The Gifted program prepares students for active and imaginative intellectual life by fostering analytical and critical thinking as well as self-expression and reflection. In the elementary years, students learn to apply logic, reasoning and analysis. This focus on questioning transitions into personalizing a method for inquiry. Student interests and modes of working are nurtured as students become more aware of their knowledge development. In the middle school years, students explore world cultures, mythology, communication, research, and metacognitive skills while building an awareness of the humanities.In the high school years, students will follow Socrates’ dictum that “the unexamined life is not worth living” by engaging in seminars that focus on philosophical theory and analysis of literary and visual texts.All in all, instruction is designed to meet their individual needs.
Gifted Grade 5 Description
The Grade 5 Gifted Curriculum is the culmination of the previous years’ skills development, and the final preparation for Middle School performance expectations. While the academic and content focus is on creating increased global awareness, the secondary goal is in supporting responsible time management so students will be successful with increased rigor and productivity in subsequent years. Creating an awareness of individual needs and strengths while pursuing identified interests, supports academic growthand more independent and satisfying life-long learning. The integration of more sophisticated technical application, along with expanding scientific literacy will support meeting student goals. Student writing focus is on the presentation of a formal thesis.
Grade 5Units:
- Unit 1: Introduction to Philosophy
- Unit 2: Research, Writing and Technology
- Unit 3: Civics
- Unit 4: Scientific Literacy and Reasoning
- Unit 5: Logic and Reasoning
- Unit 6: Literature; Analysis and Writing
Subject: Gifted / Grade: 5 / Suggested Timeline: 3 Weeks and Ongoing
UnitTitle:
Unit 1: Introduction to Philosophy
Unit Overview/Essential Understanding:
Students will be introduced to the major philosophers and their teachings. They will be given questions to contemplate through articles and discussion. They will be given assignments to allow the formation of their own response to questions of philosophy and to defend their thinking.
Unit Objectives:
During this unit students will:
- Understand what a philosopher does and why
- Understand that philosophers do not necessarily agree with one another
- Understand the basic premise of some of the great philosophical questions
- Understand that cultural beliefs and circumstance may influence what is thought to be a truth and that “truths” may not be universal
Focus Standards Addressed in this Unit:
- CC.1.5.6.A Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions, on grade-level topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly
- CC.1.5.6.B Delineate a speaker’s argument and specific claims by identifying specific reasons and evidence and recognize arguments or claims not supported by factual evidence
Important Standards Addressed in this Unit:
- CC.8.5.6-8.H. Distinguish among fact, opinion, and reasoned judgment in a text
Misconceptions:
- Truths are universal regardless of cultural differences, history or an individual’s circumstances.
Concepts/Content:
- What conditions of time and circumstance create one person’s truth and is this truth universal?
- What prevents a truth from being universal?
- Demonstrate understanding of:
- What is Philosophy?
- What is the job of a philosopher?
- History of Philosophy
- Who were/are the great philosophers?
- Defend a philosophic argument
- Read and discuss.
- Complete written responses.
- Develop opinions through investigation and discussion
- Share writing and defend opinions.
Assessments:
- Rubric to assess the quality and frequency of participation in discussion
- Rubric to assess written work and defense of opinion based on text.
Interdisciplinary Connections:
- Speaking and Listening
- Writing and Editing
- Philosophy for Kids. David A. White, PhD Prufrock Press Inc.
- Touchpebbles Volume B. Touchstones Discussion Project
Subject: Gifted / Grade: 5 / Suggested Timeline: 7.5 Weeks
Unit Title:
Unit 2: Research, Writing and Technology
Unit Overview/Essential Understanding:
Using a topic of social, political, scientific or environmental import, with ethical implications, students will conduct research and write a formal thesis to present an opinion. Students will edit to improve the quality of their writing and to make clear and complete connections between the evidence and their claims. The focus will be on “how” and “why” questions. They will use a specific writing structure. Students will be given instruction in content and supporting materials will be made available in the form of books, videos, articles and the internet. Possible topics are the ethics of cloning, artificial intelligence, GMO food production and the environmental impact of the commercial “harvesting” of various fuel or other natural resources. These skills will be applied to multi-media year-end presentation of research.
