“Structure Increases Creativity”

We’ll frame this unit with the generalization: “Structure increases creativity.” A generalization is an abstract statement applicable across many disciplines.

If you’re new to the use of abstract generalizations in gifted education, here are a sampling of quotes regarding gifted students and abstract thinking:

There are powerful academic effects when gifted learners are given abstract and/or complex content

Dr. Karen Rogers

Although instructional strategies depend on the age of the students and the nature of the disciplines involved, the goal is always to encourage students to think about subjects in more abstract and complex ways.

Sandra Berger

The differentiated curriculum includes learning theories that reinforce the needs, interests, and abilities of gifted students including abstract thinking and big ideas of the content area.

California’s GATE Standards

Approaching writing from whole to part using an abstract generalization is aligned with the needs of gifted learners.

Introducing The Theme

The opening lesson of this unit will simply explore the theme “structure increases creativity.” We’re teaching our students that this theme is applicable across many disciplines.

Here’s an excerpt from a Wired article I used as inspiration:

…consider these cultural and technological high points of the last century: Piet Mondrian helped usher in modernism by limiting himself to 90-degree angles and primary colors. Miles Davis conceived Kind of Blue without the use of a single chord. More recently, the very iPhone on which you listen to Davis’ landmark album is a one-buttoned example of restraint in pursuit of an ideal…

From Wired.com

I begin by brainstorming as many examples as possible from multiple disciplines. The Wired article is a great starting place, but my own experiences and my students’ lives will be the most useful resource.

Some possible examples:

• The Beatles limited their instrumentation on Let It Be
• Ansel Adams used black & white film to photograph nature.
• Pixar chose to use minimal dialog in Wall•E.
• If age-appropriate, note that films such as Psycho, Schindler’s List, 300, and Sin City were purposefully filmed in black & white or a very limited color palette.
• The Game Boy boasted a black and white screen and two buttons, yet defeated all competitors.
• Shakespeare utilized iambic pentameter in much of his writing.

However, I also want my class to bring their own ideas in. Open up the brainstorming to them and you’ll be surprised at what they come up with.

Frame The Theme

As a class, we use these examples to construct a frame (see the book Frames by Kaplan & Gould) to group these examples according to their discipline.

Group Work

Split students up into groups, hand them an image such as the following, and ask them to explain how the example supports our big idea. I would print out images such as the following and hand one to each group.

(These images include art from Van Gogh, Picasso, and Escher, a poster of The Nightmare Before Christmas, an excerpt from Yertle The Turtle, and a picture of iPods. )

Extend – Independent Practice

To extend this idea and increase the rigor, I’ll ask students to create a short (very short) short that follows a strict structure. Ideas could include:

• Employing iambic pentameter
• Writing a six-word story
• Using words of only a certain length

Coming Next…

After getting students thinking about the various ways that structure, rules, and patterns can lead to creativity, I bring in our true content, which is writing.

Writers use structure and patterns as a base on which they build their creativity.

The types of patterns we’ll examine in this unit will include:

1. The five-act dramatic structure
2. Recurring Themes
3. Character archetypes
4. Types of conflict

In the next lesson, we’ll begin digging into the patterns of plot structure.

Patterns In Writing I: Introduction is a post from: Byrdseed Gifted

Related posts:

1. Patterns In Writing II: Plot Structure
2. Patterns In Writing III: Themes
3. Oz, Paragraphy, and Writing Strategies

1. Connect Students To Cultural Milestones

In America, It’s A Wonderful Life is part of our cultural heritage. Even if you don’t love Jimmy Stewart, even if you can’t stand black and white, and even if you don’t celebrate Christmas, it’s impossible to avoid references to this film. Likewise, The Wizard Of Oz is referenced whenever you hear “there’s no place like home” or “I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore.”

Connecting students to the source of these references increases the richness of their intellectual life and gives them more to draw upon as creative people. Perhaps, as gifted educators, it is part of our job to provide this exposure. And expose is the key, of course. There’s no need to make it into a critical study with massive assessments and writing assignments.

Just as the Romans built upon the Greeks, our students will build upon their creative foundation. If their understanding of films is based solely on Alvin and the Chipmunks, we are not providing them with a strong foundation to build on.

So how do you pick what to expose students to? Simply pick those classics you love and are most knowledgeable about. Your passion for the subject will do far more than picking the “best” classic film.

2. Connect The Modern To The Classic

Rafe Esquith offers Akira Kurosawa films to his 5th graders.

Think your students might struggle with fifty year old, black and white, subtitled Japanese films?

I bet they’ll be pretty intrigued when you tell them George Lucas used Kurosawa’s The Hidden Fortress as a blueprint for the first Star Wars film.

