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Favorite Resource

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Social/Emotional/Affective Needs Please be willing to deal with the emotional lives of your students, not just their intellectual needs. Actually, working with students affective needs may be (in the words of one teacher) the best thing we can do for them.

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Study Skills Websites that focus on study skills: studygs.net howtostudy.org

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Supporting Gifted Kids One-on-One, Small Groups or Adapted for Large Groups Use Questionnaires and Surveys Use Journaling Use Bibliotherapy Schedule Weekly Conferences Use Growth Contracts Form Peer Alliances Recommend that students be Referred to counseling

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Student Inventory The purpose of the questionnaire is twofold: 1. It will give you a reading on how your students feel about themselves and others, on what they think being gifted and being in a gifted class means, and how seriously affected they are by problems known to surface among gifted students. 2. It will stimulate kids to think about these conflicts, their areas of strength and need, and their feelings.

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Supporting Gifted Kids One-on-One, Small Groups or Adapted for Large Groups Use Questionnaires and Surveys Use Journaling Use Bibliotherapy Schedule Weekly Conferences Use Growth Contracts Form Peer Alliances Recommend that students be Referred to counseling

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Questions that Might Help Them Come to Terms with Their Differences Write an entry from the point of view of someone not in the gifted program. List your favorites books, songs, food, clothes, hobbies, whatever. Describe the traits of an imaginary friend. Compose a portrait of yourself as you are now and as you expect to be in ten years. Describe a tranquil, beautiful, or particularly stimulating place to be; invent an episode which could take place there. Reconstruct an angry dialogue you had with a friend or relative. Write an imaginary conversation with a favorite (talking) pet.

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Supporting Gifted Kids One-on-One, Small Groups or Adapted for Large Groups Use Questionnaires and Surveys Use Journaling Use Bibliotherapy Use Growth Contracts Schedule Weekly Conferences Form Peer Alliances Recommend that students be Referred to counseling

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Top Ten Favorite Reads #10: A Solitary Blue by Cynthia Voigt. Love, loss, family, friendship: big issues for Jeff Greene, who comes to understand his parents and himself after some emotionally trying experiences. #9: Welcome to the Ark by Stephanie S. Tolan. Four brilliant misfits are thrown together in an experimental group home they dub The Ark. They soon discover each others extraordinary powers and the gifts they offer each other. #8: Interstellar Pig by William Sleator. A sci-fi novel in which sixteen-year - old Barney is resigned to another boring summer until some curious neighbors move in, bringing with them a game called Interstellar Pig. But is it only a game? #7: The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. A graphic novel starring Hugo, an orphan, clockkeeper, and thief who lives in a Paris train station. Surviving through his wits and anonymity, Hugo finds that everything is in jeopardy when he meets a bookish girl and the bitter owner of a toy shop. Through them, he learns wonderful secrets of his deceased father. #6: The Van Gogh Caf by Cynthia Rylant. Anything can happen here! Food cooks itself and poems foretell the future. Claras dad owns this magical caf where the unexpected is to be expected.

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#5: Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson. Two lonely kids create a magical forest kingdom. Leslie is a smart, outgoing tomboy and Jesse is a fearful and angry artist. But when their lives meet, both are transformed. (Note: This book was the twenty-eighth most challenged book from 2001 to 2008, according to the American Library Association.) #4: Dogsong by Gary Paulsen. A fourteen-year-old Eskimo boy sets out with his dogs to find himself after the ways of the modern world upset him. On the way, he meets a girl who, like himself, is disaffected by lifes challenges. Their journey together leads to some remarkable discoveries. #3: Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry. A companion to The Giver, this book finds Kira, a physically disabled and orphaned teen who lives in a future society that kills off its elderly and disabled. Thanks to her amazing talent in embroidery, the elders of the community keep her alive for their own purposes. In the process, Kira learns much about her society that causes her concern. #2: Fade by Robert Cormier. In 1938, Paul Moreaux discovers he can fade, but this invisibility is not the great gift it first appears to be. #1: What Child Is This? by Caroline B. Cooney. On Christmas Eve, eight- year-old Katie wants only one gift: a real family, not the foster family where she currently lives. Can sixteen-year-old Liz and seventeen -year- old Matt grant a wish that seems impossible?

