GLEN RIDGE PUBLIC SCHOOLS
GIFTED and TALENTED
CURRICULUM
MAY 2005
Dr. Daniel Fishbein
Superintendent of Schools
Ms. Keisha Harris
Teacher
Mrs.
Director of Student Services
PHILOSOPHY
The
By
utilizing a broad range of advanced level learning experiences, higher order
thinking skills, and opportunities for creativity, the focus is not only on
traditional academic achievement, but on emphasizing the development of a
broader spectrum of the multiple potential of our students.
PREFACE
This
curriculum has been developed to identify gifted and talented students and
provide them with appropriate instructional adaptations and services (N.J.A.C.
6A: 8-3.1(a)5) as adopted on
As
suggested by
IDENTIFICATION
The Glen Ridge Board of Education has adopted the
following selection criteria to identify students eligible for participation in
the Gifted and Talented Program.
In the
Classroom teachers will be familiar with the criteria for
identifying gifted and talented pupils and will be alert to pupils who exhibit
those criteria. The identification
methodology will be developmentally appropriate, non-discriminatory and related
to the programs and services offered by the district.
Files of all kindergarten through grade twelve pupils will
be reviewed against the criteria for identifying gifted and talented
pupils. The review will include
consideration of intelligence ratings, classroom achievements, the results of
standardized testing, and teaching staff member observation reports.
Pupils who are identified as exceptionally able students
when compared to their peers within the district will be considered for
participation in the gifted and talented program.
The process of identifying primary children is
ongoing. Since developmental concerns
are more prevalent during these early years, the students’ needs must be reviewed
and changed each year. For those
youngsters who are ready for enrichment, we have the following:
At the end of grade three, a more formal identification
process is implemented. A pullout
program is offered in grades four through eight for those students satisfying
the district criteria.
High School students who consistently demonstrate
intellectual or creative ability and are highly motivated to achieve will be
eligible to enroll in honors and advanced placement coursework.
Gifted and Talented
Program
Grades 4-8
Test of
Cognitive Skills (CSI)
MINIMUM
CRITERIA
120-124 0
125-129 3
130-139 4
140+ 5
TERRA NOVA
(Grades 5,6,7) or
NJ ASK 3 & NJ ASK 4
Total
Score Percentile Advanced Proficient
Range
87-89% 0 250-259 3
90-93% 3 260-269 4
94-97% 4 270+ 5
98-100% 5
Average 0
Good 3
Very
Good 4
Superior 5
After the initial screening, pupils are ranked according
to the points they have earned. Those
attaining the minimum criteria of 13 points are recommended for admittance into
the Gifted and Talented Program. Parents or guardians of selected children will
be notified in writing that their child has met the necessary criteria and is
therefore eligible for admittance into the cognitive program. No exceptions to the selection criteria will
be permitted.
New students in the district will be evaluated using
available information, in accordance with the district’s identification
process. Any additional tests required
will be administered with parental permission.
When a pupil has been identified as gifted or talented,
the Gifted and Talented teacher will:
·
Inform the
pupil’s parent(s) or legal guardian(s) on the goals of the pupil’s program and
secure the parent(s) or legal guardian(s) cooperation and permission for the
pupil’s participation in the program.
·
Interview each selected pupil for additional
information about the pupil and for guidance in establishing an enriched
educational program for the pupil,
·
Confer with the pupil’s teacher about a proposed
educational program for the pupil.
The enrichment needs of gifted and talented pupils can be
met through a wide variety of activities and teaching strategies. Appropriate curricular and instructional
modifications will be developed for gifted pupils and the program will address
appropriate content, process, products and learning environment.
At the end of each school year, all gifted and talented
students will continue in the program without re-qualification. A pupil may be withdrawn from the gifted and
talented program when:
·
The pupil
wishes to withdraw and his/her parent(s) or legal guardian(s) consents to
withdrawal
or
·
The pupil’s parent(s) or legal guardian(s) requests
withdrawal.
Gifted and Talented
Program
Grades 4-8
PROGRAM GOALS AND
OBJECTIVES
The
Gifted and Talented Program has been designed to meet the following goals and
objectives:
Ø To encourage creative thinking,
flexibility, and originality of thought.
Ø To develop higher levels of
analytical, critical, and productive thinking based on problem solving,
divergent thinking, and critical analysis.
Ø To emphasize the process of
learning
Ø To employ teaching strategies
leading to self-direction, open-endedness, self-fulfillment, creativity, social
awareness, and responsibility.
Ø To stimulate intellectual
curiosity.
Ø To approach ideas and problems
from a number of innovative and creative perspectives.
MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES
Howard Gardner initially formulated a list
of seven intelligences. His listing was provisional. The first two are ones
that have been typically valued in schools; the next three are usually
associated with the arts; and the final two are what Howard Gardner called
'personal intelligences' (Gardner 1999: 41-43).
