Warwick School District

Curriculum❯8th Grade Gifted

8th Grade Gifted

Grade Levels: 08 |

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. 

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)

AASL Standards for the 21st Century Learner (2007)

  • Grades K-12

    • Inquire, think critically, and gain knowledge(1)
      • Skills(1.1)
        • Follow an inquiry-based process in seeking knowledge in curricular subjects, and make the real-world connection for using this process in own life.(1.1.1)
        • Collaborate with others to broaden and deepen understanding.(1.1.9)
      • Disposition In Action(1.2)
        • Demonstrate confidence and self- direction by making independent choices in the selection of resources and information. (1.2.2)
        • Display emotional resilience by persisting in information searching despite challenges. (1.2.6)
      • Responsibilities(1.3)
        • Seek divergent perspectives during information gathering and assessment. (1.3.2)
      • Self-Assessment Strategies(1.4)
        • Use interaction with and feedback from teachers and peers to guide own inquiry process.(1.4.2)
    • 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)
        • Organize knowledge so that it is useful. (2.1.2)
        • Use strategies to draw conclusions from information and apply knowledge to curricular areas, real-world situations, and further investigations. (2.1.3)
        • Use technology and other information tools to analyze and organize information. (2.1.4)
        • Collaborate with others to exchange ideas, develop new understandings, make decisions, and solve problems. (2.1.5)
        • Use the writing process, media and visual literacy, and technology skills to create products that express new understandings. (2.1.6)
    • Share knowledge and participate ethically and productively as members of our democratic society.(3)
      • Skills(3.1)
        • Conclude an inquiry-based research process by sharing new understandings and reflecting on the learning. (3.1.1)
      • Disposition In Action(3.2)
        • Demonstrate leadership and confidence by presenting ideas to others in both formal and informal situations. (3.2.1)
        • Show social responsibility by participating actively with others in learning situations and by contributing questions and ideas during group discussions. (3.2.2)
        • Demonstrate teamwork by working productively with others. (3.2.3)
      • Responsibilities(3.3)
        • Solicit and respect diverse perspectives while searching for information, collaborating with others, and participating as a member of the community. (3.3.1)
      • Self-Assessment Strategies(3.4)
        • Assess own ability to work with others in a group setting by evaluating varied roles, leadership, and demonstrations of respect for other viewpoints. (3.4.3)
    • Pursue personal and aesthetic growth.(4)
      • Responsibilities(4.3)
        • Participate in the social exchange of ideas, both electronically and in person.(4.3.1)
        • Practice safe and ethical behaviors in personal electronic communication and interaction.(4.3.4)
      • Self-Assessment Strategies(4.4)
        • Identify own areas of interest(4.4.1)
        • Develop personal criteria for gauging how effectively own ideas are expressed.(4.4.4)

Units

Unit #1 - Self-Understanding (Only if student did not take Gifted 7)

Unit #2 - Teamwork

Unit #3 - Independent or Group Student-selected projects

Unit #4 - Social Gaming and Healthy Risk-Taking

Course Resources