We delivered a presentation using the New American Lecture (NAL) strategy, focusing on social-emotional learning in gifted education. Specifically, we explored procrastination in gifted students, its causes, effects, and strategies to address it. The presentation was part of our gifted endorsement course, and the audience consisted of fellow educators and instructors. Our goal was to implement the NAL strategy effectively by engaging our peers through structured content, interactive discussions, and a graphic organizer.

Lesson Plan

New American Lecture

The following literature review synthesizes current research on gifted identification and assessment practices, with a focus on equitable access for diverse learners. It examines how multiple measures, teacher observation, and classroom-based evidence can more accurately capture advanced potential that may be overlooked by traditional identification models. This work reflects my growing understanding of gifted identification as an ongoing, reflective process rather than a single-point decision.

This presentation examined the Levels of Service (LoS) curriculum model as a talent-development framework designed to support all learners, not only those formally identified as gifted. The model emphasizes equity, teacher observation, and authentic performance as key components of identifying and nurturing student potential.

Through this work, I analyzed how the four levels of service function as a continuum of support, allowing students to access increasingly advanced opportunities based on readiness, interest, and demonstrated need. The LoS model reinforced the idea that gifted education is most effective when it is flexible, inclusive, and responsive, creating multiple pathways for talent to emerge over time.

#1 six hats strategy lesson plan

#2 NAL Strategy lesson plan

This lesson used the Graduated Difficulty framework to move students from foundational understanding to advanced application through increasing levels of cognitive demand. Tasks were intentionally designed to balance support and challenge while promoting independence.

This strategy supports gifted learners by deepening understanding without accelerating content and allows for flexible entry points while maintaining rigor.

Concepts of intelligence have evolved throughout history. Who is intelligent? What is intelligence? How can we measure it? How do we know it when we see it? Over the years, various theories of intelligence have evolved. Scientists and psychologists are still arguing over many aspects of it. 

This project focused on implementing concept mapping as an instructional strategy to support organization, depth of understanding, and metacognitive thinking. Concept mapping was used to help students visually represent relationships between ideas, identify patterns, and make their thinking visible.

Implementing this strategy highlighted how concept mapping supports gifted learners by encouraging synthesis rather than recall. It provided flexible entry points for diverse learners while still allowing advanced students to demonstrate complexity, connections, and higher-level reasoning. This experience reinforced the value of instructional tools that promote structure, creativity, and independent thinking simultaneously.

This assignment focused on designing an authentic performance task that requires students to apply knowledge, reason deeply, and create a meaningful product. The task was intentionally structured around a clear learning goal, an authentic role, and a real-world audience to ensure relevance and rigor.

Designing the task and accompanying rubric reinforced the importance of alignment between objectives, assessment, and student choice. This process strengthened my ability to create assessments that value creativity, higher-order thinking, and multiple pathways for students to demonstrate understanding.

This presentation focused on how gifted screening, testing, and eligibility processes are communicated to families and educators. It examined the full identification cycle, from initial screening through eligibility decisions, with an emphasis on clarity, transparency, and accuracy.

The work highlighted the importance of explaining multiple-criteria measures and eligibility pathways in ways that are accessible and reassuring for families who may be unfamiliar with gifted identification. Developing this presentation reinforced that gifted identification is not only a technical process, but also a communication responsibility that directly impacts trust and equity within a school community.

Gifted and Advanced learners