Mrs. Jacobs

pjacobs@wyckoffschools.org

W.E.L.

Welcome to the Wyckoff Extended Learning Program for gifted and talented students at Eisenhower Middle School! We are always excited about our many creative endeavors so feel free to stop by and visit or email Mrs. Jacobs with any questions or comments. Feedback is always welcome!

On Fridays, sixth grade W.E.L. classes will be taught by Mrs. June Barchenko and students will have even more exciting opportunities to engage in a variety of extended learning  adventures!

For 6th and 7th grade students in W.E.L., the curriculum for the school year incorporates four learning opportunities. There are two individual projects as well as two cooperative learning projects, enabling students to maximize their individual and collective potential.

Students may elect to continue their extended learning experience during their 8th grade year.  The W.E.L. program is now offered to 8th grade students for two cycles!!!

SIXTH GRADE W.E.L.

For their first individual learning project, students in sixth grade W.E.L will embark upon a journey of self-discovery and have the opportunity to learn about the different personality types of their classmates by exploring color theory.  "Who Am I, Who Are You?" is an autobiographical assignment which requires students to communicate information about themselves in an interesting and informative way before their peers, based on their personality type. Following specified criteria, students create a project in any format which gives their peers (and themselves) a colorful perspective on who they are and what makes them unique individuals!

Our second assignment, "The Leadership Project", is the first group project for 6th grade W.E.L. For this cooperative learning opportunity, sixth graders work in groups to identify a cause they would like to support given a hypothetical budget of $10,000. They must first create a proposal for teacher approval and then get to work on making their dream become a reality. Each group's concept may be communicated in any format.  Past projects have included many innovative and thoughtful service learning ideas!

The second individual learning opportunity in W.E.L. is entitled, "Who Is A Role Model?".  For this project, each student is required to select a personal role model and create a tribute to this individual in any format.  students selected family members while others chose individuals such as Anne Frank, Florence Nightingale, John Lennon and Al Gore.  Each student is required to communicate what makes the selected individual a role model from his or her perspective, a well as present relevant historical, cultural and biographical information about that person.

For their second cooperative learning opportunity, sixth graders in W.E.L. create "The Storybook Creation Project".  In groups, students design and create a book for a selected grade level and donate their finished project to a elementary classroom of their choice. Student groups are each required to submit a formal proposal of their concept and format before they begin to work on the book.  Fables, chapter books, cookbooks and pop up books are just a few of the creative ideas previously generated by our sixth graders in W.E.L. and a variety of topics have been explored and researched.  When the time comes, ask your young authors and illustrators all about it!

ALL 6TH GRADE W.E.L. STUDENTS ARE REQUIRED TO DISPLAY ALL FOUR COMPLETED PROJECTS FOR THE SCHOOL YEAR AT My Space 2010, AN EXHIBITION OF STUDENT WORK SCHEDULED DURING THE MONTH OF JUNE. 

Of course, it is expected that all student projects displayed are exemplary and reflect a standard of excellence!

SEVENTH GRADE W.E.L.

For the first project of the school year, seventh graders in W.E.L. create individual projects as part of an independent learning opportunity entitled, "Experts in the Field".  Students each select a person to research and they are asked to communicate as much detailed information as possible about the individual selected and what contributions this person has made to a particular field.  "Experts in the Field" provides  fascinating insights into the life and times of the individuals W.E.L. students elect to research while learning about the many individual talents inherent to members of our seventh grade W.E.L. community!

The first cooperative learning opportunity for 7th grade W.E.L. students is. . . "The Educational Theater Project"!!! In groups formed by student interest, each team produces a theatrical vignette as part of a full-length dramatic presentation. Prior to the creation of individual scenes, students engage in a variety of activities that explore playwriting, dramatic structure, characterization and the importance of educating while entertaining an audience.

Subsequently, each student group focuses on a social issue which it considers to be important for middle school students. Each team then creates a short theatrical presentation which communicates a message that the group members feel to be important.

Students are given the option of including any and all forms of media, poetry, comedy, song, etc. It is up to each team to decide how it wishes to communicate its chosen message. Students who may not wish to perform are encouraged to explore options such as song composition, video production, directing, etc. The goal is to create a play, combining the vignettes created by both seventh grade W.E.L. classes. Many thanks to our supporters who joined us on Thursday, February 4, 2010 at 8:00 p.m. in the multipurpose room at Eisenhower for an exciting theatrical performance!!!

As part of a revered W.E.L. tradition, seventh grade students have the opportunity to create their own business enterprise as they embark on the final cooperative learning opportunity for the school year . . "The Restaurant Project"!  For this group adventure, students create business plans for a totally original restaurant of their own design.  The project addresses aspects such as developing a concept, marketing and advertising, human resources, creating a menu and business practices. Each student receives a syllabus which outlines due dates for each required aspect of the project and, prior to the assignment of each component, students receive a detailed outline of what is required and any additional supporting materials.

The final individual learning opportunity for 7th grade W.E.L. students is "My Educational Plan".  This is an opportunity for students to reflect upon their educational needs and create a brief proposal for how these might best be served.  Students research trends in the field of gifted and talented education and create a four part proposal which outlines their proposed 8th grade class schedule and their "dream" 8th grade class schedule.  Students are then asked to compare/contrast these to determine how they can use their research to incorporate elements of their "dream plan" into their schedule.  In addition, students learn to become advocates for their own educational process by considering how to obtain assistance from parents, teachers, administrators and people from the community.  Creative forms of proposal presentation are strongly encouraged and students will present their projects during "publishing parties" scheduled during class time in June.

EIGHTH GRADE W.E.L.

Students in 8th grade are now offered the opportunity to continue the extended learning experiences for two cycles.

The first cycle will focus on an individual project, the "College Readiness Portfolio".  For this project, students have the opportunity to focus on a specialized area of study and determine how to prepare for higher education and future educational opportunities in a chosen field.  The objective is to create a living portfolio, which can be updated and serve as a valuable resource as students explore the educational opportunities which potentially await them! Students who researched high school options in depth for Cycle One discovered that this project coincided with Open House programs and campus visits from various school program representatives.  For students who engage in the project during a cycle scheduled later in the school year, there will be a stronger focus on college and career possibilities.  Students should apply any new information about high school programs to their research on potential higher education and career options.

One option for the second cycle is a cooperative learning opportunity entitled, "Our Schools, Our Way" where students work in groups to create innovative charter or magnet high schools of their own design.  Students will be encouraged to work with peers who share a common interest in a selected theme or specialized area of study.  As a culmination of the 8th grade W.E.L experience, student groups may elect to propose an alternative project for this cycle. Students who opt for an alternative project are required to submit a formal proposal on forms provided by Mrs. Jacobs.  A parent signature is required from a parent of each member of a student group. 

In addition to the projects mentioned above, students in 8th grade W.E.L. will have the opportunity to refine skills in critical thinking as the curriculum is enhanced by elements of the Good Work Project from Harvard University.  As students work individually and collaboratively on the projects assigned for W.E.L., a focus on what makes work truly excellent is explored on an ongoing basis.  Students are encouraged to reflect upon their own experiences and the opinions of their peers to question, evaluate and refine their  individual and collective standards of excellence.

CHECK ON OUR PROGRESS AS WE ENGAGE IN NEW AND EXCITING LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES IN W.E.L.!

YOUR FEEDBACK IS ALWAYS WELCOME!