Thinking Skills • Language Arts • Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics • Social Studies, Art and Music

Please note: The 2007-2012 JSD Extended Learning Plan has a more clear expectation that pull-out classes "are intended to supplement and extend general education instruction". We are in the process of modifying units to closely align with the JSD curricula. Not all of the units listed below will meet that new criteria.

All students in kindergarten and first grade are presented whole group lessons targeting one or more of the behaviors on the Kingore Observation Inventory (KOI).  EL and classroom teachers work together to identify students with advanced language, analytical thinking, meaning motivated, perspective, sense of humor, sensitivity, and/or accelerated learning for GT referral.

Prerequisites: ALL kindergarten and first and second grade students are served. 

Duration:  Weekly or bi-weekly 30-minute sessions.

Typical lesson: Primary Education Thinking Skills,

Think Tank

Working in small groups, students use creative problem-solving to invent and develop new products and solutions.

Prerequisites: EL placement, or teacher recommendation.

Duration: About 15 40-minute sessions

Students use critical thinking and creative problem solving. General introduction to the process.

Students read 15 pre-selected books prior to the building battle in January.  Third and fourth graders have one reading list, fifth graders have a different list.

Prerequisites:  EL placement or teacher recommendation.  Competition open to ALL students who have read the books.

Duration: Students need to be reading one book per week for the 15 weeks prior to the building competition.

Students read and explore short stories and excerpts from literature. Students learn to take notes as they read, look at important words and passages, and share their questions and ideas about each story during shared inquiry discussions.  Students will also write as a means to assist their own thinking about a story’s characters and themes through essays and creative writing projects.

Junior Great Books is offered at the first, second, third, fourth and fifth grade levels.

Prerequisites:  EL placement or teacher recommendation

Duration: One weekly 40 minute block for shared inquiry discussion, plus up to 40 minutes reading & note taking, and 40 minutes writing weekly.  24 stories at each grade level; new students welcome every six weeks (?)

Developing dictionary skills and creating personal dictionaries. (Third grade)

An exciting simulation of medieval life in which students learn dictionary skills. Using their dictionaries, students complete individual and team tasks, earning points to navigate around King Lexicon’s Puzzle map and crossword clues to fill in the blanks.

Rhyme Square

A simulation of a journey through a land of nursery rhymes in which students experience cooperative learning and an integrated curriculum.

RiverZine

Riverzine Writers

Students will learn how to write newspaper articles, including topic selection, research, including interviewing skills, drafting, self and peer revision and editing, formatting, as well as dabbling in digital photography as needed.

Prerequisites:  Ability to write complete sentences and paragraphs.  Ability to work independently (making and keeping interview appointments).  Touch typing required for fourth and fifth grade.

Duration: One or more 40 minute block weekly.  Students will need to do some of their interviewing at other times.  New writers accepted at the beginning of each trimester.

Riverzine Editors

Students will learn how a newspaper is put together, including prioritizing article assignments, helping students edit their work, laying out the paper, publishing and distributing the paper.  Students will learn how to set and meet goals.

Prerequisites: Successful participation as a school newspaper writer.  Good cooperative work skills, and developing leadership skills helpful.

Duration:  One or more 40 minute block weekly, plus independent work time.

Pet Gazette

A simulation in which students design a magazine for young pet owners.

Athenian Secret

A simulation of a Greek treasure hunt requiring fundamental arithmetic operations, logic, and problem solving.  Otherwise, similar to Math Quest.

Students use problem-solving strategies to solve challenging math problems.  Students are assigned six problems per week, to work on in class and/or at home.  Problems are reviewed and solutions discussed weekly.  Problems are from previous 2^nd and 3^rd grade CML quizzes. 

Prerequisites: Completion of “Problem Solving Strategies”, EL placement, or teacher recommendation. Open to students in second and third grade.

Duration:  About 20 weekly 40-minute review sessions, plus 1.5 hours per week of homework.

Students use problem-solving strategies to solve challenging math problems.  Students are assigned six problems per week, to work on in class and/or at home.  Problems are reviewed and solutions discussed weekly. Problems are from previous 4^th, 5^th and 6^th grade CML quizzes. 

Prerequisites: Completion of “Problem Solving Strategies”, Primary CML, EL placement, or teacher recommendation.  Open to students in fourth and fifth grade.

Duration:  About 20 weekly 40-minute review sessions, plus 1.5 hours per week of homework. 

Game Factory

Students learn about probability and then develop their own game using probability.

