
Students
in
Amanda
Proch's
gifted
education
class
at
Kilby
Elementary
School
had
a
special
opportunity
to
talk
with
Pamela
Northam,
the
First
Lady
of
Virginia,
during
a
virtual
classroom
meeting
recently.
It
was
an
enriching
experience
for
them
to
practice
critical
thinking,
researching,
and
creative
reasoning.
To
celebrate
their
success
and
dedication
to
learning
virtually,
the
students
asked
Proch
if
they
could
"meet
someone
famous,
like
Joe
Biden?"
Proch
found
a
way
to
embed
this
into
their
unit
on
critical
thinking.
The
students
spent
five
weeks
studying
critical-thinking
skills,
such
as
how
to
evaluate
information,
look
for
evidence
to
support
thinking,
and
draw
accurate
conclusions.
They
learned
how
to
ask
good
questions
to
support
these
thinking
skills.
In
class,
they
read
and
completed
research
about
Northam,
to
prepare
a
list
of
clear,
accurate,
relevant,
logical,
and
fair
questions
to
ask
her.
The
following
week,
Northam
met
with
the
class,
answered
their
questions,
read
the
students
a
book,
and
gave
them
a
virtual
tour
of
her
current
home,
the
Governor's
mansion.
They
even
met
Pearl,
the
family
dog.
During
their
interview,
students
asked
thoughtful
questions,
such
as,
"How
did
your
life
change
when
you
became
first
lady?"
and
"How
does
the
president
interact
with
the
governor?"
Students
were
highly
engaged
in
the
class
and
some
left
inspired
for
a
profession
in
government.
Many
students'
families
also
got
involved,
sitting
in
front
of
the
camera
with
their
child
and
asking
advanced-level
questions,
which
enriched
the
experience
for
everyone.
After
class,
Proch
gave
the
students
assignments
to
choose
from,
including
to
create
an
acrostic
poem,
a
timeline,
an
ABC
book
of
ideas
learned
from
the
experience,
or
to
research
one
of
the
websites
Northam
had
recommended.
Students
shared
their
work
in
class
the
next
week
and
Proch
sent
some
examples
to
Northam.
"Such
thoughtful
questions
asked.
Our
future
is
bright
with
these
critical
thinkers!"
said
Brenda
Bailey,
supervisor
of
gifted
education
in
the
Office
of
Student
Learning.
"What
an
amazing
experience
coordinated
by
Ms.
Proch!"