All students in Kindergarten, First, Second, and Third grades receive gifted education services through SEARCH. SEARCH teachers plan and present lessons focusing on five thinking skills– perceiving, creating, reasoning, connecting, and evaluating.  The lessons are designed to foster excitement for learning and discovery by stimulating critical and creative thinking through problem solving and open-ended situations.  Classroom teachers participate in these lessons, making observations about students who respond at a high level.

Here's a deeper look into the concepts and ideas that will be presented to your child throughout the school year. 

The SEARCH curriculum is problem solving based and spirals developmentally through five components: perceiving, reasoning, connecting, creating, and evaluating. Each grade level learns about each component at increasingly more complex and abstract levels.

Perceiving is understanding and learning with one’s senses. Concrete spatial and visual activities are provided and students are encouraged to look at objects in many different ways. Pattern recognition and prediction skills develop and are used along with reasoning skills.  

Reasoning is using information to find answers that can be proven, are logical, and make sense. Reasoning activities begin at the simple level of recognizing, labeling, classifying, and comparing attributes of concrete objects. As students mature, reasoning activities become more abstract as students use analysis and logic to solve problems.

Connecting means linking information and ideas to see how they fit together. At the basic level, students identify and extend patterns using concrete objects. More abstract problem solving involves interpreting and extending numeric patterns, determining relationships between concepts, and making generalizations. Students make connections between cause and effect.

Creating is putting ideas, information, or objects together in a new or different way. Students learn to be flexible and fluent in their thinking with familiar objects as well as unusual and/or real life problems. Original ideas are elaborated with humor and/or beauty to provide clarity and completeness. Student products may be visual, verbal, spatial, or kinesthetic.

Evaluating is using information to make a decision. Students begin evaluating by determining what the facts are and what considerations are important in making a decision. Students learn to develop criteria and rank solutions or choices according to the criteria when making decisions.

Mensa for Kids

A variety of intellectual challenges 

• Bright (April)

• Bright (February)

• Bright (January)

• Bright (December)

• Bright (November)

• Bright (October)

• Bright (September)

Mensa For Kids' Bright is the smartest monthly e-newsletter for kids ages 6 to 10! Every issue is full of fun games, puzzles, activities and factoids specially selected to encourage children to learn, explore and think outside the box. 

Math Playground

Math Playground provides your child with numerous mathematical challenges. 

PBS Kids

Cyberchase allows your child to experience various mathematical and science concepts through entertaining videos and games.

Set Game

SET is a highly addictive, original game of visual perception; a fascinating challenge for either solitaire or competitive play.

Discovery Kids

Discovery Kids inspires kids to explore the awesome world around them and satisfy their curiosity with innovative games, activities, quizzes and articles.

Ken Ken

KenKen is a puzzle game that helps student improve their calculation skills, logical thinking and persistence.

Word Central

 Merriam-Webster's Word Central offers kids a student dictionary, Daily Buzzword, and interactive word games. 

FunTrivia

Kids of all ages will enjoy the fun trivia and quizzes. 

Interactive Brain Teasers

This site offers a variety of interactive challenges for all levels! My favorites are Weigh the Wangdoodles and Simon!

Greg Tang Math

 The following links are provided for information purposes only and are not an advertisement or endorsement by LCPS.  All responsibility for inquiries, applications, and/or participation is solely that of parents or guardians.

• University of Virginia

• Johns Hopkins University 

• Stanford University 

• University of William and Mary

• University of Southern Missississippi