Honors Core (non-verbal)

The Honors Core program, housed at Greenway Middle School, provides gifted services for students who qualify in the non-verbal area.  Students are identified using the Naglieri Nonverbal Abilities Test in conjunction with the Matrix Identification for Gifted Services. This program is tailored to meet the needs of gifted students from many diverse cultural backgrounds. Four teachers, each specializing in a different content area, English, Social Studies, Science and Math, provide a team approach to learning.  Each of the four teachers has an ESL or Bilingual endorsement as well as a gifted endorsement.  The teachers proactively plan and carry out varied approaches to content, process and product in anticipation of and in response to student differences in readiness, interest, and learning needs. An integrated thematic approach is used in designing the units of study. Field trips, student produced plays and other hands on experiences are a vital part of this program.  

Parent Communication

Parent communication is a vital part of this program.  Parents are called once a month by the teachers to update them on their child’s progress.  Parents also participate in the many field experiences.  Student led conferences as well as regular conferences are held with the parents.

Scottsdale Center for the Arts

The Honors Core teachers have a close relationship with Scottsdale Center for the Arts. Scottsdale Center for the Arts provides a drama coach for 6 weeks to work with the students. The culminating activity is an evening presentation for the parents. They also provided an artist in residence. The students’ work is currently displayed in the Scottsdale Center for the Arts. They provided Brazilian and Chinese dance instructors for the students to express themselves and their poetry through dance.  A drum teacher spends five weeks each year teaching the students how to play different kinds of percussion instruments such as the conga, jimba, gourds, bells, rattles and buckets.  The concluding performance includes African dance, international drum beats and a Caribbean Stilt Walker that awes the audience.