actions.
-Guiding Questions: These questions are generated by the students and are based on what they need to know to solve the problem.
-Guiding Activities: Activities to help students solve their problem and to gather resources.
-Solution(s): Should be student generated, require student action, be thoughtful, clear, concrete and publishable in one form or another.

 Through CBL many Florida State Grade Level Standards are infused into this process. However, our main
focus in goals/standards will continue to come from Florida's Framework for K-12 Gifted Learners, which the CBL framework also covers effectively.

If you need to reach me, the best way is through email, the best way is through email snyderf@manateeschools.net. 

Supply List
-2/ 70 page spirals
-2 ream of white copy paper
-4 sharpened pencils
-8 AA batteries (Energizer, Duracell and Marks Brands preferred)

Thank you,
Frances (Francie) M. Snyder
Educator of the Gifted