100%, 100%, 100%. If you’ve ever taught gifted students math, you’re probably familiar with those kids who can knock perfect scores out week after week. You’ve probably also questioned what good you’re doing for those students. A differentiated math program may be just what you need.
Year: 2009
Differentiate Lessons With The Content Imperatives
Earlier in this series, you met the eleven dimensions of depth and complexity. Today you’ll be introduced to another set of rigor-increasing, engagement-enhancing thinking tools known as the content imperatives.
Introducing Depth and Complexity
The dimensions of depth and complexity are a great first step towards a classroom differentiated for gifted learners. Learn the basics of these thinking tools and begin incorporating them into your lessons tomorrow!
Movie Previews and Poems’ Tones
In California, both Third and Sixth grade teachers are required to teach students to recognize elements that contribute to the tone of a written piece. I struggled with this abstract concept before landing on an engaging tool to help express the meaning of tone: movie previews.
The Differentiator!
After writing an earlier article about differentiating objectives for gifted learners, I decided to create a system that would help me keep track of all my options.
And so, The Differentiator was born!
How To Differentiate Objectives for Gifted Learners
Creating a differentiated learning environment for gifted students doesn’t mean throwing out everything you learned in your credential program. Learn how to add on to or adjust the base program, curriculum, or standards that any general education teacher uses.
10 Social & Emotional Needs of the Gifted
While gifted students look perfect on paper, their teachers know that in the classroom they are not all the academic angels and stellar scholars that people assume they are. Successful teachers of the gifted require a special understanding of their students’ social and emotional needs.
How I Used Pre-Assessment To Group Within My Class
Nothing stirs up behavior problems like trying to teach a gifted student something they already know. After watching my class average over 90% month after month on their Houghton Mifflin end of unit tests, I began to get a sneaky suspicion that some of them already knew the material prior to my instruction. This realization led to my use of the HM Theme Skills tests as a pre-assessment to create flexible groups.
Novelty, U2, and Literary Response
The California Gifted Standards define novelty as “unique and original expressions of student understanding.” Are you providing this for your gifted students? Here’s a way to incorporate music, group collaboration, and literary response.
Solving Authentic Classroom Problems
How often do you give your gifted students the opportunity to solve authentic, relevant problems? What is more authentic to a student than solving classroom problems? And what excites students more than having ownership over the classroom seating? Here’s an authentic problem solving idea that ties in public speaking skills, group work, and classroom ownership.
