Gifted Laboratory Newsletter-August 2019

Dear Parents-

     Hello, my name is Frances (Francie) Snyder and I would like to welcome you to

the 2019-20 school year. I have been teaching for over twenty-six years, with the last thirteen years working with the Gifted Population in Manatee County. This year, I will be

working at Abel Elementary on Mondays, Bayshore Elementary on Tuesdays, Prine   Elementary on Wednesdays, and Kinnan Elementary on Thursdays and Fridays.

     I heard a speaker say once, “Your school should have an academic focus not a

project focus.” This is a statement I whole-heartedly agree with, however, the presence

of projects does not mean that academics take a backseat. On the contrary, academics

are as front and center as ever, which is why we began using the Gifted Program's

motto - WE are a Laboratory and NOT a Factory.  Laboratories are

places of exploration, questioning, discovery and the focus is on the learning process. In

factories the focus is usually about the outcome or products. Those in factories are

taught to do something one way and never expected to ask why or to try to find a better

way of completing the task. With those principles in mind, we do what we can to

construct projects in such a way that a multitude of cross curriculum skills are covered.

These skills include: Grade Level State Standards, The State of Florida’s Framework for

the K-12 Gifted Learners, and National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) for

Students.

     I have tried very hard to ask for very few supplies throughout the years and that continues. I am only asking for a box of Kleenex and a package of baby wipes.  Finally, if you have any questions or concerns please don’t hesitate to let me know. The best way to reach me is through my school address snyderf@manatees.net.

Thank you,

Frances M. Snyder (Francie)

Educator of the Gifted 

Abel, Bayshore, Kinnan, and Prine Elementary Schools

Newsletter- January 2018

Dear Parents-

       It is hard for me to believe that this school year is already halfway over and we have been very busy with several activities. In December, we began learning some computer programming.  Over eight million other students from around the world participate in Hour of Code, which is a global movement in over 180 countries. Learning computer programming helps nurture problem-solving and creativity.

We are also finishing up our research projects. Students in grades K-3 have been working on researching and writing a book on a specific wild animal of their choice. When these books are complete we are planning to display them in our media center.  Fourth and fifth graders have been working with Genius Hour, which is based on a business practice that Google uses with their developers. They are allowed to use 20% of their time, provided that work has the potential to advance the company. Our guidelines/rules for Genius Hour are as follows:

-You must start with a real-world question or problem.

-Your answer/solution must require research. It must require more than a Google Search.

-Your final project must be shareable.

Finally, within the next couple of weeks, we will begin Virtual Literacy Circles where we are using Edmodo and Google Hangout, free technology programs to communicate with one another and other classes from around the world. These Virtual Literacy Circles do a wonderful job of honing literacy and technology skills and are a big hit with the students.

As a reminder, I have an open door policy and if you have any questions and/or concerns please contact me through email snyderf@manateeschools.

                                          Thank you,

 Frances M. Snyder (Francie)

 Educator of the Gifted

 Abel, Bayshore, Oneco, and Prine Elementary Schools

Newsletter-October 2017

Dear Parents-

Our Gifted Laboratory is off to a great start this year! One thing we have been striving for is

to keep a focus on our learning process rather than our final products. Since many of the strategies we use in one inquiry will be needed in another, it is my hope this focus will help strategies transfer. This quarter, we have spent a great deal of time exploring and discussing the idea of metacognition, or the awareness and understanding of your own thoughts. We are identifying and exploring these concepts in a variety of subjects from dealing with text to strategy games.

During the next quarter we will be exploring the ideas around Grit. Grit is defined as “perseverance and passion for long-term goals.” The research on Grit has shown it contributes to long term success. It proposes individuals who possess a drive to tirelessly work through challenges, failures and adversity to achieve, set goals and are uniquely positioned to reach higher achievements than others who lack similar stamina, no matter their intelligence level. With this in mind, we will spend time defining, listening to experts, holding group discussions and writing reflections on the role Grit plays in our personal success. Throughout the year, these types of explorations will encourage students to own their individual growth process. As a parent, one thing you can do to encourage and/or develop this mindset in your child is to focus your praise on process, learning, and effort (You really worked hard on this and have learned a lot. You did a great job of developing a plan and following it through. You’ve really developed as a musician.), as opposed to ability (You’re so clever. Look how smart you are; you did that so fast. You’re good at math. You’ve got a lot of talent.)

