Professional learning and networking opportunities are offered for teachers and coordinators of talented and gifted programs.
Are you interested in learning more about how to better your talented and gifted programs and/or curriculum?
Check Out Our Talented & Gifted Professional Learning Opportunities 2021-2022
Informational Resources
- Iowa DE Gifted FAQ & Funding Uses
- NAGC Pre-K – 12 Gifted Programming Standards
- 6 Min Video TEDx talk on Building Diversity in GT programs
- Iowa DE Website
- Grade Skip Decision Support The Iowa Acceleration Scale, 3rd Edition is a tool to help schools make effective decisions regarding a grade-skip.
- Short Version of the Acceleration Guide here
- 2014 TEDx Talk on “Why Gifted May Not Be What You Think”
- Top 10 Myths in TAG
- Iowa Talented & Gifted
- Iowa Online Advanced Placement Academy – a grant-supported initiative to offer AP online and AP ICN classes throughout Iowa. Grant $$ is available to pay for online courses, AP exams, ICN courses, mentors for students, teacher training in AP classes (no Masters’s degree required), and more. A school simply registers to be eligible for the services.
- National Association for Gifted Children
- Belin-Blank International Center for Gifted Education & Talent Development, U of IA, Nicholas Colangelo, Susan Assouline, Laurie Croft, Clar Baldus
- ISU Office of Precollegiate Programs for Talented and Gifted
- National Research Center for Talented & Gifted, UCONN, Joseph Renzulli, Sally Reis
- Renzulli Learning System
- Center for Gifted Education, College of William & Mary, Joyce Van-Tassel Baska, Carol Tieso
- Davidson Institute for Talent Development
- SENG (Supporting Emotional Needs of Gifted)
- The Center for Creative Learning, Dr. Donald Treffinger
- Royal Fireworks Press – Shelagh Gallagher and Michael C. Thompson
- Educational Options – Deborah Ruf – author of 5 Levels of Gifted
- Duke University Talent Identification Program
- Vanderbilt Programs for Talented Youth
- College Board (ACT, SAT, Advanced Placement Courses)
- Iowa Learns Distance Learning Catalog
- Hoagies – free resource for families, students, teachers
- Stanford Program for Gifted Youth
- Linda Silverman, Counseling
- Great Potential Press, James Webb
- Bertie Kingore, Elementary Identification & Differentiation
- Free Spirit Publishing
- Cyberkids.com
- Federal Resources for Educational Excellence
- Great Books Foundation
- Learning Network, On This Day
- National Gallery of Art
- National Park Service Museum Exhibits
- Touchstones Discussion Project
- The Chicago Field Museum – The Field Museum has carefully crafted its exhibits as well as materials for educators. Many exhibits are available online and have lessons that align with state standards.
- Learn to read, speak and write Chinese online
Reading & Language Arts Resources
- Recommended Reading Lists
- Self-selected Reading Lists (search for books specific to a time period, ethnicity, genre, gender of the protagonist, age of the reader, etc.)
- Teaching Models for Use in Language Arts Curriculum:
- Math Books for Gifted Children and other Language Arts resources by Michael C. Thompson
- Poets.org
- Writing Resources: NaNoWriMo for KIDS and adults! The site provides a free 86 page pre-writing/outlining guide for elementary, middle, and high school writers and inexpensive extras for teachers, like progress charts, buttons, stickers, etc.
- Schoolwide Enrichment Model – Reading – an enrichment-based reading program that seeks to increase reading achievement for all students while also addressing the pressing needs of talented readers.
- Assistance with speech-making
- More assistance with speech making
Free Online Libraries
Elementary eBook Libraries:
- Book Pals – stories read by members of the Screen Actors’ Guild and others
- Children’s Classics
- The Rosetta Project – children’s books published in the 19th & early 20th centuries
- International Children’s Digital Library – international collection from 27 cultures in 23 languages
- Readers’ Theater Editions – free scripts for reader’s theater, adapted from stories by Aaron Shepard and others
- StoryPlace Libraries – 20+ stories and suggested readings and activities
General & Secondary eBook Libraries
- Baen Free Library – 75+ new science fiction books
- Classic Book Library – 125+ books in seven genres
- Electronic Text Center at University of Virginia Library – thousands of texts
- Making of America – created by Cornell University Library, primary sources in American social history (antebellum through Reconstruction periods), journal site of 22 magazines from the 1830s to 1900s
- Manybooks – 600+ titles in a variety of formats
- Page-by-Page Books – 400 books to be read online
- USGS Books and Other Publications – online books, reports, and pamphlets published by the U.S. Geological Survey’s Geology Discipline
Elementary:
- Little Women
- Captains Courageous
- Rumpelstiltskin
- The Call of the Wild
- White Fang
- Kidnapped
- Treasure Island
- Journey to the Center of the Earth
- Swiss Family Robinson
- Tarzan of the Apes
- Hans Brinker
- The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
- The Three Musketeers
- Wind in the Willows
Secondary:
- Jane Eyre
- My Antonia
- Lord Jim
- Tale of Two Cities
- The House of Seven Gables
- Green Mansions
- Babbitt
- Of Human Bondage
- Plunkitt of Tammany Hall
- The Tempest
- Frankenstein
- The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
- Walden
- Anna Karenina
- Life on the Mississippi
- The Time Machine
Math & STEM Resources
- GHAEA Math Page
- Math Enrichment, Ages 5 – 19 from University of Cambridge – NRICH (highly user-friendly)
- ALEKS
- Try Engineering: lesson plans, games for students, interviews with engineers, universities with engineering programs, engineering newsletter, and more
- The Math Forum Internet Mathematics Library – a treasure trove of links categorized by topic or educational level.
