Interdisciplinary Studies: Visual &Performing Arts · DESIGN BBM&D Strategic Branding [email protected], ... The editorial staff reserves the right to edit ... ed to all components

FALL 2008 VOL. 39 NO. 3 $12.00

Interdisciplinary Studies:Visual & Performing Arts

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C A L I F O R N I A A S S O C I A T I O N F O R T H E G I F T E D 1

C O N T E N T SFall 2008 | Volume 39 | Number 3

F E A T U R E S

15 Arts Education Develops 21st Century SkillsRuss Sperling

19 Parents Needed as Continuing Patrons of the ArtsVictoria and John Bortolussi

20 Musical Plays Add Pizzazz and New Depthto Your Classroom Greg Miller

22 Joining GarageBand: Making Music the Computer WayMichael Haddan

24 The Science of Art and the Art of Science: Integrating Art and Science in the Elementary ClassroomHope E. Wilson and Jill L. Adelson

28 California VAPA Content Standards

30 The National Standards for Arts Education

31 Rubric for a Differentiated Curriculum: A Multipurpose DocumentSandra N. Kaplan

34 Not Just a Pretty Picture: The Latino Art ProgramWilliam Svendsgaard

38 Journaling into Understanding: Meeting Arts Standards Using JournalsDelia Nerez-Ragadio and Beth Littrell

D E P A R T M E N T S

S T U D E N T V O I C E S

5 Dancing with PassionMargaret Gosfield

8 Robert Vijay Gupta: LA Phil’s Youngest MemberJennifer Beaver

P A R E N T T A L K

10 Taming Perfectionism So it WorksNancy M. Robinson

T H E I N N E R G A M E : P S Y C H O L O G I C A L P R E P A R E D N E S S

12 Preparing for High Achievement: Building ConfidenceMaureen Neihart

A D M I N I S T R A T O R T A L K

13 Need Better Core Curriculum Results? Carolyn R. Cooper

C A R P E D I E M

42 The Basics Versus the Arts: Must It Be Versus?Elaine S. Wiener

H A N D S - O N C U R R I C U L U M

43 Musical Instruments: Reaching for the High NoteAnn MacDonald & Jim Riley

T E C H N O L O G Y I N T H E C L A S S R O O M

46 Technology to the Rescue: Help for the Musically and Theatrically IlliterateBeth Littrell

48 Using Online Surveys in Your ClassroomLance Arnt

W E B W A T C H

49 Visual and Performing ArtsCarolyn Kottmeyer

B O O K S A V V Y : C R E A T I N G L I F E T I M E R E A D E R S

52 Exploring Potential by Reading BiographiesSusannah Richards

B O O K R E V I E W S56 The Essential Guide to Talking with Gifted Teens

By Jean Peterson56 Peak Performance for Smart Kids

By Maureen Neihart57 How to Parent So Children Will Learn

By Sylvia Rimm

57 Alternative Assessments with Gifted and Talented StudentsEdited by Joyce L. VanTassel-Baska

58 Ready for PreschoolBy Nancy B. Hertzog

59 Parenting with PurposeBy Robert W. Reasoner & Marilyn L. Lane

3 From the Editor4 Calendar of Conferences

Cover photo by Barry Goyette.

Interdisciplinary Studies:Visual & Performing Arts

BARRY GOYETTE

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N A T I O N A L A D V I S O R Y B O A R DErnesto Bernal, Ph.D., ConsultantSan Antonio, TX

George Betts, Ed.D., ProfessorUniversity of Northern Colorado, Greeley, CO

Victoria Bortolusssi, Ph.D., Dean EmeritusMoorpark College, Moorpark, CA

Carolyn Callahan, Ph.D., ProfessorUniversity of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA

Barbara Clark, Ed.D., Professor EmeritusCalifornia State University, Los Angeles, CA

Tracy Cross, Ph.D., ProfessorBall State University, Muncie, IN

James Delisle, Ph.D., ProfessorKent State University & Twinsberg, Kent, OH

Maureen DiMarco, Senior Vice PresidentHoughton Mifflin Co.

