ND Association for Gifted Children (NDAGC) invites all to its
Fall 2023 Ignite: GT Integration Activities and Resources!
Wednesday, Nov 29, 2023 from 4:00-5:30 pm CT
Share this with Your Colleagues: NDAGC Ignite LIVE Events are Open to All!
Full Schedule listed below....hope you can join us!
Join Beth Ustanko, Kacia Argall, Kim Rensch, and Julie Jaeger as they share and work through thinking, questioning and writing resources and activities you can use the next day!
4:00 Introductions
4:05 Challenge Young Minds to Think with Depth and Complexity Gr K-2
Beth Ustanko - Gifted Educator, Fargo Public Schools, NDAGC President
Sandra Kaplan’s Icons for Depth and Complexity are an effective tool for facilitating thinking amongst students of all ages. In this session Beth will share strategies for implanting the Icons with primary students (Grades K-2), in addition to familiarizing participants with the work of J. Trayers and her blog “Not Just Child’s Play: Challenging Young Minds”.
4:25 Drawing Conclusions: How Analysis of Editorial Cartoons Prepares Students for Argumentative Writing Gr 4-12
Kim Rensch - Lead Facilitator for Gifted Services, Fargo Public Schools, NDAGC Board Member
In this day of harmful rhetoric and damaging discourse, it is more important than ever to teach students how to listen and gather evidence before coming to a conclusion about a topic. How do we encourage students to do this? A good first step is to present students with strategies for listening and engaging in conversation before coming to a conclusion. One such strategy involves reading visual texts. This session will take participants through an analysis of an editorial cartoon for the purpose of identifying evidence before determining an author’s claim.
4:45 Scaffolding to Differentiate for High Potential Learners Gr K-2
Kacia Argall - 1st grade educator, West Fargo Public Schools
Learn how to find advanced activities to engage our high potential learners on Seesaw. By using a combination of the ND standards and Marzano’s taxonomy, we can find assignments that will provide appropriate differentiation and extended practice for scaffolded learning. Learn how activities on Seesaw can help learners demonstrate their understanding in various ways to show proficiency of their skills.
5:05 Light Up Holiday Thinking!Gr 3-5+
Julie Jaeger - PD Coach and Consultant, Retired GT Educator. NDAGC NC Regional Rep
These Higher Order Thinking Activities can be used any time of the year but are especially fun during the holiday season. Spark your students thinking and problem solving with these challenging integrations.
5:25 Closing
Meet our Presenters!
Beth Ustanko has been an elementary educator for 22 years and is currently a Gifted Services teacher with Fargo Public Schools. Her prior experience includes teaching both as a classroom and GATE teacher with West Fargo Public Schools, and she began her career teaching with Moorhead Public Schools. Beth earned her BA from Concordia College, her MA in Curriculum and Instruction from St. Catherine University, and completed her coursework for her Gifted and Talented Endorsement from the University of North Dakota. Beth has participated on the NDAGC board since 2018, and currently serves as President.
Kim Rensch is a National Board Certified Teacher working as lead facilitator for the Fargo Public Schools Gifted Services team. She is an NDAGC board member and teacher-consultant with the Red River Valley Writing Project. Outside of school, Kim enjoys spending time at church, hanging out with her husband and dogs, camping, reading, and cultivating a green thumb.
Kacia Argall is a 1st grade teacher in West Fargo Public Schools. She has her master’s degree in reading from Minnesota State University, Mankato. Through her education and additional professional development in the areas of reading, math, and personalized learning, she strives to differentiate and personalize instruction to give learners the opportunity to demonstrate their proficiency in a way that interests them and meets them where they are at.
Julie Jaeger, PD Coach/Consultant and veteran Elem-MS educator, technology integrator, and gifted instructor, enjoys bringing "a-ha" moments and higher order thinking via Tech Integration, Differentiated Instruction, Digital StoryTelling, and Curriculum Enrichment using Critical Creative Thinking, Problem Solving, and Questioning Strategies. Currently ISTE Community Leader and NDAGC Regional Rep,. She holds an MS in Education with Technology Integration and ND Credential in Gifted Education.
