The Write Stuff

Right before spring break, I had the opportunity to work with a wonderful group of writers in grades 4 and 5.  I am always looking for resources to help make writing more accessible to children, as well as to inspire those young authors who love to write.  I was recommended this fantastic resource:

This book is created by this great organization called "826 National", which is actually a store/writing centre in San Francisco, with other chapters in Brooklyn, L.A., Chicago, Seattle, Boston, Ann Arbor, and Washington DC!

Basically, the goal of these centres is to be "a vibrant setting for rigorous educational activities. Connecting students with local authors, artists, and college students while providing a space that is whimsical and fun proved to be an excellent model for achieving results, and this idea was replicated in seven additional cities." 

The centre has created this great resource called Don't Forget to Write, which I purchased at Kidsbooks this past week.  The Youtube video is great to watch! 

I would love to create one of these centres in Vancouver...I think I need to go on a fieldtrip to Seattle to visit one of these centres in action!

Resources for Teaching Engineering

Teachers always need resources....in putting together the unit on engineering, I had to look far and wide to find information and resources. Here are a few places to start to get some great information:


1.  This is a great site for getting girls involved in engineering:
  www.teachingengineering.org


2.  This is a great place to get lesson plans for teaching; there is lots of info so you need time to sort through:
   www.teachengineering.org

3.  This is a great site created by PBS...there are activities students can do online and there is lots of information:

PBS Building Big

4.  National Academy of Engineering has wonderful information and in particular, I began the unit of study looking at the "great engineering achievements" which was a good introduction for the students:

www.engineeringchallenges.org


5.  I wanted to link the learning we did in the program with the bigger world, so I found some great Youtube videos entitled: How can science save the world?  This was a contest whereby students had to submit video entries how science can make the world a better place.  Periodically, throughout the program, I showed the students.  It was fantastic to see work created by students!  Just go to the jump and click on any of the video submissions.

If you have any resources or ideas, please let me know.  I am working with grade 3/4 students on the same unit in a few weeks, so I am looking for materials that are more age appropriate for the younger age group.

A Resource for Teachers

A common question I receive is "Could you recommend a book for classroom teachers on how to enrich their program for gifted learners.  A hands on, practical book would be best."

The best book to use as a starting point is Teaching Gifted Kids in the Regular Classroom

by Susan Winebrenner.  The book is a classic in gifted education, because it is practical, easy to read, and has implications for all learners.   Each chapter presents a specific strategy, and there are step by step instructions for implementing each strategy.   I highly recommend this resource as a place to start, and I encourage teachers to look at Susan Winebrenner's website in general as there are other resources and a few handouts.
You can find this book locally, or order through Amazon.  I have extra copies that I will lend out to teachers in Vancouver - you can email me or contact me here!

A Resource for Teachers

A common question I receive is "Could you recommend a book for classroom teachers on how to enrich their program for gifted learners.  A hands on, practical book would be best."

The best book to use as a starting point is Teaching Gifted Kids in the Regular Classroom

by Susan Winebrenner.  The book is a classic in gifted education, because it is practical, easy to read, and has implications for all learners.   Each chapter presents a specific strategy, and there are step by step instructions for implementing each strategy.   I highly recommend this resource as a place to start, and I encourage teachers to look at Susan Winebrenner's website in general as there are other resources and a few handouts.
You can find this book locally, or order through Amazon.  I have extra copies that I will lend out to teachers in Vancouver - you can email me or contact me here!

It's All About the Team

No matter what you do, and where you are, there is always a team.  We are social beings, and we are meant to be together and to work with others. 

I am fortunate to work with a great TEAM in gifted education!  Although I have not blogged about the team and their programs,  I want to tell you that I do not work alone, and although I write about what I do, it is only a small fraction of our services in the Vancouver Board of Education.  

Over the year, I will introduce you to these fantastic educators and the programs and services that they deliver....but right now, I want to give you a taste of programs, just so you know what is available.


We have challenge centres, and a future problem solving program, a mentorship program, consultative services for twice exceptional learners, as well as challenge centre programs for 2E students (gifted learning disabled and gifted emotionally fragile students are now called twice exceptional which is more inclusive and positive!), full time classes (multi-age cluster classes grades 4-7) for highly gifted students, and a variety of high school options, but in particular, the Transition Program at UBC, and the GOLD program for our Twice Exceptional secondary students. 


Although this seems like a great deal of services, there is always wait-lists for our programs, and we are continually trying to be innovative to meet the demands of our gifted and talented population.


