I too am new to teaching Gifted students (I am new to teaching actually,
this is my second career). At first the thought was overwhelming
especially given that there is no curriculum or resources readily
available in many schools. Once I decided on a focus things started to
flow and really the students guided where we went with the topics. Last
year we focused on creative thinking which lead us to Invention. I
asked the students to think about the invention that has had the
greatest impact on society We brainstormed various inventions and
inventors in the end the students choose The telephone, the vaccine, the
radio, computers, the light bulb. Student then got into groups of 4 and
choose the invention they were going to research. We then planned to
have a class debate to present their findings. Only catch the person
presenting had to become the inventor and speak in first person.
Another person in the group had the task of planning questions they were
going to ask the other groups in the debate. (Students found this a very
challenging role!) Another took the role of coordinating the Inventor's
costume and advising the inventor on manorisms they should display. In
the end the students enjoyed the debate! Students then took a step back
from their role and considered the evidence provided and voted on who
they felt had the biggest impact. Thomas Edison and the Light Bulb
ended up being the winner in out class. The next step we took following
this was for the students to beocme inventors themselves. Students
displayed thier inventions in an invention convention where their family
and other teachers came to view them. They came up with some wonderful
ideas! I hope this helps!

If any one is interested in helping me out with an idea I am working on
to do with Heros I would love to get some creative juices flowing!!!
Right now i am to stressed trying to come up with the idea that the
creativity is stiffled!

On 10/04/09, isabell wrote:
> Thank you so much for your excellent ideas and for taking the time
> to respond!
> Isabell
>
>
> On 10/02/09, Jayne wrote:
>> Sometmes I ask the kids. I asked my 2/3rd grade group and they
>> decided Rain Forest, US History and Space. We are on trimesters
>> so we will switch units each marking period.
>>
>> I have also done some formal programs with my 4/5th grade group.
>> I did artifact box exchange, newsbowl, and math olmypiads. You
>> have to pay but none of them are that expensive and then you have
>> a curriculum.
>>
>> I also like to do books that I really like depending on the
>> kids. I've done Frindle, Hatchet, Sideways Stories from Wayside
>> School. You can find tons of information online to go with each
>> novel. Sometimes we write are own stories inspired by the books.
>>
>> One year--I did Magic School Bus for the whole year. We read a
>> different book each week and did a science experiment to go with
>> the topic. At the end of the school year, the kids wrote their
>> own story in Magic School Bus style--I gave them clip art to
>> illustrate--then we finished with an author's tea.
>>
>> One unit I have always wanted to do is read Cryptid Hunters, then
>> have each kid pick a cryptid and research about it but I haven't
>> had the right group for this.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On 10/02/09, GT Teacher wrote:
>>> On 10/01/09, Isabell wrote:
>>>> I am a retired K teacher. My principal has asked me to
>>>> take a one day a week position teaching gifted children.
>>>> I'll be working with grades 2 and 3 for half the day and
>>>> grades 4 and 5 for the other half day. There are no
>>>> curriculum guides or materials. Any suggestions would be
>>>> SO appreciated!
>>>> Thanks!
>>>> Isabell
>>>
>>> It will be fun - sounds like it can be wonderful enrichment
>>> time. What resources do you have? A laptop connected to a
>>> projector would be nice.
>>>
>>> What are your interests? I can feed you material but with no
>>> curriculum to follow, you can follow your bliss. What about a
>>> first unit entitled "Speaking Through Stone"? One of my
>>> favorites and we study public sculpture - who puts these huge
>>> and sometimes small monuments into our parks and by our
>>> highways? Why? How do they decide who gets a sculpture and
>>> what it will look like?
>>> Princeton New Jersey considered several versions of an Albert
>>> Einstein sculpture before letting the public choose one. You
>>> can access hundreds of public scupltures on line and the kind
>>> of 'out of the box' thinking that this is works well for GT
>>> children.
>>> And get some clay - after consideration of other sculptures
>>> intended to honor someone or some event, let them make one of
>>> their own. In fact, this 'unit' could cover two weeks.
>>>
>>> Consider the two monuments and the HUGE fight over them that
>>> are the memorials to those who died in the Vietnam War.
>>> There's a great documentary on it - I'm blanking on the name
>>> but it's certainly one the older children could watch. Which
>>> of those two represents the concept better? Consider also the
>>> huge fight over the new statue of Franklin Roosevelt and
>>> whether he should be portrayed as physically challenged or
>>> not.
>>>
>>> GT children have the ready ability to consider such matters
>>> and have strong opinions about them.
>>>
>>> For a start the above might work well - I've used it many
>>> times and every time it's been well-received by students and
>>> parents alike.
>>>
>>>

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