Unit Objectives:
During this unit students will:
- Conduct extensive research as a group and collect data on a controversial topic relevant to the group
- Formulate an opinion and present a formal paper with a thesis statement and cite research to defend either a pro or con premise statement
- Edit papers to demonstrate growth and understanding
- Transfer application to individual research conducted as a culmination to the year’s curricular development of related skills in research, writing and technology
Focus Standards Addressed in this Unit:
- CC.3.6.6-8.A
- Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content
- Introduce claim(s) about a topic or issue, acknowledge and distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and organize the reasons and evidence logically
- Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant, accurate data and evidence that demonstrate an understanding of the topic or text, using credible sources
- Establish and maintain a formal style
- Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.
- CC.8.5.6-8.G Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital texts
- CC.1.5.6.F Include multimedia components and visual displays in presentations to clarify information.
- Grade 7: CC.1.5.7.F Include multimedia components and visual displays in presentations to clarify claims and findings and emphasize salient points
Important Standards Addressed in this Unit:
- CC.3.5.6-8.A. Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts
- CC.3.5.6-8.B. Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; provide an accurate summary of the text distinct from prior knowledge or opinions
Misconceptions:
- When writing in response to a controversial topic, it is fair and expected that both sides should be presented.
Concepts/Content:
- Arguments are substantiated with reliable facts but logical connections must be explicit to gain the support of the audience
- These skills are a prerequisite to participating in a successful debate in later years
- Collecting data and recording sources
- Formulating an opinion through research and discussion
- Steps of the writing and editing process
- Formulating and supporting a formal written thesis
- Identify an area of interest among students with social and ethical implications
- Conduct research; provide content instruction
- Collect data from both reliable and biased sources
- Provide a template for formal presentation of a thesis
- Support the writing and editing process
- Culminating Individual Research Project: Research, Production and Presentation
Assessments:
- Student papers will be done in 3 steps; A Rough Draft, A Student-Edited Copy and a Final Draft done after Teacher/Student conferencing
- Adherence to due dates, quality of writing and the editing process as well as the content of the writing and the supporting evidence provided will be assessed through a rubric aligned to targeted skills
- Rubric to assess application to year-end research presentation incorporating multi-media technology support
Interdisciplinary Connections:
- Science
- Technology
- Nature of Life, The Readings in Biology. The Great Books Foundation
- Usborne Introduction to Genes and DNA. Anna Claybourne. Educational Development Corporation; EDC Publishing
- Various books, online sources and videos
- Instructional materials to support content understanding
- How to Create a PowerPoint® Slideshow
Subject: Gifted / Grade: 5 / Suggested Timeline: 5 Weeks and Ongoing
Unit Title:
Unit 3: Civics
Unit Overview/Essential Understanding:
In order to access the ability to have discussions on decisions centered on “the greater good” of mankind, students need background information in the structure of a society or civilization of people who come together to operate as a group. Through this unit they will be introduced to the complex structure of planning, governing and maintaining a society. They will understand the difficulty faced when making decisions of growth vs. preservation of resources as well as the myriad components which are debated and prioritized. Students will apply these fundamental skills in infrastructure to related discussions in questions of ethics and philosophy in those units. By broadening student awareness, they will be empowered to gradually process world issues and current events.
Unit Objectives:
Apply the Grade 4 Civics Unit to playing of the game Civilization. Create an empire and strategize to dominate your opponent, making ethical and tactical decisions to determine your likelihood of success.
Demonstrate understanding through discussion on topics of:
- What criteria determine a culture?
- Who makes decisions for the good of the group?