Jerry Flack, Ph.D., Professor EmeritusUniversity of Colorado, Denver, CO

Judy Galbraith, M.A., Author, PublisherFree Spirit Publishing, Minneapolis, MN

James Gallagher,Ph.D., Senior Scientist EmeritusUniversity of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC

Julie Gonzales, ParentColorado Association for Gifted & Talented

Sandra Kaplan, Ed.D., Clinical ProfessorUniversity of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA

Frances Karnes, Ph.D., ProfessorThe University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesberg, MS

Felice Kaufmann, Ph.D., ConsultantNew York University Child Study Center, New York, NY

Jann Leppien, Ph.D., ProfessorUniversity of Great Falls, Great Falls, MT

Elizabeth Meckstroth, M.Ed., M.S.U.,ConsultantInstitute of Eductional Advancement, Evanston, IL

Maureen Neihart, Psy.D., Associate ProfessorNational Institute of Education, Singapore

Sally Reis, Ph.D., ProfessorUniversity of Connecticut, Storrs, CT

Joseph Renzulli, Ph.D., DirectorNational Research Center on the Gifted & Talented, Storrs, CT

Sylvia Rimm, Ph.D., Director Family Achievement Clinic, Cleveland, OH

Ann Robinson, Ph.D., Director, Center for Gifted EducationUniversity of Arkansas, Little Rock, AR

Annemarie Roeper, Ed.D.,ConsultantRoeper Consultation Service, El Cerrito, CA

Karen B. Rogers, Ph.D., ProfessorSt. Thomas University, St. Paul, MN

Judith Roseberry, M.A., ConsultantFountain Valley, CA

Linda Silverman, Ph.D., DirectorGifted Development Center, Denver, CO

Elinor Ruth Smith, Educational Consultant San Diego, CA

Joan Franklin Smutny, M.A., Director, Center for Gifted EducationNational Louis University, Chicago, IL

Robert Sternberg, Ph.D., Dean of Arts & LettersTufts University, Medford, MA

Stephanie Tolan, M.A., Author, ConsultantInstitute for Educational Advancement, Charlotte, NC

Carol Ann Tomlinson, Ed.D., ProfessorUniversity of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA

Joyce VanTassel-Baska, Ed.D., ProfessorCollege of William & Mary, Williamsburg,V A

Sally Walker, Ph.D., Executive DirectorIllinois Association for Gifted Children, Roscoe, IL

James Webb, Ph.D., Consultant, PresidentGreat Potential Press/SENG, Scottsdale, AZ

Published by the California Association for the Gifted (CAG)

G I F T E D E D U C A T I O N C O M M U N I C A T O REDITOR Margaret Gosfield [email protected]

ADVISING EDITOR Barbara Clark [email protected] EDITORS

Parent Topics Jennifer Beaver [email protected]

Special Projects Richard Boolootian [email protected] & Calendar Ann MacDonald [email protected]

Jim Riley

Book Reviews Elaine Wiener [email protected]

DEPARTMENTS

Student Voices Jennifer BeaverAdministrator Talk Carolyn R. CooperWeb Watch Carolyn Kottmeyer

Technology in the Classroom Beth Littrel and Lance ArntHands-On Curriculum Ann MacDonald and Jim RileyThe Inner Game Maureen NeihartBook Savvy Susannah RichardsParent Talk Nancy M. RobinsonTeacher Talk Carol Ann Tomlinson (on leave)Carpe Diem Elaine S. Wiener

DESIGN BBM&D Strategic Branding [email protected], (805) 667-6671ILLUSTRATIONS Keir DuBois

Jon Pearson

Ken Vinton

C A G E X E C U T I V E C O M M I T T E E 2 0 0 6 – 2 0 0 8PRESIDENT Dana ReupertPRESIDENT ELECT Deborah HazeltonSECRETARY Maryanna GrayTREASURER Judith J. RoseberryCHAIR, EDUCATOR REPRESENTATIVES Pat ThurmanCHAIR, PARENT REPRESENTATIVES Anna WilliamsPAST PRESIDENT Marilyn Lane

C A G O F F I C ESusan Seamons, Executive Director11130 Sun Center Drive, Suite 100, Rancho Cordova, CA 95670

Tel: 916-441-3999 Fax: 916-441-2999 e-mail: [email protected] www.CAGifted.org

L E T T E R S T O T H E E D I T O RMargaret Gosfield, Editor3136 Calle Mariposa, Santa Barbara, CA 93105Tel: 805-687-9352 Fax: 805-687-1527 e-mail: [email protected] should include your full name, address, telephone, and e-mail address. Letters may be edited for clarity and space.

