The G.A.T.E. Program
The G.A.T.E. Program
Gifted Education Services (GES) identifies and serves the academic and affective needs of students identified as gifted in Grades 3 -5. Here at Bonner, GATE services are provided using the pull-out model. Twice per week, students leave their general education classrooms and work towards mastery of GATE standards for 75 minutes. This provided gifted students the opportunity to fully develop their potential through curriculum that promotes complexity and higher-level thinking skills.
CCSD GATE Program Curriculum
(Taken from GATE Handbook pg. 31)
The CCSD GATE Program provides curriculum that enhances and extends concepts and allows students to move beyond traditional learning. In addition to cognitive skills, the GATE Program provides support in the affective domain to assist students in bridging the gap between intellectual sophistication and emotional maturity.
The following principles are utilized to enhance programming for GATE students:
Incorporate higher level thinking skills in context.
Increase the level, complexity, and pace of the curriculum to fit the precocity of the students.
Emphasize in-depth research and independent study with original products or presentations.
Teach methods for independence, self-direction, and self-evaluation in learning.
Explore subject matter using an interdisciplinary approach through the study of a Universal Concept.
Instructional materials for gifted students include the following characteristics:
Open-ended, allowing the student to pursue knowledge in his/her own way.
Intrinsically interesting to the student.
Focus on active learning, encouraging the student to construct and create.
Thought provoking, rather than primarily factual, in its questions and experiences.
Motivational, increasing the student’s desire to pursue subject area further.
Discovery-oriented, allowing the student to find relationships.
Make-up Work/Homework Policy
(Taken from GATE Handbook pg. 46)
Recognizing that the Gifted and Talented Education Program is academic in nature, the Clark County School District does not wish to place an unfair burden on students. Students participating in the program may be required, at the discretion of the general education teacher, to make up tests or parts of lessons necessary for proper foundation for future assignments. Adequate and reasonable time must also be given for the work to be completed.
Consideration should also be given that the amount of any regular homework should be balanced with any necessary class make-up work so as not to create a hardship for the Gifted and Talented student. If parents are concerned about homework quantity, please contact the GATE Program Office for assistance.
Homework assigned from the GATE program should be on a limited basis only.
In-Class Work Policy
Although we will have periodic STEM challenges that are completed in 1-2 sessions, the bulk of our year will be spent working on long-term projects. Students will be showing their understanding in a variety of ways- through collaborative group discussions, student journals/ notebooks, detailed research notes, and published products intended to serve the public. Please do not expect to see a precisely-timed, ongoing stream of completed 'busy-work' in your child's backpack. As the work is ongoing, it will be kept in the GATE classroom until the unit is completed. Feel free to contact me if you would like to be informed about your child's progress, or if you would like to come by and observe a class!