We will also begin to explore the topic of Genius Hour, which is based on a business practice that Google uses with their developers. They are allowed to use 20% of their time, provided that work has the potential to advance the company. Like everything else we do in our program, we will be focusing on the process. There will be mini lessons on strategies such as choosing an appropriate topic, note taking, developing a quality product and other items that may appear throughout. 

Our guidelines/rules for Genius
Hour are as follows:
-You must start with a real-world question or problem.
-Your answer/solution must require research. It must require more than a Google Search.
-Your final project must be shareable.
I am really looking forward to seeing where these students take these projects.

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

Thank you,
Frances M. Snyder (Francie)
Educator of the Gifted
Abel, Bayshore, Oneco, and Prine Elementary Schools 

October Newsletter 2016

October  2016

Dear Parents-

We have had such fun this quarter getting to know each other! We spent a huge chunk of our time not just discussing things like teamwork and critical thinking through games and projects but each student has had a chance to begin to explore coding with robotics using our Ozobot and simple circuits with our Makey-Makey Kits. The older students are creating a how to video for one of these fun items. In the Gifted Laboratory, we focus on the process and not the final product and the students learned a great deal from this activity.

Also, this quarter our older students have  jumped into Virtual Literacy Circles with the book Wonder by R.J. Palacio with several schools from around the globe. We have been reading and discussing the book through the use of Edmodo and video conferencing software. This book has truly led to some wonderful conversations and we looking for more experience with Virtual Literacy Circles throughout the rest of the year.

Next quarter we will be exploring geography just a bit and we have some fun activities planned. Students will be participating in different projects to explore the world around them and hopefully broaden their horizons.

 Finally, I try my best to ask for very little supplies throughout the year and only ask for things that we use a great deal. I want to personally thank those families who have sent in the items I requested and please know the extra help goes a long way. If you have not already done so we could still use your help.

Supply List:
-2 reams of white copy paper
-4 sharpened pencils

Thank you,
Frances M. Snyder (Francie)
Educator of the Gifted
Abel, Oneco and Prine Elementary Schools

Newsletter August 2016

Dear Parents-

I would like to welcome you and your child to our Gifted Laboratory for the 2016-17 school year. Our focus continues to be on the student outcomes from The Florida Framework for K-12 Gifted Learners, which I have attached for your review. It is our true belief that learning should be a lifelong pursuit and that the process is equal to if not more important than the final product. There will be a wide range of critical thinking -2 reams of white copy paper

-4 sharpened pencils

Thank you,

Frances M. Snyder (Francie)activities where at each step along the way there will be lessons to learn. Students will be learning strategies, frameworks, and other skills needed to improve their problem solving skills.

Thanks to the use of technology, we will also continue to participate in many global collaboration projects. We will be reading and talking about books through Virtual Literacy Circles, exploring geography with Mystery Skypes, and of course participating in Virtual Field Trips.

Also, this year we will be exploring Stephen Covey’s The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People and how we can incorporate these principles into our life. These are timeless and proven principles of fairness, integrity, honesty and human dignity. The Seven Habits are as follows:

1. Be Proactive
2. Begin with the end in mind
3. Put first things first
4. Think Win-Win
5. Seek first to understand, then to be understood
6. Synergize
7. Sharpen the Saw

I try my best to ask for very little supplies throughout the year and only ask for things that we use a great deal. I want to personally thank the four or five families who have sent in the items I requested and please know the extra help goes a long way. If you have not already done so we could still use your help.

Supply List:

-2 reams of white copy paper

-4 sharpened pencils

Thank you,

Frances M. Snyder (Francie)

Newsletter- January 2016

Dear Parents-

       It is hard for me to believe that this school year is already half way over and we have been very busy with several activities. Again, this December we participated with eight million other students from around the world in the Hour of Code. This is a global movement in over 180 countries. The organizers feel that-Every student should have the opportunity to learn computer science. It helps nurture problem-solving and creativity.