Gifted Education Communicator ISSN 1531-7382 is published four times a year: Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. Opinions expressed

by individual authors do not officially represent positions of the California Association for the Gifted. Advertising: For advertis-

ing rates and information, contact the CAG office at 916-441-3999 or visit the CAG website at www.CAGifted.org. Submission of

material: To submit articles for publication, send articles by e-mail to the editor at [email protected]. All submissions will be given

careful consideration. Photos and camera-ready artwork are particularly desirable. The editorial staff reserves the right to edit

all material in accordance with APA style and Gifted Education Communicator policy. Reprinting of materials: Articles appear-

ing in Gifted Education Communicator may be reprinted as desired unless marked by © or reprinted from another source. Please

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ing, please contact the editor. Back issues: Additional copies and back issues may be purchased (if available) for $12.00 per copy

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Iam one of the “musical and theatrical illiterates” Beth Littrellrefers to in our new department, “Technology in theClassroom.” I am hopeless when it comes to keeping time, somusic making and dancing are out of the question for me

despite my wishes that it were otherwise. Believe me, I’ve tried! ButI’m very good at appreciation in all categories, and that, after all, isa significant part of the big picture.

In the “Student Voices” column this issue, I describe a trip to theballet last spring to see a group of gifted dancers perform on stage.Even in my wildest dreams I cannot envision myself in that role; butwhat a thrill it was to watch these passionate performers dance theirhearts out. And what enrichment they provided for all of us in theaudience! In the column, we explore the life skills the dancers gainthrough their participation in this art form.

However, this issue of Gifted Education Communicator is notintended only for the visual and performing arts teachers among ourreaders, but also for parents and teachers at all grade levels and allsubject areas. Whatever your role, you have a part to play to insurethat our gifted learners understand the ways in which we benefitfrom the arts in our lives and learning. The arts not only increase ouraesthetic appreciation for beauty but lead to practical and econom-ic benefits as well.

We begin our feature article section with a piece by Russ Sperlingwho directs the visual and performing arts program in theSweetwater Union High School District in California. His article,“Arts Education Develops 21st Century Skills,” could serve as anadvocacy piece you may wish to use when making the case for devel-oping or maintaining strong arts programs in your districts andstates. Sperling points out that “…surprising to many, recentresearch indicates that the critical 21st century skills are to be foundin the curriculum of arts education…” And he clearly outlines pair-ings of various disciplines with the arts.

Hope Wilson and Jill Adelson share their expertise in integratingart and science in elementary classrooms and this appears surprisingas well. Combining the arts with language arts or social studies is afamiliar practice; but these authors point out the similarities in thetools used in both science and art, particularly observation andanalysis. They include specific examples of units of study focusingon chemical reactions, light and color, and plant life and texture.Their article is entitled “The Science of Art and the Art of Science.”

Sandra Kaplan introduces a rubric specifically designed toaddress issues related to gifted students and a differentiated curricu-lum. Kaplan chairs the Education Committee of the CaliforniaAssociation for the Gifted, and this group prepared the rubricaccording to the process outlined in her article. Kaplan points outthe many ways in which the rubric may be used, specifically: assess-ment, differentiated curriculum development and authenticity,teacher efficacy and teaching evaluation, academic awareness andreadiness, and advocacy. It is important to note that this rubric is notlimited to use within the arts but may be valuable across the curriculum.

