SAGE (3rd-6th Gifted Program)

Welcome to the Copper Creek SAGE Program.  SAGE is a daily content replacement program for gifted students in grades 3-6 at Copper Creek in the area of Language Arts and Math.

This year marks my 31st (30th in gifted education) year of teaching.  I attended NAU and studied Business Finance. After graduating with my Bachelor's Degree, I decided to attend ASU and pursue teaching (I have never been accused of doing things linearly).  My start in teaching was at a middle school, teaching math. I have been teaching the SAGE program at Copper Creek since the doors opened in 1997. The previous two years, I was a SAGE teacher at another school in Deer Valley.  

I am Highly Qualified by the State of Arizona in both Elementary Education and Middle School Math, along with being specially endorsed in the area of Gifted Education.

Gifted students have unique needs and the SAGE classroom is designed to allow "out of the box thinking" and self-expression in an intellectually safe environment. I believe in setting high goals and that the journey can be more important than the destination. Mistakes are not failures, giving up is. Errors are part of growing, learning, and being human.

The SAGE room at Copper Creek encourages risk-taking by allowing students to learn from, evaluate, and correct mistakes.   A little struggle is good for the soul and if we never hit a point of frustration, how will we ever learn to cope?  This is all part of a well-rounded learning environment.  I invite you to e-mail me with any questions or concerns (I check my e-mail often).

Also, this is a classroom of collaboration.  I encourage discussion, sharing of ideas and even questioning.  Students experience authentic discussion (which includes dissent), which is such an important skill to have.  It is okay to disagree but always keep an open mind and listen.

My husband, Alex, is a 4th grade teacher up the road at Terramar Elementary.  We have two boys, one a Junior at Mountain Ridge and the other starting his first year at ASU.  We are a family of Tech and Trek geeks.  My husband and I (and our boys) were both Star Trek Nerds before it was popular. You might even find a Tribble or two invading the SAGE room along with the Tardis to take us on our journeys. 

Teaching gifted students at Copper Creek is always full of wonderful, fulfilling surprises and enriches every day of my life. 

In the Immortal Words of Mr. Spock- "Live Long and Prosper."

The SAGE math program is a content replacement for grades 3-6.   The classes are accelerated one grade level above the curriculum and are designed to incorporate higher levels of thinking throughout the instruction.  Understanding how things work is first before the step-by-step process.  This grows mathematical thinker as opposed to great calculators.  Students are expected to show work and parents can assist best by allowing students to make mistakes and by guiding them when evaluating their work.  

Classwork counts as 20% (class activities, projects and exit tickets) of the final grade and quizzes and unit assessments for 80%.  

Specifics for each grade level can be found in their Canvas page for SAGE Math.

 

 

Grade 3/4: 

Starting in the 2024-25 school year, we will be using an extension/enrichment model for ELA.  Students will receive their core curriculum in the general education classroom and will move into the gifted class for small groups and intervention time.  Each grade level will meet two days per week.   We will incorporate literature studies, integrations with social studies and discussions during this time.

This year all ELA students will have the opportunity to participate in a Wax Museum.  All students will do a research report on a person who has made positive contributions to society from all walks of life.  In the spring they will take that information and bring it to life at our Wax Museum.  No two students may choose the same individual topic I am going to let 6th grade have first choice, then 5th and so on...  The plan is to repeat this activity each year.  Please do not try to get a head start, with the exception of possible topic choices.

Graded 5/6:

The SAGE Language Arts program is designed not only to increase students' language skills, but also incorporate higher level thinking through writing and discussion.  Students will use a variety of literature, whole group and small group instruction, and project-based learning as they explore the world around them and articulate their response to what they explore.  Students will explore literature in historical context.

I will always make available and keep you informed of the major pieces of literature and the topics we explore.

Reading Grades are based on the following for 5/6:

Classwork 20% - This includes Reading Logs, Common Lit, No Read Ink (Writing), Class Discussions, and assignments that are not considered assessments.

Assessments 80% - This includes essays, short writing pieces, and formal assessment (tests).  Assessments are coded in Canvas.

 

• Shop Online: http://scholastic.com/readingclub
  One-Time Class Activation Code: GRB7Y

   This year I will be submitting book orders the 5th of every month beginning in September.  You can go on at anytime and place an order.  Any orders placed by the 5th will be submitted.  
  Help our class earn free books by buying books at wonderful prices. The bonus points earned go right back into resources for the SAGE room.  We always need new books.

  All SAGE book orders will be accepted online only.  This is the same activation code as last year.  I will not be sending home flyers since you can access the entire scholastic catalog online..

  I will include order due dates on the class website and in the blog.

  With Scholastic Reading Club:
  • Every book you buy earns FREE Books for our classroom library
  • You can choose from handpicked, grade- and reading-level-specific books for your child
  • You'll find the best values on a variety of formats, including eBooks
    •  VISIT scholastic.com/readingclub
    •  ENTER the one-time Class Activation Code (top of this letter)
    •  SHOP from a carefully curated selection of the best books, value packs, and Storia eBooks
    •  SUBMIT your order and earn FREE Books for our classroom
    •  All book orders will be shipped to our classroom so we can celebrate the joy of reading together!

  Thank you for your support,
   

FAQ About SAGE

What is SAGE? SAGE is the Deer Valley Unified School Districts program of Gifted and Talented students in grades 3-8. At Copper Creek students receive instruction in the area of math and reading daily. Below is a brief description of the Districts 3-6 program. If you are looking for information about middle school you can contact the appropriate school. 3-6 Math Enriched with problem based learning units Accelerated at least 1 grade level higher 3-6 Language Arts Differentiated through literature studies and units of study from the College of William and Mary.  Processes include critical and creative thinking skills, discovery learning, open-ended problem solving, choice of learning activities, small group interaction, greater variety, evidence of reasoning daily. Is there a lot of homework in the SAGE classes? No, when students use their time wisely there is only about 15 minutes in math daily and probably about the same or less in language arts.  Students have independent work time in school to get the work completed. How does a students qualify for the program? Students qualify by scoring in the 97 percentile on the Cognitive Abilities Test or another test accepted by the Arizona Department of Education for gifted identification. Deer Valley will accept students scoring 94th percentile may be placed provisionally.  Deer Valley Schools provide testing using the Cognitive Abilities Test three time during the year. Students may be referred by teachers, parents, or themselves for testing.  Please refer to the DVUSD Gifted Services Website to register for testing.  Students may only  test once per school year. How can I prepare my child for the test? You can't. Because this is a test of reasoning skills there is no way to prepare. Just make sure they are rested and relaxed. If my child is in SAGE do they retest each year? No. Once a student qualifies with the above criteria they do not retest.