GT Resources
Links and Resources
Destination Imagination
Capital Region Destination Imagination: https://www.capitaltxdi.com/
Texas DI: texasdi.org
National DI Info: www.idodi.org
Carol Reese, Eanes ISD DI Coordinator: creese@eanesisd.net
Brainteasers
http://school.discoveryeducation.com/brainboosters/?pID=brain
http://txgifted.org/student-pages/fun-things-to-do
Useful Links
http://www.cnn.com/studentnews/
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/students/index.html
http://blantonmuseum.org/index.cfm
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html (Library of Congress American Memory Project)
http://www.si.edu/ (Smithsonian Institution)
http://www.utpac.org/ (UT Performing Arts Center)
http://www.hrc.utexas.edu/ (UT Harry Ransom Center)
Community Events
Sunday Morning Math Groups The Sunday Morning Math Group is a UT sponsored outreach program aimed at junior high and high school students, their teachers, and their parents. A background in beginning algebra and basic geometry is expected, but is often unnecessary. It is free and no registration is required. We meet about four times per semester on Saturday mornings from 10:00 am - 12 noon. Please join us!
Go to https://web.ma.utexas.edu/users/smmg/ for more information on this wonderful activity for middle school kids who enjoy math!
Austin Math Circle
Austin Math Circle was established to support middle and high school students in Austin, TX who are interested in high level math competitions. Our sponsored events are open to all interested students, regardless of their school affiliation. We offer administration of AMC exams on official AMC dates, as well as occasional Saturday contests and week-end prep sessions for AIME and USAMO. Math Circle administrators will be working with SMMG at UT, with area middle and high school teachers, and with students and parents, to promote opportunities for top math students in Austin.
Our activities and meetings are located at Hyde Park Church of Christ, 310 W. 43rd, Austin TX 78765. This is approximately 2 miles north of the UT Campus. There is ample free parking. Austin Math Circle has no religious affiliation.
https://sites.google.com/view/austinmathcircle/home
Hot Science- Cool Talks
Hot Science – Cool Talks provides a front row seat to world-class research. Presented by the Environmental Science Institute (ESI), this nationally recognized series allows leading researchers from The University of Texas and other prominent universities to share their passion about science, technology, engineering and math with the general public. Events are held six times a year (on-campus or virtually).
Virtual Events: Hot Science At Home
You can enjoy our Hot Science events from the comfort of your home! These 45-minute long events are streamed live and consist of:
Informal Chat with Presenter: Speakers lead a short 20-minute talk.
Moderated Q & A session: Presenter answers viewers’ questions submitted throughout the livestream.
To see a list of upcoming talks, check out our main page.
Go to https://www.esi.utexas.edu/community-engagement/hot-science-cool-talks/
for more information about these excellent lectures of interest to our middle school students!
Interested in Japanese Culture?
Contact the Japan-America Society of Greater Austin at www.jasga.org. (I have CD's in my classroom for any students interested in learning Japanese.)
Here's a link with info for anyone wanting to see what's up this fall:
https://www.jasgaaustin.org/
Catalogs, books, games, puzzles, and kits for gifted children
Bright Ideas - 800-451-7450 (Hawthorne, NJ)
Creative Learning Systems - 619-675-7700 (San Diego, CA)
Good Apple - 800-321-3106 (Columbus, OH)
Interact - 619-448-1474 (San Diego, CA)
Trillium Press - 914-783-2999 (Monroe, NY)
Zephyr Press - 520-322-5090 (Tucson, AZ)
Books
Adderholt-Elliot, Miriam. Perfectionism: What's Bad About Being Too Good. Free Spirit Publishing, Minneapolis, MN. 1987.
Birely, Marlene and Genshaft, Judy, editors. Understanding the Gifted Adolescent: Educational, Developmental, and Multicultural Issues. Teachers College Press, New York. 1991. (Part of the Educational and Psychology of the Gifted Series, James H. Borland, Editor.)
Clark, Barbara. Growing Up Gifted: Developing the Potential of Children at Home and at School. Macmillan Publishing Company, New York. 1988.
Galbraith, Judy. Gifted Kids Survival Guide. Free Spirit Publishing Company, Minneapolis, MN. 1983.