William Svendsgaard, who lives inmetropolitan Minneapolis/St. PaulMinnesota, illustrates the effectivenessof using the arts as a means of engag-ing new immigrant students in activi-ties that are positive and enriching. Aprimary goal is to reduce the achieve-ment gap that exists between thisgroup and their classmates in theirurban environment. “Not Just a PrettyPicture: The Latino Art Project” is anencouraging example of the positive and very practical results gainedby participation in an arts program. Students meet in a variety of set-tings: one public elementary and one high school, a teen center, ajuvenile detention center, and an apartment complex.

Finally, Delia Nerez-Ragadio and Beth Littrell created adetailed “Music Journal” as a solution to the chronic problemfaced by music teachers: How to find time to meet the official con-tent standards while at the same time rehearse and prepare stu-dents for concerts. The journal provides a myriad of prompts relat-ed to all components of the high school music standards; teachersmay pick and choose which prompts they wish to pursue withtheir students. In their article, “Journaling into Understanding,”Littrell and Nerez-Ragadio outline the benefits resulting fromjournaling along with practical strategies for management. As inthe Kaplan article, this strategy can be used across the curriculumand is not limited to the arts. Their journal prompts, however, arealready prepared and they are willing to share them with you. Youcan find the complete journal on the CAG website at: cagifted.org.On the home page, click on Resources.

Throughout the issue you will find many resources, especiallyWeb pages, devoted to strategies for promoting and integrating artslearning throughout the curriculum; don’t miss Carolyn Kottmeyer’s“Web Watch” column. We also include examples from national andstate standards for the visual and performing arts, including Internetresources to assist people in meeting those standards.

As mentioned above, we introduce a new department this issue,“Technology in the Gifted Classroom. “Beth Littrell, a resource spe-cialist for her district’s gifted program as well as a new-teacher train-er, and Lance Arnt, co-chair of the technology committee of theCalifornia Association for the Gifted, will author it. They will sharetheir experiences and expertise with a variety of technological mediaand means.

As most students and teachers return to the classroom for the fallterm, we wish everyone a productive and rewarding school year. Inthe Winter issue we return to the concerns of “excellence and equi-ty.” We will focus on meeting the needs of underrepresented groupsof minority students, students in poverty, and students of diversecultural backgrounds.

—Margaret Gosfield, Editor


F R O M T H E E D I T O R

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2008OCTOBER 2–3, 2008Wisconsin Association for Talented & GiftedBlue Harbor Conference Center, Sheboygan, WIwatg.org

OCTOBER 5–6, 2008Virginia Seminar on Gifted Education Hotel Roanoke, Roanoke, VAvagifted.org

OCTOBER 5–7, 2008Kansas Asocciation for Gifted, Talented and CreativeLawrence Kansas Holiday Inn, Lawrence, KSkgtc.org

OCTOBER 6–8, 2008Iowa Talented & Gifted Association Coralville Marriott Hotel/Conference, Coralville, Iowaiowatag.org

OCTOBER 12–14, 2008Missouri Conference on Gifted and TalentedTan-Tar-A, Lake of the Ozarks, MOmogam.org/www/conference.

OCTOBER 13–14, 2008Colorado Association for Gifted and Talented Marriott Denver Tech Center, Denver, COcoloradogifted.org

OCTOBER 17–18, 2008New England Conference on Gifted and TalentedEducationMansfield Holiday Inn, Mansfield, MAnecgt.org

OCTOBER 18–21, 2008Ohio Association for Gifted Children Hilton at Easton, Columbus, OHoagc.com

OCTOBER 23–25, 2008Washington Association of Educators/Talented and GiftedLynnwood Convention Center, Lynnwood, WAwaetag.net

OCTOBER 24–25, 2008Advocacy for Gifted and Talented Education (NY)Canisius College, Buffalo, NYagateny.com

OCTOBER 24–25, 2008West Virginia Association for the Gifted and TalentedSummersville, WVwvgifted.org

