<p> Extension/Enrichment in Language Arts Grades K-1 Office of Advanced Academics</p><p>Frederick County Public Schools offers Open Minds, Open Doors (OMOD), a program for the identification and nurturance of high potential in kindergarten and first grade students. Lessons for OMOD are available on the Advanced Academics link at http://gtdifferentiation.sites.fcps.org. OMOD Extension Lessons and Learning Centers designed to further enrich students with high potential also are available on this link. In addition to this program, following are suggested strategies and materials to support differentiation of instruction for highly able kindergarteners and first graders that support learner dispositions, essential learner behaviors and the Common Core. An asterisk * means the resource has been purchased for all elementary schools and should be located either in the school media center or within grade level teams. It is important to remember to use curriculum compacting to eliminate work that the student has already mastered and replace it with challenging options. To help further identify highly able learners access, “Areas of Giftedness Characteristics,” under Resources on http://gtdifferentiation.sites.fcps.org.</p><p> Self-selection of books of different genre should be provided for a highly able student’s comprehension level. The Reading Specialist should help determine these levels. It is recommended that the Reading Specialist, Media Specialist and Teacher assist the student in the selection of books. Books should also be selected with the student’s interests in mind. A simple interest inventory of the student is recommended for this purpose. Several interest inventories are available under the Advanced Academics link. An additional interest inventory for early childhood students is available in the book, Teaching Young Gifted Children in the Regular Classroom* by Dr. Sally Walker on pages 18 to 24. Teachers might want to select a few or all of the pages to use for the inventory. The book is available from Free Spirit Publishing at 1-800-735-7323 or at www.freespirit.com. The Reading Specialist as well as the Teacher should assess the student’s reading level periodically and with the input of the student, change the selection of books accordingly. It is a helpful idea for the student to have a box or container to store his/her selected books. The student may even decorate the container to make it more personal. Classroom libraries should contain advanced, challenging books for these students.  Computer Skills can begin to be taught to highly able students using programs such as Type to Learn from Sunburst at 1-800-321-7511 or at www.sunburst.com. This program is approved by FCPS and is available in most elementary schools. Also, teaching assistants, parent volunteers or an older student can type stories or poems for primary students as they dictate them. If a student enjoys art, then he/she can create artistic drawings for his/her work from various computer software programs or the student can draw pictures themselves for their work. Since many highly able students have the ability to read above their grade level, more advanced reading programs should be available to provide rigor and challenge. The Technology Coordinator in your school can identify possible computer programs available on the school network.  Research skills can be taught to primary students based on their interests. The Project Approach, by Dr. Lilian Katz and Dr. Sylvia Chard, is based on authentic research, and can be used for student researchers. Teaching assistants, parents and student volunteers, in support of the teacher, can help students facilitate the research using The Project Approach. This approach helps foster collaboration and risk taking. The availability of advanced materials for their research is very important for highly able students. The Project Approach: Book One, Making Curriculum Come Alive and The Project Approach: Book Two, Managing Successful Projects, by Dr. Sylvia Chard, are available from Scholastic at 1-800-724-6527 or at www.scholastic.com.  Tiered Literature assignments based on the Common Core are another way to differentiate instruction for primary students. Literature selections provide a way for the child to read and then respond orally and in writing to questions with varying levels of difficulty. Use “Vocabulary for Developing Tiered Questions and Tiered Assignments,” available on the Advanced Academics link under Questioning, to help write questions that the child can answer orally and in writing. The emphasis on higher level questioning skills is important for reading instruction for talented readers.  Independent Contracts can be provided for some literature selections. A model contract for Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge by Mem Fox and for Ira Sleeps Over by Bernard Waber are available on the Advanced Academics link under Learning Contracts. Because this is an extension of the Common Core, multiple standards might be addressed.</p><p>5/30/18  Expository Books based on an individual student’s interests can be used to facilitate research. Use “Vocabulary for Developing Tiered Questions and Tiered Assignments,” mentioned above, and the Common Core to help write challenging questions that the child can answer orally and in writing. Students should also be encouraged to write their own questions for the text. Sample lists of questions using expository books at each grade level are available on the Advanced Academics link under Challenging Gifted and Highly Able Learners: Enrichment/Extension in Science.</p><p>Additional Resources:</p><p> Alternatives to Worksheets: Motivational Reading and Writing Activities Across the Curriculum (Grades K-4) by Karen Bauer and Rosa Drew, Creative Teaching Press, 1992, 1-800-287-8879 or at www.creativeteaching.com.  Discovering Great Artists: Hands on Art for Children in the Styles of the Great Masters by MaryAnn Kohl and Kim Solga, Bright Ring Publishing, 1996, 1-800-480-4278 or at www.brightring.com.  Draw Then Write: Grades 1-3 by JoEllen Moore and Joy Evans, Evan-Moor products, 1999, 1-800-777-4362 or at www.evan-moor.com.  More Alternatives to Worksheets: Motivational Reading and Writing Activities Across the Curriculum (Grades K-4) by Karen Bauer and Rosa Drew, Creative Teaching Press, 1994, 1-800-287-8879 or at www.creativeteaching.com.  Picture Book Strategies for a Balanced Reading Program: K-3 * by Nancy Polette, Pieces of Learning, 1999, 1-800-729-5137 or at www.piecesoflearning.com.  Storybook Art: Hands on Art for Children in the Styles of 100 Great Picture Book Illustrators by MaryAnn Kohl and Jean Potter, Bright Ring Publishing, 2003, 1-800-480-4278 or at www.brightring.com.  We Care: A Curriculum for Preschool through Kindergarten by Bertie Kingore and Glenda Higbee, Good Year Books, 2002, 1-800-321-3106nor at www.pearsonlearning.com</p><p>5/30/18</p>