FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions: This page contains answers to common questions from students and parents.
What is PRISM?
PRISM — Performance Revealing Individual Student Magic — provides opportunities for gifted and talented students to go beyond school related subjects and work. Students choose if they wish to participate and which programs they wish to do, and then they come to PRISM during their FLEX times. FPS participants attend PRISM on Mondays and Tuesdays each week, and Researchers attend every week on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Friday FLEX times are reserved for individual and group meetings as needed and arranged with Mrs. Cohen.
Is there a qualifying test to enter PRISM?
PRISM at Grover is a unique GT (gifted & talented) program, in that students are not tested into the program. PRISM Coordinator/Facilitator Mrs. Debbie Cohen introduces the PRISM program to ALL 6th graders and offers a month long series of "open house" classes for 6th graders to explore whether PRISM might be right for them.
If a student does not do PRISM in 6th grade, can they join in 7th grade?
Yes, students are welcomed to choose PRISM in 7th or 8th grade, even if they have not been involved in 6th or 7th grade. We begin the school year for all grades with the introductory PRISM for ALL curriculum about PRISM concepts, team-building, multiple intelligences, and students' individual learning styles.
What do you DO in PRISM?
All students learn skills and strategies for critical thinking, problem solving, research and communication that they need to apply to projects they choose to pursue.
Students attend daily for the opening curriculum, and then on days assigned to their chosen program. As described above, FPS participants attend PRISM on Mondays and Tuesdays each week, and Researchers attend every week on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Friday FLEX times are reserved for individual and group meetings as needed and arranged with Mrs. Cohen.
All students choose the program in which they wish to participate and the projects they wish to do. (Not all programs are available to all grades.)
Please explain more about what students DO...
All three grades begin the PRISM year with the PRISM for ALL curriculum called "Know Thyself" that allows them to reflect on their styles of thinking and learning. This includes information about PRISM and about learning in general, as well as lessons on brain development that is unique to the young adolescent brain.
These lessons are applied to PRISM projects like FPS, Scenario Writing, and research for the Inquiry Project and National History Day.
What is FPS?
FPS — Future Problem Solving — is an international organization that provides opportunities for students to work together in problem solving teams. Students solve three problems between November and February — problems that are relevant to our world today such as global warming, genetically modified foods, or care of the elderly. But the situation that they must solve is set at least thirty years in the future, which allows students to be highly creative in finding solutions.
Our Grover FPS teams compete (online) with about sixty teams from around NJ. Teams that score in the top 10% on the Qualifying Problem in February are invited to compete at the State Bowl. Teams that place 1st or 2nd at the State Bowl are invited to compete at the International Competition. The 2018 IC will be held at the University of Massachusetts - Amherst in Amherst, Massachusetts.
What is Scenario Writing?
Scenario Writing is a contest that is part of the FPS program.
Students do not have to be on an FPS team to compete in the Scenario Writing contest. Mrs. Cohen introduces Scenario Writing at workshops held during FLEX times in October. Final scenarios are due for submission to the State contest in January.
What is an Inquiry Project?
Students who choose to pursue an Inquiry Project research ANY topic OF THEIR CHOICE. Research is only the first step. Analysis, synthesis and evaluation are the critical thinking skills that must be applied for solid research work.
The final step is to learn how to present the research effectively at a Spring exposition. This is NOT a competition – students’ presentations are scored according to a rubric at the exposition. This is true authentic assessment.
INQUIRY PROJECT work is all about research, intellectual problem solving, and learning to communicate ideas effectively.
What is National History Day?
National History Day is a competition that provides opportunities for gifted students to pursue research in ANY topic, as long as that topic has some "history" to consider (usually something that happened at least forty years ago, so the impact can be analyzed over at least a generation.)
Students can compete in groups or as individuals in the areas of exhibit, performance, documentary, or website. Individuals may also write a paper.
Students compete at the Central/Southern New Jersey Regional Competition held in late February or early March, and those who qualify are invited to compete at the state New Jersey History Day competition held the first Saturday of May. Students who place 1st or 2nd in their category are invited to compete at the National History Day Competition held the third week of June at the University of Maryland.
