Activities for Gifted Students in 4th Grade Language Arts

Challenging Common Cadre Linguistic communication Arts Lessons: Activities and Extensions for Gifted and Avant-garde Learners in Grade 4
Past Lindsay Kasten
(Prufrock Press, 2016 – Learn more)

Reviewed by Linda Biondi

There has been a demand for increased rigor in our classrooms and learning environments. As a classroom teacher, I am always looking for more than challenging work for my students – work that will inspire and motivate them.

I desire my students to be able to synthesize what they are learning, merely likewise apply this cognition to real life experiences. I desire to exist able to provide activities and resource that will enrich the reading, speaking and writing standards for fourth grade kids.

Luckily, I found Challenging Common Core Linguistic communication Arts Lessons: Activities and Extensions for Gifted and Avant-garde Learners in Grade 4 on MiddleWeb'due south "books for review" list.

Lindsay Kasten's book centers on academically "gifted and avant-garde learners." Kasten is a teacher of gifted students in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, besides as a mentor and leader in the area of gifted didactics.

Kasten was recognized by her professor while attending Louisiana State University every bit a perfect friction match for teaching gifted students. After doing fieldwork in the area of gifted educational activity, Kasten recognized her passion was didactics gifted students. The rest is …history.

Published by Prufrock Press, a leading publisher supporting the education of gifted and avant-garde learners, this book is an excellent resource for GATE teachers, but with a little chip of work and creativity tin can besides be adjusted to provide thorough, provoking, research-based activities for all students.

Four PBL challenges

I similar this literacy based workbook because each of the four mini units model Project Based Learning in which students explore existent-globe problems and challenges and are inspired to obtain a deeper knowledge of the subjects they are studying.

As students become immersed in the units, they have a take chances to interact with iv themes: The Impact of Inventions on Our Lives; Remnants of a Past Life (the unintended effects of western expansion on Native Americans); Nature Versus the Homo Spirit (the different effects nature has on people, positive or negative); and Overcoming Struggles (people who have overcome hardships and have get inspirational to others).

"Walk a mile in my shoes" is what echoed in my mind equally I reviewed each unit. Through higher order reading and questions, courageous conversations, and kid-created projects/products, students will exist given a chance to larn more most how others faced, grappled with, and overcame adversity in order to succeed – and most how such struggles pertain to their ain growth and development.

Engaging and user-friendly lessons

Information technology is challenging to continue students academically engaged while "covering the curriculum" and meeting the standards. Kasten's book encourages students to work with the "big ideas," and although her book is based on linguistic communication arts lessons, all content areas (e.1000., language arts, social studies, math, science, visual and performing arts) are included.

The lessons are user friendly and easy to understand and apply in the classroom. The reading is rigorous for average quaternary grade students. Each unit follows a anticipated, easy to use structure:

• CCSS are listed by number.
• Many readings are from the Appendix B of the CCSS: Text Exemplars and Sample Performance Tasks of the CCSS ELA.
• Links to current online resources and text sets are nowadays.
• Objectives highlight what students will larn or reach.
• An overview of lesson content provides a quick guide of activities.
• There's a description of prior knowledge needed equally a prerequisite to understand and apply the activities in the lesson.
• Each unit'south extension activities can be done individually, in groups, at school or at home.
• Text exemplars run into criteria from the Center for Gifted Pedagogy (2011).
• A literacy based, culminating essay assesses pupil's synthesis and understanding of each unit.

Collaboration, stamina and enquiry skills

Using an interdisciplinary approach, the volume invites collaboration, stamina, and development of research skills, and establishes the building blocks of learning that are required for success in future academic years, careers, and civic life.

I tin only motion picture students immersed in these projects while using online and printed texts. Throughout the units in that location are opportunities to assess and evaluate students while ideas are exchanged, lively discussions emerge, and many "Aha moments" are shared.

The book is complete with many excellent resources such as the listing of suggested material, both print and online, and workbook pages that tin exist used as is or modified to run into the teacher'southward needs. A detailed instructional sequence walks the educator through the lesson, step past pace with project suggestions and descriptions, grading rubrics, and suggested answer keys.

The biggest drawback to this volume is that some books may not be readily establish gratuitous online such as the recommended and centerpiece text in one of the units, 1999's Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis ($vii at Amazon). Students and teachers would need to locate a copy of the book and be familiar with the theme and text. Yet, using a lilliputian bit of ingenuity and legwork past checking local libraries or adding the suggested materials to the library or classroom budget, these exemplar texts tin can be put in the hands of the students.

I would recommend this book specifically to teachers of gifted students, from third to fifth grade, depending on the levels and needs of the students. The volume and units see the requirements of gifted education by providing units that are rigorous, challenging and so students tin can learn beyond form-level concepts and skills, and provide an opportunity for students to produce "high-end" piece of work that is meaningful and meets the Standards. You lot will be pleased with the results.

Linda Biondi  is a fourth grade teacher at Sharon Uncomplicated Schoolhouse in Robbinsville, NJ, and a long-time Morning time Meeting practitioner. She's too the recipient of several educational grants, a Teacher Consultant with the National Writing Project, and a participant on the NJ Section of Education Instructor Advisory Panel. Linda participates in ECET2 Gloat Pedagogy which has posted an interview with her.

doritygetured1989.blogspot.com

Source: https://www.middleweb.com/32671/challenging-ela-for-gifted-4th-graders/

Share this post