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iSmart Program


The iSmart Program is our talented and gifted program exclusive to Horizon Christian Elementary School.  Based on the theory of Multiple Intelligences first developed by Howard Gardner, this program highlights a student's "smarts" or learning strengths through assessment, interactive learning, special projects, field trips, and community service. At Horizon Christian we believe that EVERY student is talented and gifted, and therefore provide opportunities for upper grade students to assess, develop and expand their area of "Smart" while exploring all 8 Kinds of Smart.  

Teachers reference these intelligences in assignments, in public and private praise and their instruction, but in 4th/5th grade, students are assessed and “tagged” in their top “smart.”  Students are grouped with a faculty member with that same strong natural gifting and offered opportunities to grow with expert teaching, special projects and a curated half day field trip. Our goal is to help students realize and celebrate their gifts, and encourage them to pursue excellence in those areas.

Horizon Christian’s iSmart program allows students to grow in confidence knowing that they are deliberately and beautifully made by our Creator.  We hope that students look enthusiastically to the future knowing that because of their God-designed strengths they will not only succeed but feel fully alive engaging their God-given potential.

WHAT "SMART" ARE YOU?

Bodily-Kinesthetic. This area has to do with bodily movement and physiology. People who have bodily-kinesthetic intelligence learn better by involving muscular movement (e.g. getting up and moving around into the learning experience) and are good at physical activities such as sports or dance. They may enjoy acting or performing, and in general and are good at building and making things. They often learn best by doing something physical, rather than by reading or hearing about it. Those with strong bodily-kinesthetic intelligence use muscle memory, and remember things through their body such as verbal memory or images.  

This area has to do with interaction with others. People who have a high interpersonal intelligence tend to be extroverts, characterized by their sensitivity to others' moods, feelings, temperaments and motivations, and their ability to cooperate to work as part of a group. They communicate effectively and empathize easily with others and may be either leaders or followers. They typically learn best by working with others and often enjoy discussion and debate. 

This area has to do with introspective and self-reflective capacities. People with intrapersonal intelligence are intuitive and typically introverted. They are skillful at deciphering their feelings and motivations. This refers to having a deep understanding of the self; what are your strengths and weaknesses, what makes you unique, and predicting your own reactions and emotions. 

This area has to do with nurturing and relating information to one's natural environment. This intelligence was not part of Gardner's original theory but was added to the theory in 1997. Nature Smart people are said to have greater sensitivity to nature and their place within it, the ability to nurture and grow things, and greater ease in caring for, taming and interacting with animals. They may discern changes in weather or similar fluctuations in their natural surroundings. They are also good at recognizing and classifying different species. 

This area has to do with logic, abstractions, reasoning, and numbers. While it is often assumed that those with this intelligence naturally excel in mathematics, chess, computer programming and other logical or numerical activities, a more accurate definition places emphasis on traditional mathematical ability and more reasoning capabilities, abstract patterns of recognition, scientific thinking and investigation, and the ability to perform complex calculations.   

This area has to do with rhythm, music, and hearing. Those who have a high level of musical-rhythmic intelligence display greater sensitivity to sounds, rhythms, tones and music. They normally have good pitch and can sing, play musical instruments, and compose music. Since there is a strong auditory component to this intelligence, those who are strongest in it may learn best via lecture. Language skills are highly developed in those whose base intelligence is musical. In addition, they will sometimes use songs or rhythms to learn and memorize information. 

A Picture Smart person thinks visually with their eyes and can readily see pictures in their mind. They like to design, draw, build, create, daydream, and look at pictures. They learn best when working with pictures, colors and drawings. 

This area has to do with words, spoken or written. People with high verbal-linguistic intelligence display a facility with words and languages. They are typically good at reading, writing, telling stories and memorizing words and dates. They learn best by reading, taking notes, listening to lectures, and discussion and debate. They are frequently skilled at explaining, teaching and persuasive speaking. Those with verbal-linguistic intelligence learn foreign languages easily as they have high verbal memory and recall.