These are great ideas! Thanks! What were the ages of the students on
this project?

On 10/08/09, Shanzy wrote:
> 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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