Linguistic intelligence involves sensitivity to spoken and written
language, the ability to learn languages, and the capacity to use language to
accomplish certain goals. This intelligence includes the ability to effectively
use language to express oneself rhetorically or poetically; and language as a
means to remember information. Writers, poets, lawyers and speakers are among
those that Howard Gardner sees as having high linguistic intelligence.
Children with this kind of intelligence enjoy writing, reading,
telling stories or doing crossword puzzles.
Logical-mathematical intelligence consists of the capacity to
analyze problems logically, carry out mathematical operations, and investigate
issues scientifically. In Howard Gardner's words, in entails the ability to
detect patterns, reason deductively and think logically. This intelligence is
most often associated with scientific and mathematical thinking.
Children with lots of logical intelligence are interested
in patterns, categories and relationships. They are drawn to arithmetic
problems, strategy games and experiments.
Musical intelligence involves skill in the performance, composition, and
appreciation of musical patterns. It encompasses the capacity to recognize and
compose musical pitches, tones, and rhythms. According to Howard Gardner
musical intelligence runs in an almost structural parallel to linguistic
intelligence.
Musical children are always singing or drumming to
themselves. They are usually quite aware of sounds others may miss. These
children are often discriminating listeners.
Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence entails the potential of using
one's whole body or parts of the body to solve problems. It is the ability to
use mental abilities to coordinate bodily movements. Howard Gardner sees mental
and physical activity as related.
These children process knowledge through bodily
sensations. They are often athletic, dancers or good at crafts such as sewing
or woodworking.
Spatial intelligence involves the potential to recognize and use the
patterns of wide space and more confined areas.
These children think in images and pictures. They may be
fascinated with mazes or jigsaw puzzles, or spend free time drawing, building
with Lego blocks or daydreaming.
Interpersonal intelligence is concerned with the capacity to
understand the intentions, motivations and desires of other people. It allows
people to work effectively with others. Educators, salespeople, religious and
political leaders and counselors all need a well-developed interpersonal
intelligence.
Children who are leaders among their peers, who are good
at communicating and who seem to understand others' feelings and motives
possess interpersonal intelligence.
Intrapersonal intelligence entails the capacity to
understand oneself, to appreciate one's feelings, fears and motivations. In
Howard Gardner's view it involves having an effective working model of
ourselves, and to be able to use such information to regulate our lives.
These children may be shy. They are very aware of their
own feelings and are self-motivated.
BLOOM'S TAXONOMY
In their efforts to develop a
system of analyzing classroom activities in relation to cognitive behaviors,
Bloom, Krathwhol et al. developed a taxonomy of educational objectives that has
provided a foundation for curriculum development since 1956. This practice has
continued with programs for gifted and talented students with particular
emphasis on the higher levels of cognitive behaviors with each level
incorporating all previous levels, with the exception of evaluation, which may
occur at any level. Problem solving,
creativity, and the use of higher level thinking skills, as outlined below,
create the foundation for the Gifted and Talented Program.
1. KNOWLEDGE - This
category generally reflects recall of information. Verbs often used to describe
student behavior reflecting knowledge are: memorize, recall, state, identify,
recognize, list, match, and name.
2. COMPREHENSION - In
addition to knowledge of ideas, this category incorporates those behaviors
which demonstrate understanding of material Verbs often used to describe
student behavior reflecting comprehension are: paraphrase, translate, restate,
summarize, illustrate, interpret, and explain.
3. APPLICATION - As the
title suggests, behaviors in this category demonstrate the ability to apply
understanding of concepts to other situations. For many students, especially
the gifted, application may be a high level behavior because a quality work
will incorporate all other levels of taxonomy. Verbs often used to describe
student behavior reflecting application are: apply, produce, compute, solve,
relate, use, construct, and prepare.
4. ANALYSIS - Behaviors in
this category involve the ability to break down and describe the components of
an item and the relationships of those components to each other and to the
whole. Verbs often used to describe student behavior reflecting analysis are:
analyze, discriminate, compare/contrast, distinguish, detail, and classify.
5. SYNTHESIS - This level
of cognitive behavior requires ability to draw together ideas or materials from
different sources to create something new. Verbs often used to describe student
behavior reflecting synthesis are: produce, design, write, create, generate,
reorganize, and generalize.
6. EVALUATION - Behaviors
in this category involve judgments about value, purpose, or quality of an idea
or item Verbs often used to describe student behavior reflecting evaluation
are: judge, criticize, assess, justify, appraise, rank, and dispute.
Gifted and Talented
Program
Grades 4-8
Student goals &
Objectives
As relates to core
curriculum standards
On
Those exceptionally able students
who possess or demonstrate high levels of ability, in one or more content areas,
when compared to their chronological peers in the local district and who
require modification of their educational program if they are to achieve in accordance with their
capabilities.
