Gifted Student Action Plan Roger Heffron Paul R. Smith Middle School

Contents Action Plan Rationale “Gifted” Trailer Resource Manual Student Questionaire

Action Plan Audience: Cambridge Programme teachers, students, and parents. Cambridge has a high rate of Gifted students

Action Plan Audience Presentation: PowerPoint for the Action Plan to share ideas with the Cambridge teachers and parents as a group, Resource manual in paper form so that it can be a quick reference guide.

Action Plan Audience Presentation Timeframe: Planning Week Identify the number of Gifted Students in each class, Review this Action Plan and distribute the Resource manual. Brainstorm how to utilize Gifted resources to make an impact in the classroom Set a time for follow-up discussion and examine success/ failure of the Action Plan.

Action Plan Audience Presentation Timeframe: Planning Week Open House Gifted PowerPoint to discuss stress alleviation for gifted students

Action Plan Audience Presentation Timeframe: Planning Week Open House Student Survey Gives me an opportunity to better understand my new students. Gives students an opportunity to think about sources of stress and frsutration

“Gifted” movie https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tI01wBXGHUs

Resource Manual Purpose – give teachers the resources for dealing with Gifted students. The Resource manual has contact and procedure information as well as facts and strategies for different Gifted issues.

Student Questionnaire Purpose – to get to know the gifted students in each class so that teachers know what makes them tick. This questionnaire directly relates to the Gifted Resource manual by addressing the strategies to handle issues associated with Gifted students

Student Questionnaire Getting to Know My Students Do you often feel out of sync ( do you feel like you are great at one subject, but terrible at another)? Are you a perfectionist? Do you have a group of social friends, but a completely different set of academic friends? Do you have an extreme fear of the unknown? Do you grasp concepts taught in class much faster than your fellow students? Are you creative at solving problems? Do you struggle to make decisions? Do you feel overwhelmed to preform in class by your teachers, parents, or yourself? Do noises, music, or sounds during quiet times (during a test) cause you great irritation? Student Period

Open House PowerPoint Purpose – to teach parents about the sources of stress that their children may experience and work proactively to combat them. This PowerPoint allows me to address the issue of stress with both the parents and students during the 15 minutes that I have with each group of students/parents during the school’s Open House in the fall.

Does your child struggle with school stress? Open House Does your child struggle with school stress?

How Can There Be Stress When Grades Are Good? Anything can cause stress. Working on a project or earning an "A" grade when a student expects to earn an "A+" may be stressful.

How Can There Be Stress When Grades Are Good? Anything can cause stress. Working on a project or earning an "A" grade when a student expects to earn an "A+" may be stressful. While I encourage the “Race to the Top”, please remind your child that this is Middle School and 90% is still an A.

How Can There Be Stress When Grades Are Good? Vacations: Taking time off from school may make children feel nervous and lacking control.

How Can There Be Stress When Grades Are Good? Vacations: Taking time off from school may make children feel nervous and lacking control. Advanced planning is the key. It allows students to find out what they will miss so they can plan to get the work done before their absence.

How Can There Be Stress When Grades Are Good? Some students accept responsibility for a variety of activities such as sports, leadership in school activities (Yearbook, NJHS, Eagle Patrol), or part-time jobs.

How Can There Be Stress When Grades Are Good? Some students accept responsibility for a variety of activities such as sports, leadership in school activities (yearbook, NJHS, Eagle Patrol), or part-time jobs. If stress from these activities becomes too much, tell students that it is fine to limit them.

How To Cope With Stress Healthy ways students can cope with stress: (from http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/eric/e488.html)

How To Cope With Stress Healthy ways students can cope with stress: Do something else for a while. Put down those study notes and jog for an hour. (from http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/eric/e488.html)

How To Cope With Stress Healthy ways students can cope with stress: Do something else for a while. Put down those study notes and jog for an hour. Ask Mr. Heffron for an extension on a project. (from http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/eric/e488.html)

How To Cope With Stress Healthy ways students can cope with stress: Do something else for a while. Put down those study notes and jog for an hour. Ask Mr. Heffron for an extension on a project. Practice effective organization and time-management skills. (from http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/eric/e488.html)

How To Cope With Stress Healthy ways students can cope with stress: Do something else for a while. Put down those study notes and jog for an hour. Ask Mr. Heffron for an extension on a project. Practice effective organization and time-management skills. Take time out for enjoyable activities. (from http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/eric/e488.html)

How To Cope With Stress Healthy ways students can cope with stress: Do something else for a while. Put down those study notes and jog for an hour. Ask Mr. Heffron for an extension on a project. Practice effective organization and time-management skills. Take time out for enjoyable activities. Get regular physical exercise and rest. (from http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/eric/e488.html)