Warwick School District

Curriculum❯7th Grade Gifted

7th Grade Gifted

Grade Levels: 07 |

Course Description

The goal of the Middle School Gifted is to provide opportunities for students to explore areas of potential interest that otherwise are not available within the regular curriculum.  Students are challenged intellectually, creatively, and emotionally while discovering that growth and achievement require strong values and a solid work ethic.

Students opt out of another enrichment class and take the Gifted Support Class where they study and practice better thinking skills and complete self-selected projects while learning with other gifted students through small group instruction.  Students are provided opportunities to work with LEGO Robotics, SimCity software, clay animations, or any other approved individual or group project they choose to do.  Middle School Gifted Class is where students truly get the freedom to take ownership over their time and learning.

Core Curriculum Content Standards

Gifted Programming Standards (2010)

  • Pre-K-Grade 12

    • Learning and Development - Educators, recognizing the learning and developmental differences of students with gifts and talents, promote ongoing self-understanding, awareness of their needs, and cognitive and affective growth of these students in school, home, and community settings to ensure specific student outcomes.(GIFT.PK-12.1)
      • Self-Understanding. Students with gifts and talents demonstrate self-knowledge with respect to their interests, strengths, identities, and needs in socio-emotional development and in intellectual, academic, creative, leadership, and artistic domains.(GIFT.PK-12.1.1)
      • Self-Understanding. Students with gifts and talents possess a developmentally appropriate understanding of how they learn and grow; they recognize the influences of their beliefs, traditions, and values on their learning and behavior.(GIFT.PK-12.1.2)
      • Self-Understanding. Students with gifts and talents demonstrate understanding of and respect for similarities and differences between themselves and their peer group and others in the general population.(GIFT.PK-12.1.3)
      • Awareness of Needs. Students with gifts and talents access resources from the community to support cognitive and affective needs, including social interactions with others having similar interests and abilities or experiences, including same-age peers and mentors or experts.(GIFT.PK-12.1.4)
      • Cognitive and Affective Growth. Students with gifts and talents benefit from meaningful and challenging learning activities addressing their unique characteristics and needs.(GIFT.PK-12.1.6)
      • Cognitive and Affective Growth. Students with gifts and talents recognize their preferred approaches to learning and expand their repertoire.(GIFT.PK-12.1.7)
      • Cognitive and Affective Growth. Students with gifts and talents identify future career goals that match their talents and abilities and resources needed to meet those goals (e.g., higher education opportunities, mentors, financial support).(GIFT.PK-12.1.8)
    • Curriculum Planning and Instruction - Educators apply the theory and research-based models of curriculum and instruction related to students with gifts and talents and respond to their needs by planning, selecting, adapting, and creating culturally relevant curriculum and by using a repertoire of evidence-based instructional strategies to ensure specific student outcomes.(GIFT.PK-12.3)
      • Curriculum Planning. Students with gifts and talents demonstrate growth commensurate with aptitude during the school year.(GIFT.PK-12.3.1)
      • Talent Development. Students with gifts and talents become more competent in multiple talent areas and across dimensions of learning. (GIFT.PK-12.3.2)
      • Talent Development. Students with gifts and talents develop their abilities in their domain of talent and/or area of interest.(GIFT.PK-12.3.3)
      • Instructional Strategies. Students with gifts and talents become independent investigators.(GIFT.PK-12.3.4)
      • Culturally Relevant Curriculum. Students with gifts and talents develop knowledge and skills for living and being productive in a multicultural, diverse, and global society.(GIFT.PK-12.3.5)
      • Resources. Students with gifts and talents benefit from gifted education programming that provides a variety of high quality resources and materials.(GIFT.PK-12.3.6)
    • Learning Environments - Learning environments foster personal and social responsibility, multicultural competence, and interpersonal and technical communication skills for leadership in the 21st century to ensure specific student outcomes.(GIFT.PK-12.4)
      • Personal Competence. Students with gifts and talents demonstrate growth in personal competence and dispositions for exceptional academic and creative productivity. These include self-awareness, self-advocacy, self-efficacy, confidence, motivation, resilience, independence, curiosity, and risk taking. (GIFT.PK-12.4.1)
      • Social Competence. Students with gifts and talents develop social competence manifested in positive peer relationships and social interactions.(GIFT.PK-12.4.2)
      • Leadership. Students with gifts and talents demonstrate personal and social responsibility and leadership skills.(GIFT.PK-12.4.3)
      • Communication Competence. Students with gifts and talents develop competence in interpersonal and technical communication skills. They demonstrate advanced oral and written skills, balanced biliteracy or multiliteracy, and creative expression. They display fluency with technologies that support effective communication.(GIFT.PK-12.4.5)
    • Programming - Educators are aware of empirical evidence regarding (a) the cognitive, creative, and affective development of learners with gifts and talents, and (b) programming that meets their concomitant needs. Educators use this expertise systematically and collaboratively to develop, implement, and effectively manage comprehensive services for students with a variety of gifts and talents to ensure specific student outcomes.(GIFT.PK-12.5)
      • Variety of Programming. Students with gifts and talents participate in a variety of evidencebased programming options that enhance performance in cognitive and affective areas.(GIFT.PK-12.5.1)
      • Resources. Students with gifts and talents participate in gifted education programming that is adequately funded to meet student needs and program goals.(GIFT.PK-12.5.4)
      • Policies and Procedures. Students with gifts and talents participate in regular and gifted education programs that are guided by clear policies and procedures that provide for their advanced learning needs (e.g., early entrance, acceleration, credit in lieu of enrollment).(GIFT.PK-12.5.6)
      • Career Pathways. Students with gifts and talents identify future career goals and the talent development pathways to reach those goals. 5.7.2. Educators facilitate mentorships, internships, and vocational programming experiences that match student interests and aptitudes. (GIFT.PK-12.5.7)