Frequently Asked Questions: This page contains answers to common questions from students and parents.
What is PRISM?
PRISM — Performance Revealing Individual Student Magic — provides opportunities for gifted and talented students to go beyond school related subjects and work. Students choose if they wish to participate and which programs they wish to do, and then they come to PRISM during their FLEX times. FPS participants attend PRISM on Mondays and Tuesdays each week, and Researchers attend every week on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Friday FLEX times are reserved for individual and group meetings as needed and arranged with Mrs. Cohen.
Is there a qualifying test to enter PRISM?
PRISM at Grover is a unique GT (gifted & talented) program, in that students are not tested into the program. PRISM Coordinator/Facilitator Mrs. Debbie Cohen introduces the PRISM program to ALL 6th graders and offers a month long series of "open house" classes for 6th graders to explore whether PRISM might be right for them.
If a student does not do PRISM in 6th grade, can they join in 7th grade?
Yes, students are welcomed to choose PRISM in 7th or 8th grade, even if they have not been involved in 6th or 7th grade. We begin the school year for all grades with the introductory PRISM for ALL curriculum about PRISM concepts, team-building, multiple intelligences, and students' individual learning styles.
What do you DO in PRISM?
All students learn skills and strategies for critical thinking, problem solving, research and communication that they need to apply to projects they choose to pursue.
Students attend daily for the opening curriculum, and then on days assigned to their chosen program. As described above, FPS participants attend PRISM on Mondays and Tuesdays each week, and Researchers attend every week on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Friday FLEX times are reserved for individual and group meetings as needed and arranged with Mrs. Cohen.
All students choose the program in which they wish to participate and the projects they wish to do. (Not all programs are available to all grades.)
Please explain more about what students DO...
All three grades begin the PRISM year with the PRISM for ALL curriculum called "Know Thyself" that allows them to reflect on their styles of thinking and learning. This includes information about PRISM and about learning in general, as well as lessons on brain development that is unique to the young adolescent brain.
These lessons are applied to PRISM projects like FPS, Scenario Writing, and research for the Inquiry Project and National History Day.
What is FPS?
FPS — Future Problem Solving — is an international organization that provides opportunities for students to work together in problem solving teams. Students solve three problems between November and February — problems that are relevant to our world today such as global warming, genetically modified foods, or care of the elderly. But the situation that they must solve is set at least thirty years in the future, which allows students to be highly creative in finding solutions.
Our Grover FPS teams compete (online) with about sixty teams from around NJ. Teams that score in the top 10% on the Qualifying Problem in February are invited to compete at the State Bowl. Teams that place 1st or 2nd at the State Bowl are invited to compete at the International Competition. The 2018 IC will be held at the University of Massachusetts - Amherst in Amherst, Massachusetts.
What is Scenario Writing?
Scenario Writing is a contest that is part of the FPS program.
Students do not have to be on an FPS team to compete in the Scenario Writing contest. Mrs. Cohen introduces Scenario Writing at workshops held during FLEX times in October. Final scenarios are due for submission to the State contest in January.
What is an Inquiry Project?
Students who choose to pursue an Inquiry Project research ANY topic OF THEIR CHOICE. Research is only the first step. Analysis, synthesis and evaluation are the critical thinking skills that must be applied for solid research work.
The final step is to learn how to present the research effectively at a Spring exposition. This is NOT a competition – students’ presentations are scored according to a rubric at the exposition. This is true authentic assessment.
INQUIRY PROJECT work is all about research, intellectual problem solving, and learning to communicate ideas effectively.
What is National History Day?
National History Day is a competition that provides opportunities for gifted students to pursue research in ANY topic, as long as that topic has some "history" to consider (usually something that happened at least forty years ago, so the impact can be analyzed over at least a generation.)
Students can compete in groups or as individuals in the areas of exhibit, performance, documentary, or website. Individuals may also write a paper.
Students compete at the Central/Southern New Jersey Regional Competition held in late February or early March, and those who qualify are invited to compete at the state New Jersey History Day competition held the first Saturday of May. Students who place 1st or 2nd in their category are invited to compete at the National History Day Competition held the third week of June at the University of Maryland.