As my class watched 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, I asked students to look for commonalities with the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. Immediately my kids picked up on the parallel between Davey Jones and Captain Nemo – noting similarities that I had missed. It’s important for our students to understand the rich heritage that modern works draw upon. By comparing Nemo and Davey Jones, my students developed a greater understanding of both characters.

Read more about taking classics and remixing them into new ideas.

3. The Art of Critiquing

Afraid your students won’t like your favorite black and white classic? Worried they’ll rebel against your beloved film?

First, it probably won’t happen. But if it does, use this opportunity to teach students what it means to critique.

critique (n) – A serious examination and judgment of a work of art.

To critique a film, students must learn the language of film, they must learn to set criteria, and they must learn to evaluate based on that criteria. It’s far different from the typical playground evaluation of “that sucks.”

Set up opportunities for critique by asking “what makes a good film?”

• Exciting action?
• Strange settings?
• Interesting characters?

Similar to a teacher creating a rubric, students can then ‘grade’ films based on these criteria.

In teaching students about being critical evaluators, we provide a way to honor their opinions, but also rigorously demand that those opinions be backed up with specific, relevant evidence.

To learn more about critique (some of these are specific to ‘art’ but can easily be adapted to any medium), head here:

• An Art Teacher’s Guide To Critique
• Questions To Ask In Art Criticism
• Roger Ebert’s Reviews

4. Become Fluent In The Language of Literary Devices

Teaching literary devices naturally requires literature. However, a quality film uses many of these same techniques, but does it in a way that, one, is fun and, two, is fast. Plus, it hits students with another modality, which is always a bonus.

• Want to explain climax? Show the giant action scene that ends your favorite movie.
• Need your kids to understand the different between the falling action and the dénouement? I go straight to a discussion of Pixar films (boy they do some great dénouements!).
• Clearly illustrate the hero’s journey using Star Wars, The Matrix, or The Wizard of Oz.

5. Understand creative role of directors and actors

As my class watched Marlon Brando in Julius Caesar, I constantly paused and noted how the director makes creative decisions when adapting Shakespeare’s plays to the screen. Where will the characters stand? How will they get into their correct positions? What will the stage look like at this moment? How will the actors convey the emotion behind their lines?

This kind of understanding moves students from knowledge into the evaluation realm of Bloom’s Taxonomy. Watching a film can be more than entertainment, it can be an experience in critical thinking. Now, take this understanding and apply it to literature by discussing an author’s motives.

6. Use Film To Support Above-Grade-Level Reading

Your reading curriculum is no doubt far below the reading level of your students. As you bring in some novels that truly challenge your kids, a film version can assist with understanding. As mentioned in my article on Reading Shakespeare With Gifted Students, incorporating a film version of Julius Caesar is a key element in helping my students understand Shakespeare’s play.

7. Bring Social Studies To Life

A film depicting the historical events of your social studies curriculum is a great way to engage students in content and also evaluate the historical accuracy of films. When we watched the 1956 film Alexander The Great, my students quickly recognized questionable history on the screen. Several even mentioned that they felt the film was biased against Alexander. You couldn’t ask for higher level thinking, could you?

Dealing With Restrictions

District rules regarding the rating and content of films should certainly be a consideration when picking  what is appropriate to show your students. Naturally, you’ll have to work within these guidelines. An extra bonus with classic films is the lack of violence and vulgarity so common even in modern films.

How can you justify the time?

As a teacher of gifted students, you have an obligation to up-level your teaching. Exposing students to classic films provides a novel way of investigating symbolism, foreshadowing, and other literary devices (which are also naturally film techniques). Instructionally, the payoff is immediate and the understanding richer than through text alone. Plus, it’s easy to tie any quality film into your literary response standards.

Now, make a list of your favorite classics, fire up that DVD player, and add a new element to your teaching!

Further Resources

• Article on viewing film with gifted students
• Hoagies Gifted: Films with gifted characters
• Addressing social/emotional needs through film

7 Ways To Use Film In The Gifted Classroom is a post from: Byrdseed Gifted

Related posts:

1. Differentiating Within A Gifted Classroom
2. Google’s 20% In A Gifted Classroom
3. 3 Ways Teachers Battle Students’ Giftedness

Here’s how I tackle Shakespeare with my gifted elementary class.

Getting Kids Interested: AKA The Shock

Shakespeare seems stuffy to the average student, but wait until they see:

• hilarious insults (“you saucy fellow!”)
• off-color jokes
• swear words
• battles betrayal, and death after death!

Shakespeare is not the dull academic we assume he would be!

