Curriculum Units

National experts in the fields of math education, mathematics, and gifted and talented education and teachers will be involved in designing the curriculum. The content units of instruction will be based on the NCTM Content Standards (2000) and include Number, Algebraic Thinking, Geometry, Measurement, and Data Analysis and Probability. The NCTM Process Standards (2000) will be embedded in these units concentrating on communication, reasoning, connections, and problem solving.

A special focus will emphasize the development of critical and creative thinking skills in problem solving. Content experts will review the units to establish content validity. The curriculum will be revised, refined, and implemented a second time. In addition, units of instruction at each grade level will be modified to provide learning activities that meet the needs of all students.

The curriculum design will follow the tenets of The Multiple Menu Model:
A Practical Guide for Developing Differentiated Curriculum (Renzulli, Leppien, & Hays, 2000) and The Parallel Curriculum, A Design to Develop High Potential and Challenge High-Ability Learners (Tomlinson, Kaplan, Renzulli, Purcell, Leppien & Burns, 2002) recently published by the National Association of Gifted Children. This model adheres to the belief that "most, if not all, learners should work consistently with concept-focused curriculum, tasks that call for high level thought, and products that ask students to extend and use what they learned in meaningful ways" (Tomlinson et al., 2002, p.13).

We will use this model as the basis for the design of our curriculum, focusing on the Core Curriculum with the Big Ideas of Mathematics in each unit and the Curriculum of Practice, an outgrowth of the Multiple Menu Model. Using the Multiple Menu Model, we will help students assume the role of mathematicians as they develop critical and creative thinking skills in solving real problems. Projects will be included in the units and used as a way for students to pursue some of their own interests. Renzulli's Enrichment Triad Model (Renzulli, 1977; Gubbins, 1995) will be one of the instructional approaches; students will choose a topic to investigate, receive support and coaching from the teacher, and produce a product for a real audience.

This combination of the NCTM Content and Process Standards, an increase in depth and complexity, and best practices in the field of gifted and talented curriculum development will create the type of mathematics that is both truly challenging and enjoyable for talented math students.