AIM – G IFTED S ERVICES Mrs. Janis Micali and Mrs. Kathleen Zackery Fourth and Fifth Grade AIM Little River Elementary School CCSD

W ELCOME Clarify the purpose of AIM and the CCSD Advanced Academic Program Gifted Curriculum Concerns and Issues Share with you what we have learned over the years Answer Your Questions

E LIGIBILITY / Q UALIFICATIONS National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) “ Gifted individuals are those who demonstrate outstanding levels of aptitude (defined as an exceptional ability to reason and learn) or competence (documented performance or achievement in top 10% or rarer) in one or more domains. Domains include any structured area of activity with its own symbol system (e.g., mathematics, music, language) and/or set of sensorimotor skills (e.g., painting, dance, sports).” Cherokee County Assessment Mental Ability - CogAT Achievement - ITBS Motivation – Rating Scales, Interviews, Products Creativity – Torrance, Rating Scales

G IFTED C URRICULUM Purpose according to GA SBOE Rule : To provide gifted students with differentiated instruction that is based on content and pacing that are clearly not appropriate for more typical students at that grade level. The content of all gifted education curricula should be advanced for that grade level. Goals have been set by Cherokee County and are specified on the Advanced Academics Curriculum Maps for each grade. These include: Goal 1: Advanced Communication Skills, Affective (Social and Emotional) Goal 2: Advanced Research Skills: Unit Study and Technology Goal 3: Creative Thinking & Creative Problem Solving Skills Goal 4: Higher Order Critical Thinking Skills

W HAT WE DO IN AIM Teach your child social and emotional skills of working with people (class meetings, small group work) Teach your child to persevere when challenged (critical thinking skills, research). Teach your child how to lead and how to respectfully follow someone else’s lead (Junior Great Books, research and presentation, brainstorming, project work). Teach your child how to solve problems (higher level thinking skills, creative problem solving – logic, real world issues). Create a place of acceptance of their gifted characteristics.

A LL G RADES Creative Problem Solving: – analytical, flexible, elaborative thinking, originality, problem solving Higher Order Thinking Skills : Junior Great Books – classic stories with issues that allow us to have shared inquiry discussions. Affective/Communication: Morning Meeting, presentation and leadership skills

F OURTH G RADE AIM Research : An environmental unit on the Etowah River Watershed. How can one person make a difference?

F IFTH G RADE Research : So You’re Gifted- a study of self and personality characteristics with the AIM of using this knowledge for success in the future. The Brain – What are the functions and parts of the brain? How does the CNS connect everything? Body and Brain Research – topic of choice Second Semester - TBD

C ONCERNS : I NSTRUCTIONAL C OORDINATION Elementary students eligible for the Gifted Education Program are served through a combination of two instructional models:  AIM Program (Resource Class—pull-out from the regular classroom)  Grade Level Classroom (Cluster Grouping/Differentiation of Instruction) Together, both elements of instruction constitute a complete program of study for the gifted student. The single best strategy is to maintain continuing dialogue with the resource class teacher in your school as both teachers work to provide the best possible education for shared students. All students, including AIM students are responsible for mastery of the Cherokee County Standards for Student Achievement. ducation%20Administrative%20Manual/1d%20Instructional%20Coord ination%20(English).pdf

C ONCERNS Perfectionism: “… allow their strong desire for excellent achievement to develop into unhealthy perfectionism, which can be paralyzing and cause a child to become overwhelmed with concern about making a mistake, or not being the best.” Underachievement: “…the unanticipated difference between accomplishment and aptitude.” Organization Skills: Many factors may cause the disorganization that is contributing to your child’s achievement problems.

M ORE C ONCERNS Peer Relationships / Social Skills / Bullies “Gifted children will have moments when they are unavoidably “out of step” with age mates. Twice-Exceptional (Gifted with Special Needs) “Gifted children, with their high potential and abilities, may also have learning problems that act as a roadblock for the development of their gifts.” How can a child have an amazing memory for airplane trivia but not be able to test well on basic multiplication facts?”

P ARENTAL S UPPORT Be open, flexible and ready to advocate for your child. Realize that the gifted classes require your child to work harder with amazing results for the future. If you have questions about your gifted child or the AIM program PLEASE CONTACT US.

R ESOURCES FOR P ARENTS National Association for Gifted Children GAGC: The Georgia Association for Gifted Children Perfectionism: What’s Bad About Being Too Good? by Miriam Adderholdt, Ph.D and Jan Goldberg The Gifted Kids’ Survival Guide by Judy Galbraith, M.A. Publishers of many gifted resources: Prufrock Press Free Spirit Press