OCTOBER 29–NOVEMBER 2, 2008

National Association for Gifted ChildrenTampa Convention Center, Tampa, FL

nagc.org

NOVEMBER 12–14, 2008

Texas Association for Gifted & Talented Sheraton Dallas Hotel, Dallas, Texas

txgifted.org

2009

JANUARY 29–31, 2009

Utah Association for Gifted Children South Towne Conference Center, Sandy, UT

uagc.org

FEBRUARY 1–3, 2009

Minnesota Educators/Gifted & Talented Cragun’s Resort, Brainerd, M

megt.org

FEBRUARY 1–3

Illinois Association for Gifted Children Chicago Marriott Downtown, Chicago, IL

iagcgifted.org


Indiana Association for the Gifted Indianapolis Convention Center, Indianapolis, IN

iag-online.org


Kentucky Association for Gifted Education Marriott Griffin Gate Hotel, Lexington, KY

wku.edu/kage


California Association for the Gifted Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, CA

cagifted.org


Nebraska Association for the Gifted Doubletree, Omaha, NE

negifted.org

If your organization has a state or national event

planned, please contact Ann MacDonald at:

[email protected] to list your information

C A L E N D A R O F C O N F E R E N C E S

U P C O M I N G I S S U E S

O F T H E G I F T E D

E D U C A T I O N

C O M M U N I C A T O R

Winter - Equity & Excellence

Spring - Leadership/Ethics

Summer - Integrated Learning

C A G ' S 4 7 T H

A N N U A L C O N F E R E N C E ,

A N A H E I M , C A

February 13–15, 2009

Anaheim Marriott Hotel

700 W. Convention Way

Anaheim, CA 92802

Call for presenters due October 1

Early-bird registration deadline

December 12

A D V E R T I S E R S I N D E X

The Mirman School Inside Front Cover

Assessing Gifted Learners Symposium 15

Great Potential Press 17

GEC Upcoming Themes 55

Dr. B’s Science Destinations 60

Parenting Issue Promo Inside Back Cover



Driving up the coast from Santa Barbara on a sunnySunday morning, we were on our way to The AppleFarm to meet our Atascadero and San Luis Obispo col-leagues for lunch prior to attending the final spring per-

formance of Ballet Theatre San Luis Obispo. I must confess thatapart from a long-ago Christmastime Nutcracker performance, Ihad never seen a live ballet presentation. This time I would havea premier seat right up front, and I was eager with anticipation.

In fact, I had been looking forward to this for months as I cor-responded with one of the moms of the group, Pam McLaughlin.She filled me in with background information of Ballet TheatreSan Luis Obispo. It is a recently established community group,consisting of ballet lovers from age eight-to-eighty, directed byTeresa Slobodnik and her assistant Blair London. The school-agedancers come from a wide variety of school settings, includingpublic, private, and home school programs in the surroundingarea. According to McLaughlin, “The connection that brings allthese wonderful dancers together is their shared love of dance,acting, and music

San Luis Obispo is located about halfway between Los Angelesand San Francisco and in the center of an agricultural area. It wasnot coincidental that director Slobodnik chose Rodeo with themusic of Aaron Copeland as one of the four dance pieces present-ed; its western theme seemed to really fit the community. Theprogram also featured the lesser-known pieces of Walla Sangara,Levez le Rideau, and Damien of Molokai.

The performers danced with passion and joy, and one couldfeel their excitement and exhilaration on stage. At the cast partyafterward they were still obviously feeling that exhilaration as theybubbled over in conversation with one another.

Later I was able to talk to several of these gifted dancers to askquestions about their experiences with dancing.

Q. What is it about dancing that makes you love it so?Roehlyn: The hours at the studio, the screaming, occasional

tears and injuries make a lot of people wonder why we do whatwe do. Sometimes we wonder ourselves. But after the rush onstage, the satisfaction when you do a step right that you previoulywere yelled at for, and the love of the dance family—the dancers

S T U D E N T V O I C E SBy Margaret Gosfield

PHOTO BY BARRY GOYETTE

Dancing With Passion



are roaring to do another show, and we wonderwhy people wouldn’t do this! It seems nearly inde-scribable to someone who has never experienced it.

