Describes Weekend Workshops offered by the Carnegie Mellon Institute for Talented Elementary Students. The purpose of the three-hour workshops is to offer academically talented students an interesting and challenging experience. The philosophy and goals of the program and course descriptions are provided. (CR)

This article discusses the need for competitions and contests in schools to develop and enhance talents in academics, fine and performing arts, leadership, and service learning. An academic contest school assessment checklist is included. Information on several national contests for children and youth is presented. (CR)

This article describes a Spanish-speaking gifted child with limited English proficiency. The case study describes behaviors indicating giftedness, the importance of proper placement in school, home and cultural factors, identification of the culturally diverse student, and the development of a second language. (DB)

This article provides a rationale for using humor to increase creativity in gifted students and suggests a variety of activities which focus on humor. (DB)

This paper describes the work done by a third-grade class to write and present adaptations of Dickens'"A Christmas Carol" and Shakespeare's "The Tempest." Students explored the authors' lives and collectively wrote their own renditions of the stories; the entire short text of their version of "The Tempest" is included. (PB)

Provides some brief suggestions for teaching students about color, including an activity for use during outdoor field trips or in local parks. Questions for provoking student explorations of color mixing and the functions of color in nature are provided, which use the scientific method as a model for structuring student observations. (PB)

This article reviews research on suicide among gifted adolescents. It notes that, though the literature suggests that the suicide rate of gifted adolescents is the same or lower than the general population of adolescents, there is not enough data to draw conclusions. Conclusions that can be supported by research are listed. (DB)

This study examined learning styles in 137 high ability fourth-grade students. All students were administered two learning styles inventories. Characteristics of students with the following learning styles are summarized: auditory language, visual language, auditory numerical, visual numerical, tactile concrete, individual learning, group…

Parental coaching with homework of gifted children is considered. The coaching process involves planning, teaching, reflecting, and applying what has been learned to the next situation. The parent's role is described as providing the right environment for working, providing help when desired, and being nonjudgmental. (SW)

Uses the analogy of dance to discuss development of positive relationships between teachers and parents of gifted children. Emphasis is on providing parents with necessary information, overcoming barriers to true partnerships, and rules of thumb for implementing the partnership on an ongoing basis, such as following the golden rule in…

A teacher of environmental studies at a magnet Montessori school for gifted children, ages 3 to 9, describes the development of Our Green Classroom, an outdoor garden featuring 100 species of plants, a pond, a birdbath, a bird and butterfly feeding station, a composting demonstration site, and a recycling center. Program emphasis is on hands-on…

To meet the needs of high achieving students within regular elementary classrooms, teachers can utilize such effective practices as curriculum compacting services, students' ownership of learning, reflective teaching practices, students' choices, challenging curricula, flexible teaching, teacher collaboration, and independent student projects.…

This article discusses characteristics and needs of gifted children, the counselor's role in developing giftedness, counseling techniques useful with gifted children, and skills needed by counselors. The counselor's role is seen as including consultant and coordinator as well as counselor. Cognitive, psychoanalytic, and self-directed approaches to…

This article examines the myths and realities surrounding grading for gifted students, drawing on educational research and anecdotal experience. It contends that current grading systems tend to lack psychometric validity and reliability, that schools should embrace national standards, and that higher order thinking skills should be emphasized in…

Discusses three weaknesses of using cooperative learning, including making students' responsible for each other's learning; intentionally structuring groups with students of mixed abilities, thereby creating child-teachers who must explain the same material over and over; and encouraging fact-based learning rather than thinking. (CR)