Gifted Students in the Elementary School

A gifted student can be identified as a student who shows evidence of 'high achievement capability' in
various academic areas. Teaching gifted students in your classroom can be challenging but also very
rewarding. Frequently, we hear that these students are 'bored' during class or even have behavior
problems because they aren't being challenged enough throughout the day. It is important for teachers
to provide opportunities for our gifted students to be pushed to their highest academic level and find
ways to extend instruction to meet their needs. Whether in a small group in a regular education
classroom or in a full class of gifted students, these activities benefit and engage gifted students in all
learning environments.

Language Arts

Reader's Theater

Using a reader's theater script is a great way to challenge higher level readers. You can find scripts for all
reading levels and create a dramatic performance using different readers for each part. To extend the
activity even further, your gifted students can create scenery, costumes, props and perform for their
peers and parents. This activity is fun for all elementary grade levels!

Writing Extension Activities

If your gifted students' strengths are in writing, provide your students with frequent opportunities to
creatively write about books they have read. For example, have students re-write the ending of a story,
change the characters or setting or even create a sequel to a story they have just read. These activities
can be challenging and help gifted students be more creative with their writing.

Literature Circles

In a literature circle, a small group of students have a discussion about a story that they have all read.
The activity is student centered and gives students the opportunity to be leaders and engage in critical
thinking. Each student within the group is given a role or job. For example, the Summarizer, the Question
Writer, the Story Mapper, and/or the Presenter. When the circle has completed group discussion, the
group can then present their findings to the rest of the class.
Letter Writing

Have your gifted students write a letter to a local business or newspaper about an opinion they have or
something in their community that they would like to see change. They could also write to a favorite
author or illustrator to learn more about them. Starting a relationship with a pen pal is a great way to
strengthen letter-writing skills and learn more about other cultures and environments.

Math

Puzzles

Puzzles are a great way to engage your gifted students during math instruction. Some examples are
Sudoku, logic and reasoning puzzles, KenKen puzzles, brain teasers or riddles. These can be used at all
grade levels.

Technology

The Internet can be a great resource for your gifted students. Have your students use the Internet to
research information about a particular subject and then create a PowerPoint presentation about their
findings. Challenge your gifted students by having them answer lesson questions and learn about a
subject by searching the Web, known as a WebQuest.

Independent or Group Projects

Gifted students can be challenged by completing math projects either independently or in groups. For
example, using dice or coins to simulate experimental and theoretical probability. Another example
would be making a scale drawing of the classroom or school by using measurements and area.

Math Mentors
Gifted students can also be used as mentors for your lower-level students in the classroom. Gifted
students may add a new perspective to a math topic or lesson. It also may help your gifted student find
new ways to deconstruct math problems and find solutions.

Science

Science Fair Activities

Science fairs are a great way to build school community. Whether it is an experiment to solve a problem
or just for fun, your gifted students can share the results of an experiment that they have developed and
conducted. They can then use the data gathered in their experiment to create a presentation to share
with their peers and/or parents.

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0 Ways to Challenge Gifted Students in the Classroom

January 21, 2019

By: Caroline Igo, Kendall Hunt

“Accept the challenges so that you can feel the exhilaration of victory."

-George S. Patton

How does one balance a classroom accordingly with students that are over succeeding and those that
are struggling, needing extra help? Give extra attention to those who need it most, but don’t let your
gifted students fade away! Students with exceptional gifts that aren’t challenged early in life will not
learn the right academic endurance it takes to succeed later on. So, how do you keep gifted students on
their toes?

1. Spark Interests

This might be one of the most important. When students are interacting with areas of interest, they are
more likely to succeed and learn. Offer projects that lean toward their passions and fascinations. Then,
allow them to choose their own topics. This encourages creativity and originality.

2. Group Gifted Students Together

Small groups emphasize collaborative learning. By surrounding them with other likeminded students,
they can bounce ideas and motivate one another. This safe space will further develop their cooperation,
communication, and listening skills. Also, this is the most logically way to communicate with all of your
gifted students at once.

3. Know Areas of Strength

It is important to know your students’ strengths. Don’t always assign activities in which they are strong,
gifted students will get bored and unmotivated. They won’t excel. Know their strengths but also be
aware of their weaknesses. Challenges those skills, instead.

4. Assessments

Never assume that gifted students are growing, just because they are gifted. Use tests to prove it. Also, it
is important to make sure that gifted students aren’t sitting through lessons that they already know,
don’t discourage or bore them. Utilize pre-assessments to confirm their knowledge.

5. Connect to the Real-World

Have your students think about how they can apply their knowledge to the real-world. How does this
project connect to current events? Bring in a newspaper. What jobs require these skills they are
learning? Encourage students to think about their own futures. It is important to keep your gifted
students interested with the outside world.

6. Set Goals

In order to meet goals, they must first be set. Having students sit down and write what they hope to
achieve is very important. This teaches them self-motivation and personal perseverance. The best way to
look at a challenge is to see it as an achievable goal. Set goals in order to achieve them.
 7. Levels of Difficulty in Lesson Plans

While, yes, challenging students is very important, you don’t want to discourage them. They shouldn’t be
faced with tasks that seem impossible or too out of reach. Instead, vary the levels of difficulty: easy,
intermediate, hard. This will keep gifted students on their toes.

8. Use Technology

Especially in today’s modern world, technology is a catalyst to learning in the classroom. Teachers can
use programs such as Duolingo, YouTube, Smart Boards, various video, and virtual reality. Kendall Hunt is
a proud provider of Victory VR, an educational virtual reality program. With this product, students can
take virtual field trips and learn about topics in chemistry, physics, biology, earth & space, and
engineering & technology.

9. Inspire Creativeness

Within lesson plans offer projects that require innovative solutions. For example, give out an assignment
that involves art as the final product. This will inspire students to think outside the box or their own
comfort zone. When students are creative, they are more engaged with materials. Teach your students
that everything isn’t black or white. After all, creative thinking encourages creative solutions.

10. Curriculum

The most effective classrooms start with the right curriculum. Therefore, gifted programs are specifically
designed for gifted classrooms. They are geared toward challenging those students that excel at ordinary
lesson plans. The right curriculum needs to match the classroom and students. In an effort to do just
that, Kendall Hunt provides gifted curricula from William & Mary, Project M2, Project M3, and Math
Innovations. These topics include math, science, language arts, and social studies.
These important approaches are not only beneficial for gifted students. These ten methods can be
applied to any classroom. All students can be inspired from lesson plans, work in small groups, and use
technology in daily assignments. Although every kind of student gains from challenges in the classroom,
it is very important to push your gifted students a little further. Make certain they are actively using their
gifts. If they don’t learn how to tackle challenges early on in life, they might never effectively do so.

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