There are days when you don’t want to go todance class, but afterward you just feel betterbecause whatever was on your shoulders was lift-ed, even for just a few hours, as you put all yourbeing into class. You are applauded, and not vul-nerable, when you put your heart into what you’redoing because that’s what adds the beauty intodance. There’s no other place like that momentwhere you are weightless and in focus in yourpointe shoes.

Michelle: Dancing is something that very fewpeople can do because of the painstaking techniqueand Herculean strength it takes to dance. Once youput yourself through that, it never leaves you, and you can neverquite let it go. In a sense, dancing generates magic that can neverbe forgotten.

Brianna: The thing about dance is that you work so hard…formonths on end you do everything you can to learn your parts per-fectly. And at times you ask yourself, “Why am I doing this?” Butthe second the show rolls around and you take your first step onstage, you know why you’re doing this. It’s just a feeling that can’tbe described. You feel so privileged to be on that stage and sograteful that all these people have come to see you, and you think,“How could I ever not do this?” Those months of pain and some-times misery during practice are so worth it, and the shows willalways be remembered.

Question: What kind of response do you get from otherkids when they learn that you are a dancer?

Michelle: Here’s an example of a typical conversation:Do you play sports?I dance (they get excited).What kind?Ballet. Just ballet—nothing else (they get bored).Do you wear a tutu and a tiara and do pirouettes?No. I wear a leotard, tights, shoes, and a shirt—no tiara. I do

pirouettes, sure, but when I do the sweat flies off my body in

sheets, and when I take off my shoes my feet are blistered andbleeding. If I accidentally kicked you, I would break something,and you can bounce a quarter off my abs. Through it all I can stilllook more graceful than the queen of England (blink).

Brianna: I think most kids see it as a hobby but they don’trealize that what we’re doing is our life! The better reaction is tohave them come to the performances…you see them afterward,and they’re just blown away.

Roehlyn: I think no one knows the time, effort, and skill nec-essary to be a dancer. People smile and nod their heads, but Ithink that they hold the sports kids in higher esteem. I think thatdancers work more hours for shows than sports teams do forgames; dancers work months for three shows while sports teamswork for months to do numerous games. Teachers will give sportsplayers [extended] time but not dancers because it’s not directlyschool-related, or they do not know what we go through.

Kids who come to the show get blown away and see (a littlebit) what work we put into it. I think it is underappreciated, butwe dance for those who love it as much as we do.

Q. Has your love of dancing interfered with yourschoolwork?

Brianna: Dancing and schoolwork…ugh…ha ha…if youdance and go to school…I’ll warn you, you won’t have a life. It

There are days when you don’twant to go to dance class, butafterward you just feel betterbecause whatever was on yourshoulders was lifted, even forjust a few hours, as you put allyour being into class.

-Roehlyn Quiaso

PHOTO BY BARRY GOYETTE



was very frustrating in high school. I played on the varsity soft-ball team, and my schedule was:

• school from 7 to 3• softball from 3 to 6• ballet from 6 to 10, then home to do any homework I

might have. I was fine with my schedule because I have always done so

many things. I managed my time very well so it was never a prob-lem that my grades suffered. I graduated with honors and a 4.0.The only thing I regret is not having time for friends.

Roehlyn: This was such a big issue in junior year of highschool which is usually one’s most difficult year. With somerehearsals running to midnight, I have no idea how I kept mygrades going. It is well known that grades can easily sink dur-ing show months, and they did for me. I am disappointed ina way with my grades in comparison to previous ones, butthese risks come with the territory. I learned that you need toknow what your schedule is before you sign up for all those APand Honors classes at school and every role in the show. I didit, but I also had a few breakdowns along the way. My friendsnever really saw me much, my family hardly spent any timewith me, and my teachers saw more of me with my eyes closedthan open.

Michelle: Yes, since I love dance more than I love school, Itend to put dance first. Our two biggest productions happen atthe same time as first and second semester finals, so naturally mygrades droop as rehearsal times increase.