Understanding The Times

Be sure to open any study with an explanation of Shakespeare’s time. Address misconceptions and explain that:

• All types of people attended his plays – from the noble to the impoverished.
• All people could understand his language, not just the educated.
• He was quite rich and famous during his time.
• He borrowed ideas from earlier stories, just as many borrow his ideas today.
• No one can simply pick up a Shakespearean play and immediately understand it. We all need some background and a good reference guide to dig into his language.
• His plays are meant to be heard and seen, not just read (imagine reading the script to Star Wars without ever experiencing the film).

Explain The Contribution Of Shakespeare

Why do we read Shakespeare’s works hundreds of years after his death. Besides his beautiful writing and complex characters, Shakespeare has direct contribution on our modren world.

Students may have heard famous sayings such as:

• It’s all greek to me.
• Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day.
• To be or not to be.
• All’s well that ends well.
• Read 135 of these Shakespearean sayings here.

Investigate the parallels of Shakespeare’s writing with modern day movies:

• The Lion King parallels Hamlet
• Westside Story parallels Romeo & Juliet
• 10 Things I Hate About You parallels Taming Of The Shrew
• O parallels Othello

Where to start?

A look into Shakespeare’s sonnets may be a more manageable starting point than a full blown play.

The background on the sonnets are as fascinating as the plots of Shakespeare’s plays. A fair youth? A rival poet? A dark lady? Shakespeare the spurned lover? Be sure to explain the “private diary” style of writing (these poems were not meant to be published). Play up the mystery of not quite knowing the true meaning behind these poems!

Sonnet 18 is probably the most well-known and will give your kids something to hang their hat on (“Hey! I’ve heard that line before!”). Rich with figurative language and (gasp!) romance, this is a fun poem to have students read aloud (perhaps to their dog, their favorite pencil, or even their teacher!).

It will also give you a chance to introduce Iambic Pentameter and the concept of working within a structure. Try incorporating the big idea that “structure leads to creativity.” Shakespeare chose to work within an incredibly limiting structure for all 158 of his sonnets. Yikes!

Word Play

Be sure to prepare students to understand Shakespeare’s unique sense of humor. I set up an understanding for puns earlier in the school year through a “Very Punny” homophone assignment. When we arrive at the first scene of Julius Caesar, I discuss the job of a “cobbler” so students understand the plays on:

• cobble (beat up vs. make shows)
• awl vs all
• soles vs souls

The Read Through

We slowly go through the play, line by line. As we go, I constantly stop the class and explain meanings and highlight important themes. I also ham it up a bit to remind kids that these plays are meant to be acted!

After reading a bit, I use the iPod and play the same segment from an audio book.

Then, as we get moving a bit more, I bring in a DVD and we watch the scenes we’ve just read.

Since Shakespeare is well beyond our curriculum, and I do this after testing, we are able to go at a relaxed pace without the expectation of completing every scene. If we begin to run out of time, I pick essential scenes so that we have some resolution on the play.

Our read through of Caesar is primarily to reinforce our study of Rome and to expose my gifted kids to something highly advanced and “scholarly.” Assessment is kept to a minimum, just a check to see who’s getting the story. I don’t expect interpretation from my 6th graders.

Putting On A Play!

Nothing stands out from my own days in a gifted elementary class like the plays we put on. By sixth grade, I had performed in Little House On the Prairie, Annie, Peter Pan, two original plays, and MacBeth simply by attending school! These events may seem like a thing of the past, but don’t think you have to create a full-blown production. Consider letting groups act out single scenes or allow brave students to tackle a soliloquy.

I guarantee they’ll remember it in 20 years. Heck, I still remember my lines from our 6th grade production of MacBeth.

Resources

Don’t go at it alone! Check out these Byrdseed recommended resources!

Something Rich and Strange: A Treasury of Shakespeare Verse

This beautifully illustrated book features quotes from Shakespeare’s plays and poems. Great for enticing students or finding fantastic examples of figurative language.

The “No Fear Shakespeare” Series

Features the original text on the left and a modern translation on the right. Invaluable for working your way through those tough passages. Many of my students pick these up when we go through Julius Caesar. Be sure to explain the necessity of working through the original language while using the translation as a guide.  

Shakespeare’s Insults: Educating Your Wit

Nothing rolls off the tongue like an ancient insult from The Bard. Also, be sure to enjoy this site which generates random Shakespearean insults. I bite my thumb at you, you naughty knave!

Studying Shakespeare: A Guide to the Plays

Picking up a large guide like this provides insight in to the bigger picture of Shakespeare’s writing. Might want to browse your library before settling on one sine they’re a little pricier than the other resources.

