• 6th Grade GATE

    The New Vista Middle School 6th Grade Gifted and Talented program’s mission is to provide the opportunity, atmosphere, materials, and instruction to elevate identified gifted learners to a higher level of performance. In addition to the Lancaster School Districts required core curriculum, students will complete cooperative and independent projects to become more effective life-long learners. An emphasis will be placed on developing affective learning and social skills in an atmosphere that is open and accepting of new ideas and opinions. Field trips and guest speakers provide additional enrichment opportunities. Parental involvement in the program is encouraged.
     
    The sixth-grade program is designed to meet the needs of gifted students by using a differentiated curriculum that integrates a process-oriented approach. A gifted student is one who performs or shows the potential for performance at a higher level of accomplishment. An array of learning opportunities allows advanced students in any content area to do work reflecting depth and complexity of the general school curriculum. The program will provide an emphasis on creative thinking, higher level questioning, global thinking development and individual research skills, scientific problem solving and decision making.
     
    Student Goals: Gifted students will:
    • Develop higher level thinking skills
    • Develop creative thinking and problem solving skills
    • Develop research skills as applied to "real world" problems
    • Progress at rate and pace appropriate to individual student abilities and learning styles
    • Develop effective communication skills
    • Create products that are unique and synthesize major concepts
    • Develop self-esteem and self understanding
    • Work with others of similar ability

    7th Grade GATE

    While New Vista’s sixth-grade GATE program is housed in a self-contained classroom with a single primary teacher, the seventh and eighth-grade GATE programs have a different format. Primary GATE instruction is centered in the student’s science class: Life Science for 7th-grade and Physical Science for 8th-grade. However, GATE students are evaluated in their math and language arts skills and are placed in appropriate advanced courses and electives.
     
    The seventh-grade program is based on providing a differentiated curriculum that integrates science skills and knowledge with acceleration and/or enrichment. Using an established instructional process call curriculum compacting, students who are able to demonstrate basic science knowledge and skills will be able to work on more advanced laboratory skills, biology research, independent study, illustration graphics, desktop publishing, and other topics.
     
    In addition, the science GATE teacher will be monitoring and communicating with parents about their student’s academic growth in all subject areas.
     
    Student Goals: Gifted students will:
    • Develop higher level scientific thinking, problem-solving, research skills
    • Progress at rate and pace appropriate to individual student abilities and learning styles
    • Continue development and expansion of effective communication skills utilizing computer and Internet resources
    • Create products that are unique and synthesize major concepts
    • Work with other students of similar ability