Middle School Gifted Education 8th Grade Empowering Students to think and respond with action.

What does GIFTED look like in middle school? We read material on a more challenging level. Metacognition: Think about their thinking Social/Emotional needs are addressed and nurtured Less drill, More flexibility Advanced reading and thinking strategies Critical and Creative Thinking skills are strengthened Socratic Seminars, Think Like a Disciplinarian assignments, Depth and Complexity Certified Gifted Specialists are trained to meet the vast needs of Gifted Students

Higher Order Thinking Skills By the time a gifted student completes the 8th grade, they are equipped with the skills to evaluate and synthesize information with ease. This is the mark of a productive and innovative thinker.

Higher Order Thinking We go far beyond mere reading comprehension. Students are asked to do analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Students will do at least one research project. The research project will give students the opportunity to investigate a topic of their choice. Many units are interdisciplinary and allow students to dig deeper and make new connections.

Benefits: Able to attend classes with their intellectual peers. Able to develop an awareness and appreciation for their gifts. In these classes teachers not only enrich or extend learning, but they also recognize and address the unique abilities and social-emotional needs of the gifted student.

College and Career Readiness Standards Like all 8th graders, gifted students are taught according to the state adopted curriculum, which sets the goals and objectives for students to master.

Exiting the Comfort Zone… May be harder for the gifted than for others Often a little uncomfortable Sometimes a little frustrating Sometimes very uncertain Challenges assumptions Tests resilience Stretches potential

Gifted Education Plan Concepts – Big ideas, topics Essential Understandings – important things to know EssentialQuestions – what we ask to get us to what we know

Concept Based Learning Content is taught within the context of a bigger idea. Students will learn to generalize what they learn to other settings or content areas. Learning occurs as students construct knowledge using guiding questions and apply knowledge to other areas of study through essential understandings.

New Conceptual Lens During the 2016-17 school year, the Gifted Education Department will begin to scaffold concepts to create the greatest impact for our students. The essential understandings for each concept are designed to go full circle and each concepts builds on an idea from the previous concept and year.   6th Grade 7th Grade 8th Grade Fall: Risk Taking Spring: Resilience Perspectives Prejudice/Bias Discernment Spring: Empowerment

Benefits of Scaffolding Concepts The concepts for each year compliment the standards and provide opportunities for increased diversity in reading materials and assignments while helping to connect interdisciplinary relationships. Designed to allow for richer, deeper understandings of the concepts and the material studied. Develops a solid foundation and appeals to the nature and needs of gifted students.

CONCEPTS for 8th Grade GRC Discernment and Empowerment

Why should students study the concepts of discernment and empowerment? Gifted students need to become leaders of their own learning. By teaching students how to discern information we empower them to think for themselves and take action with confidence.

Fall Semester: DISCERNMENT Essential Understandings Discernment is used to judge the credibility of information. Discernment is necessary in order to identify bias. Discernment requires one to delay judgment and consider information from different perspectives. Discernment of credible information leads to informed decisions and appropriate actions.

The Road to Informed Decisions and Self-Confidence…

Spring Semester: EMPOWERMENT Essential Understandings Discernment leads to empowerment. Empowerment is preceded and strengthened by resilience. Empowerment allows an individual to take initiative and make decisions to solve problems and transform those decisions into desired actions and outcomes. Empowerment is dependent on a belief that power can change and expand. Empowerment may change lives on a personal, community and/or global level.

Gifted students often see all of the problems in the world and in their life, but they feel helpless when it comes to fixing them. We want to EMPOWER our students with the ability to make good decisions and develop the courage and confidence to DO something about the problems/issues that matter most to them. They are capable and ready!

What you can do to help… Believe that your child is capable and CAN do things that are difficult, complex, or seemingly impossible. Encourage your child to persevere despite challenges. Teach your child to embrace challenges positively. Put your child’s talent and passion to work at home and in the community. They need to belong and feel useful. Make failure safe and a natural part of growth and success. Listen—really listen to your child’s dreams and partner with them to make it a reality. Let them see you think through problems, discern information, and make decisions.

Thank you for coming! Please sign the GEP in the lower left corner and date your signature. Put your child’s FULL LEGAL NAME at the top. Keep one copy of the GEP for your records.

Reading is a MUST! No matter how busy you may think you are, you must find time for reading, or surrender yourself to self-chosen ignorance.” – Confucius “We read to know we are not alone.” – C.S. Lewis “The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can’t read.” – Mark Twain