            During this quarter some of our older students continued their work on  Genius Hour, which is  based on a business practice that Google uses with their developers.  They are allowed to use 20% of their time, provided that work has the potential to advance the company.

Our guidelines/rules for Genius Hour are as follows:

-You must start with a real-world question or problem.

-You answer/solution must require research. It must require more than a Google Search.

-Your final project must be sharable.

I am really looking forward to seeing where these students take these projects.

Students have each crafted an Action Plan that clearly states what they hope to accomplish. This includes:  the goal, the procedures, a definition of what their completed  project looks like, and how it will be evaluated. We are really looking forward to sharing our work sometime after spring testing.

            Other groups are working on research projects and with all of these projects the process is our focus. There will be mini lesson on strategies such as: choosing an appropriate topic, note taking, developing a quality product and other items that may appear throughout. Our younger students are each working on Animal Projects and have been exploring an animal of their choice.

            Finally, Virtual Literacy Circles where we are using Edmodo and Google Hangout free technology programs to communicate with one another and other classes from around the world. In December we had two Virtual Literacy Circles up and running with several more this spring. These Virtual Literacy Circles do a wonderful job of honing literacy and technology skills and are a big hit with the students.

            As a reminder, I have an open door policy and if you have any questions and/or concerns please contact me through email snyderf@manateeschools.net.

                                                                                    Sincerely,

                                                                                    Miss Snyder

Newsletter-October 2015

Dear Parents-

We are off to a great start this year! One of the things we have been striving for in our Gifted Laboratory is to keep the focus on our learning process and not the final products.  Many of the strategies we use in one inquiry will be needed in another and it is my hope that by focusing on the process of learning rather than final products, strategies will transfer. Don’t get me wrong, we are not sacrificing quality, we are attempting to stress if you plan and execute quality throughout you are more likely to produce a quality final product with less stress.  With that theme in mind, we spent some time both exploring and learning to use The Scientific Method. Students worked in small groups to design experiments using bubbles and other materials in the classroom. There were many discussions about the need for measurable data, it is okay for a hypothesis to be wrong, and other elements of the process. There are plans for a lot more Science Technology Art and Math (STEAM) this year in the program.

We have also begun to explore the topic of Genius Hour, which is  based on a business practice that Google uses with their developers.  They are allowed to use 20% of their time, provided that work has the potential to advance the company.  Like everything else we do in our program we will be focusing on the process. There will be mini lesson on strategies such as: choosing an appropriate topic, note taking, developing a quality product and other items that may appear throughout. Our guidelines/rules for Genius Hour are as follows:

-You must start with a real-world question or problem. 

-You answer/solution must require research. It must require more than a Google Search.

-Your final project must be sharable. 

I am really looking forward to seeing where these students take these projects. 

We have also begun to explore the idea of Grit, as a personal trait. Grit is defined as “perseverance and passion for long-term goals.” The research on Grit has shown it contributes to long term success. The research propose that individuals who possess a drive to tirelessly work through challenges, failures, and adversity to achieve, set goals and are uniquely positioned to reach higher achievements than others who lack similar stamina, no matter their intelligence level. We have spent time defining, listening to experts, holding group discussions and writing reflections on the role Grit plays in our person success. These types of exploration throughout the year encourage students to own their own growth process.  One thing, as a parent, you can do to help encourage and/or develop this mindset in your child is focus your praise on process, learning, and effort (You really worked hard on this and have learned a lot. You did a great job of developing a plan and following it through. You’ve really developed as a musician.), as opposed to ability (You’re so clever. Look how smart you are; you did that so fast. You’re good at math. You’ve got a lot of talent.)

