Question 7

Will you use this kit or the model in the future to work with gifted students? Why or Why not?

Question 6

Do you think the authors Curriculum Kit introduced new ideas and provided challenging curriculum through the use of differentiated instruction that meet the educational needs of gifted students? Why or Why not?

Question 5

Did you find the Lesson Template helpful when using a lesson from the kit? Why or Why not?

Question 4

What lesson(s) from the kit did you decide to use in your classroom? Why?

Question 3

What are your first thoughts regarding the use of the three types of curricular materials (i.e. the Lesson, the Catalyst Cards, and the Curriculum Grids) created to promote teaching and the learning of the objective?

Question 2

How will the stated objectives for the kit (page I) assist in the learning process of gifted students?

Question 1

The terms “differentiated and academically challenging” and “rigorous curricula” are synonymously used within this kit. How do you define “differentiated curriculum” and how do the kit’s principles (page IX) and your definition mesh?

Expectations and Directions

Expectations for the blog:

The first session was an optional face-to-face meeting. During that meeting the Acknowledgements, Introduction, The Objectives, and the Lesson Templates sections in the curriculum kit were reviewed and ideas shared as to how one might use the kit in their immediate classroom. If you missed the first meeting please read those sections in the Curriculum Kit. After reading answer the first three (3) questions. If you attended the first meeting you will skip the first three questions and begin your blogging with question four (4).

Instructions for Blogging

Instructions for the Blog: 1) Click on "comments" below the post (question) to which you want to respond. Type your comment in the box. If you write a lot, you can use the light gray bar to scroll up and down within the comment box. 2) When you finish typing your comment, click on the little black arrow beside "Select profile…"Choose "Name/URL" which is near the bottom of your choices. 3) In the box under "Name:" type in what you want to be known as in our book study. You can use your first name and last initial or last name and first initial (nicknames are fine provided we know who you are in the beginning so you will receive credit for your posts) – something that lets us know who you are. (For example, I'd probably call myself BarbaraC or BCofer.) 4) Leave the URL box blank and click on "Continue”. You’ll notice that whatever you typed in replaced "Select profile…" 5) Now click on "Post Comment". Another box will pop up for word verification. This step prevents spam from being posted by other computers on blogs. Just type the word, or combination of letters, that you are given in the box. 6) Then click "Finish". If you didn't quite get the word/letter right, it will give you a different word. It might take a minute or two, but then your comment will be posted. You'll know your comment is posted because you'll get a notice saying it was, and the comment will appear on the page, just below the other's post. 7) Hint: The blog page does not have spell check. In addition, there have been times when the blog page “hiccuped”, losing the response you typed in the comment box. To reduce frustration, protect your thoughts, and allow for spell check, we advise that you compose your response in Microsoft Word (or other word processing software) and then paste it into the comment box.

CURRICULUM Development Kit (Grades 3-8)

The subject of this GT book study is Curriculum Development Kit for Gifted and Advanced Learners, Grades 3-8 by Sandra Kaplan and Michael Cannon. The purpose is implementing new ideas and providing challenging curriculum through differentiated instruction that meet the educational needs of gifted students.