Shakespeare Downloadable Audiobooks

I hook my iPod up to the class sound system and play lines so we can hear a professional reading. Being able to download the file straight from Amazon or iTunes is a bonus!

Shakespeare on DVD

Nothing beats seeing the action on stage and a DVD is the next best thing. Naturally there’s a huge variety of interpretations, so be sure to read those reviews and do your research. I prefer the classic movies since they’re more appropriate for my elementary kids, but with high schoolers you can probably venture into the more modern interpretations.

Shakespeare & Gifted Students is a post from: Byrdseed Gifted

Related posts:

1. Enticing Gifted Students To Read Twice
2. Vocabulary Skills For Gifted Students
3. Remixing Ideas With Gifted Students

Is Your Math Instruction Creating Thinkers? is a post from: Byrdseed Gifted

Related posts:

1. Drive Instruction With Unanswered Questions
2. Differentiating Math Lessons For Gifted Students
3. iPods, Apple Stock, & Authentic Math

Nutrition Information

1. Starbucks (Drinks or Food)
2. McDonald’s
3. Pizza Hut (pdf)
4. Taco Bell
5. Caffeine Per Drink – includes making-of information behind this infographic

Shopping

1. IKEA – Furniture
2. Best Buy – Electronics
3. Home Depot – Home Goods
4. Guitar Center – Musical Instruments
5. Car Max – Used Cars

Population Data

1. UN Cyber School Bus – world information database for students
2. Country Population Data
3. US States’ Population (by population)
4. US Population Map – people per square mile
5. US Economic Reports – drill down by state, county, city (lots to dig through here!)
6. US Census Fun Facts – a kid (& teacher) friendly list of census information by state

Sports Stats

1. Baseball
2. Basketball
3. Football
4. Hockey
5. NCAA statistics

Employment, Education, Economy

1. Consumer Price Index – measures average price of consumer goods
2. Employment/Education information
3. More Education Means More Money

Top Sellers

1. Alltime Box Office Records
2. Top Selling Records
3. Top Selling Recording Artists
4. Top Selling Children’s Books

Natural Events

1. Latest Earthquakes (magnitude and location)
2. Significant Earthquakes (by year)
3. Real Time Water Data In The US
4. Tides and Currents (US Ports)
5. Forest Fire Data

33 Places To Find Juicy Data is a post from: Byrdseed Gifted

Related posts:

1. iPods, Apple Stock, & Authentic Math
2. Do Your Assessments Reflect Your Teaching?

(via Kottke.org)

What To Do With It?

This could be a great jumping off point for:

• Creative writing.
• Debate about replacing human worker with robots.
• Exploring ethics and robotics (here’s an iTunes link to a lecture from Carnegie Mellon).
• Reading I, Robot and other Isaac Asimov stories involving robots in society.
• Independent study on techniques in artificial intelligence.

Any ideas?

Towel Folding Robot is a post from: Byrdseed Gifted

Related posts:

1. Remixing Ideas With Gifted Students
2. Can You Spice Up Grammar?
3. Drive Instruction With Unanswered Questions

Rather than let students loose completely, consider giving them freedom within your grade-level curriculum. Allow students to generate questions and use those questions to drive your instruction.

You have to teach about the solar system, but if your students are particularly interested in the atmosphere of the planets, then allow some extension time to feed that scholarly hunger.

How To Determine Student’s Questions

At a Sandra Kaplan training, she advised using a simple picture of the topic with absolutely no explanation. Students then ask questions (at all sorts of levels, depending on their prior knowledge). As a teacher, you record these to guide students’ exploration.

I recently used this idea to great success in a unit on alternative fuel sources. A quick picture of a nuclear power plant lead to some easily answered but fascinating questions.

However, now I’m beginning instruction on Ancient Egypt. The picture method may not work for this abstract concept. I could announce that Ancient Egypt is our next topic and ask for questions to be emailed by the next day.

• The following day, we could group these questions as a class activity according to some criteria (perhaps: geography, religion, government, art, and social life).
• These questions could serve as a marker for our learning progress.
• Further, students could bring in their answers to these questions, placing their answers on post-its on top of the questions.
• Unanswered questions could lead into extension menu activities.

Or…

• I could group students based on common questions – effectively forming interest groups within Ancient Egyptian history.
• These groups could provide answers via a presentation after completing research.
• This is similar to a jigsaw, but based on student interest – adding the motivation I often find lacking in a jigsaw activity.

Further Resources

• Expanding Cooperative Learning Through Group Investigation, by Sharen & Sharen.
• Group Investigation and Student Learning, a study of these techniques used in Singapore schools (Google Books link)
• Independent Study, by Sandra Kaplan – great resources on organizing and refining student questions.

