Enrichment in the Classroom for Gifted and Level 4 Students

(shared with permission from Karen Vanos, St. Claire Catholic School Board)

What is giftedness?

An unusually advanced degree of general intellectual ability that requires differentiated learning experiences of a depth and breadth beyond those normally provided in the regular school program to satisfy the level of educational potential indicated.

Ontario Ministry of Education

Students who are gifted have the potential to achieve beyond what is expected of their

same-age peers.

A chief characteristic is potential, not achievement.

Approximately 2% of the population is gifted.

Achievement may fluctuate depending on a variety of factors:

Achievement may fluctuate depending on a variety of factors:

• his/her relationship with a particular teacher• availability of appropriate programming • student’s physical health• other educational, physical or emotional factors

Gifted students can be very diverse. However, there are some characteristics demonstrated by many gifted students with regularity over a

period of time…..

● strong communication skills● good problem-solving, reasoning,

questioning skills● well-developed memory● rapid capacity to learn, process and retain

information● ability to think abstractly● possesses broad background knowledge● ability to focus for longs periods of time

Categories Exceptionalities

Behaviour Behaviour Disability

Communication Autism, Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Speech Impairment, Language Impairment, Learning Disabilities

Intellectual Gifted, Mild Intellectual Disability, Developmental Disability

Physical Physical Disability, Blind and Low Vision

Multiple Multiple Exceptionalities (2 or more present)

IPRC Categories

How can a classroom teacher provide enrichment for a gifted/level 4 student?

They don’t need “more of the same”.....

I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I

may learn how to do it.-

Pablo Picasso

Pre-Assessment

Based on student readiness, interests, and learning styles, differentiate (one or more) of ...

Environment Content Process Product

Breadth Pace Depth

By adjusting...

(click on white buttons to learn more)

(click on white buttons to learn more)

DONE WITH FLOW CHART

Environment*flexible groupings*opportunities to work with similar ability students*opportunities to move in/out of desks, groups, classroom, school*enrichment and summer opportunities for ages 15 and up* enrichment beyond the classroom for elementary and secondary

*enrichment opportunities for secondary students at University of Waterloo

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CONTENT

*start with provincial outcomes, then “up the challenge”*shift from facts, definitions and descriptions to more abstract

and complex issues*use more challenging reading material*present problems that do not have a clear solution*use topics of interest to the student

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Click here to learn about Genius Hour...a great option for independent learning!

PROCESS

Gifted students need instruction in skills they have not yet mastered, but whole class modelling and repetition of concepts may be frustrating.

Students may participate in the first lesson on a new topic and then work independently to complete the task. They may not need review lessons, but could be ready to move forward and need instruction on the next step.

Gifted students may also work on the same skills using higher level texts or books with more abstract concepts.

*independent study *mentorships*compacting

*mini-lessons *open-ended tasks

BACK TO FLOW CHART What might this

look like?(click here)

DIFFERENTIATING PROCESS:What might this look like?

Your class is learning about Celebrations in Social Studies. You give Nicole three books or articles about World Celebrations that are at her independent reading level. Nicole reads the texts, and recommends the best one for you to read out loud to the class, justifying her choice.

This requires Nicole to think critically about the texts as well as giving a purpose for reading. It allows her to explore the same concepts as the rest of the class while gearing it to her advanced reading level.

BACK TO FLOW CHART

PRODUCT

*tiered assignments*choice boards

*tic tac toe menu*technology:

click here for a great list of 21st century technology tools

*engage the student in determining the product

What might this look like?(click here)

BACK TO FLOW CHART

Differentiating Product: What might this look like?

The class is working on independent novel studies. The teacher provides a choice board with activities such as writing letters, performing skits, or creating posters to allow students to demonstrate their understanding of the book. The teacher also provides a “your own idea” option.

Megan meets with her teacher and asks if she can create a movie trailer for her book using images, audio and text using Microsoft Movie Maker. The teacher isn’t familiar with the program but conferences with Megan to make sure the learning expectations will be met in this form.