Rimm, Sylvia. Underachievement Syndrome: Causes and Cures. Apple Publishing Company, Watertown, Wisconsin. 1986. Magazines for Gifted Students
(*Indicates they will publish the work of students)
Creative Kids*
Prufrock Press
P.O. Box 8813
Waco, Texas 76714-8813
(800) 998 - 2208
Imagine
(Opportunities and resources for academically talented youth)
The Johns Hopkins University Press
P.O. Box 19966
Baltimore, Maryland 21211
Cricket*
(Stories and poems by gifted students)
315 5th Street, Box 300
Peru, Illinois 61354
Market Guide for Young Writers
Market Guide for Young Artists and Photographers
Betterway Publications
P.O. Box 219
Crozet, Virginia 22932
Future Problem Solving
St. Andrew's College
Laurenberg, North Carolina 28352
Gifted and Talented Organizations
National Association for Gifted Children The National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) is an organization of parents, educators, other professionals and community leaders to address the unique needs of children and youth. You can search State Resources for Gifted Education and Individual State Gifted Organizations on the NAGC website under the heading “Gifted By State.” NAGC membership includes a subscription to Parenting for High Potential, a magazine with articles geared to the development of talent.
National Association for Gifted Children: http://www.nagc.org
1155 Fifteenth St. NW
Washington, D.C. 20005
(202) 785 - 4268
The Association for the Gifted is the division of the Council for Exceptional Children concerned with gifted education. The Journal of the Education of Gifted is the official publication. For more information ...
Council for Exceptional Children: https://www.cec.sped.org/
3100 Clarendon Blvd
Suite 600
Arlington, VA 22201
(703) 620 - 3660
Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented publishes a quarterly journal, Tempo, and newsletter, sponsors professional development, and hosts a yearly conference for professionals and parents. For more information ...
TAGT : https://www.txgifted.org/
3305 Steck Ave • Suite 200 • Austin, TX 78757
(Payments) P.O. Box 1918 • San Antonio, TX 78297
Phone: 512.499.8248 • Fax: 512.852.4552
The National Center for Research on Gifted Education has numerous publications for both educators and parents. Contact them at:
The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) is the largest international professional organization dedicated to improving educational outcomes for individuals with exceptionalities, students with disabilities, and/or the gifted.
The Association for the Gifted (TAG) organized in 1958 by The Council for Exceptional Children, helps professionals and parents work with gifted children.
The mission of National Society for the Gifted and Talented is to advance the development of gifted, talented, and high potential youth, in the United States and abroad, through opportunities, advocacy, and exemplary programs and practices.
The Association for the Education of Gifted Underachieving Students (AEGUS) provides a forum for ideas and interventions aimed at helping twice-exceptional students reach their full potential.
The Davidson Institute for Talent Development has extensive resources for highly gifted students (and their parents). You can access articles by selecting “Browse by Topic” or “Search GT-Cybersource” from the “Resources” header in the pull-down top bar menu bar.
Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted (SENG) focuses primarily on the adults (parents, educators, etc) in the lives of gifted children. SENG provides information on identification, guidance, and effective ways to live and work with gifted individuals.
www.sengifted.org
Hoagies’ Gifted Education Page is a resource guide for the education of gifted children with links to many gifted education resources available on the Internet.
2e Newsletter 2e stands for twice-exceptional. A newsletter dedicated to children who are gifted and have learning disabilities, learning disorders, attention difficulties, or just plain learning differences.
Great Resources for Discovering and Encouraging Interests:
The Academy of Achievement: www.achievement.org
Characteristics of the Gifted
Gifted and Talented children exhibit many varied traits. According to Dr. Linda Silverman's, "Characteristics of the Gifted", these are some of the more important, observable traits of the gifted child.
- Has unique learning styles
- Is a faster learner
- Is developmentally advanced
- Is very curious; asks complex questions
- Gives complicated, detailed explanations
- Is quick to grasp relationships
- Organizes information in new ways
- Often has varied interests
- Has more abstract thought processes
- Sees ambiguity in "factual" information
- Usually has a good memory
- Enjoys working independently
- Has a strong moral character - May be natural leader
- Tends to be expressive
- Is often a perfectionist
- Has a highly developed sense of humor
- Often sees many solutions to a problem
- Has a longer attention span
- May be very intense, sensitive
- Is highly energetic
- Likes to be best in everything
- May prefer company of older children
- Is not necessarily gifted in all areas
- Is committed to many areas of interest
These strategies may be used to meet the gifted students' unique needs:
Interdisciplinary units:
These units are often based on one of the gifted models of learning, such as: Bloom's Taxonomy, Renzulli's Enrichment Triad, Barbara Clark's Integrative Education Model, etc.
Open-ended activities:
A problem statement is presented with a minimum of clues as to which strategy is needed to attempt a solution. Problems with multiple answers are often used.
Academic and creative thinking competitions:
Knowledge Master Open, UIL, Destination Imagination,Future City Engineering, and various writing, art, math, and technology contests.
Individual, small group, and class projects
Community resources, such as guest speakers and mentors who share specialized skills
Varied evaluation methods, including self-evaluation, peer evaluation, and teacher evaluation
Affective activities, such as boundary breakers, journal writing and role playing
Field study/mentorships, where the community provides a unique real world classroom to introduce, reinforce or summarize learning