HORIZONS

1. CURRICULUM NIGHT MRS. SORENSON HORIZONS

2. Referrals and Eligibilityfor the Horizons Program Students are referred for possible Horizons testing in several ways: *Horizons referrals may be automatic as a result of grade level standardized testing, such as the COGAT and ITBS in 3rd grade. *Referrals may also come from any individual with knowledge of the student's abilities. This may include teachers, parents, peers, or self. *Transfer students from out of state must have official documentation of former gifted program eligibility before they will be automatically referred to the Gifted Evaluation Team. Once a child is referred, a GET (Gifted Eligibility Team) will meet to determine if testing is appropriate.  If testing is recommended by the team, students must then qualify in three of the four areas: Mental Ability Achievement Creativity Motivation FORSYTH COUNTY SCHOOLS WEBSITE FOR HORIZONS http://www.forsyth.k12.ga.us/site/Default.aspx?PageID=252

3. Tests • Tests to administer: • Mental Ability – CogAT • Second Tier - OLSAT, NNAT • Achievement – ITBS • Second Tier - SAT-10 • Creativity – TTCT • Motivation – GES-3, CAIMI, GPA • Tests sent for scoring this year include: • CogAT • ITBS • TTCT – Torrence Test of Creative Thinking

4. Testing Windows

5. Schedule • Monday – 1st Grade Enrichment • Tuesday – 2nd Grade Horizons • Wednesday – 3rd Grade Horizons (Prince / Rink) • Thursday – 3rd Grade Horizons (Allen / Carnes / Lancaster) • Friday – Collaboration with 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Grade I will meet with every regular education class in each grade level in a 6 – 7 week rotation. Each grade level has a different focus ranging from science experiments, Gizmos – math and science, and technology.

6. Being Prepared • Binder each day of service • Important Box – pencil box with pencil, glue, scissors, crayons, markers, etc. • Flash / Jump / Thumb drive for storing media. This is an optional item. (Students may bring projects, photos, and research items relevant to our unit of study to share or add to projects via their storage device.) • Snack – Students are with me all day on the day of service. • An open positive attitude to learn!

7. Units of Study • Grandpa’s River • Early Adventures in Algebra • P.E.T.S – Primary Education Thinking Skills • Dig IT • Athenian Secret • Whyville • Gizmos • And much, much more!!!

8. Progress Reports • Students do not receive formal grades, but are assessed on their progress in meeting the gifted criteria. • Progress Reports are sent home per semester. Third grade and above complete the self evaluation section. • The Process Standards include: Critical thinking, communication, logical problem solving, research, and creative thinking. • The Personal Development Standards include: Self directed learner, collaboration, and responsible citizen. • Sample Progress Report

9. Progress Report • HORIZONS students in grades 1st -5th receive the same progress report; therefore, it is unlikely that every student will be completely proficient in every area. They are in the process of learning these skills. Most regular classroom standards are tied to specific facts or easily measurable skills. That’s not the case in Horizons where our goals during the primary years are to help the children become independent thinkers and collaborative workers. • No Grade = Not formally assessed, but the student has participated in activities that require those skills • 1 = The student isn’t trying or gives up easily. The quality of work is below horizon expectations. Improvement is needed. • 2 = The student is making good progress, the skills are relatively new. The child needs help and direction at this point but meets expectations. • 3 = The student is proficient at the activities. They write very well, think very well, and produce quality work. They meet expectations by mastering basic skills. • 4 = This student’s exceptional performance is superior to other horizon kids. They go beyond our expectations. They deserve A+. • Who earns a 4?  Some do research at home or write two quality pages when we ask for a paragraph. Some deliberately use vocabulary words in speaking and writing. Others finish hard logic problems perfectly & independently. Others use elaboration and exceptionally creative ideas and connections in writing or drawing. These students strive for excellence without tangible rewards. 

