Before reading Cultural Background

1. Before reading CulturalBackground Students differ in their individual rates of learning, knowledge, skills, and developmental stages. And therefore ability grouping is widely used in elementary and secondary education throughout the united States. Yet it has always been a controversial topic whether special instruction and program should be provided for gifted students. Critics of gifted education say : Special programs for gifted youngsters benefit only a small, predominantly white and middle-class minority of students and divert resources and political support from broader educational reform. This common educational practice works against democratic egalitarian norms, leads to maldistribution of racial and ethnic groups in lower tracks, hinders the progress of low-ability groups by providing an inferior education, is destructive to student self-esteem, and fails to offer students worthwhile educational benefits to compensate for its negative effects.

2. Advocates of gifted and talented education say: Heterogeneous grouping in school is failing in the responsibility to help the brightest pupils achieve their full potential and are squandering a valuable national resource needed to compete in a global economy. Ability grouping has been shown to be an appropriate and effective way to meet the academic needs of highly able students. There is no evidence to support the notion of negative social and emotional consequences of ability grouping

3. Students who are exceptionally bright need an appropriately differentiated curriculum designed to address their individual characteristics, needs, abilities, and interests. Some students will require only one option to meet their needs while other students may require a combination of two or more services. Here are some types of grouping for reference. (Adapted from a 1997 Missouri SDE Brochure “Gifted Education: Making a positive difference”) Cluster grouping Cluster grouping is the practice of placing four to six identified gifted students in the same regular classroom with a teacher having had special training on how to teach gifted students. Cluster grouping is receiving more attention as a programming option for gifted youth. The other students in the class are of mixed ability. This method is different from ability grouping in that the other students are heterogeneously grouped. The "cluster" of gifted students allows them to learn together while avoiding permanent grouping arrangements for their classmates.

4. Full-time gifted services Full-time service for gifted students is another option in providing comprehensive gifted education programming. Identified gifted students are grouped together all day with the possible exception of specialty classes, such as art and physical education, lunch, and recess. This option is most often reserved for the highly gifted child, generally incorporating a range extending from IQ 150 to IQ 180 and over, although all gifted students will benefit from prolonged exposure to other students of similar interests and abilities. For optimal learning for the highly gifted, they should be placed in full-day programs, conducted by specially trained teachers using a specially tailored curriculum. Flexible ability grouping Flexible ability grouping is the grouping of students for instruction according to their ability level. This is different from tracking in that students are not in the same group for every subject and they can move in and out of groups as their skills increase. The students are placed in a group of children with like abilities, the content is modified to be appropriate for the abilities of the group, and the students may or may not complete their assignments individually.

5. Global reading Comprehension Questions 1. What does “the gifted” normally mean? 2. What does the writer in the text mean by “the gifted”? 3. Why is the writer in favor of grouping? About the notion “gifted” By gifted, we normally mean persons of high IQ. IQ is the abbreviation of “Intelligence Quotient”, which is a number used to express the apparent relative intelligence of a person determined by dividing his mental age as reported on a standard test by his chronological age and multiplying the result by 100. Intelligence is a hypothetical construct used to describe individual differences in an assumed latent variable that is, by any direct means, unobservable and immeasurable. In its popular usage, the concept of the intelligence refers to variations in the ability to learn, to get along in society, and to behave according to contemporary social expectations. Behavioral scientists, psychometrists, and educators will frequently describe individuals with reference to the intelligence quotient that is derived from standardized tests of intelligence.

6. By gifted ,the writer refers to those children who possess some quality or innate ability which has been recognized and identified by any number of testing and observation devices and who manifest interest and success in either physical , intellectual, or artistic pursuits. Organization of the Text Introduction part: paragraph 1—4 The writer begins the essay with the definition of “the gifted” and the examples of the definition. And then he points out his argument of the essay: Students should be grouped as nearly as possible according to interest and ability (giftedness).

