Elementary School GT Curriculum

Primary Grades

• Grades 2 and 3 - First and Third Nine Weeks:
  ACT NOW! (Academy of Critical Thinking)
  Students will focus on convergent, divergent, visual and evaluative thinking skills through stories and “minds-on” activities..
• Grades 2 and 3 - Second Nine Weeks:
  PATTERNS
  Students will become aware of patterns in the structures around them. They will be exploring the architecture and style of Frank Lloyd Wright through a variety of projects. A district-wide display of their products will be held in January- date to be announced.
• Grades 2 and 3 - Fourth Nine Weeks:
  ORIENTEERING
  Students will study pirates in their historical context and in literature. After talking about maps and treasures, we will work on orienteering, the study of compasses, maps, pacing, and GPS – literally learning how to find our way in the world.

Intermediate Grades

• Grades 4 and 5 - First Semester:
  ARCHITECTURAL VISIONS
  Students will study the history of architecture and learn to recognize the architectural forms found in structures. They will be designing, creating blueprints, and building models of their own original structures. A district-wide display of their products will be held in January - date to be announced.
• Grades 4 and 5 – Second Semester:
  STRUCTURING TIME – 20th Century Decades
  Students will explore the 20th century in the United States, decade by decade, with specific focus on the architecture, entertainment, literature, inventions, and politics of the times. Students will choose a topic of interest from a decade to research and create a product.

Middle School GT Curriculum

Grades 6 and 7

• Bridges: Designing, Building, Crossing
• Our main unit this year is intended to introduce students to one aspect of architecture and engineering – bridge building. We will learn about different types of bridges, what makes bridges work, and the basics of bridge design and construction. Students will use creativity and innovation to build a bridge of their own. Emphasis will be placed on the creative process, the use of technology, and team building.
• Other units of study will include Bridges to Learning (an independent study where students focus on their own area of interest), Structures of Anatomy, (dissection labs), and Marble Run Construction (creating a marble run that contains elements of a bridge).
• We plan on taking two field trips this year. The first is a walking tour of Downtown Fayetteville where we’ll discover the many architectural features in both buildings and bridges right here in our town. We also plan on visiting Crystal Bridges, the new museum in Bentonville.
  

Junior High School GT Curriculum

Grades 8 and 9

• Fall-winter unit, Architecture, will find students exploring the field through Architecture vocabulary, historical buildings, architectural styles, and famous architects. With this foundation, they will be challenged to then create their own architectural masterpiece. They will have two options; design and execute a building complete with perspective renderings, floor plans, elevations, and a 3-D scale model, or, design and execute a pop-up architecture building book complete with appropriate scale, book cover, and binding. Student projects will be showcased at the Architecture Showcase on January 28th at Holt Middle School.

• Spring Unit, Moral Courage, will find students studying in depth how each generation receives guidance and instruction concerning morals and values from peers, parents, relatives, community, and society. Students will have exposure to examples of people’s stories who either demonstrated, or failed to demonstrate moral courage and will research historical theoretical works of people who contributed to the understanding of human development. For student’s final products, each will tell a story, historical or fictional of a character who displayed moral courage and present it to their class using a variety of formats.

• Final unit, Fast Fun Facts or F3, will find students studying different topics weekly and have the opportunity to experiment with new tech gadgets and learn new 21st century skills.