10. BYOT • This year I am excited about the option of using BYOT, or Bring Your Own Technology, in the classroom. If you own a device that allows your child to access the Internet, you may send in the BYOT item on the day they are served for Horizons. A BYOT form MUST be signed giving prior authorization for your child to bring the item to class. • I encourage you to have a carrying case for safely transporting the device and keeping it from being noticed by others. The school is not responsible for any devices that are lost, damaged, stolen, etc. • It will only be used for educational purpose. Those that do not follow the guidelines or misuse items will be asked not to bring the device back to class. • BYOT FORM

11. Technology • I LOVE TECHNOLOGY!!! • This year we will be utilizing a variety of technology to enhance learning. Some of the words you might hear this year are Gizmos, Wordle, Avatar, Whyville, ICIVICS, Movie Maker, Pixie, and the list goes on. Check out my website periodically to see what new things we are discovering with technology. • Mrs. Sorenson’s Website

12. Whyville • Students who have prior approval and parents have registered in my Whyville class will be taking virtual fieldtrips, working on problem solving, and navigating through Whyville. Please access the following links and become familiar with Whyville. Parents that are interested in having an account for their child need to create a personal avatar and research the site before signing and returning the approval form. • Students are NOT to travel in Whyville outside of class. It will take away from the learning opportunities, if students have already journeyed to our fieldtrip locations or completed activities.

13. Whyville • Permission Slip and Safety Links • Whyville Certificate

14. Alternate Routes • For those students that are not able to travel to Whyville, we will have alternate routes of travel during that time. Only one segment during the day will be spent “traveling.” The alternate routes include, but are not limited to, science experiments, Webquests, problem solving, games, and research.

15. Why Whyville? In Whyville, citizens earn a salary of "clams", our virtual currency, by participating in a wide range of educational games and activities. They include: The Skater & Spin Game The Skater game teaches angular momentum, while challenging you to answer the question, "How do skaters get spinning so fast?" The Spin Game further extends the skater activity by addressing the issue of rotational axes and symmetries. WhyReefWhyReef, sponsored by the Field Museum, is a virtual reef on Whyville's own beach! Just dive in and you can explore the reef and lean about the species that live inside. Hot Air Balloon Race Sponsored by the University of Missouri, The Hot Air Balloon Race challenges you to navigate the altitudes and analyze vector fields to navigate a hot air balloon. Whyville CDC WhyPox and the WhyFlu are infectious illnesses that periodically plague Whyville. Citizens investigate the parameters of the infections at the Whyville CDC. The Getty Museum In Art Sets you learn the art concepts of subject and medium through a fast-action card The Getty game. The Art Treasure Hunt sends you in pursuit of art treasures all across the globe, Museum and through time and place. WASA WASA is Whyville's own version of NASA. In the Zero Gravity Chamber, learn about angles and the principles of Newton's 3rd Law. In the Rocket Design Lab, simulate rockets to test parameters such as nozzle size and pay load. And in the Ion Engine Lab play 3 games that teach about electric charges and ion engines. Dance Studio At Mimi's Dance Studio virtual dancers can lean dances and choreograph their own using vector arithmetic.

16. Whyville Safety and Privacy Whyville is an educational virtual world for curious minds to explore, learn, and create together. Our information practices are designed to facilitate Whyville's goal to promote and foster learning, while complying with the United States Federal Trade Commission's Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule, effective April 21, 2000. Personal Information To register in Whyville, we do NOT require name, street address, or telephone number. We ask for a screen name and a password. In order to comply with federal guidelines for protecting children of younger than 13 years of age, we also require the birth month and year. If a child enters a birth date indicating that he/she is under 13, we require a parent's email address which we use ONCE to notify the parent that his/her child has registered at our site. This email address is not collected in our records. For registrants 13 years or older, we require an email address that is used only for our automated system of password retrieval and for sending announcements of new features, activities, and events. These announcements are sent ONLY if the registrant opts in for receiving them.

17. Volunteering and Special Gifts • If you are interested in volunteering this year, please send an email to Mrs. Sorenson with days and times you are available. • We are on the search for parents, grandparents, and more who have special talents, careers, or hobbies that would provide educational opportunities for the Horizons students. Contact Mrs. Sorenson if you or someone you know has a special “gift” that you are willing to share with our group.

18. Thanks for making this the best school ever!