Q. What kind of support do you get from your family?Roehlyn: Dance requires a sacrifice of so much. Between

the $60 per pair of pointe shoes every two months (if I’mlucky) and the late night pickup times—it is a rough ride formy family. They are always there for me at every show (they satfront-row center the first night of Rodeo). They sell tickets,encourage me, and hold my hand whenever I need them, andthey are…family!

Michelle: My parents pay for my dance tuition and danceshoes. Pointe shoes range from $30 to $100, and since I wearthem out within two months (or sooner), I really depend on myparents’ support.

Brianna: My entire family has always supported both myyounger brother Scott and me. My grandparents who live inReno come to watch every single ballet show that we are in. Therest of my family is very supportive and come to all the perform-ances as well. Before I could drive, my mother drove us half anhour every day to the dance studio and waited patiently for us tofinish. My dad has done the same.

Q. What advice do you have for students considering tak-ing up dance?

Brianna: It’s hard work—it really is. It’s not putting on a cutecostume and automatically dancing. Ballet demands hours andhours every week of hard work and sweat; but it will pay off somuch in the long run. But it can’t be about money; it has to beabout the love of ballet as an art form. You have to have the pas-sion to dance or it just won’t work.

Michelle: If you’re going to be a dancer, you must fit this description:

• must like pain• must be willing to sacrifice any hopes of a social life• must be willing to do whatever your Madame (dance

teacher) screams at you, and then do it until she screamsat you to stop

• must believe in magic.Roehlyn: Don’t ever let fear stop you from doing something

your heart desires!

A MOTHER SPEAKSI also asked Pam McLaughlin, mother of Michelle, to share

her thoughts about supporting her daughter in her passion fordance. Here are her comments.

Dance and performing arts require much but provide manybenefits for your student. This art requires parental andcommunity support. Time for lessons and performances isoften outside of the regular school day. Hours of practiceand refinement are necessary to produce an excellent per-formance. The performance allows the hard work and dis-cipline to be brought to fruition.

Often parents provide their children with musicappreciation by providing access to knowledge of the com-posers of the music through research. Students learn dis-cernment and recognition of the patterns and complexityin music. Parents may also provide music lessons such asreading music through piano or other instruments.Reading music can be helpful because the students learn totake music apart and memorize the composition so wellthat one can start and stop the chorography at any givennote. Complex and lengthy structures of music combinedwith the physical movements (chorography) that are car-ried out through dance are very cognitive exercises.

The benefits that dance provide are numerous. Dancerequires consistent physical training to stay in shape.Exercise provides an outlet for energy and stress reduction.Dance combines auditory, visual and kinesthetic learning.Dancers are challenged to push beyond their comfort zones.

Through dance one can find others with similar inter-ests, abilities, and a passion for this art. Dance provides aforum for imagination, creativity, novelty, and drama. Adancer must have time alone to spend with music to nur-ture this passion and to “own it.”

As I reflect upon this journey of dance and music withmy daughter, I find that my life has been enriched.Supporting our students in their interests gives parents ajoy that lasts beyond childhood.

Note* Michelle McLaughlin began dancing at age two and isnow 17; Roehlyn Quiaso started dancing 5 years ago and is now 17.Brianna Thompson began dancing at age four and is now 19. Theyall dance with passion, and it is a joy to watch them on stage.

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In 2007, patrons of the prestigious Los Angeles Philharmonicwere surprised to learn that Robert Vijay Gupta, the newviolinist with the bright, bold style, was only 19 years old.Angelenos have since embraced the transplanted New Yorker

who beat out hundreds of competitors in a blind test to take hisseat with the 89-year-old LA Phil.

Not surprisingly, his musical pedigree is impressive.Performing internationally since the age of eight as a chambermusician and recitalist, Gupta holds a Master’s Degree in Musicfrom Yale, and studied at Julliard and with Isaac Stern. As asoloist, he has performed with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra,the New York Philharmonic, the Santa Barbara SymphonyOrchestra, the National Orchestra of Japan, and the BombaySymphony Orchestra under conductors such as Zubin Mehta andGisèle Ben-Dor.