- Who makes decisions for individuals’ rights and responsibilities?
Focus Standards Addressed in this Unit:
- CC.8.5.9-10.G. Integrate quantitative or technical analysis (e.g., charts, research data) with qualitative analysis in print or digital text.
- CC.1.5.6.A Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions, on grade-level topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
Important Standards Addressed in this Unit:
- CC.8.5.6-8.A. Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.
Misconceptions:
- What is best for the majority is essentially obvious. Therefore determining what is “best” for the greater good is a clear choice which should not weigh on the collective conscious of those making decisions or present ethical judgements.
Concepts/Content:
- How are decisions made within a society on what is the best use of resources?
- How are decisions of prioritization negotiated within a group of people?
- Apply a basic understanding of the complexity of a societal infrastructure to discussions related to civics
- Apply and demonstrate understanding of the concept of societal infrastructure to the game, Civilization
- Play the Game Civilization
- Apply Civics to discussions in Philosophy Unit
- Apply Civics to discussions in Genetics and Ethics
- Apply to discussions in Touchpebbles Book B
Assessments:
- Rubric to track Quality and Content; the frequency and quality of student contributions setting up, interpreting and playing the game, Civilization.
- Quality and Content Checklist to track the frequency and quality of student contributions to discussions.
Interdisciplinary Connections:
- Ethics
- Philosophy
- Civilization Game
- Nordgaarden, Carol,Create a Culture. Creative Teaching Press, Huntington Beach, CA.
Subject: Gifted / Grade: 5 / Suggested Timeline: 7.5 Weeks
Unit Title:
Unit 4: Scientific Literacy and Reasoning
Unit Overview/Essential Understanding:
This unit introduces the formal study of areas of scientific literacy; Corvids: Animal Intelligence and Genetics: Ethics and Artificial Intelligence as the basis for the formulation of a formal opinion paper. This unit is done in tandem with some of the objectives within the previously describedUnit 2: Writing and Technology: Writing a Formal Thesis.
Unit Objectives:
During this unit students will:
- Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others
- Write a thesis statement and present defense for a pro or con viewpoint using a specific formal structure for organization
Focus Standards Addressed in this Unit:
- CC.8.6.6-8.G. Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.
- CC.8.6.6-8.H. Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis reflection, and research.
- CC.3.5.6-8.A. Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts.
- CC.3.6.6-8.A.
- Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.
- Introduce claim(s) about a topic or issue, acknowledge and distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and organize the reasons and evidence logically.
- Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant, accurate data and evidence that demonstrate an understanding of the topic or text, using credible sources.
Important Standards Addressed in this Unit:
- CC.1.5.6.A Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions, on grade-level topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
Misconceptions:
- We cannot determine scientific truths without conduction our own research or field studies.
Concepts/Content:
- Provide lessons through lecture with visuals and technology integration as well as timely articles from internet sources
- Apply to investigations to support research inquiry and writing
- Collect data from activities, articles, books and videos using reliable sources
- Develop an opinion through analysis and discussion
- Present defensible arguments in a formal paper using a thesis statement
Genetics:
- Punnett Square
- Dominant and Recessive Genes
- Purebred vs Hybrid
- Mitosis
- Research, Data Collection and Writing of an Opinion Paper with Defense
Assessments:
Rubrics designed to critique targeted skills in building defensive arguments to support opinion based on applicable and reliable resources.
Interdisciplinary Connections:
Science;Biology: Genetics and Animal Behavior / Additional Resources:
- Usborne Introduction to Genes and DNA. Anna Claybourne. Educational Development Corporation; EDC Publishing
- Nature of Life, The; Readings in Biology. The Great Books Foundation
- Fehrer-Elston, Catharine, Ravensong: A Natural and Fabulous
- History of Ravens and Crows
- Haupt, Lyanda Lynn, Crow Planet: Essential Wisdom from the Urban Wilderness
- Heinrich, Bernd; Ravens in Winter
- Lopez, Barry and Pohrt, Tom, Crow and Weasel
- Marzluff, John and Angell, Tony, Gifts of the Crow.
