Jason S. McIntosh – författare

Recipient of the 2020 NAGC Curriculum Award

The word "astronaut" comes from the Greek words meaning "star sailor," and that is exactly what students will become in Astronaut Academy. This 30-lesson interdisciplinary science unit:

In this unit, students study the concept of exploration, journey to each planet, and create their own space station, all while acquiring scientific knowledge and habits, including how to follow the scientific method and properly conduct research and experiments. Suggestions and guidance are included on how teachers can adjust the rigor of learning tasks based on students'' interests and needs.

Grades 2-3

Recipient of the 2021 NAGC Curriculum Award

Americans throw away 254 million tons of trash every year, and students are naturally curious about where it all goes. Erase the Waste and Turn Trash Into Cash, a 30-lesson interdisciplinary science unit:

In this unit, students study the concept of innovation and learn to manage and dispose of waste in creative and environmentally friendly ways, all while building an understanding of sustainability, recycling, environmental science, and the green economy. Suggestions and guidance are included on how teachers can adjust the rigor of learning tasks based on students'' interests and needs.

Grades 3-4

The HOPE Teacher Rating Scale is designed to help guide teachers in identifying gifted students for programming. It is unique in several ways. First, it is short, with only 11 items that measure academic and social/affective components of giftedness, making it easy to use. Second, it is invariant when used to identify students from low-income and culturally diverse families. Third, it can be used across grade levels, K-12. Finally, local norms ensure that the data are relevant to the specific school populations. With multiple measures and multiple pathways crucial for reversing the inequities in identifying culturally, economically, and linguistically diverse students, a teacher-nomination instrument like the HOPE Teacher Rating Scale is an important component of identification systems. The HOPE Teacher Rating Scale items have been well-developed and subjected to research using more than 12,000 diverse students in five validity studies to date. This manual is useful in understanding and interpreting the electronic scores generated from teachers'' ratings of their students. This instrument is a must-have for any administrator or gifted-program coordinator involved in student identification.

To explore the full collection of HOPE print and online resources, please visit: https://www.routledge.com/go/hope-teacher-rating-scales.

Recipient of the 2019 NAGC Curriculum Award

It is a germy world out there, and students are naturally curious about this hidden world. Microscopic Monsters and the Scientists Who Slay Them, a 30-lesson interdisciplinary science unit:

In unit, students apply principles of epidemiology and microbiology to respond to a fictional epidemic and its effect on their town, all while building an understanding of the perseverance required to detect, track, and stop epidemics through the experiences of real-life epidemiologists and exploring career paths available in the diverse fields of medicine and microbiology. Suggestions and guidance are included on how teachers can adjust the rigor of learning tasks based on students'' interests and needs.

Grades 4-5

Recipient of the 2020 NAGC Curriculum Award

The word "astronaut" comes from the Greek words meaning "star sailor," and that is exactly what students will become in Astronaut Academy. This 30-lesson interdisciplinary science unit:

In this unit, students study the concept of exploration, journey to each planet, and create their own space station, all while acquiring scientific knowledge and habits, including how to follow the scientific method and properly conduct research and experiments. Suggestions and guidance are included on how teachers can adjust the rigor of learning tasks based on students'' interests and needs.

Grades 2-3

Recipient of the 2021 NAGC Curriculum Award

Americans throw away 254 million tons of trash every year, and students are naturally curious about where it all goes. Erase the Waste and Turn Trash Into Cash, a 30-lesson interdisciplinary science unit:

In this unit, students study the concept of innovation and learn to manage and dispose of waste in creative and environmentally friendly ways, all while building an understanding of sustainability, recycling, environmental science, and the green economy. Suggestions and guidance are included on how teachers can adjust the rigor of learning tasks based on students'' interests and needs.

Grades 3-4

The HOPE Teacher Rating Scale is designed to help guide teachers in identifying gifted students for programming. It is unique in several ways. First, it is short, with only 11 items that measure academic and social/affective components of giftedness, making it easy to use. Second, it is invariant when used to identify students from low-income and culturally diverse families. Third, it can be used across grade levels, K-12. Finally, local norms ensure that the data are relevant to the specific school populations. With multiple measures and multiple pathways crucial for reversing the inequities in identifying culturally, economically, and linguistically diverse students, a teacher-nomination instrument like the HOPE Teacher Rating Scale is an important component of identification systems. The HOPE Teacher Rating Scale items have been well-developed and subjected to research using more than 12,000 diverse students in five validity studies to date. This manual is useful in understanding and interpreting the electronic scores generated from teachers'' ratings of their students. This instrument is a must-have for any administrator or gifted-program coordinator involved in student identification.

To explore the full collection of HOPE print and online resources, please visit: https://www.routledge.com/go/hope-teacher-rating-scales.

Recipient of the 2019 NAGC Curriculum Award

It is a germy world out there, and students are naturally curious about this hidden world. Microscopic Monsters and the Scientists Who Slay Them, a 30-lesson interdisciplinary science unit:

In unit, students apply principles of epidemiology and microbiology to respond to a fictional epidemic and its effect on their town, all while building an understanding of the perseverance required to detect, track, and stop epidemics through the experiences of real-life epidemiologists and exploring career paths available in the diverse fields of medicine and microbiology. Suggestions and guidance are included on how teachers can adjust the rigor of learning tasks based on students'' interests and needs.

