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Identification Information and Proctoring the CogAT (Updated March 2025): VIDEO
Our gifted and high-ability learners are as diverse as any other learner in the classroom. "Giftedness" does not fit into one single box, and each student's strengths, skills, passions, interests, and struggles are unique. Like all of our learners, our gifted and highly able students need our help with maximizing their engagement levels and learning opportunities while at school.
Differentiating for High-Ability Learners
Gifted and high-ability children are not gifted or highly able at just one point in their week, nor for thirty minutes to an hour here and there. They're going to need more opportunities to deepen and extend their learning than gifted programming and enrichment services can provide. However, trying to meet the needs of all learners across the learning spectrum in the general education setting all the time is nearly impossible. Oftentimes the biggest barriers to differentiating are having too little time and too little (or insufficient) resources. We understand! More importantly, we want to help!
Our goal is to develop a teacher resources page that provides some ideas, frameworks, tools, and resource sites that may help alleviate some of that challenge for RSU 1 educators.
Please note: Some of the linked resources require signing up for a login. Some are free and some are subscriptions. Please let us know if there are certain subjects you would like to see us include or expand!
Implementing Differentiation in the Classroom: 4 Key Questions Answered - Food for thought from the Riverside Insights Blog: "Differentiating instruction has been a topic of conversation among educational researchers and educators alike in recent years. But what is true differentiated instruction, and how can teachers and administrators go about it in the best way?"
Differentiation for High-Ability Students - This site outlines a variety of frameworks and approaches for responding to the needs of your high-ability learners.
Teaching Gifted Students in the General Education Classroom - This Livebinder provides differentiation and extension ideas for general educators who teach gifted students.
The Gifted Guide - Independent Studies - This educator has mastered the concept of “Genius Hour” (also referred to as passion projects or independent studies), and she has shared some tricks and tips for educators who want to get started in their own classroom, including how to get started as well as having a suggested "theme" for the year.
Depth and Complexity: An Introduction for Teachers - The lenses of depth and complexity help students think about a topic from a different lens. From Byrdseed.TV, “The Depth and Complexity icons are eleven tools that act as lenses, prompting students to look at a topic in a new way. They will help you to take your students deeper into grade-level material rather than moving them onto a new topic." Too much to look at now? If you sign up for the free depth and complexity mailer, he'll break it down for you in smaller chunks every few weeks as well as sending you some prompts. Byrdseed.TV itself is a cool educator resource, but it is a paid subscription. There are just a handful of free unlocked samples to check out.
8 Essential Tips & Resources for Educators of Gifted Kids - Gifted educator, Lisa Van Gemert, shares tips, resources, and strategies for working with gifted students. These are her top eight recommended gifted essentials.
Big Ideas for Little Scholars - You’ll find here a collection of recommended learning resources designed for use with K -8 gifted and advanced students. (Some of these are subscriptions or materials requiring purchase...)
Ms. Beaker's Blogspot - This collection of lateral thinking and logic puzzle resources may come in handy on days you're out sick, at a workshop, or giving BAS!
Links and Resources for Elementary
Math Resources:
Enrichment Room Gr 1 & 2
Illustrative Mathematics ($ program)
Khan Academy (multi-subject resource)
Open Up Resources (by Illustrative)
Prodigy (multi-subject resource)
Reading/ELA:
Enrichment Room Gr 1 & 2
*Sample* Creative and Critical Thinking Board (Hatchet by Gary Paulson)
STEAM:
Thematic:
Balloons Over Broadway Classroom Balloon Parade (Video Sample)
Multi-Subject/Choice Boards:
Enhancing Enrichment: Gifted and Talented Choice Boards
Gifted Guide Enrichment Rooms (By Grade)
Links and Resources for Middle School
Further considerations...
From the Davidson Institute, "Twice-exceptional students (also known as 2e children or students) are among the most under-identified and underserved population in schools. The reason for this is two-fold: (1) the vast majority of school districts do not have procedures in place for identifying twice-exceptional students and (2) inadequate identification leads to the lack of access to appropriate educational services. Additionally, twice-exceptional students, whose gifts and disabilities often mask one another, are difficult to identify. Without appropriate educational programming, twice exceptional students and their talents go unrealized. In this article, we’ll be reviewing common characteristics of twice exceptional students, how these students can be identified and ways to support their development and growth."
Is there a correlation between Autism Spectrum Disorder and giftedness? The Davidson Institute also shares some thoughts on this topic. "Both giftedness and autism fall on a spectrum, so while there may be individuals who clearly fit into one box or another, some behaviors might be more ambiguous and require additional information, context, or professional opinions... Instead, understanding your child’s full learning profile will require a careful and thorough assessment of the whole child by a trained professional, particularly by someone who has worked with both gifted and ASD children."
This additional booklet (PIP-2) provided by the Belin-Blank Center at the University of Iowa has a wealth of information about working with twice exceptional students, including those on the autism spectrum.
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