Young Explorers

Mission

The mission of the Young Explorers Program is to provide appropriate educational services for identified students in a challenging yet nurturing environment so that student potential may be realized.

How Are Young Explorers Identified?

All Kindergarten and transfer students in Kindergarten, first, and second grade are tested using the Naglieri. This is a nonverbal ability test. If the score meets our benchmark they will be referred to the program. They can also qualify through teacher recommendation. Once they qualify they will receive services through second grade.

Program Goals

  • Cultivate educational environment
  • Enable students to achieve their maximum potential
  • Match student ability and learning needs with differentiated instruction
  • Attend to the social and emotional needs of the potentially gifted students
  • Provide a continuum of service options
  • Gifted resource teacher and classroom teacher collaborate
  • Foster creativity

Services

Young Explorers receive the services of a gifted resource teacher through weekly pull-out groups or by collaborating and/or consulting with classroom teachers to offer differentiated classroom instruction in Kindergarten, First and Second grade. 

Components of the Program

Habits of Mind

Teachers and students use the Habits of Mind in their classrooms.  A Habit of Mind is knowing how to behave intelligently when you do not know the answer.  These skills help them understand how to approach a problem or dilemma in school and in their daily life.  For more information please visit their website.
www.habits-of-mind.net

Problem Solving

Destination Imagination Activities- Destination ImagiNation is an after school enrichment program that encourages teamwork, builds problem solving skills and enhances creativity.

SCAMPER

How to use it

SCAMPER is an acronym for useful list of words that can be applied as stimuli to make you think differently about the problem area.
Substitute-What can you substitute?
Combine-What can you combine or bring together somehow?
Adapt-What can you adapt for use as a solution?
Modify-Can you change the item in some way? Magnify &
Put to other uses-How can you put the thing to different or other uses?
Eliminate-What can you eliminate?
Rearrange-What can be rearranged in some way?
Example
I want to invent a new type of pen.
Substitute - ink with iron, nib with knife
Combine - writing with cutting, holding with opening
Adapt - pen top as container
Modify - body to be flexible
Put to other uses - use to write on wood
Eliminate - clip by using velcro
Rearrange - nib to fold outwards

Readers Theater is an integrated approach for involving students in reading, writing, listening, and speaking activities. It involves children in:

  • sharing literature
  • reading aloud
  • writing scripts
  • performing with a purpose, and
  • working collaboratively

During a Readers Theater readers read a script adapted from literature, and the audience pictures the action from hearing the script being read aloud. Instead of acting out literature as in a play, the goal of the performer is to read a script aloud effectively, enabling the audience to visualize the action. Performers bring the text alive by using voice, facial expressions, and some gestures.

Benefits of Using Readers Theater in the Classroom or Library?

Readers Theater helps to:

  • develop fluency through repeated exposure to text
  • increase comprehension
  • integrate reading, writing, speaking, listening in an authentic context
  • engage students
  • increase reading motivation
  • create confidence and improve the self-image of students
  • provide a real purpose for reading
  • provide opportunities for cooperative learning

Technology-Students use laptops and the computer lab on a regular basis.  At Randolph and Goochland Elementary they also use the Promethean board.

Active Learning-Students participate in hands-on learning to facilitate understanding, connections, and enthusiasm for learning. 

Scene from our Schools