If you are a Vancouver teacher and/or a gifted contact for your school, I invite you to our Contact Meeting, which will take place Monday October 3rd, at the Board of Education.  At this meeting, you will find out about our programs, meet the team, get our handbook for schools, and learn how to access our programs.  As well, if you have any questions,  we will be there to answer them! 

Please note, this is a workshop meant for teachers, organized by teachers, and the information is to help teachers with students in their schools. 

If you are a parent, you may want to know how to access these programs and services, and your child's school will help you with this.  As well, I would like to offer workshops in the future for parents, but there will be more about this in the future, so stay tuned!

Teachers, I hope to see you there!

It's All About the Team

No matter what you do, and where you are, there is always a team.  We are social beings, and we are meant to be together and to work with others. 

I am fortunate to work with a great TEAM in gifted education!  Although I have not blogged about the team and their programs,  I want to tell you that I do not work alone, and although I write about what I do, it is only a small fraction of our services in the Vancouver Board of Education.  

Over the year, I will introduce you to these fantastic educators and the programs and services that they deliver....but right now, I want to give you a taste of programs, just so you know what is available.


We have challenge centres, and a future problem solving program, a mentorship program, consultative services for twice exceptional learners, as well as challenge centre programs for 2E students (gifted learning disabled and gifted emotionally fragile students are now called twice exceptional which is more inclusive and positive!), full time classes (multi-age cluster classes grades 4-7) for highly gifted students, and a variety of high school options, but in particular, the Transition Program at UBC, and the GOLD program for our Twice Exceptional secondary students. 


Although this seems like a great deal of services, there is always wait-lists for our programs, and we are continually trying to be innovative to meet the demands of our gifted and talented population.


If you are a Vancouver teacher and/or a gifted contact for your school, I invite you to our Contact Meeting, which will take place Monday October 3rd, at the Board of Education.  At this meeting, you will find out about our programs, meet the team, get our handbook for schools, and learn how to access our programs.  As well, if you have any questions,  we will be there to answer them! 

Please note, this is a workshop meant for teachers, organized by teachers, and the information is to help teachers with students in their schools. 

If you are a parent, you may want to know how to access these programs and services, and your child's school will help you with this.  As well, I would like to offer workshops in the future for parents, but there will be more about this in the future, so stay tuned!

Teachers, I hope to see you there!

The Mind Up Curriculum

I have the pleasure of knowing two fantastic teachers in the Vancouver School Board who are responsible for developing, promoting, teaching, and living the MIND UP curriculum, which started in our city!!!!!!

This curriculum is important for all children, and very important for gifted students who are often intense, "in their head" learners, who often have a million things on the go.....extra-curricular activities, clubs, sports, music lessons, after school enrichment or training.......you name it; they do it!!!

If you are a teacher, this is a valuable resource and a means to get your students focused, mindful, and resilient.  As the introduction states, "MindUp is a comprehensive, classroom-tested, evidence-based curriculum framed around 15 easily implemented lessons that foster social and emotional awareness, enhance psychological well-being, and promote academic success."

I love this program, and I have used strategies from it in the challenge centre, although it is best used in a full time classroom environment, or if you work with students on a regular basis over the course of a school year (I see students for 2-4 days, so it is more challenging for me to use it regularly).

The program teaches us how the brain works, mindful awareness, goes into sharpening our senses, moves onto perspective taking, being optimistic, and finally, brings us to finding gratitude in our lives, and taking mindful action into the world.  It is beautifully pulled together, and is backed by brain research.

For teachers and parents, this is a valuable tool to use with gifted students and many ideas can be used at home as well. For example,  I teach my own children about mindful breathing and we have also used the strategies for perspective taking.

In Canada, you can order the resource from Scholastic Canada, and it is available in three levels:  Grades Pre K-2; Grades 3-5; and Grades 6-8.  There is also training for teachers (offered through the VSB), and hopefully, there will be parent workshops in the future.

The Mind Up Curriculum

I have the pleasure of knowing two fantastic teachers in the Vancouver School Board who are responsible for developing, promoting, teaching, and living the MIND UP curriculum, which started in our city!!!!!!

This curriculum is important for all children, and very important for gifted students who are often intense, "in their head" learners, who often have a million things on the go.....extra-curricular activities, clubs, sports, music lessons, after school enrichment or training.......you name it; they do it!!!

If you are a teacher, this is a valuable resource and a means to get your students focused, mindful, and resilient.  As the introduction states, "MindUp is a comprehensive, classroom-tested, evidence-based curriculum framed around 15 easily implemented lessons that foster social and emotional awareness, enhance psychological well-being, and promote academic success."

I love this program, and I have used strategies from it in the challenge centre, although it is best used in a full time classroom environment, or if you work with students on a regular basis over the course of a school year (I see students for 2-4 days, so it is more challenging for me to use it regularly).

