Curriculum for Gifted and Advanced Students: Project LIFT Free K-3 ELA Resources

Project LIFT offers free ELA lesson plans for grades K-3, developed to enhance critical thinking and creativity among gifted learners. Funded by the U.S. Department of Education, these lessons align with Common Core standards and promote discourse and complex thinking, while providing practical resources for educators to recognize and nurture advanced potential in students.

Curriculum for Gifted and Advanced Students: Websites with Math Problem Solving Resources

This article highlights four free resources designed to enhance math problem-solving skills for gifted and advanced learners. These include Robert Kaplinsky Lessons, YouCubed Tasks, GFletchy’s 3-Act Lessons, and Virginia DOE’s Rich Mathematical Tasks. Each platform offers high-cognitive-demand tasks that promote reasoning, communication, and creativity in mathematics.

Curriculum for Gifted and Advanced Students: Vanderbilt University’s Science & Language Arts Units

Vanderbilt University’s curriculum for gifted learners integrates science and literature, offering two units: “Interactions in Ecology and Literature” for grades 2-3 and “Space, Structure, and Story” for grades 4-6. These units enhance critical thinking and literature analysis skills through meaningful discussions, investigations, and writing tasks, promoting interdisciplinary learning for advanced students.

Curriculum for Gifted and Advanced Students: Vanderbilt University Language Arts Units

Vanderbilt University’s Language Arts units provide gifted learners with a text-rich, concept-driven curriculum designed to enhance critical thinking and communication skills. Grounded in the Integrated Curriculum Model, these units encourage deep engagement with literature through inquiry-based themes and discussions, promoting advanced interpretation and synthesis.

Curriculum for Gifted and Advanced Students: W&M Math Curriculum

William and Mary Math Curriculum for Gifted Students offers a research-based program for grades 3-6 that focuses on deep learning rather than rapid coverage of basic skills. It emphasizes problem-solving, conceptual understanding, and reasoning. Designed for advanced learners, it aims to foster confidence and flexible mathematical thinking through challenging tasks and meaningful investigations.

Curriculum for Gifted and Advanced Students: The Jacob’s Ladder Reading Comprehension Program from W&M

Jacob’s Ladder is a research-based reading comprehension program aimed at gifted learners in grades K-8. It explicitly teaches higher-level thinking through organized lessons that progress from basic understanding to complex reasoning using short reading passages. The curriculum enhances critical thinking skills, supports discussion, and fosters evidence-based responses, benefiting students who excel in reading yet struggle with analysis.

Curriculum for Gifted and Advanced Students: W&M Navigators Novel Studies

The William and Mary Navigators series is designed for gifted learners in grades 1-12, promoting deep literary analysis through structured discussions and writing. Each Navigator focuses on a single novel, enhancing understanding of themes like identity and power. These guides facilitate independent interpretation and enrich learning experiences for advanced readers.

Curriculum for Gifted and Advanced Students: W&M Social Studies Units

The William and Mary Social Studies Units offer a concept-based curriculum designed for gifted learners in grades K-8, emphasizing analysis, inquiry, and historical thinking. Organized around enduring concepts, each unit fosters critical examination of societal issues and encourages deep engagement through discussions and assessments, benefiting students’ understanding and skills in social studies.

Curriculum for Gifted and Advanced Students: W&M Science Units

The William and Mary Science Units offer a concept-based science curriculum designed for gifted learners from kindergarten to high school. Emphasizing inquiry and scientific reasoning, the curriculum fosters deep understanding through investigations of broad scientific ideas. It encourages critical thinking and connections across disciplines, making science engaging and relevant for advanced students.

Curriculum for Gifted and Advanced Students: W&M Language Arts Units

William and Mary Literature Units, designed for gifted learners from grades 1 to 12, emphasize conceptual understanding through rich literary experiences. Each unit engages students with essential questions, diverse texts, and activities that foster analytical thinking and discussion, promoting deep engagement with literature. This curriculum cultivates critical reasoning and interpretive skills.