1. Advanced Curriculum Guides A Brief Overview

2. Who? What? Why? Created by a task force of teachers including  General Education Teachers in Content Areas  Gifted Specialist  State Department Gifted Specialist Checked for content by AMSTI, ARI, Curriculum Directors Alternative activities tied to each ALCCRS for kids who demonstrate previous mastery To assist teachers with RtI that addresses special need of gifted and high end learners. Funded by the State Personnel Development Grant (SPDG)

3. Recurring Templates throughout Curriculum Guides  Thinker Keys  TIC-TAC-TOE  RAFT  Math Stories  I Can…  Think Fast  Kaplan’s Depth & Complexity  So What Now?  Good/Bad or Fortunately/Unfortunately  Rebus Stories

4. THINKER KEYS  12 ways to incorporate divergent and convergent thinking about a topic.  Could be used as  Open-ended center for all children  Contracts  TIC-TAC-TOE choice board  Questioning

5. TIC-TAC-TOE (Math) 1) Write clear directions for performing the math computation skills from this unit 2) Solve two of the five challenge problems 3) Create a math rap or rhyme that will help someone remember a concept from this unit 4) Create three word problems from information learned in this unit 5) Student Choice Activity (with teacher approval) 6) Define the unit’s vocabulary words with sketches or drawings 7) Complete the review problems in the text book 8) Develop a game using skills learned in this unit 9) Identify four ways the concepts in this unit are used in the real world

6. RAFT- Role, Audience, Format, Topic R Role A Audience F Format T Topic Spilled Oil People of Gulf Coast RapIt’s Not My Fault! BPMarine LifePersuasive letter Relocation To A New Home- Fish Seabirds (Pelicans, Terns, Gannets, etc.) Poem There’s A Better Meal Around The Corner!

7. MATH STORIES  Write a MULTIPLICATION word problem about the oil spill! Your word problem must use either _____ or _____ as a factor. Write your word problem (including your answer), then write a short story using your word problem. Draw a picture to match your story.

8. I CAN…  Research oil spill clean up methods from other countries and present to class.  Make a comic strip about the Gulf oil Spill and its affects.  Create an editorial cartoon.  Make a difference and raise money to send to the Relief/Clean Up Fund  Write a book about the oil spill to help others understand and to not be afraid.

9. THINK FAST O Name 3 things affected by the oil spill. I List 5 problems that could result from the Gulf Oil Spill. L List 3 professions helping to clean up the oil spill S Name 5 ways to clean the oil from the Gulf of Mexico P Name 2 ways students can help. I Identify 2 professions affected by the oil spill. L Name 3 living things from the ocean not affected by the oil spill. L Name 2 systems in the Gulf region.

10. What are Kaplan’s Depth and Complexity items?  Language of the Discipline  Big Idea(s)  Details  Rules  Patterns  Trends  Unanswered Questions  Ethics Complexity (breadth):  Change Over Time  Multiple Points of View  Interdisciplinary Relationships Depth:

11. SO WHAT NOW? Bringing Research/Reports to a Higher Level with the “So What”? Factor  Students are required to answer 3 basic questions when doing reports or independent research. 1. What? (The facts) 2. So What? Now that we know the facts, how do they: Affect us? The community? The world? The environment? Society? What connections can be made between this topic and another topic now that we know these facts? How is it the same? How is it different? Is there a central theme or concept that emerges? 3. Now what? Now that we know about this, are there problems or controversies? What can be done about it? If something is done, what might be the effects, directly and indirectly? What can I do? (Do I want to do anything about it?) What careers, professions, or technologies might be involved in this action?

12. That’s Good, That’s Bad (Fortunately/Unfortunately) Read the scenario. Then write and draw pictures of the chain of events to show the good events and negative, or not so good events, surrounding the scenario (story). You may use additional sheets of paper in order to complete your story. SCENARIO: Early one morning a fisherman went out onto the Gulf of Mexico to catch some fish for dinner. He was not far from shore when he saw something floating on the water. This fisherman stopped his boat at the edge of the brown goo. Oh, that’s bad! No, that’s good because _______________________________________________________________________________ Oh, that’s good! No that’s bad because _______________________________________________________________________________

13. Rebus Story

14. Online Curriculum Guides (Science and Social Studies)  http://alspdg.org/challenging_curriculum_ guides.html

15. “Education is meant to take us into a future we can’t grasp… [Therefore] Creativity now is as important in education as literacy and we should treat it with the same status.” - Sir Ken Robinson “We are attempting to educate students today so that they will be ready to solve future problems that have not yet been identified using technologies not yet invented based on scientific knowledge not yet discovered.” - J.J. Lagowski