SCHOLARS SHOWCASE

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SCHOLARS SHOWCASE

• Birdville ISD
• 8th grade Gifted/Talented Students

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The Purpose

• To engage in individual research topicsguided
  and directed by self-interests
• To interact with other 8th grade Gifted/Talented
  students across the district
• To prepare for future individual research
  opportunities

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Categories of Exploration

• Figure It Out!
• Sudden Impact!
• Awesome Authors!
• Challenging the System!
• Time Travel!

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Figure It Out!

• a mathematics unit that allows students to
  explore the uses of statistics in everyday life
  and to develop survey research skills. Students
  will identify an issue to investigate using
  survey research and then present findings in an
  unique oral and written presentation.

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Sudden Impact!

• a social studies unit that allows students to
  study influential individuals, groups, ideas, and
  documents from various periods of history. In
  this project, students will investigate
  provocative questions about the life of an
  influential contributor to history. The subject
  of student study must be from American history
  from the time of colonization to 1877. As a final
  product, students will create a museum exhibit
  with approximately ten artifacts that highlight
  the impact of this person or group on American
  history.

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Awesome Authors!

• an English language arts unit that allows
  students to study an author, including his/her
  influences, motivations, and experiences.
  Students will conduct an in-depth investigation
  of a selected author in order to understand ways
  in which culture, history, and society influenced
  the author's style and voice.

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Challenging the System!

• science unit that allows students to explore
  living and non-living systems and the roles those
  systems play in the environment and society.
  Students will use technical writing and
  statistics to produce a scientific paper and
  formal presentation.

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Time Travel!

• a social studies/English language arts unit that
  allows students to explore a historical event
  through a piece of literature. Students will
  conduct an in-depth investigation about the role
  a particular character portrayed in a historical
  novel. After reading the novel, students will use
  primary and secondary resources to verify the
  accuracy of the role as portrayed in the
  fictional account.

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The Process

• Choosing a topic through guided questioning,
  research, and narrowing of subject matter
• Submit research plan and proposal
• Follow timeline for research objectives, product
  completion, and teacher conferences

• Conduct research based on guiding questionsuse
  the primary and secondary resource forms
• Keep a record of research through monthly logs
• Submit plan for product choice
• Meet with teacher for progress checks

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Methods of Assessment

• Competing by category judges score product and
  presentation based on the following criteria
• Content knowledge and skills
• Analysis and synthesis
• Multiple perspectives
• Inquiry research process
• Communication
• Presentation of learning
• Sample Rubric