The Core
Curriculum Standards make it clear that these “gifted and talented” students
must be challenged and learn in the classroom.
Therefore, we must provide all students with appropriate challenges so
that the raised expectations for all students do not result in lowered expectations
for the gifted and talented. Students
should also be encouraged to take intellectual risks in an environment which
encourages intellectual exploration, creative thinking and an open exchange of
ideas.
The
educational objectives below describe expected behaviors of our cognitively
identified students, which should occur with greater frequency and consistency
than when compared to those non-identified students. These objectives have been cross-referenced
to the NJ Core Curriculum Standards.
1.
To
develop skills in writing, speaking and listening. (Gr. 4-8, LA 3.1, 3.2, 3.3)
2.
To
identify and solve problems through critical and rational think and then apply
that information to practical situations. (Gr. 4-8, Math 4.11, 4.14; Science
5.2, W.R. 3.1, 3.12)
3.
To
express individuality through independent projects, stories, debates and art
forms. (Gr. 4-8, Visual & Performing Arts 1.1, 1.2)
4.
To
develop team cooperation through group enrichment projects. (Gr. 4-8, W.R. 4.2)
5.
To
clarify their thoughts and communicate their ideas in a positive way. (Gr. 4-8,
LA 3.1, 3.3)
6.
To
increase consciousness of global affairs and their potential involvement in an
ever-shrinking global society. (Gr. 4-8,
7.
To
become proficient in the use of various types of reference materials and
methods of research. (Gr. 4-8, W.R. 2.2)
8.
To
access and assess information on specific topics using both technological and
print resources available in libraries, media centers and classrooms. (Gr. 4-8,
Sci. 5.4; W.R. 2.3, 2.5, 2.6, 3.4, 3.5)
9.
To
share their knowledge and/or skills with the general student population.
10.
To
develop an awareness of our multicultural world. (Gr. 4-8,
11.
To
develop a positive attitude about learning.
12.
To
develop self-direction in assuming responsibilities, planning time wisely, open-endedness,
abstract-thinking, making decisions and making positive contributions to
society. (Gr. 4-8, W.R. 3.10, 4.9)
13.
To
increase their ability to stay at a task, extend concentration and become more
committed to the learning process. (Gr.
4-8, W.R. 4.1, 4.11)
This program, for all
students including identified academically talented students as well, is viewed
as part of the individual students’ total educational experience. Basic program assumptions are that:
·
The classroom
teacher will observe the lessons of the teacher of the academically talented in
order to implement these skills into the total program.
This program is designed to enhance personal and social
development of the student and should emphasize the interdependence of persons
and groups at the local, national, and international levels.
By focusing on students’ strengths and interests, it is
hoped that a springboard of discovery through a variety of challenging and
enriching experience will be provided.
The program provides for academic enrichment and focuses on both process
and content.
Each pupil’s program will seek to involve the pupil in
subject areas that can provide growth and stimulation in higher cognitive
processes such as interpretation, extrapolation, translation, application,
analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.
No enrichment program will replace the basic instructional
program appropriate to the pupil’s grade level.
Ø The
enriched educational program for a gifted and talented pupil may consist of:
·
Additional classroom studies and assignments,
·
Special classes in appropriate studies,
·
Out-of-class sessions with the Gifted and Talented
teacher,
·
Independent projects sessions supervised by the
Gifted and Talented teacher, and/or subject area teachers,
·
General information, as well as content-specific
information, as provided for in the curriculum frameworks developed by the New
Jersey Department of Education.
Ø A
classroom teacher may provide for the needs of gifted and talented pupils by:
·
Presenting content material that is related to
broad-based issues, themes, or problems,
·
Integrating multiple disciplines into the study
area,
·
Allowing for in-depth learning of a topic selected
by the pupil within the study area,
·
Developing the pupil’s independent and
self-directed study skills,
·
Developing research skills and methods,
·
Integrating higher level thinking skills into the
curriculum,
·
Focusing on open-ended tasks,
·
Using new techniques, materials, and forms,
·
Encouraging the development of self-understanding,
and
·
Encouraging self-appraisal and evaluation.
Enrichment opportunities for students in grades 4-6
include the following activities:
o Site o Book Club o Debate
o Math 24 o
Public Speaking
On the middle school level, grades 7 and 8, enrichment
opportunities will be provided for every student:
o
Public speaking
o Visual Arts o Civics
o
CAD o Current Events o Chorus
o
Instrumental Music o Research
o Music
o
Math League
o Computer classes o
Songwriting
o
Enriched reading and Creative Writing
o
Enriched Vocabulary (Word Master) Synergistics
High school enrichment opportunities include:
o
Honors/AP courses o Model UN
o
Literary Magazine o Chorus
o
Art o Science League
o
Math League o Instrumental Music
o
Competitive French o Yearbook Production