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Supporting Gifted Kids One-on-One, Small Groups or Adapted for Large Groups Use Questionnaires and Surveys Use Journaling Use Bibliotherapy Use Growth Contracts Schedule Weekly Conferences Form Peer Alliances Recommend that students be referred to counseling

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Why Weekly Conferences?? They give kids a chance to vent, beyond group discussions, about whatever personal problems are interfering with their work or life. They give you a chance to confront the student whose grades or participation levels are slipping; the student who is becoming increasingly negative; the student who seems anxious or depressed. Confrontation, in this sense, means communicating this message: I see that something is going on with you. Will you tell me about it? Were going to have to work something out here.... The act of intervention alone tells the depressed student that his feelings have been noticed; the irresponsible student that her act isnt fooling anyone; and the passive student that his lack of participation is cause for concern. They show that you care about the student as a person. Youre listening; youre taking her feelings seriously. They enable you and the student to problem-solve different situations together. They provide direction and support as students go about implementing solutions.

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Online Learning Khan Academy ( khanacademy.org ) features short educational videos on many topics and for students of all ages. Students can use the site to learn, measure their own progress, and work toward individualized goals at their own pace.khanacademy.org MIT + K12 ( k12videos.mit.edu ) is a collaboration between Khan Academys founder (Sal Khan) and MIT students. The site presents short videos with a focus on STEM topics (science, technology, engineering, and math).k12videos.mit.edu TED-Ed ( ed.ted.com ) lessons (inspired by TED Talks) are videos recorded by educators and professionally animated. These lessons cover many topics, organized by theme. The website also features quizzes, questions for further exploration, and additional resources.ed.ted.com Wonderopolis ( wonderopolis.org ) posts a new wonder every day a thought-provoking question that forms the basis for investigation. Each wonder is accompanied by a video, word list, and other resources. Most wonders also include quizzes. Students can submit their own ideas for wonders to be included on the website.wonderopolis.org

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What Makes a Good Gifted Education Teacher? Outstanding teachers of the gifted, as identified by their colleagues, agree that the most important characteristic of a successful educator is to like gifted children. Laurie Croft Galbraith, Judy; Delisle, Jim (2015-04-29). When Gifted Kids Don't Have All the Answers: How to Meet Their Social and Emotional Needs. Free Spirit Publishing.

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When two teachers asked students in a special project for gifted and highly able learners (ages six to sixteen) to describe their concept of a gifted teacher, Over 50 percent of the responses listed someone who: understands them has a sense of humor can make learning fun is cheerful Thirty percent listed someone who: supports and respects them is intelligent is patient is firm with them is flexible Only 5 to 10 percent listed someone who: knows the subject explains things carefully is skilled in group processes

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Teachers who are successful with gifted kids often possess certain qualities that gifted children respond to positively. They tend to: Be enthusiastic about teaching and the joy of lifelong learning. Have confidence and competency in teaching their content area(s). Have flexible teaching styles and be comfortable with situations in which students are flexibly grouped for learning and some students are doing different activities than others. Possess strong skills in listening, leading discussions, and using inquiry- based instruction. Be knowledgeable about the unique characteristics and needs of gifted students and willing to accommodate them. Be willing and able to create and nurture a learning environment where its safe to take risks and make mistakes. Know how to praise effort more than products. Respect students strengths and weaknesses and have the ability to encourage students to accept both without embarrassment. Be eager and willing to expose students to new ideas and provide opportunities for exploring those ideas.

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Have a free-flowing sense of humor and a level of comfort with their personal strengths and weaknesses. Be comfortable connecting the curriculum to students learning profiles, interests, and questions and are good at empowering students to follow their passions. Be well organized though not necessarily neat! Be able to multitask and effectively manage their time. Provide a wide range of learning materials, including those that are appropriate for older students. Network with organizations and local experts who can help gifted kids. Be aware that gifted students need less time with practice and more time with complex and abstract learning tasks. Understand the importance of communicating with students and their parents about their individual progress. Be willing to advocate for what gifted students need. Teaching Gifted Kids in Todays Classroom: Strategies and Techniques Every Teacher Can Use by Susan Winebrenner, M.S., with contributing author Dina Brulles, Ph.D. (Minneapolis: Free Spirit Publishing, 2012), p. 34.