I get many emails from folks who have been plunked into a gifted education position with no direction and no idea what to do next.
For example:
This year I’m starting a new 1st through 8th-grade enrichment program. I’ll be pulling students out twice a week. I have no idea where to start.
Is this you?
Find A Mentor (or Three!)
Well, since I, too, have never had this job, my first advice would be: Find someone who already has this role and copy their notes! Observe some classrooms or at least meet up with some folks for coffee. There has to be someone near you who is already doing this job. Learn directly from them.
The county I worked in had a monthly meeting for gifted ed coordinators. I often sat in and learned a whole bunch about the nuts and bolts of running a program. This is a service I wish state associations offered; a way to connect people in the same area who have the same role.
But, if I had to do this job myself, without expert input, here’s what I’d do!
Narrow Your Scope
First, I’d make sure my focus is clear. Yes, I’ll plan what I want to do. But more importantly, I’ll plan what I do not want to do.
It’s really easy to get sucked into a vortex, pursuing seven dozen seemingly good ideas at once. You keep expanding your job description until you can no longer possibly do your job! This is called scope creep.
If I’m brand new, I want to keep it simple. (Even if I’m a 20-year vet, I’ll still want to keep it simple!)
Get through this first year (or at least the first semester) before you start trying to change direction. I’m not going to try to paint the boat while I’m learning to sail it. One thing at a time!
Universal Themes
If I had to pull kids from a bunch of grade levels, I’d immediately pick a Universal Theme for each grade. But I wouldn’t do eight different themes. I’d pick four and then repeat them every four years.
For example,
- First graders are working with Change. Fifth graders will also work with Change.
- Second and sixth graders will work with Power.
- Third and seventh graders will use Systems.
- Fourth and eighth grade will have Conflict.
This way, I only have four themes to plan for. It also gives students a chance to re-visit a theme as a much older person. Plus, I’ll be able to reuse my first graders’ Change material next year with my new first graders.
Four themes may feel like too many. Then pick three and repeat every three years.
Universal Themes help me to focus on how I’ll present my lessons. I loved teaching Earth Science through the prism of Power. It helped me to connect a lot of otherwise disparate material. Earthquakes, ecosystems, and the electromagnetic spectrum all have some sort of Power within them.
Read more about Universal Themes here.
Practice Curiosity
In this 1st – 8th pullout position, I’d definitely use my own Puzzlement mailer to establish a culture of curiosity.
I want kids to enter my room and be surrounded by their own unanswered questions. I want them to feel empowered to wonder out loud and ask weird, bizarre, off-topic, silly questions. We’d have a Book of Unanswered Questions for sure. If we’re going remote, well, now it’s a Google Doc of Unanswered Questions!
Understanding what my students become curious about helps me to develop upcoming units.
I’d also use my own math curiosities collection to shift away from practice problems and towards interesting mathematical thinking.
Read Books!
I’d have a read-aloud going for each grade level. Yes, even your 8th graders (and older) will benefit from an adult reading a book to them. They can handle a more complex text when the teacher reads it. Make your students into readers!
This is something that has surprised me when I have run giveaways. Few teachers asked for books! Before you worry about coding robots or building roller coasters or creating a video studio or whatever the hot trend is, make sure you have a great book you’re sharing!
What Else?
Well, you’ll need to map out some units. Any unit I plan would be driven by the word “interesting”. Not “challenging”. Not “cute”. Not “grade-level appropriate”. Just “is this really interesting?” Interesting units work across grade levels and stand the test of time. A great unit from 1988 will still be great in 2028!
I have a few hundred examples of lessons and units here. I hope that helps someone out there!