The program teaches us how the brain works, mindful awareness, goes into sharpening our senses, moves onto perspective taking, being optimistic, and finally, brings us to finding gratitude in our lives, and taking mindful action into the world.  It is beautifully pulled together, and is backed by brain research.

For teachers and parents, this is a valuable tool to use with gifted students and many ideas can be used at home as well. For example,  I teach my own children about mindful breathing and we have also used the strategies for perspective taking.

In Canada, you can order the resource from Scholastic Canada, and it is available in three levels:  Grades Pre K-2; Grades 3-5; and Grades 6-8.  There is also training for teachers (offered through the VSB), and hopefully, there will be parent workshops in the future.

Programs for the 2011-12 School Year

I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer!  I am having a great time:  I just purchased a Kindle and I am reading lots for my own enjoyment.  
I would love to know how people feel about ereaders.  I just do not have room in my home for another book!  That said, I really feel passionate about students having real paper books to read, and most of the books my kids finish end up in the classroom. 

As well, I have been figuring out programs for next year and  I have just listed the 2011-12 Challenge Centre Programs on this blog.  I am going to give more information about each program and what I am looking for in the students so that there can be a match between the needs of the student and the program.  This will be forthcoming over the next month!

Have a wonderful August and I hope everyone is enjoying their summer!

Programs for the 2011-12 School Year

I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer!  I am having a great time:  I just purchased a Kindle and I am reading lots for my own enjoyment.  
I would love to know how people feel about ereaders.  I just do not have room in my home for another book!  That said, I really feel passionate about students having real paper books to read, and most of the books my kids finish end up in the classroom. 

As well, I have been figuring out programs for next year and  I have just listed the 2011-12 Challenge Centre Programs on this blog.  I am going to give more information about each program and what I am looking for in the students so that there can be a match between the needs of the student and the program.  This will be forthcoming over the next month!

Have a wonderful August and I hope everyone is enjoying their summer!

A good resource for concepts such as motion, forces, gravity

I am excited to be working with students over the next few weeks (4 sessions) on concepts such as motion, gravity, balance, and spin.  We will be looking at Newton's three laws of motion, inventions, and I will introduce them to Rube Goldberg.  For most of the unit, I have referred to this great resource called "Gizmos and Gadgets" written by Jill Frankel Hauser.  It is a great resource for teachers and for parents alike.  I will be posting during the week, showcasing some of things we create together.

Here's a link where to buy it, but I am sure you can find it locally as well.  If you are a teacher and want to borrow this resource from me, please let me know (we lend out all our resources at the Challenge Centre) by emailing me!

Gizmos and Gadgets 

A good resource for concepts such as motion, forces, gravity

I am excited to be working with students over the next few weeks (4 sessions) on concepts such as motion, gravity, balance, and spin.  We will be looking at Newton's three laws of motion, inventions, and I will introduce them to Rube Goldberg.  For most of the unit, I have referred to this great resource called "Gizmos and Gadgets" written by Jill Frankel Hauser.  It is a great resource for teachers and for parents alike.  I will be posting during the week, showcasing some of things we create together.

Here's a link where to buy it, but I am sure you can find it locally as well.  If you are a teacher and want to borrow this resource from me, please let me know (we lend out all our resources at the Challenge Centre) by emailing me!

Gizmos and Gadgets 

One of my Favourite Books

For my unit on Operation Civilization, I read the students Weslandia By Paul Fleischman as a beginning activity.  
This is a fantastic book that deals with bullying, and being a bit different from the crowd, and doing your own thing!  Basically, Wes spends the summer designing his own civilization!  As I read this to the students, I have them begin to get ideas about designing their own civilization and talk about:  language, staple food crops, government, and leisure activities.  

One of my Favourite Books

For my unit on Operation Civilization, I read the students Weslandia By Paul Fleischman as a beginning activity.  
This is a fantastic book that deals with bullying, and being a bit different from the crowd, and doing your own thing!  Basically, Wes spends the summer designing his own civilization!  As I read this to the students, I have them begin to get ideas about designing their own civilization and talk about:  language, staple food crops, government, and leisure activities.  

Books that Inspire

I use primary books with all grades because of their great pictures and wonderful messages that appeal to a variety of learners. This is a great book to read about following your passion... and I used it to present my unit on architecture. Great drawings, too. Iggy Peck Architect by Andrea Beaty.

Books that Inspire

I use primary books with all grades because of their great pictures and wonderful messages that appeal to a variety of learners. This is a great book to read about following your passion... and I used it to present my unit on architecture. Great drawings, too. Iggy Peck Architect by Andrea Beaty.