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BREADTH

Use choice and flexibility to allow students to find an interest that they are passionate about and connect that passion to your curriculum. Supplement your resources with materials that offer choice, variety and challenge.

What might this look like?

(click here)

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BREADTH

What might adjusting breadth look like?

Tyler’s grade six class was studying Space in science. Tyler has been interested in space for several years, and has already mastered the expectations of the unit. Tyler and his teacher work together to create an interdisciplinary unit to explore space from all areas of the curriculum. Tyler examines the history of the telescope, creates a work of art that incorporates constellations and the signs of the zodiac, writes a piece of fiction about colonizing a planet, compares personal written accounts by the astronauts on Apollo 13, and calculates the time that would be needed to travel to other planets and stars.

BACK TO FLOW CHART

PACE

If a student has already mastered an expectation, it does not need to be retaught. If a student can show mastery of the topic of instruction, their time is better spent responding to higher order thinking tasks, or extending their knowledge through enrichment or extension activities.

*pre-testing*compacting*most difficult first*alternate assignments

What might this look like?

BACK TO FLOW CHART

What might this look like?(click here)

CHANGE THE PACE:What might it look like?

BACK TO FLOW CHART

Caribou Math Contests (grades 3-12)

University of Waterloo Math Contests (gr. 7-12)

University of Waterloo Problem of the Week (gr. 5-12)

University of Waterloo Math Circles: Free weekly enrichment sessions for grades 6-12...now live-streamed!

In your grade 11 math class, you give Hayley a pre-test before each unit. She demonstrates mastery of most of the concepts, so you give her an alternate assignment to work on during class (ex. creating math blog on Glogster for class, preparing for math contests). Hayley joins in on the class lessons for concepts she has not mastered. You have Hayley complete the most difficult questions first, and if mastery is shown, she returns to her alternate assignment.

DEPTH

Gifted students often quickly master the facts of a new unit. They should be encouraged to delve more deeply into concepts covered by the Ontario curriculum.

*focus on problems and issues rather than basic facts and information*open-ended activities*use Bloom’s Taxonomy to alter depth of tasks*tiered instruction: Students work on different level of activities, all with

the same essential goal. Same key skills but different levels of complexity, abstractness, and open-endedness.

*have student choose an area of curriculum that interests them and have them become an expert

BACK TO FLOW CHART

What might this look

like?(click here)

DEPTH:What might this look like?

A class is looking at websites about the War of 1812 for History and Media Literacy. The teacher creates three tiers of expectations:

Tier One (for students working below grade level): The teacher provides several websites to the students. They use a prepared worksheet and analyze each site based

on the given criteria.

Tier Two (for students working at grade level): Students work in groups and find three websites on the same topic to compare. Students then work individually to analyze

the sites, then compare their results within the group.

Tier Three (for those needing enrichment): Josh and Tina work together to create a 4-point rubric for evaluating websites using five or more features. The students work together to find one website that exemplifies each level, justifying their decisions.

DECREASESTRUCTURE

INCREASECOMPLEXITY

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MORE ABOUT BLOOM’S TAXONOMY!

This is an excellent resource for differentiated instruction. Your tasks for gifted and level 4 students should always be in the top three levels of

Bloom’s Taxonomy.

Look for a character’s actions.

Look for patterns in a characters actions.Compare the patterns in this character’s actions with another character’s.Judge the ethics of the patterns we see in this character’s actions.Create a new situation that would continue this pattern.

BEFORE DIFFERENTIATING

This leads to bigger, more complex products.

AFTER DIFFERENTIATING

Bloom’s Taxonomy Resources

QuestionStarters

Teacher Planning Kit

Bloom’s Sample

Questions

Higher Order Thinking Activities

Helpful Visualizations

of Bloom’s

OTHER RESOURCES

Alternate Math ActivitiesGr. 7

WebquestsThe Differentiator

Alternate Math ActivitiesGr. 5

Alternate Math ActivitiesGr. 6

WIKI: Dare to Differentiate