The entire MISD kindergarten population is screened in January for placement in ALPHA classes beginning March 1st as mandated by the State Plan. These newly-identified students are serviced on their campus once a week for one hour.
The 1st & 2nd grade students meet with the ALPHA teacher for differentiated and extension activities approximately one hour, once a week. Two gifted-endorsed primary educators travel to two campuses per day. Curriculum incorporates scientific thinking, problem solving, creativity, and complexity based on Dr. Sandra Kaplan’s research.
Curriculum for our K-2 students for the current school year will incorporate creative and critical thinking. The students will research “biomes” and the “ologies”. Scientific thinking, discovery, investigations and explorations will provide these gifted students an opportunity to understand science from real-world problem-based learning opportunities.
In order to support regular classroom teachers, the two ALPHA teachers provide low-prep, teacher- friendly differentiation strategies weekly for all K-2 teachers to incorporate into their lesson plans.
If you have any questions regarding the K-2 ALPHA curriculum or services, please contact either Lisa Sutton or Lisa Crates.
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Eddins - Mon. PM |
Bennett - Tues. PM |
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Burks |
Finch |
Mechelle Galyon/Karen McCollister Johnson |
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Slaughter |
Bennett |
Students will receive rigorous instructional time on the Webb campus. Students will have lunch at Webb; however, Specials (PE, Art, and Music) will be on the home campus.
Durham Transportation will transport all 19 campuses of 3rd graders to Webb on Friday. Parents are asked to have their students at the home campus before 8:10. Students arriving after the bus has left will either be transported to Webb by their parents or remain at the home campus for that day.
3rd Grade Classes will end at 12:30 so that students may load the buses and return to the home campus
Students will have extensive and rigorous instructional time each day, as well as lunch and recess, while at Webb. Art and music will be provided at the home campus during non-ALPHA times.
The fourth and fifth-grade ALPHA English, language arts, and social studies programs will be based on research-based models, including the College of William and Mary Center for Gifted Education curriculum. The theme for the 2011-2012 school year will be systems. This two-year, rotating curriculum alternates units emcompassing literature (narrative) and journalism (expository).
The weekly sessions will be separated into four content blocks. A description of each block is below.
Students will participate in an-depth inquiry on the structure and interaction of systems through participating in three project-based learning simulations/problem-solving learning adventures: The Jason Project: Monster Storms; a small- group Toshiba Exploravision challenge, and The Power of 300: Building an Environmentally Stronger County. Students will demonstrate their understanding and ability to:
The students will engage in student-centered problem-based tasks and focus on solutions with multiple representations in order to develop new understandings in mathematics. Students will demonstrate their understanding and ability to:
Durham Transportation will transport 8 campuses of 4th and 5th graders to Webb on Monday and Tuesday and the other 11 campuses of 4th and 5th graders on Wednesday and Thursday. Parents are asked to have their students at the home campus by 7:30. Students arriving after the bus has left, will either be transported to Webb by their parents, or remain at the home campus for that day.
4th and 5th grade classes will end at 1:30, so that students may load the buses and make it back to their home campuses before dismissal.
Monday/Tuesday Clusters Burks Elementary, Eddins Elementary, Finch Elementary, Glen Oaks Elementary, McClure Elementary, Valley Creek Elementary, Vega Elementary, Webb Elementary, Wilmeth Elementary |
Wednesday/Thursday Clusters Bennett Elementary, Caldwell Elementary, Malvern Elementary, McGowen Elementary, McNeil Elementary, Minshew Elementar,y Press Elementary, Rueben Johnson Elementary, Slaughter Elementary, Walker Elementary, Wolford Elementary |
Email: Herbert Wright, Team Lead Burks Elementary |
Email: Karen McCollister Email: Mechelle Galyon McClure Elementary Minshew Elementary Press Elementary Rueben Johnson Elementary Wilmeth Elementary |
Email: Nikki Dressel Email: Cara Rockey Bennett Elementary Caldwell Elementary Eddins Elementary Slaughter Elementary Vega Elementary Webb Elementary |
| Email: Debbie Rohlmeier Email: Frinchie Collins Finch Elementary Glen Oaks Elementary Malvern Elementary McNeil Elementary Wolford Elementary |
If you need any further information, please contact:
Karen J. Green, M.Ed., Coordinator of Gifted and Talented K-12
Students may choose GT Language Arts, GT-Science or GT-Math or any combination of these three courses. We encourage students and parents to ask the elementary GT teacher for insights into which course(s) may be most appropriate for their child. The move from elementary to secondary school can be intimidating to many children. We suggest selecting the course(s) in the area(s) that the child demonstrates the greatest strengths and where his/her interests lie. Because of the rigor in these courses, it is not recommended that students be scheduled in all three.
