On heros - my students one year protested this yearly project
saying "everybody is a hero in their own way." What a lovely idea.

Prior to that, every year we did a 'hero' project and every student chose
a hero. (you can also do an 'unsung hero' project) though for both, I
don't like students to use a family member - that gets touchy or a known
or unknown religious figure - that also gets touchy.

Each student gives a short presentation - not more than 5 minutes and
they may use any medium they choose. One year a student chose Isadora
Duncan a dancer and demonstrated some of Duncan's dance.

Students 'rate' the 'heroism'. Of Course, the presentation affects what
students think - we discuss the very real thing that is sales and
marketing and how our thinking is of course influenced by the
presentation - that's rather the point...

I alone tally up the scores. I counsel them constantly you are 'rating'
the heroism, you are not rating the presentation but of course the two
are intertwined. You may not rate your own hero.

It gives us a daily average - I am a very kind-hearted teacher and I will
not post low scores. The student may come and ask me but I usually post
the three highest scores - Dr. King routinely comes out with a deservedly
high score and some student understandably chooses him every year as
their hero.

The student who chose John Logie Baird - the inventor of television - as
their hero was soundly defeated in that clever bid for heroism by popular
acclaim. She chose to redo her presentation to try again and this time
showed Dr. King's I Have A Dream speech as shown on television in 1963.
An even more clever approach saying without John Logie Baird's 'heroic'
invention, the nation would not have seen Dr. King's heroic speech.

It didn't work but it's an example of the kind of involved and creative
thinking that this project produced. We also did your invention project
with equal success. Not a numbers or a rating person normally,
the 'rating' seems to be what makes it work so well as they eagerly stand
outside the door waiting for the scores and run down the hall
yelling "Alexander Fleming got an 88.5 heroism rating. He beat Jonas
Salk!"

Endless variations for variety and further thought are possible - not
only the 'unsung hero' , we've done the unknown hero where the inventor
of the alphabet vies with the inventor of the wheel.
Have fun.

> 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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