AASL Standards for the 21st Century Learner (2007)

  • Grades K-12

    • Inquire, think critically, and gain knowledge(1)
      • Skills(1.1)
        • Make sense of information gathered from diverse sources by identifying misconceptions, main and supporting ideas, conflicting information, and point of view or bias.(1.1.7)
        • Collaborate with others to broaden and deepen understanding.(1.1.9)
      • Disposition In Action(1.2)
        • Display emotional resilience by persisting in information searching despite challenges. (1.2.6)
        • Display persistence by continuing to pursue information to gain a broad perspective. (1.2.7)
      • Responsibilities(1.3)
        • Seek divergent perspectives during information gathering and assessment. (1.3.2)
        • Follow ethical and legal guidelines in gathering and using information. (1.3.3)
        • Contribute to the exchange of ideas within the learning community.(1.3.4)
    • Draw conclusions, make informed decisions, apply knowledge to new situations, and create new knowledge(2)
      • Skills(2.1)
        • Continue an inquiry-based research process by applying critical-thinking skills (analysis, synthesis, evaluation, organization) to _information and knowledge in order to construct new understandings, draw conclusions, and create new knowledge. (2.1.1)
        • Use strategies to draw conclusions from information and apply knowledge to curricular areas, real-world situations, and further investigations. (2.1.3)
        • Collaborate with others to exchange ideas, develop new understandings, make decisions, and solve problems. (2.1.5)
    • Pursue personal and aesthetic growth.(4)
      • Responsibilities(4.3)
        • Participate in the social exchange of ideas, both electronically and in person.(4.3.1)
        • Seek opportunities for pursuing personal and aesthetic growth.(4.3.3)
        • Practice safe and ethical behaviors in personal electronic communication and interaction.(4.3.4)

Units

Unit #1 - Self-Understanding

Unit #2 - PechaKucha

Unit #3 - Learning How to Learn

Unit #4 - Independent Student-selected projects

Unit #5 - Social Gaming and Healthy Risk-Taking