TREC Center Staff
The GT certified facilitators are highly qualified with many years of experience in both GT and regular education. They write and deliver a curriculum which appropriately meets developmental guidelines with the goal of making learning challenging and fun.
Kindergarten and First Grade Enrichment
Kindergarten and first grade students receive weekly enrichment lessons. They are serviced directly by the TREC facilitators on a monthly rotation basis. When the TREC staff is not in the class, the classroom teacher provides the lesson.
Grades Two through Five at the TREC Center
Identified TREC students from throughout the district are transported by bus to the Center, located across from Lincoln Junior High on Leopard Lane, for one full day per week. Our calendar for delivery services to second through fourth graders reflects meshing of the traditional and non-traditional calendars. Second graders attend on Tuesdays, third on Wednesdays, and fourth on Thursdays. Fifth graders attend most Fridays as all the middle schools follow the traditional calendar.
Each grade level experiences the same content configuration. Half of the day is spent in a major unit; and the other half covers Junior Great Books (JGB), Thinking Outside the Box (TOB), Personal Growth and Development (PGD), and reflective journaling.
Major units of study are based on district and GT Standards. The primary goal is to offer opportunities for gifted learners through multi-disciplinary units and to interact with other gifted students in an environment that encourages and develops critical and creative thinking skills. These units last one-half of the year culminating in a Showcase Night for parents, teachers, friends and the community to see and hear what the students have learned.
The current major units are:
2nd Grade
· ExperiMentality
§ (Investigation of scientific phenomena)
· Strike It Rich!
§ (Investigation of culture and money)
3rd Grade
· Mad Scientists
§ (Investigation of disciplines of science and scientists who made major contributions to the areas)
· Chances Are
§ (A study of probablity in our world)
4th Grade
· Mix It Up and Sort It Out
§ (Investigation of concepts of Chemistry)
· Angles Untangled
§ (Investigation of geometry in the real world)
5th Grade
· Do It For Me!
§ (Investigation of robotics and programming of Lego Mindstorms tasks)
· It's the Law
§ (Study of law and the justice system)
· Anchors Away!
§ (Study of maritime and its impact on the world)
· A Different Perspective
§ (Introduction to digital photography, photography history and photo aesthetics)
(Fifth graders choose two units for the year.)
Junior Great Books (JGB) is a collection of short stories which present situations written to be viewed from more than one perspective. The students are encouraged to develop questions and support their ideas with textual reference.
One of the other components, Thinking Outside the Box (TOB), develops logical thinking, deductive reasoning, math strategies and problem solving. Another part of the day, Personal Growth and Development (PGD), includes helping students understand the meaning of being gifted, how individuals learn differently, personality strengths, and how to become a leader.
Communication and Student Evaluation
Monthly communication includes a general Center newsletter and a unit newsletter sent electronically. Hard copies are available upon request. Personal contacts about each child are made by facilitators periodically. Conferences are always available upon request.
TREC Center students are evaluated on their participation and performance in TREC content areas utilizing teacher observation, completion of assignments, and quality of products. Ongoing evaluation is discussed with the students. A final written progress report is sent home at the end of the unit. An annual review, based upon the year’s evaluations and progress reports, defines continued participation in the TREC program.