Grades 6-8 Educational Resources

Learners are welcome to study at more advanced levels as long as the content standards are still covered per grade level, so that content is not missed. 

Middle school learners can take high school level classes, but they will NOT count for high school credit. 

• Credits for high school graduation will not be earned until July 1 of freshman year. 

• The following classes must be taken during high school, so DO NOT take them before July 1 of the learner's freshman year: Modern U.S. History, Modern World History, U.S. Government, and Economics. 

• If your learner takes biology in middle school, they will need to take another life science class in high school (AP, concurrent enrollment, etc.). 

• Work with your academic counselor to plan ahead!

Concurrent Enrollment: Middle school learners can attend community college courses via concurrent enrollment. Things to keep in mind:

• College courses do not appear on a learner's ILP and do not replace grade level work.

• College courses may contain adult content. 

• Concurrent enrollment courses taken during middle school will only count toward college transfer credits, not high school graduation requirements. 

• Learners will officially be starting a college transcript that will follow them throughout their education. 

• Concurrent enrollment tuition is free, but books and supplies are not covered and cannot be purchased with iLEAD funds. 

We recommend that middle school learners take concurrent enrollment classes for enrichment in ares of interest (e.g., film, theater, music, computer science, art, philosophy, psychology, sociology). For acceleration, stick with mathematics and languages other than English; these grades will appear on the learner's high school transcript, but they will not earn high school credits.

See more info on the Hub: 

• Concurrent Enrollment Webinar

• Concurrent Enrollment Policies

iLEAD vendors

iLEAD vendors offering gifted and high-rigor courses include:

• iLEAD Engage - Live or Flex: Taught by iLEAD EFs and PBL is built in!

• Art of Problem Solving online or in person (very popular with gifted learners)

• AIM Academy

• Athena's Advanced Academy

• Blue Tent

• Byrdseed.tv (video-based single lessons, not a curriculum)

• Classical Learning Resource Center (secular courses only)

• Coursera and edX (MOOC: massive online open courses)

• High School Math Live 

• IMACS 

• OnlineG3

• Outschool (funds can only be used for self-paced classes).

• Royal Fireworks Press (curriculum only, no online classes)

• Thinkwell

• Well Trained Mind

Gifted-friendly in-person learning centers:

• Arbor Learning Community (Fullerton)

• Huckleberry Center for Creative Learning (located in Valencia, also offers some live online classes)

General Curriculum suggestions 

ELA: 

• Art of Problem Solving ELA virtual or in-person classes (vendor).  

• Great Books Foundation (vendor). 

• Royal Fireworks Press (vendor for materials only, no online classes). 

• Search for courses at Athena's Advanced Academy or OnlineG3 (vendors)

• Search for interesting courses on Coursera or edX or Outschool (Outschool is a vendor, but funds can only be used for self-paced classes). 

• Writing assignments utilizing iLEAD's writing resources

Math: 

• Art of Problem Solving online or in person

• iLEAD Engage - Live or Flex: Taught by iLEAD EFs and PBL is built in!

• IMACS

• High School Math Live

• Search for courses on Coursera or edX (audit track courses are free, but assignments will not be graded)

• Challenge with math contests, math circles, and other math programs. 

Social Studies: The California standards focus on ancient civilizations in 6th grade, medieval and early modern times in 7th grade, and early US history (framing of the Constitution up to World War I) in 8th grade. Search for interesting courses on Coursera or edX. For enrichment, check out the Big History Project and Climate Project. Leave off US & Western history, economics & political science (Government) as those must be taken during high school. Learners can begin dual enrollment in middle school with non A-G classes such Ethnic studies, Ethnic history classes, sociology & psychology, etc. 

Science: CA NGSS Standards for grades 6-8 can be organized by discipline or integrated.  Search for interesting courses on Coursera or edX. Curriculum: Real Science-4Kids (6-8th); REAL Science Odyssey (6th-10th; Pandia Press is an iLEAD vendor). Middle school students can take any high school or college level science class but must then take a higher level (AP, community college) in high school for high school credit. 

Critical Thinking: Critical Thinking Company materials (iLEAD vendor)

Electives: Students should be going broad and deep on any and all their interests with PBL and interest-led work. Search for interesting courses on Coursera or edX. Also plan for community service of various kinds, a strong jumping point for college.

Multi-subect: Take a deep dive into AI with The AI Education Project and MagicStudent (use iLEAD student email to log in). How does AI work? What are the ethical considerations? How can you use AI responsibly?

Strategies and Tools: 

• Utilize Depth and Complexity

• Explore Curiosities & Puzzlements

• Check out The Gifted Guru for helpful information for teachers, parents, & learners

• Have learners complete a Digital Learning Style Inventory

Depth and Complexity: Add extras into what students are already learning about in their curriculum. Go deep and wide!

• Use the Depth and Complexity icons

• Read books on related topics (both fiction and non-fiction). Your local public library probably has a reading app.

• Watch videos and documentaries. TedEd and Kurzgesagt - In a Nutshell on YouTube are great places to start (always screen for appropriate content). 

• Look at primary sources (museums and museum websites are great for this).

• Research topics of interest in science, history, art and culture, etc. 

• Readworks is a free resource (with sign-up) with articles you can search by topic and reading level.

• Listen to podcasts like Smologies, Brains On (lots of options there), Book Club for Kids, KidNuz (comes with resources and some good info on doing your own journalism), and more (here's a list). Older learners may be able to listen to some adult podcasts.

• Create their own podcast, video, or Google slides presentation, or find other ways to show what they know. KQED's Show What You Know is a great project with an authentic audience (seriously, there are some great resources in there!). You can use Tracy's teacher code to submit projects: 3ZD394ZX.

Project Based Learning: PBL is great for gifted learners, but can be overwhelming at first. Here are some tips to get started. 

• Watch this excellent webinar from our resident PBL specialist, Andi Palmatier: How to Create Project-Based Learning at Home for Your Curious Kids and Project Based Learning for Gifted Students.

• Keep an eye out for iLEAD Learner University PBL classes that are offered for middle school learners throughout the school year. These free classes, led by iLEAD EFs, do fill up quickly, so be sure to read your Monday Message emails and check the Hub.

•  iLEAD Engage classes (live or flex) have PBL built in.

• Take a look at PBLWorks projects -- you can create a free account to see everything. Each project just gives an outline of activities, but it's a good place to get ideas. 

• Try this this Design Workbook or the HS version to have learners create their own projects (with a little help at first). The key is to keep them accountable by having them write in a journal or complete a reflection sheet each day they work on their project. 

Early college: Early college option at Cal State LA takes students as young as 11. It allows them to be with other kids, their age while they are in college.  For a profoundly gifted child, the community college won’t be enough. https://www.calstatela.edu/eep.  Simon's rock is another fabulous early college program: https://simons-rock.edu/.  Stanford Online is another program (very rigorous).

iLEAD Gifted Events: Special events are offered at least two times per month. Recent virtual events have included chats with scientists from the Skype a Scientist program and an author visit with a cartoonist who creates graphic novels about science. We also offer in-person meetups at various locations (parks, museums, etc.) and virtual game days. Ask your EF to sign you up for the Gifted Parent Square email list to receive information!