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Gifted and Talented
PROGRAM
DESIGN
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Kindergarten:
Students identified in the spring semester will begin meeting with the ALPHA teacher in March.
Identified students will meet with the ALPHA teacher for differentiated and extension activities approximately 1 hour each week.
1st & 2nd
grade:
1st & 2nd graders meet with the ALPHA teacher for differentiated and extension activities approximately 1 hour once a week.
3rd grade:
William & Mary Integrated Thematic Curriculum in language arts & social studies; math and science extensions of 2-3 overarching themes presented in the regular classroom
Changes for 2007-08 -
4th & 5th grades
4th grade ALPHA students will meet for an entire day using curriculum, activities and competitions such as Project M3, William & Mary Curriculum, and Future Problem Solving which integrate the four core areas of math, science, language arts, and social studies. Students will receive math and science instruction for half a day with the math/science teacher, and half day with the English language arts/ social studies teacher. All work will correspond with overarching concepts that are being presented in the regular classroom.m.
5th grade ALPHA students will meet for an entire day using curriculum, activities, and competitions such as Future Problem-Solving, Stock Market Game and William & Mary Curriculum which integrate the four core areas of math, science, language arts, and social studies. Students will receive math and science instruction for half a day with the math/science teacher, and half day with the English language arts/ social studies teacher. All work will correspond with overarching concepts that are being presented in the regular classroom.
GT teachers also support enrichment groups of mathematically talented students, some of whom are not in the GT program, but demonstrate superior talents in mathematics. GT teachers will work with classroom teachers to help differentiate for identified ALPHA students.
MIDDLE
SCHOOL
6th grade:
Students may choose GT Language Arts, GT Science, GT Math or any combination of these three courses. We encourage students and parents to ask the elementary ALPHA GT teacher for insights into which course(s) may be most appropriate for your 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 your 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.
Students selecting GT Science will be taught the scientific process and complete in-class modified projects in preparation for Science Fair.
In the spring semester of 6th grade, all interested ALPHA students are evaluated for continuation in the accelerated GT Math courses in 7th and 8th grade.
7th and 8th
grade:
Students may choose GT Language Arts, GT Science and, if selected during the spring semester of 6th grade, GT Math. Students in GT Math will complete Algebra 1 and Geometry by the end of 8th grade. These are high school courses for which they will receive high school credit. However, the grades they receive will not be included nor calculated in their high school grade point average (GPA). It is expected that the mathematically gifted student will complete an additional four units of mathematics in high school.
Students selecting GT Science have the opportunity to participate in Science Fair. Participation in Science Fair is strongly encouraged in 8th grade, but not mandatory. The 7th grade students may elect to participate in Science Fair. The 7th grade students will participate in the MISD Science Olympiad, an activity designed to stimulate and expand students' interests in all areas of science.
Students in GT Language Arts will study literature from a historical humanities perspective. The Word Within the Word curriculum is an in-depth study of grammar and classical Greek & Latin root words though.
The 8th grade GT LA students participate in Mock Trial, a trial simulation and competition that requires "on your feet" critical thinking skills.
HIGH
SCHOOL
Changes for 2006-07 - HUMANITIES I
through IV
Fulfills "English & Social Studies graduation requirements
9th grade
PreAP English I/Humanities I- GT and PreAP World Geography GT:
Prerequisite: identified gifted and talented
- Students must be enrolled in both courses.
- Humanities II incorporates literature, geography, philosophy, world cultures, and the Arts
- Includes Word Within the Word, a classical root word study
- World History -G/T will take the AP World History exam.
10th grade
PreAP English II-Humanities II-GT and AP World History-GT:
Prerequisite: identified gifted and talented
- Students must be enrolled in both courses.
- Humanities II incorporates literature, geography, philosophy, world cultures, and the Arts
- Includes Word Within the Word, a classical root word study
- World History -G/T will take the AP World History exam.
11th grade
AP English III- Humanities III - GT and AP US History GT:
Prerequisite: identified gifted and talented
- Field of Expertise (FOE) project each nine weeks - student to explore in depth an area of individual interest in the course content
- Humanities content and the FOE project work will be supported in all sections of AP U.S. History
- Students will take the AP English Language and Composition exam.
12th grade
AP English III- Humanities III - GT and AP US History GT:
Prerequisite: identified gifted and talented
- Field of Expertise (FOE) project each nine weeks - students explore in depth an area of individual interest in the course content
- Students will take the AP English Literature and Composition exam.
- Humanities content and the FOE project work will be supported in the history and social studies classes of student choice: AP European History, AP Government and/or AP Economics.
GT-MATH
9th grade: Algebra 2:
Pprerequisite: Algebra I and Geometry
10th grade:
PreCalculus:
Prerequisite: Algebra 2
11th – 12th grade: AP Statistics, AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, and Independent Studies in Mathematics
It is expected that all GT students will take 4 years of math while in high school.
GT-SCIENCE
It is highly recommended that GT students take four science courses in high school.
9th – 12th grades:
- Students are clustered with GT certified teachers in preAP & AP classes
- Opportunities for advanced projects will be offered for those demonstrating mastery of content
ALPHA - INDEPENDENT STUDY
- 11th and 12th grade identified GT students (10th grade with approval of the ALPHA teacher and Lead GT Specialist).
- students explore an area of interest outside the offered courses
- mentors are provided as necessary
- projects are evaluated using state standards for gifted students
ACADEMIC DECATHLON – 11th & 12th grade
- by teacher recommendation
- team competition in ten categories: Art, economics, essay, interview, language and literature, mathematic, music, science, social sciences, and speech.
TECHNOLOGY
- Pre-AP Computer Science I, Business Image Management / Multimedia, or Broadcast
- Journalism
- Internetworking Technologies I & II – prepares students for Cisco Networking certification courses
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