Curriculum & Instruction
"Ohio’s Learning Standards emphasize skills like critical thinking and problem solving — qualities most sought by today’s employers. By teaching our students to apply these skills to what they are learning in school, we can make sure they are on track to graduate from high school and enjoy success in college, careers and life."
"National standards for specialized programs and services, for gifted education teacher preparation, knowledge and skills for all teachers, and advanced standards in teacher preparation will help guide and improve teaching and deepen student learning."
Curriculum Goals and Objectives
FCS gifted education curriculum complies with local curriculum guides and with state standards mandated by the Ohio Department of Education.
Academic Objectives Targeted for Gifted Programs
Promote critical thinking and reasoning abilities.
Develop and expand thinking skills.
Utilize differentiated strategies for learning.
Build or extend cognitive language skills.
Facilitate opportunities for learning.
Mathematics
Gifted students require a mathematics curriculum that not only challenges their current abilities but also pushes them into new realms of understanding. This type of differentiation is best provided through an acceleration model that allows students to demonstrate mastery of grade-level standards and move through the curriculum receiving instruction at their challenge levels.
Language Arts
These four components allow gifted students to extend their understanding of language beyond the literal and inferential into the realm of evaluative analysis.
Literary comprehension and analysis studied through the lens of literary elements and devices
Strong, advanced vocabulary development through the study of Latin and Greek stems
Grammar study to enhance the understanding of language in written context
Study of Poetics
Gifted Education Curriculum Objectives
Gifted students receive instruction that is differentiated in content, process, product, learning environment, and assessment.
Creative and Productive Thinking. Students will study techniques that help in the search for innovative solutions. They will develop unique and refined conceptualized ideas.
Problem Solving. Students will learn strategies for rational decision-making and apply them to problems and issues in today’s world.
Thinking Skills. Students will make connections between present knowledge and new information derived from varied materials, media, and environments. They will identify premises, analyze relationships, and validate conclusions.
Communication. Students will use communication to construct knowledge through a variety
Research. Students will make effective decisions about the identification, implementation, and presentation of ideas.
Personal Development. Students will recognize their strengths, needs, and individuality, and develop skills to achieve their potential while making meaningful contributions to society.
Areas of Differentiated Instruction
Content. Complex, abstract ideas are presented in a variety of disciplines, including interdisciplinary curricula.
Process. Higher-level thinking through Bloom's Taxonomy and the Multiple Intelligences
Products. Alternative methods of demonstrating mastery with a range of complexity
Learning Environment. Student-centered, flexible grouping based on readiness, interests, and abilities
Assessments. Pre-assessment and testing out-of-grade level curriculum
