Overview
What is the Action Plan?
The action Plan is a blueprint for transferring the summer GIFT experience into the classroom during the school year. Successful plans very in length.

How long will it take to develop?
Development of the Action Plan is on-going. It begins at the first GIFT orientation meeting and continues throughout the summer and the following school year.

What will be included in the Action Plan?
I. Needs Assessment
II. Classroom Implementation Plan
III. GIFT Work Experience Summary
IV. Portfolio
V. Communication Plan

Are there specific focuses for the Action Plan?
Action plans focus on personal change in classroom practice and incorporate inquiry-based instructional strategies. The plan provides strategies for transferring the summer work experience into the classroom and for sharing experiences with other teachers. When fully implemented, the teacher will have engaged in “action research” to improve the teaching/learning experiences for students.

Mathematics and science standards, career/workforce skills, and technology skills will be woven into instructional plans by addressing the following:
• Inquiry: problem solving, critical thinking and reasoning, experimentation and research
• Content: mathematics, science, engineering and technology
• Equipment, instruments and technology: Work experiences are designed to increase knowledge and the use of equipment, instruments, high tech machines, computer programs, state of the art technologies, and /or sharing information of career skills, teamwork, etc.

I. Needs Assessment
Describe your personal or team vision for your classroom and ways the GIFT experience can help you make desired changes in teaching methods. In establishing your personal goals for the entire GIFT experience, both summer and implementation phases, address the following:

• Three to five student needs related to specific curricula
• Three to five changes you would like to make to your teaching methods
• Three to five things you expect to learn during your summer experience
• Three to five concepts you would like to teach “better” or differently
• Equity and expectations related to ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic, and differently-abled students

II. Classroom Implementation Plan
Represents how you will share your GIFT experience with your students. You will begin by establishing:
• Learning goals for students that are linked to National and Local Standards for Mathematics, Science or Technology.
• Choose a concept or major idea in a subject area upon which to focus
• Follow with inquiry based activities to meet learning goals
• Develop an assessment plan to use with your students

You may choose the format in which to present the information. The following questions may be used to guide your Implementation Plan. The questions were developed using National Board for Professional Teaching Standard entries as a guide.

A. Teaching/Learning Goals
• What are your goals for student learning in connection to the major idea/concept featured in the Classroom Implementation Plan? Link these goals to National and Local Standards, Needs Assessment and GIFT Work Experience Summary.
• Why do you consider this major idea to be important and appropriate for your students to learn about?
• What challenges or misconceptions are inherent in teaching this idea/concept to students? How is your instruction designed to meet these challenges?

B. Implementation Plan
• Using the 5E Model, or another Inquiry model, describe activities students will be involved in as they engage in the concept/major idea.
• What type of resources/background information is needed to develop the concept? This may include content background, websites, etc.
• Include examples of activities and a time line for implementation.

C. Evaluation
• What criteria will be used to assess student learning during and following the implementation plan?
• Include examples of assessment instruments. This could include rubrics, quizzes, tests, etc.
• How will you know if your goals have been accomplished? What will you do if your goals are not met?

III. GIFT Work Experience Summary
The Gift Work Experience Summary is a compilation of the mathematics, science and technology applications experienced or observed during the summer. During the first week of your work experience you will develop a technical description of the work experience project, and goals. You may do this in collaboration with your Mentor.

Include a brief description of how information will be shared with students. The summary may be submitted in your preferred format and should be a minimum of two pages in length.

IV. Portfolio
The Portfolio represents a picture of your development during a professional growth experience. Build a portfolio that is useful for teachers and students that include materials, process, products, resources, and websites that you acquire throughout the summer. Portfolios should include any number of the following:

• Items such as national standards inquiry based activities and resources, web resources, laboratory protocols, videos, research papers, annual reports, pamphlets, and/or brochures
• A list of the items collected (you keep the items) and a description of how the items will be used to share with students and /or colleagues
• A list of supplies and equipment received or anticipated from various sources associated with GIFT or your local school district
• Information regarding equipment or resources donated to you or materials you were able to purchase to implement your Action Plan
• A description of any travel you were or are able to do related to your GIFT experience

V. Communication Plan
Develop a Communication Plan in which you may include the following:

• Plan for future communication with your Mentor
• Design a workshop for other teachers based on your Action Plan and summer experience. You may wish to include teachers in your department, school, local, state or national meetings.
• Consider ways you may share your Implementation Plan, such as posting components on the Georgia learning Connections Website, http://www.glc.k12.ga.us/ etc.

School Year Follow Up
GIFT will communicate with you during the school year about the implementation of your Action Plan. You can earn extra PLU's if you schedule a visit by your mentor or GIFT Project Director to visit your school to see your Action Plan implemented. You may also be asked to complete a survey regarding your GIFT experience and student recognition.

You may be asked to report the following:
• Honors received by students
• Student Science Fair projects of note
• Student Projects other than Science Fair of which you are proud
• Honors and special recognition received because of your GIFT experience