Drive Instruction With Unanswered Questions is a post from: Byrdseed Gifted

Related posts:

1. Is Your Math Instruction Creating Thinkers?
2. Transforming Textbook Questions
3. Differentiating Within A Gifted Classroom

Case Study: Science Test

In a recent science exam (about renewable and non-renewable energy sources), I did away with the multitude of fill-in-the-blank questions and instead asked students to utilize higher level thinking skills. In doing so, I got an amazing glimpse of my students’ true understanding of the material.

Recognize Fallacies

I made several purposely-flawed statements about power sources such as “Our city should switch entirely to wind power. This will reduce pollution and end global warming!” Students then wrote a brief paragraph arguing against these statements using details from the unit.

Judge With Criteria

I asked students to rank the five power sources according to various criteria (cleanliness, ease of use, power) and offer a one sentence explanation. I also asked students to pick which power source would be best according to different scenarios. Students then back up their thinking with evidence.

Prioritize

I also asked my students to prioritize which criteria is most important when selecting a power source. Again, in this type of question I’m more interested in their thinking than their actual answer so they must back up their statements with evidence. This question forced students to decide, for example, whether solar power’s reduced efficiency actually made fossil fuels a better choice as a power source.

Certainly assessments in other disciplines can be likewise modified. In language arts, ask your students to judge the author’s use of descriptive language. In social studies, ask your students to prove that the Ancient Greeks have had a lasting effect using evidence. In math, work out a problem and ask students to note ambiguities or fallacies in your work.

Grading

The most difficult part of these tests is determining how to grade each answer, since the responses are so open ended. I assign four points to each of these short answer questions. This allows me to communicate that an answer is correct, but lacks sufficient evidence.

How do you assess your gifted learners?

Do Your Assessments Reflect Your Teaching? is a post from: Byrdseed Gifted

Related posts:

1. Teaching Thinking
2. Go Deeper! Get More Complex!
3. Drive Instruction With Unanswered Questions

“I see no hope for the future of our people if they are dependent on the frivolous youth of today, for certainly all youth are reckless beyond words. When I was a boy, we were taught to be discrete and respectful of elders, but the present youth are exceedingly wise and impatient of restraint.”

After a discussion about whether or not this quote is true, reveal that it was written over 3000 years ago by the Greek poet Hesiod.

What To Do With It?

Ask your students to interact with this quote using the tools of depth and complexity:

• Consider the pattern of generations judging other generations.
• Analyze what about humanity has changed over time and what has stayed the same.
• Look for counter examples: people from older generations who approve of younger generations.
• Think about the ethics of different generations: what is better about an older generation, what is better about a younger generation?

Can you apply this quote to your universal theme?

• Conflict exists between generations.
• There is power in age.
• Generational conflict is a cycle.

A quote like this is a great way to start your day. Groups could create presentations one morning and then present the next day. Perhaps tie it in with an inter-generalization research project?

Any other ideas on how to incorporate a thought-provoking quote into a meaningful assigment for gifted learners?

Quote: Problems of Youth is a post from: Byrdseed Gifted

Related posts:

1. Solving Authentic Classroom Problems
2. Start The Year With Themes & Generalizations
3. Do Your Assessments Reflect Your Teaching?

Do I have to work in a group?

Of course, I thought I was doing my students a favor by giving them time to work together on an assignment. Interaction, collaboration, a break from listening and a chance to discuss – all positives for students, right? Yet, here was a student who preferred to work alone.

She wasn’t anti-social. She wasn’t unpopular. She wasn’t lonely.

She just wanted to work by herself this time.

Letting Go Of Assumptions

I realized that group size was another way I could differentiate for my gifted students’ diverse needs. I now make sure I include times throughout the day where students can choose to work alone or in pairs or in trios.

As I learned to differentiate in a new way, it certainly made me consider what other options would improve my students’ learning enviornment. Because that’s really what this young person was asking me to do.

I’ve realized:

• Some students (especially among the gifted) are introverted and simply need time to work alone.
• Not everyone thinks creating a multimedia computer project is enjoyable.
• Given a wide range of options, some students will pick the five paragraph essay!

Now certainly, there are many times during the day when students have to take the one choice I give them. But I’m certainly glad that student was brave enough to ask me if she could work alone. It reminded me to truly think from the point of view of my students.

And that has made me a better teacher.

Do I Have To Work In A Group? is a post from: Byrdseed Gifted

Related posts:

1. Four Ways to Differentiate Objectives
2. Differentiating Math Lessons For Gifted Students
3. 3 Ways Teachers Battle Students’ Giftedness