Mrs. Lynn Elko Academically Talented Resource Teacher 630.636.3044 melko0626@oswego308.org    I taught third grade at East View Elementary in Oswego District 308 for ten years while working with academically talented students within the classroom. These teaching experiences led to my position as an Academically Talented Resource teacher in the pullout program.  This is my ninth year in teaching third, fourth, and fifth grade AT students in Reading and Math in pullout classes and teaching identified second graders in an enrichment program second semester.  Previous to Oswego, I taught second and third grades in another school district and also taught in a gifted program working with identified students in grades three through sixth I graduated from Western Illinois University and then earned my master`s degree in curriculum and instruction along with my state verification in gifted education.    The AT pullout program is designed to teach critical thinking skills through literature that offers opportunities for in depth discussion of questions leading to deeper understanding and focus on complexity of the book or short story for those students identified in Reading.  Novel studies support students as they stretch to apply themselves to rigorous content and respond to ideas worth of pondering. Development of critical thinking by AT students allows students rich experiences in higher level thinking such as analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.  Rigorous content encourages readers to work to think hard at making sense out of the text, stretching understanding. Furthermore, Written responses are utilized for each reading to help students write out their thinking using specific supports and examples from the book or short story.  Writing deepens understanding and helps improve thinking.      Furthermore, the AT pullout program is designed to extend and enrich curriculum for those children who are identified according to district guidelines and would benefit from additional instruction and challenges.  The goal is to challenge, but not overwhelm AT students.  In AT Math, content from the regular curriculum is extended through instructions of skills supporting the math program.  Furthermore, to strengthen critical thinking, logic problems and problem solvers are used throughout the program.  Students learn the four step problem solving method along with strategies to be applied to solve an array of problems.  In the fourth step, looking back, students write out how and why he/she solved the problem.  Writing mathematically is one of the most difficult skills and takes the students to a whole new level of thinking.    Here is the list of problem solving strategies:     Work backwards (in reverse)                    Use logical reasoning                                       Write an equation (use formula)      Make a table, list, graph or chart                                            Find a pattern         Act out or use objects   Estimate:  Guess and Check   Make a picture or diagram       Here is a list of characteristics of intelligent behaviors as suggested by Dr. Arthur Costa: Persistence: persevering when the solution to a problem is not readily apparent Decreasing impulsivity: clarifying goals and using strategies Listening to others with understanding and empathy Flexibility in thinking to see there is more than one right answer and/or only one perspective at times metacognition:  aware of own thinking Checking for accuracy and precision Questioning and problem posing by the student Drawing on past knowledge and applying it to new situations Precision of language and thought Using all the senses Ingenuity, originality, insightfulness: creativity Wonderment, inquisitiveness, curiosity, and enjoyment of problem solving           Please see www.oswego308.org for explanation of the identification process to answer any further questions.