Welcome to Curriculum Night at
Briarlake Elementary School!
This session: DISCOVERY
Instructors: Ms. Melissa McMillan
Ms. Tanya Fields
Moving Students Forward in the 21st Century
Gifted or not,
we all have
our moments.

Words to live by…
• Finish each day and be done with it. You have
done what you could; some blunders and
absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as
you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it
serenely and with too high a spirit to be
encumbered with your old nonsense. --Ralph Waldo Emerson
• A mind that is stretched by a new experience can
never go back to its old dimensions. - Oliver Wendell Holmes
•
Any activity becomes creative when the doer
cares about doing it right, or doing it better.
- John Updike
What is Discovery?
• Discovery is the name given to the gifted
program at the elementary level (grades 1-5)
in the DeKalb County School System.
• Discovery falls under the umbrella of
Exceptional Education and is funded by the
state.
• Discovery is taught by a certified Teacher of
the Gifted for a minimum of 225 minutes
per week.
DeKalb County’s
Gifted Program Goals
• To bring gifted children together to
experience a variety of challenging
activities.
• To support teachers in the area of educating
gifted children.
• To educate and support parents of the
gifted.
Gifted Delivery Models
• Resource Model- more commonly referred
to as a “pull out” model where students are
served for a minimum of 225 minutes per
week by a certified Teacher of the Gifted.
During this time, students experience
interdisciplinary enrichment or extension
activities.
Gifted Delivery Models
• Cluster Grouping Model- ten or fewer
identified gifted students served in a
regular classroom setting by a certified
Teacher of the Gifted.
• Collaborative Model- gifted resource
teacher collaborates and plans with the
homeroom teacher to differentiate
instruction for gifted students. The
homeroom teacher delivers the instruction.
Qualifications for Gifted
• In Dekalb, students are automatically tested for
the gifted program in grades 1, 3, 5 and 7.
• Students are given the CoGAT (a mental ability
test) and the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (an
achievement test) in October. The Renzulli is an
assessment that measures creativity and
motivation and is given in November.
• Students testing into the gifted program must
qualify in 3 out of the 4 areas of gifted- mental
ability, achievement, creativity and motivation.
Qualifications for Gifted
• These test scores are good for 2 years.
• Students new to DeKalb County Schools in
grades 2, 4 and 6 may be referred to the
gifted program to receive testing.
Qualifications for Gifted
Mental
Ability
Achievement
Creativity
Motivation
Minimum
of 96% in
at least one
sub-test
area
Minimum
of 90% on
the total
reading,
total math,
or complete
composite
Minimum
of 90% on
an
assessment
for
creativity
Minimum
of 90% on
an
assessment
for
motivation
(Renzulli)
(Renzulli)
(CogAT)
(ITBS)
Gifted Curriculum
• The curriculum for Discovery at every grade level
is the GPS, the Georgia Performance Standards.
• Each interdisciplinary unit correlates to the
Georgia Performance Standards for that grade
level, and possibly, the grade level above.
• Previous Units of Study- Interdependence, Money,
Inventions, Chemistry, Life Cycles, Matter,
Botany, Geology, Fables, Economics, Culture,
Water and many more. Units typically last 4-6
weeks.
Curriculum Extras
*Social Studies Fair (for 5
th
grade; school fair by Dec. 3, county
fair on Jan. 11)
*Spelling Bee (school bee Dec. 17-Jan. 21; county bee Feb. 8)
*Essay/Poetry/Art Contests (ongoing - see teacher
websites)
*Serendipity Summer Enrichment Program
21st Century Skills
• Inventive Thinking
-Adapting and Managing
Complexity
-Self-Direction
-Curiosity
-Risk Taking
-Higher Order Thinking
and Sound Reasoning
• Effective Communication
-Teaming and
Collaborating
-Interpersonal Skills
-Personal Responsibility
-Social and Civic
Responsibility
-Interactive
Communication
21st Century Skills
• High Productivity
-Prioritizing, Planning, and
Managing for Results
-Effective Use of Real-World
Tools
-Ability to Produce Relevant,
High Quality Products
Grading System
•
•
•
•
•
E = 100-90
S = 89-80
N = 79-70
U = 69 and below
Conduct S, N or U
• 40% - participation
& classwork
• 30% - tests/quizzes
• 25% - projects
• 5% - homework
Classroom Management System
Our Classroom Agreements for 2010-2011
1.
2.
We agree to be polite and respectful to everyone at
Briarlake.
We agree to be responsible- bring our supplies
everyday, carry notes home, complete our work and
PARTICIPATE.
3.
4.
5.
We agree to follow directions the first time they are
given.
We agree to raise our hand to speak.
We agree to respect personal space by keeping our
hands, our feet and other objects to ourselves.
See Ms. Fields’ website for her slightly modified version of classroom rules.
Classroom Management System
Rewards
The last Friday of each month is Fun Friday. Students who
have not had an action plan, phone call home for
behavior or a visit to the office for that month may
participate in Fun Friday.
Consequences
1. Verbal warning
2. Time Out/Action Plan
3. Phone call home
4. Office visit
Discovery Schedule
McMillan
Fields
8:008:45
5th Grade Discovery
Taylor & Laster
8:008:45
5th Grade Discovery
Bouda
8:459:30
4th Grade Discovery
McDaniel & Rich
8:459:42
4th Grade Discovery
McLarty
9:3010:15
3rd Grade Discovery
Francis & Cernoch
10:1511:00
2nd Grade Discovery
all classes
12:301:15
1st Grade Discovery
TBD
9:4510:30
11:1512:00
(Mon, Tues, Wed, Fri)
3rd Grade Discovery
Davis/Pittman
1st Grade Discovery- TBD
Useful Websites
• www.gifteddekalb.com This is the DeKalb County
School System web page for gifted.
• www.gagc.org Georgia Association for Gifted Children
• www.nagc.org National Association for Gifted Children
• http://fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us/~melissa_a_mcmillan/
Ms. McMillan’s web page
• www.MsFieldsClass.com
Ms. Fields’ web page
Questions and Answers