7. Body part : paragraph 5—19 The writer goes on to ague for the stand he takes, by refuting opposing views and citing the experiments of the grouping in a reading program. Conclusion part: paragraph 20 The writer reconfirms his argument. Weakness in the organization and development The writer supports his argument ,largely by refuting opposing views and relying on his personalized evidence. Such personalized evidence will surely to some extent weaken his argument because a personal observation of opinion can hardly represent a satisfactory proof, and what is proved true in one case will not always become a truth in another. The way he concludes the article is not a strong supportive way to end the argument. In the experiment he cites, the grouping is done according to the students’ ability ,which is very close to the criterion of intelligence used traditionally to distinguish between the gifted and the non-gifted. This makes the ending sound very much like a compromise.

8. Detailed Reading Explanation 1.manifest---show clearly 2.artistic pursuits---refer to such activities as playing a musical instrument, painting, etc. 3.highly intellectual “quiz kids” who knock the top off all measuring devices---unusually intelligent children who always gain high marks in exams and surpass the highest level of intelligence. 4.excels---surpasses; superior to everything 5.help them to grow to the fullest extent of their abilities and capacities---to develop their abilities and capacities to the utmost 6.heterogeneously grouped---grouped according to different levels of ability 7.caste---referring to the Hindu social classes system 8.these fears are groundless---these fears are not based on reason or evidence 9.elite---socially superior group 10.instill---put gradually but firmly 11.challenge and spark---provoke, stir, stimulate

9. 12.the lines of his interests and abilities---the areas of his interest and abilities 13.associate---join in a relationship based on friendship, business, or a shared purpose 14.accelerated classes---classes that move on faster than ordinary classes 15.far from reliable---not at all reliable 16.skyrockets---goes up suddenly and steeply. 17.the control group---the group of students used as a standard against which the results of a study or an experiment is measured 18.overall progress---total progress 19. endowed with--- given, provided with 20.potential success---success that may come to them, although not actually existing at present

10. Vocabulary • identify: • Can you identify（认出） whose handwriting this is? • The machine identifies （鉴定） the owner of the credit card by his fingerprint pattern. • Manifest: • What she did manifested her lack of confidence in herself. • The illness first manifests itself in splitting headaches. • Criteria : • Our criterion of happiness is wholehearted devotion o the interest of the people. • Different people have different criteria of success.

11. Ground/groundless Don’t listen to him. His arguments are groundless. What grounds have you to say that child is an underachiever? he declined the invitation to a game of tennis on the grounds that he was not well. Challenge: The difficult situation challenged us to fine a suitable solution. he liked to be challenged by thought-provoking questions. the boy challenged his friend to a game of chess. Spark: The visiting professor’s lecture sparked great interests in the students. It is necessary to spark some ambition in that slothful young man. Associate: His parents were in constant fear that he might associate with undesirable companions.

12. Measure: He’s not at the top of the class, but he has achieved some measure of success. his talk is based in large measure on his recent work on applied linguistics. I have no words to express the full measure of my thankfulness. Yield: The apple trees in this orchard yielded a record crop o fruit last year . First-rate management yields huge profits for that corporation. Proceed: The work in our group is proceeding smoothly. After he explained his viewpoint, he proceeded to give some concrete examples. Pay dividends: His hard work is paying dividends: he is already the assistant manager of the corporation at the age of twenty-five. Endow with Her sister is endowed with talent in music.

13. Further reading Supplementary reading Text two: Grouping the Gifted: Con (By Bruno Bettelheim) Thesis argument: 1) The effect of grouping the gifted on the gifted students: Grouping the gifted does not help them as a human being. Putting the gifted in a heterogeneous class will broaden their interest and improve their understanding. 2) The effect of grouping the gifted on society: It deprives the less-gifted of stimulation. And speeding up the pace of education for the gifted might deprive the society of some men of broad social vision it might need in the future.

14. Interactive Activity 1. Whom do you agree with ,Mott or Bettelheim? Give support to your stand. 2.Have you ever been grouped in your study? Do you think it is a proper way for people, especially children to develop their talents? 3.Group discussion: What may be an ideal situation for “grouping the gifted”? What are the qualifications expected on the teachers and the students? 4.Group discussion: how to make your argument strong and supportive?