This quarter has brought us some good news as well. Thanks to Donors Choose and some friends of mine, we were able to purchase locks and other supplies for our Break Out Room. Our Breakout Room activities will teach teamwork, problem solving, critical thinking, and troubleshooting by presenting participants with challenges that ignite their natural drive to problem-solve. These materials will be used several times throughout the year. Also, we received a three hundred dollar grant from the Manatee Education Foundation entitled “Creative Engineering”. These hands on materials will be utilized throughout the this year to provide inquiry based STEAM (Science, Technology, Arts and Math) Activities. I am looking forward to getting these materials into the students’ hands as soon as possible. If you know an organizations or any individuals who donate to the Manatee Education Foundation please be sure to thank them for what they are doing, not only our gifted laboratory, but so many other classrooms across the district. 

I try my best to ask for very little supplies throughout the year and only ask for things that we use a great deal of. I want to personally thank the four or five families who have sent in the items I requested and please know the extra help goes a long way. If you have not already done so we could still use your help. Thank you in advance

Supply List:

-2 reams of white copy paper

-4 sharpened pencils

Thank you, 

Frances M. Snyder (Francie)

August 2015 Newsletter

Dear Parents-

I would like to welcome you back for the 2015-16 school year.We have several exciting things planned for this year. First, we will be participating in Rock Our World (R.O.W.) which is a global collaboration project where students create music with GarageBand, Video Conference and learn with other students from around the globe. We will also be utilizing technology available to connect with literature and other classes from around the globe through Virtual Literacy Circles.  STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) explorations will be occurring often at all grade levels.  In everything we do the Florida State Grade Level Standards will be infused - with our main focus continuing to be on goals/standards that come from Florida's Framework for K-12 Gifted Learners.

Supply List

-2 reams of white copy paper

-4 sharpened pencils

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

Thank you,

Frances M. Snyder (Francie)

Educator of the Gifted

January 2015

Parents-
It is hard for me to believe that this school year is already half way over and we have been very busy with several activities. In December we participated with 91,755,200 others from around the world in the Hour of Code. This is a program put on by Code.org and serves as an introduction to computer programing. The students loved these activities and will be continued with other coding activities throughout the rest of the year.

We also worked really hard to complete and share our biography reports on our heroes. While projects were being presented we participated in a thinking routine entitled,”Step Inside”. This routine consists of the following four questions to guide student to think deeper about what was presented. These questions were written about and discussed.

What did this person see, notice or observe?
What did this person understand, know or believe?
What did this person care deeply about?
What did this person wonder about?
A fourth grader after participating in “Step Inside” for the first time said,”Before I was looking at what he did, but now I am really seeing who he truly is."

During the third quarter our fourth and fifth graders will begin using the Challenge Based Learning (C.B.L.) Framework to guide our invention process. I for one am looking so forward to seeing what problems they will choose to solve with their inventions. The primary students will be participating in a CBL challenge entitled “Germs Make Us Sick”. They be exploring the topic through research and science experiments. From there students will work together to build a campaign to prevent the spread of these germs. 

As a reminder, I have an open door policy and if you have any questions and/or concerns please contact through email snyderf@manateeschools.net.

October Newsletter 2014

Dear Parents-


We spent the first quarter getting to know each other and exploring the definition of a true hero. Each students also explored an individual real life heroes; such as Martin Luther King Jr., Abraham Lincoln, Buzz Aldrin, Ceasar Chavez... When these projects are complete we will be spending some time comparing and contrasting a few based on their characteristics of these heroes.


Also, this quarter we participated in a couple of quick projects to get our creative juices flowing. First students had a blast building spaghetti and marshmallow towers. In teams they were given the challenge to build the highest tower they could using a set number of dried spaghetti and marshmallows. Some were very successful and everyone learned a great deal. The other creative activity we engaged in was entitled What's in the Bag?. This idea came to us via some friends from The DiscoveryEducator's Network (The DEN). Each student was given a bag filled with a variety of art supplies with the following directions: Inside this bag you will find a variety of items. Please create something using as many of these items as you can. You may only use the items in your bag scissors, a stapler and glue. We truly ended up with some wonder ideas.

Finally, starting this quarter we will begin to explore ways to be heroic on Prine’s Campus and in our 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. 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.
 
Since I am only on Prine’s Campus on Monday and Tuesday the best way to contact me is through email snyderf@manateeschools.net.

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

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