News from the GATE District Office
Welcome back to a new school year and a new year of GATE! Across the district, we have several shared priorities for our teaching and learning this year. These priorities include equitable access, developing and implementing standards-driven rigorous curriculum, and using data-based decision making. Please visit our district website to find out more about our program:
Gifted and Talented Education - Metro Nashville Public Schools
Why is GATE important?
It is imperative that we challenge our students and provide them with opportunities to expand their thinking, test their limits, and fail safely. GATE classes motivate and engage students in enriching curriculum and help prevent underachievement. Our GATE teachers offer a supportive environment where students interact with peers who share similar academic abilities, helping them feel understood and reducing feelings of isolation. For more information about the impact of GATE classes, visit the following link from the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC):
Why Are Gifted Programs Needed?
GATE Curriculum Corner
Take a look at our Fall 2024 units
- K-Primary Education Thinking Skills (PETS Critical Thinking Curriculum): Students will encounter intriguing characters and stories while using convergent and divergent thinking, visual/spatial perception, and evaluative thinking.
- 1-2nd Grade – Buzzing A Hive: Through research and analysis, students will learn the inner workings of a hive, the importance of the honeybee population, and what it really means to work together.
- 3-5th Grade – Building Big: By studying the form and function of a variety of structures, students will look beyond science and physics to evaluate the structures' impact on society.
- 6th Grade – Utopia and The Mysteries of History: Students will explore the concept of utopia and society’s changing definition of the ideal as represented in literature, art, and history.
- 7-8th Grade – The Pursuit of Justice: By connecting to others’ experiences and examining their own perspectives, students will apply forensic science to help construct and communicate ideas about the concept of justice.
Getting To Know Your Gifted Child
Gifted students don't always fit the mold of how we may expect them to act. These students may display "overexcitabilities" that can impact their behavior or academic performance in the classroom. Kazimierz Dabrowski identified five types of overexcitability that impact gifted children:
- Intellectual overexcitability
- Imaginational overexcitability
- Sensual overexcitability
- Psychomotor overexcitability
- Emotional overexcitability
Visit the link below for a deeper look at overexcitabilities:
Overexcitability and the Highly Gifted Child - Davidson Institute
Upcoming Opportunities
- Super Saturdays at WKU: Registration opens in September 2024 -
WKU Super Saturdays
- Nashville Shakespeare Festival: Summer Shakespeare at The Yard at OneC1ty (Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays in September) -
Summer Shakespeare
Contact the GATE Staff