- The Math Forum’s Directory of Weekly Competitions – will challenge students at all grade levels
- The Math Forum at Drexel University – offers kindergarten to graduate-level lesson plans, software, student project ideas, and homework help.
- Ask Dr. Math
- Exemplars – sample tasks available
- The Futures Channel – connecting learning to the real world
- Set – games of fun, perception, and challenges
- Harvard Balanced Assessment -Mathematics Assessment Tasks Available
- Math in Daily Life – teacher resources
- The Girls Math & Science Partnership encourages and inspires teen girls interested in math and science.
- S.O.S. MATHematics includes useful tutorials in algebra, trigonometry, calculus, and other advanced topics.
- Mentoring Mathematical Minds – a national curriculum and research study to nurture math talent in elementary students
- Information Technology Resources – intended for high school teachers or community groups to involve students in Information Technology. Instructors or counselors do not need to have “IT”experience to facilitate or sponsor a group!
- MIT Highlights for High School new (Nov. 2007) site that will provide resources to improve science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) instruction at the high school level.
- Iowa Online Advanced Placement Academy – a grant-supported initiative to offer AP online and AP ICN classes throughout Iowa. Grant $$ is available to pay for online courses, ICN courses, mentors for students, teacher training in AP classes (no Master’s degree required), and more. A school simply registers to be eligible for the services.
Social Studies Resources
Podcast Resources:
- Smithsonian Museums
- White House
- History and Politics Out Loud – features a searchable multimedia database – audio & text related to important political and historical events
Additional Social Studies Resources
- GiftedSources.com provides consistently updated links to websites selected by educators, based on interactivity, content, and appropriateness for K – 12 students. Subjects include arts and humanities, language arts, mathematics, practical living, science, social studies, vocational studies, research, and news and publications.
- EconSources – a great aid to students conducting economic research – links to documents in statistics, international organizations, economic education, government publications, global data and resources, federal agencies, and country profiles
- The National Archives
- DocsTeach – Lets teachers explore thousands of documents in a variety of media from the National Archives holdings. It also includes online tools to help teachers combine these materials and create engaging history activities that students can access over the internet.
- Iowa Pathways – Explore Iowa History
- The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum – Purposeful, well-written educator resources and lesson plans are available.
- Facing History and Ourselves – for high school and some middle school use
- Iowa Online Advanced Placement Academy – a grant-supported initiative to offer AP online and AP ICN classes throughout Iowa. Grant $$ is available to pay for online courses, AP exams, ICN courses, mentors for students, teacher training in AP classes (no Master’s degree required), and more. A school simply registers to be eligible for the services.
Science & STEM Resources
- GHAEA Science Page
- William & Mary Science Units Available for Purchase
- The Girls Math & Science Partnership encourages and inspires teen girls interested in math and science.
- Learningscience.org is an organization dedicated to sharing the newer and emerging “learning tools” of science education. Tools such as real-time data collection, simulations, inquiry-based lessons, interactive web lessons, micro-worlds, and imaging, among others, can help make teaching and learning science an exciting and engaging endeavor.
- GiftedSources.com provides consistently updated links to websites selected by educators, based on interactivity, content, and appropriateness for K – 12 students. Subjects include arts and humanities, language arts, mathematics, practical living, science, social studies, vocational studies, research, and news and publications.
- Neuroscience Site: site for children wanting to know more about any neuroscience – includes an email list, games, articles, links, activities, puzzles.
- Steve Spangler Science – lots of experiments
- http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/ This site is sponsored by AAAS and is full of resources of various types for students and teachers.
- http://www.sciencedaily.com/ This site is full of recent research and can stimulate students to ask more questions and find a topic of interest to look into further. Creative students can use future wheels to predict the impact of new discoveries or research on society.
- http://wise.berkeley.edu/ WISE is a simple yet powerful learning environment where students examine real-world evidence and analyze current scientific controversies. The curriculum projects are designed to meet standards and complement your current science curriculum and your grade 5-12 students will find them exciting and engaging. I believe a subscription is necessary, but it seems some components are free.
- Try Engineering: lesson plans, games for students, interviews with engineers, universities with engineering programs, engineering newsletter, and more
- Science News for Kids – timely news items and ideas for hands-on activities and resources – for kids 9 – 14
- National Science Resources Center – curriculum resources
- Exploring the Solar System
- MIT Highlights for High School new (Nov. 2007) site provides resources to improve science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) instruction at the high school level.
- Iowa Online Advanced Placement Academy – a grant-supported initiative to offer AP online and AP ICN classes throughout Iowa. Grant $$ is available to pay for online courses, ICN courses, mentors for students, teacher training in AP classes (no Master’s degree required), and more. A school simply registers to be eligible for the services.
Social-Emotional Needs of TAG Learners
Student Competitions
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American Regions Mathematics League – high school
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American History Essay Contest – grades 5 – 8
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Math Olympiads – grades 4 – 8
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Science Olympiad What began as a grassroots assembly of science teachers is now one of the premier science competitions in the nation, providing rigorous, standards-based challenges to 7,600 teams in 50 states.
Contacts:
Michelle Kavars, Talented and Gifted Consultant
Rosanne Malek, Iowa Department of Education, 515-281-3199
Important contacts
Staff Directory