Instructional Model for Programming Applied Critical Thinking

Program Overview| Identification| The Gifted and Bright Child|
| 4th Grade I.M.P.A.C.T|5th Grade I.M.P.A.C.T|

Program Overview

        This program has been adopted to identify and meet the needs of Medford's achieving
        intellectually and academically talented students.  The program allows students to develop:

• Critical thinking through the use of logic and reasoning

• Creative thinking through the use of imagery and divergent processes

• Methods and techniques used for problem solving; and

• A higher level of thinking skills through a variety of activities that involve the processing of information.

• Advanced skills in communications, social studies, science, and mathematics. 

  Children attend this program five times a week during a time that other children in the class are going to other groups or are involved in SSR (Silent Sustained Reading).  The students will not be missing any direct instruction of the classroom curriculum. The classroom teacher will be responsible for the regular grades on the report card while the I.M.P.A.C.T or enrichment teacher will be responsible for a separate evaluation of student's work while involved in the program.

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  Identification

  The identification process has been established not to categorize these children as "gifted" or "superior" but rather to categorize them as needy of "a program to meet their exceptional abilities." The methods of identifying this population will include criteria combining both objective and subjective measures.  It is erroneous to assume that school achievement and I.Q. are the only indicators of giftedness. 

  Neither I.Q. nor school achievement demonstrate giftedness in psychological abilities which are so valuable to our society.  These abilities of leadership, management, teaching, counseling, negotiating, etc., are not measurable in numbers but rather by observances of social interactions.  Therefore, we have broaden the screening device so as not to discriminate against those whose performance on testing measures or classroom performance is not reflective of their true ability.

        A composite score for each student is formulated through a weighted rating for criteria 1-5.
        Nominations for participation in this program may initiated by administrators, teachers, and
        parents.

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Source: Janice Szabos, Challenge Magazine Available for download: · MS Word Format · PDF Format ·

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Mrs. Maureen Schoenberger, Technology & I.M.P.A.C.T Teacher

 Fourth Grade I.M.P.A.C.T
Math and Architecture
The project entitled Math and Architecture is an interdisciplinary approach to the study of Mathematics as it is used in the real world. It will develop higher level thinking skills for independent research, reading, writing, and technology. It is a hands-on, interactive project in which the students themselves will work as a team to create a floor plan of a house, keep a running budget, and construct a home

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Mrs. Maureen Schoenberger, Technology & I.M.P.A.C.T Teacher

Fifth Grade I.M.P.A.C.T
Math and The Stock Market
CONGRATULATIONS!
5th Grade Impact Team Takes 3rd Place on the Stock Market Game!

One of Allen's 5th Grade Impact teams placed third out of 27 teams in the southern region of New Jersey (Monmouth, Ocean, Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Atlantic, Salem, Cumberland, and Cape May Counties) playing in the online simulation game called the Stock Market Game! 

The Stock Market Game™ (SMG) is an online simulation that gives students the chance to invest a hypothetical $100,000 in an on-line portfolio and strive to create the best-performing portfolio using a live trading simulation. In building a portfolio, students research and evaluate stocks, and make decisions based on what they've learned. Teams trade common stocks and mutual funds from the NYSE, Nasdaq and AMEX exchanges; earn interest on cash balances; and pay a commission on all trades. To determine why certain stocks perform the way they do, or why the broader market has moved up or down, they need to understand how the economy works, and to calculate their returns they need to do the math. 

Students learn economic and financial concepts they'll use for the rest of their lives, but the program also teaches critical thinking, decision making, cooperation and communication, and independent research. 

The students attended the awards luncheon at Ocean County College on January 18^th! 

This session entitled Math and the Stock Market will be an interdisciplinary approach to the study of Mathematics as it is used in the real world. It will student's the opportunity to develop higher level thinking skills for independent research, reading, writing, and technology. It is a hands-on, interactive project in which the students themselves will investigate real companies and follow their stock performance. They will research and participate in a stock market simulation that results in a stock portfolio and projections of stock growth over a period of time.

 
The kids simulate trading on the stock market floor with a game of "Pit"

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