SIGNET

Students In Gifted Needs Education Today

The SIGNET program at Montclair Elementary offers gifted education services for students in grades four and five who have been determined to be eligible in either general intellectual or specific academic ability. The curriculum is designed to expand and extend the classroom curriculum while encouraging exploration in an area of the child's interest.  The students attend SIGNET class one day per week.  Additionally, the gifted resource teacher collaborates with the regular classroom teacher to plan strategies for differentiation of instruction.

The SIGNET class is broken into several learning periods, each with a specific set of goals:

Learning Centers: These centers are divided into as many as four levels of difficulty.  There are many different areas of exploration.  Students make decisions by choosing individual topics of interest and are guided through independent study with the use of learning contracts.  Center time is a major part of the students' SIGNET time.  It provides time for work in a chosen area of interest while experiencing various disciplines.

T.A.G. Unit (Techniques for Achieving Goals): These are whole group lessons centered around a unifying theme which lead to a culminating project for the year.  Topics have been chosen to integrate multidisciplinary subject areas, give students investigation into a real life problem and to extend curriculum objectives.  The special needs and interests of gifted children are taken into consideration.

Daily Reflections: At the conclusion of center time and our TAG unit each day, students are asked to reflect upon their work.  They are asked to record the work they completed, set a goal for next session and offer insight into the thinking skills they used.