Grades 4-5

Recipient of the 2022 NAGC Curriculum Award

Inspire the next generation of zoologists with this 30-lesson interdisciplinary science unit geared toward second and third grade high-ability students.

Using problem-based learning scenarios, this book helps students develop the vocabulary, skills, and practices of zoologists as they conduct research and solve real world problems. Students will gain an in-depth understanding of how the animal kingdom is structured, create an innovative zoo exhibit containing an entire ecosystem for a vertebrate animal of their choosing, design invertebrate animal trading cards, and much, much more. Featuring detailed teacher instructions and reproducible handouts, this unit makes it easy for teachers to adjust the rigor of learning tasks based on students’ interests and needs.

Aligned with Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Mathematics plus the Next Generation Science Standards, gifted and non-gifted teachers alike will find this expedition into the animal kingdom engaging, effective, and highly adaptable.

Recipient of the 2022 NAGC Curriculum Award

Inspire the next generation of zoologists with this 30-lesson interdisciplinary science unit geared toward second and third grade high-ability students.

Using problem-based learning scenarios, this book helps students develop the vocabulary, skills, and practices of zoologists as they conduct research and solve real world problems. Students will gain an in-depth understanding of how the animal kingdom is structured, create an innovative zoo exhibit containing an entire ecosystem for a vertebrate animal of their choosing, design invertebrate animal trading cards, and much, much more. Featuring detailed teacher instructions and reproducible handouts, this unit makes it easy for teachers to adjust the rigor of learning tasks based on students’ interests and needs.

Aligned with Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Mathematics plus the Next Generation Science Standards, gifted and non-gifted teachers alike will find this expedition into the animal kingdom engaging, effective, and highly adaptable.

Embark on a journey of discovery by connecting with the five senses in this 30-lesson interdisciplinary science unit geared toward the fourth and fifth grade.

Students will use their senses as a springboard to explore advanced concepts such as the science behind cooking, optical illusions, musical instruments, and more. They will learn to distinguish between physical and chemical changes, describe the movement of sound waves, classify optical illusions, and evaluate the validity of their discoveries through unique problem-based learning tasks. Featuring detailed teacher instructions, daily reflection activities, and reproducible handouts, this unit makes it easy for teachers to adjust the rigor of learning tasks based on students’ interests and needs.

Aligned with Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Mathematics and Next Generation Science Standards, both gifted and non-gifted teachers alike will find this unit engaging, effective, and highly adaptable.

Embark on a journey of discovery by connecting with the five senses in this 30-lesson interdisciplinary science unit geared toward the fourth and fifth grade.

Students will use their senses as a springboard to explore advanced concepts such as the science behind cooking, optical illusions, musical instruments, and more. They will learn to distinguish between physical and chemical changes, describe the movement of sound waves, classify optical illusions, and evaluate the validity of their discoveries through unique problem-based learning tasks. Featuring detailed teacher instructions, daily reflection activities, and reproducible handouts, this unit makes it easy for teachers to adjust the rigor of learning tasks based on students’ interests and needs.

Aligned with Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Mathematics and Next Generation Science Standards, both gifted and non-gifted teachers alike will find this unit engaging, effective, and highly adaptable.

Take your students on a learning journey to discover their personal intellectual interests and develop expertise. Using a research- based approach, the lessons in Quests and Quandaries are designed to teach students how to think and behave as a scholar. Along the way, students will write SMART goals, use the Depth and Complexity Icons to conduct research, solve problems using the steps in the problem-based learning model, and synthesize what they learn into an Expertise Expo project/presentation.

Designed for gifted students in grades six and up using the National Common Core Standards for Language Arts and NAGC''s Learning and Development Standards this unit will guide teachers through the process of helping students’ identify an area of interest and then develop expertise over the course of a quarter, semester, or year.

Teacher friendly with supplemental resources and tips for how to use the unit online, this book is a must have for educators looking for an engaging, student-centered curriculum for their classroom.

Make problem solving fun with this award winning, research-based curriculum unit!

Designed to meet the needs of gifted students in grades 6 and up, this book will enable you to expertly guide your students through using the engineering design process, SCAMPER, and a new tool called “My Maker’s Map” to innovate solutions to both hypothetical and personal situations in their own lives. By the end of the unit, students will have created a working prototype of their design, presented it to a group of judges in a Shark Tank-esque Junior competition, filed a mock patent application, and conceptualized a marketing campaign. In addition, students will participate in various problem-based learning tasks and organize a Maker Fair for their school.

Standards aligned and full of tips, handouts, and resources, this ready to use curriculum model requires no additional research or prep work and is a must-have for teachers interested in providing an engaging, differentiated, and hands-on engineering design experience for their students.

Take your advanced students on a simulated dinosaur dig and hone the analytical skills required to think like a paleontologist!

Designed to meet the needs of gifted students in grades 5–6, this award-winning curriculum unit consists of 30 lesson plans structured around an included 26-chapter novel. Based on the author’s real-life experiences, your students will join Dorian as he travels from New York City to Montana to participate in a paleontological dig. Employing problem-based learning and Socratic seminars, these engaging lessons give students the space to choose which parts of the lessons they’d like to explore further while encouraging them to investigate change over time, from the age of the dinosaurs to the modern era.

With opportunities for student choice and targeted social-emotional learning discussions embedded throughout, this award-winning unit is a must-have for gifted educators seeking to facilitate active student engagement while integrating an exciting, problem-based learning unit into their curriculum.