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Teaching & Learning: A.C.E.IntroductionOVERVIEW OF A.C.E OTTOSON PROGRAM 2011-2012 The Ottoson Middle School's A.C.E. program is currently in its 31th year. A.C.E. (Academic Challenge and Enrichment) is a multiple-intelligence-based academic enrichment program. As such, it is designed to supplement, and not to replace, advanced learning opportunities available within the classroom. The A.C.E. program's existence is premised on the observation that students who are "gifted" (top 10% in one or more intelligence areas as defined by potential and identified through testing) and /or "talented" (top 10% in one or more intelligence areas as defined by performance and identified through observation) benefit from exposure to explorations of academic areas that 1) introduce topics not already covered in the classroom 2) take place in an small- class environment (A.C.E. classes have traditionally been capped at 15 students) where all students are encouraged to participate often and where material can be presented and discussed in depth and at a quick pace 3) engage and support highly-able students in situations where they are not the quickest problem-solver in the group and 4) occur in an environment where students are encouraged to be "open" about their own enthusiasm for various intellectual pursuits and where students can therefore benefit from a support group of peers who also share academic interests. Ottoson A.C.E. classes are not graded (other than a "S" for "satisfactory" or an "U" for "unsatisfactory") and do not assign homework. Participation in the Ottoson A.C.E. program is voluntary, and personal motivation on the part of the enrolled students is essential to the program's success. Eligible middle-school students are notified each spring of the opportunity to enroll for the following year. Students who are interested in beginning A.C.E. while at the Ottoson may do so given the program director's permission. In 2011-2012, 6th, 7th, and 8th graders attend A.C.E. for one period every other day. 6th grade students attend throughout the entire year, and are scheduled for A.C.E. in place Organizational Skills. 7th and 8th graders participate for one semester, or 1/2 the year, and are scheduled for A.C.E. in place of FACS or Drama. Current 7th and 8th grade Ottoson A.C.E. students were generally identified as "gifted or talented" in one or more of six intelligence areas while in 3rd, 4th, or 5th grades through a process overseen by the Elementary A.C.E program. This identification process included a variety of tests as well as teacher and parent recommendations. Current 6th graders participated in an A.C.E. student selection process while in 3rd grade that focused on high ability in mathematical/logical skills and verbal/linguistic skills; these students participated in one or both pull-out programs as 4th graders. However, the Elementary ACE program was discontinued after that year. Current 6th grade A.C.E. students were chosen based on 4th grade participation in the pull-out programs, high MCAS math and reading scores, and "luck," given that there are more qualified students than current space in 6th grade A.C.E. classes. All qualified 6th grade students will be able to enroll in A.C.E. as 7th graders. OTTOSON A.C.E. CURRICULUM 2011-2012 Creative Problem Solving (Inventive Thinking): Students are introduced to creative problem solving in the 6th grade through an overview of seven problem-solving steps. Lessons include both pencil-and-paper problems and hands-on activities. The 7th and 8th grade units are based on the Odyssey of the Mind/Destination Imagination program. Each week the students warm up with spontaneous creative word association exercises and then break into groups for construction challenges. These older students conclude their units with individual, longer-term problems: the "fire-mouse" for 7th graders and a challenging egg-drop/ packaging design problem for 8th graders. The Art of Mathematical Thinking: (Mathematical/Scientific/Logical and Visual/Spatial Intelligences) Developing one's mathematical/scientific/logical intelligence includes increasing one's ability to use deductive or inductive reasoning to arrive at either the correct or the best solution. The Ottoson A.C.E. program enriches students' logical thinking skills through the 6th grade Symmetry Through Crystals unit, the 7th grade Logical Mystery Tour unit, and the 8th grade Topological Explorations unit. The 6th grade course is based on crystallography and enhances students' abilities to recognize and create visual patterns. Students are introduced to the crystallographer's notation system and design their own rubber stamps to recreate eleven symmetries. The 7th grade Logical Mystery Tour unit includes a variety of verbal, mathematical and visual logic puzzles that exemplify both deductive and inductive logic. Activities include diverse challenges such as hypothesizing the outcome of a Sherlock Holmes short story and solving matrix logic and visual logic puzzles. During the 8th grade Topology Explorations (or "rubber sheet geometry") unit students work on both paper-and-pencil and hands-on activities that explore the concepts of networking and pathways, contiguous surface areas, and the division of solid three-dimensional shapes. Critical Perspectives (Inter- and Intrapersonal Intelligences) and Introduction to Debate (Verbal/ Linguistic and Intrapersonal Intelligences): The increasing pace of globalization guarantees a future that will require students to understand the perspectives of other cultures and to engage in the ethical decision-making necessitated by the spread of technological expertise. In order to help prepare our gifted/talented students for these demands, we have developed a sequential course of study focusing on personal and cultural identity. The Critical Perspectives curriculum includes the 6th grade Personal Identity unit as well as the Introduction to Debate unit, the 7th grade Cultural Identity unit, and the 8th grade Cultural Interactions unit. The 6th grade Personal Identity unit, presented at a time when group identification is often paramount in our new middle-schoolers' lives, provides an introduction to the field of Psychology and increases each student's ability to recognize and value individual differences. The 6th grade Introduction to Debate unit increases students' abilities to not only analyze information but to better appreciate the influence of perspective. The 7th grade unit introduces the concepts of culture and cultural identity and uses videos, role-plays and current events to encourage students to differentiate between the influences of individual preference, culture, and universal human needs. The 8th grade unit focuses on the interaction of cultures. We use a commercially prepared video, Internet websites, and readings to gain some understanding of and appreciation for the indigenous Mentawaii, a people who live on Siberut Island in Indonesia. Students then work in teams to prepare for formal debates based on various practical and ethical challenges that have resulted from the increasing and inevitable exposure of this indigenous culture to the modern world. Learn more about Ottoson Middle School A.C.E.
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