- Savage, Candace; Bird Brains: The Intelligence of Crows
- Savage, Candace; Crows: Encounters with the Wise Guys of the
- Avian World
- Wohlworth, Charles; Who are you Calling Bird Brain?Discover magazine; March 2010.
- Apple Classics; Aesop’s Fables retold by McGovern, Ann; Scholastic 1963. (The Crow and the Pitcher; The Fox and the Crow )
Subject: Gifted / Grade: 5 / Suggested Timeline: 3.5 and Ongoing
Unit Title:
Unit 5: Logic and Reasoning
Unit Overview/Essential Understanding:
Logic Skills in Isolation to practice and develop higher order reasoning skills. These skills will be presented and practiced initially in isolation to model the process of reasoning in a linear format. They will later be applied to various units of study to determine valid conclusions, to present well-developed arguments, and to determine validity of outcomes based on data and defensible reasoning. Skills will be strengthened through ongoing application to writing and discussion.
Unit Objectives:
During this unit students will:
- Demonstrate understanding of logic strategies by formulating defensible arguments and accurate outcomes they can support by citing data and through verbalizing or preparing written defense of accurate reasoning
Focus Standards Addressed in this Unit:
- LOGIC CC.1.2.5.J Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate conversational, general academic, and domain-specific words and phrases, including those that signal contrast, addition, and other logical relationships
- CC.1.5.6.D Present claims and findings, sequencing ideas logically and using pertinent descriptions, facts, and details to accentuate main ideas or themes; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation
Important Standards Addressed in this Unit:
- CC.1.5.6.B Delineate a speaker’s argument and specific claims by identifying specific reasons and evidence and recognize arguments or claims not supported by factual evidence
Misconceptions:
- There can be several “correct” outcomes for a given outcome and set of data, depending on viewpoint, and these differences can and should all be accepted as valid, because they reflect differing opinions and interpretations.
Concepts/Content:
- Higher Order Reasoning and Logic
- Defending a thesis statement
- Application of logic to conclude valid and defensible outcome
- Demonstrate understanding through accurate application of analytical reasoning
- Demonstrate understanding of logic through application to the writing of a formal thesis statement paper to defend a position
- Completion of activities to model and practice logic and reasoning skills in isolation
- Application of skills to written evidence of defensible reasoning
- Application of skills to discussion providing verbal support for reasoning and forming valid outcomes
Assessments:
- Scoring of performance on individual skills application activities.
- Rubrics for related skills in preparation of research and written applications.
Interdisciplinary Connections:
- Speaking and Listening
- Writing
- Building Thinking Skills Level 3 Figural. Sandra Parks and Howard Black. The Critical Thinking Company
- Building Thinking Skills Level 3 Verbal. Sandra Parks and Howard Black. The Critical Thinking Company
- Code Breakers Level B.Mindware
- Key Words for High Achievement. Teacher Created Resources, Inc.
- Number Circuits; Level B (Grades 5 and up) MindWare
Subject: Gifted / Grade: 5 / Suggested Timeline: 7.5 Weeks
Unit Title:
Unit 6: Literature; Analysis and Writing
Unit Overview/Essential Understanding:
This unit is divided into 2 sections, the first focusing on identifying more complex literary elements within selected literature. The second phase is accomplished through the application of a structure identified within the selected literature selections, to the writing of a short story. Student writing of fiction will be conducted through a “Writer’s Workshop” model, allowing students to experience the support of other writers struggling through the same process. Students will offer suggestions to peers during discussion. Student writing will be planned, written in steps, self-edited, peer-edited and culminate in a teacher-student collaborative editing session, prior to publishing. This unit is intended to increase the quality of student writing and to ensure the process has a more successful and satisfying outcome to make writing of fiction pleasurable.