The William and Mary Curriculum for High Ability Learners is the curriculum for 6th, 7th, and 8th gifted ELAR students. Students in GT-Language Arts will study literature from a historical perspective (Humanities). An in-depth study of grammar and classical (Greek & Latin) root words are an integral part of this curriculum (Word Within the Word, M.C. Thompson).
Goals of the ALPHA ELAR curriculum are:
ELAR curriculum is from the College of William and Mary, Persuasion and Autobiographies.
ELAR curriculum is also from the College of William and Mary, The 1940’s: A Decade of Change and Utopia. Patricia Beckham and Kristy Crawly wrote curriculum in the format of William and Mary titled, History through the Eyes of Literature: 1940’s to Present. Students also are to learn 800 Greek and Latin root and stems from the Word within the Word curriculum.
Eighth grade ELAR students participate in Mock Trials in the spring, competing against other gifted students from the surrounding districts. Mock Trials are trial simulations and competitions that require "on your feet" critical thinking skills.
Students selecting GT-Science will be taught the scientific process and complete in class- modified projects in preparation for Science Fair.
Social Studies is only offered to our 8th grade gifted students in order to support and develop skills in preparation for Humanities. Social Studies students also participate in Mock Trials.
Each year our 7th grade gifted girls and boys attend a conference at SMU sponsored by the Gifted Institute. The Institute's goals draw on their strengths to challenge and assist students. Our gifted students and most able learners from diverse populations are increasingly seen as a valuable national resource. As a result, programs for the gifted and talented grew with the support of enthusiastic advocates. Recently, however, the pendulum has swung, both economically and philosophically. Today, more than at any time in the last 20 years, parents, educators, and institutions that nurture intellectual, artistic, and creative minds need the support and assistance of colleges and universities.
The Talent Search is the largest program of its kind in the nation, representing participation from junior high and middle schools in the Duke TIP 16-state region.
Over 1.5 million students have completed the Talent Search since its inception in 1980. The Talent Search identifies academically talented 7th graders based on standardized test scores achieved while attending elementary or middle school. Candidates are identified and invited to complete either the SAT Reasoning Test or the ACT Assessment college entrance examination. Duke TIP then provides the participants with comparative information concerning their academic abilities and resources for unique educational opportunities.
The goal is to assist young people with excellent mathematical or verbal aptitude. Students are provided with information about their abilities and introduced to a network of services and programs.
The Humanities I course focus will incorporate philosophy, history, and the arts from Ancient civilizations to the Renaissance.
The Humanities II course focus will incorporate philosophy, history, and the arts from the Age of Enlightenment to the present.
The Humanities III content will be delivered each quarter within the AP English III curriculum via the interdisciplinary Fields of Expertise (FOE) research project, which will be supported in all sections of AP US History. FOE allows the gifted student to explore in-depth an area of individual passion.
The Humanities IV content will be delivered each quarter within the AP English IV curriculum via the interdisciplinary Fields of Expertise (FOE) research project, which will be supported in the social studies class of choice: AP European History, AP Government and/or AP Economics. FOE allows the gifted student to explore in-depth an area of individual passion.
Gifted and high ability math students are serviced in PreAP and AP math classes. In the 9th grade accelerated students register for Algebra 2: (prerequisite: Algebra I and Geometry), in the 10th grade: Pre-Calculus: (prerequisite: Algebra 2). The 11th – 12th grade: AP Statistics, AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, and independent studies in Mathematics.
9th – 12th grades
Students are clustered with GT certified teachers in their PreAP and AP classes. For the first time this year, gifted science students will have the opportunity to register for a gifted 9th grade class in order to explore compacted curriculum with more depth and complexity.
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