Prerequisites: EL placement, or teacher recommendation.  Open to students in second or third grade.

Duration:  About 10 to 20 40-minute sessions, plus research and interviewing outside class time.

Jason Project XI: Going to Extremes

An exciting, interdisciplinary multimedia research expedition that will explore the geography, climate, biology, history, geology, culture, and literature of the northern and southern limits of our planet and beyond (includes Alaska).

A multimedia research expedition to explore the geologic, climatic, biologic, and cultural elements of Hawai’i’s unique island ecosystem

Microcosmos: Exploring Microbial Space

Students take “microtrecks” through inner space to learn about microbiology.  Lots of hands-on exploration using microscopes.

Prerequisites: EL placement, or teacher recommendation.  Open to students in grade three-five.

Duration: Varies. 

Developed by Boston University School of Education, Dr. Zook, Ed.

Math Quest: Problem Solving Strategies

Using an adventure simulation focusing on math problem solving called Math Quest, Students will learn and practice strategies needed to solve Continental Math League problems.

Prerequisites:  EL placement or teacher recommendation.  Basic reading skills and grade appropriate math skills very helpful. 

Duration:  Approximately Seven 40 minute sessions.

Students research and prepare PowerPoint presentations and Excel spreadsheets explaining how they would spend one million dollars to make Juneau a better place. (Fifth grade math)

Students research careers, financing and designing a new home, and build model homes for a class neighborhood. (Fourth grade)

Prerequisites:  Understanding of area and perimeter. EL placement, or teacher recommendation.  Open to fourth grade students.

Duration: About 10 to 20 40-minute sessions. 

Using Lego Robotics Invention materials,  students design and build simple robots to complete prescribed tasks.  Students learn about simple machines, gears, Logo programming, working in teams, and creative problem solving.

Prerequisites: EL placement, or teacher recommendation. Priority placement for fifth grade students who have not yet worked with Lego Logo.

Duration:

Prerequisites: EL placement, or teacher recommendation.  Students need to have successfully completed Robotics I to participate in Robotics II.

Duration: September to mid-November

Using Simple Machines WebQuest and/or the Interact “Mysterious Machine”, students will learn how machines work and what they do.

Prerequisites: EL placement, or teacher recommendation. Offered to students in second or third grade.

Duration: Several 40 minute sessions, plus more frequent sessions in the spring.

Simple Machines by Betty Nelson (Auke Bay EL Teacher), modified by Sheryl Wittig, Riverbend. (Third grade)

Southeast Alaska Ecology Storyline

(Fish Farming or Frogs and Toads)

Students learn critical thinking and creative problem-solving (a simplified version of Future Problem Solving) as they work through a science simulation.

Prerequisites: EL placement, or teacher recommendation.  Strong reading skills helpful. Required for all EL students in grades four or five.  Course offered 2005-06 and alternating years.

Duration: About 20 40-minute sessions.

StocksQuest

Students learn about economics and investing in a realistic global stock market simulation.  Students are given $100,000 (not real money!!!) to invest and trade on an interactive web based game.  Can be an individual or group competition.

Prerequisites: EL placement, or teacher recommendation.  Open to students in fifth grade.

Duration:  About 5-15 40 minute sessions, plus trading time throughout the school year.

An alternative to the Million Dollar Project, in this storyline students are college students deciding how to spend a year abroad that will help the most people.

Prerequisites: EL placement, or teacher recommendation.  Open to students in fifth grade.

Duration:  About 10 to 20 40-minute sessions, plus research and interviewing outside class time.

A simulation of pioneer life in a one-room schoolhouse during the last half of the 19^th century.

Duration: Ten 40-minute sessions

Prerequisites: EL placement, or teacher recommendation.  Open to students in fourth and fifth grade.

Duration: About 10 40-minute sessions.

Students learn about maps and world geography as the create their own maps of the world.

Prerequisites: EL placement, or teacher recommendation.  Open to students in fourth and fifth grade.

Duration: Weekly 40 minute sessions, plus more frequent sessions in the spring.

http://www.jsd.k12.ak.us/ab/el/mayanquest/mayahome.html

Pilgrims

An Interact simulation of the first year at Plymoth Colony.  Students get a closer look at the struggle that was part of everyday life in Plymouth Colony.  Students vicariously experience the hardships of life in the New World as they make decisions and face consequences just as the Pilgrims did nearly 400 years ago.

Prerequisites: EL placement, or teacher recommendation.

Duration: Nine 40-minute sessions.