Ah, you think while listening to Gupta play under the stars atthe Hollywood Bowl or onstage at the Walt Disney Concert Hall,what a talented young man!

But that’s not the half of it!At 17, Gupta graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in premedical

biology from Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York.Previously, he worked on neurogeneration at CUNY Hunter inManhattan and on Parkinson’s disease at the Harvard Institutes of

Boston. At Marist, he co-authored an award-winning study onthe effects of platinum nanoparticles on embryonic chickens.

The plot is thickening.Music was supposed to be an enhancement to other studies in

the Gupta household, which included Robert, younger brotherAkshar, and parents Vivek and Chandana. The idea was to havethe boys find rewarding jobs in medicine, law, or business.

Clearly, Gupta could have launched a successful and lucrativecareer in medicine, but for now, at least, he’s chosen music. In thefuture, he may find a way to unite his two loves. Given his trackrecord, it looks like a sure bet.

We caught up with Robert Vijay Gupta between performances. CAG: Medicine or music—how did you choose? What is it that

makes you passionate about both? Gupta: I don’t really think I chose—the audition for the

Philharmonic chose for me! I think I could go back to medicineany time in the future, but I’m very happy where I am now. I finda great link between music and medicine, because I believe thatmusic is a form of medicine, and that medicine and science can,at the highest level, be an art form. The combination of analyti-cal power, technical skill, and creative capacity echoes quite clear-ly in musical and scientific pursuits. I studied Parkinson’s diseasewhen I was working at the Harvard Institutes of Medicine, and I

Robert Vijay

Gupta: LA Phil’s

Youngest MemberBy Jennifer Beaver



read that music plays a therapeutic role in softening the symp-toms of the neurodegenerative disease; if I returned to science oneday, I’d study the link between music and the brain, especially inyoung people.

CAG: If you could spend a day with any person—fictional, his-torical, living or dead—who would it be, and why?

Gupta: While studying at Yale, I’d find deepest inspiration inthat composer, who, while struggling with crippling deafness, wasable to carry on and fulfill and deliver a great personal musicalmessage to all humanity. Beethoven’s single-minded (almostobsessive!) devotion to his art is a source of tremendous stimula-tion and encouragement to any obstacles I face in my daily musi-cal life. Beethoven represents in my mind the artistic process, andI hope to emulate that in whatever I do…however, I’d have to saythat I’d be far from ready to meet Beethoven and spend a daywith him!

I have yet to come face-to-face with a composer or artist thelikes of Beethoven, but I’d have to say that I find similar devotionand yearning for music in my friend Nathaniel Ayers. Mr. Ayersis the subject of The Soloist, the latest book from Los Angeles Timescolumnist Steve Lopez. Recently, I met Mr. Ayers and Mr. Lopez,and was asked to help Nathaniel with his desire to learn how tobetter play the violin. In my few lessons with Mr. Ayers, I’vefound that he is totally consumed by music—it is a balm and amedicine for him and his existence is defined by the music heplays (and wants to learn how to play!). I find great inspirationfrom Mr. Ayers; from his story, from the redemptive role of musicin his life, and from the fact that after all the horrible and terrify-ing things he has been through, that music is his life. I can onlyhope to begin to emulate that in my own artistic pursuits, and tospend one more day with Mr. Ayers would be the source of great-est joy for me.

(Note* Julliard-trained violinist Nathanial Ayers suffers fromschizophrenia and attracted the attention of Lopez while the musi-cian was homeless and playing on the streets of Los Angeles.)

CAG: Your early college completion as well as your youth in theLA Philharmonic means you’ve spent a lot of time with adults. Howdo you develop friendships with peers?

Gupta: Music provides one with a connection that surpassesmere socializing. The relationships and friendships that one dis-covers and nurtures while collaborating musically are far deeperthan other social connections, because I believe that musicvibrates and echoes within us at a deeper frequency than mostother human interactions. I’ve found that after I make music withpeople of any age, I have an immediate connection with them.Everything else comes naturally after that.

CAG: So far, what is the best advice anyone has ever given you? Gupta: While I was studying biology during my undergrad, I

was also trying to complete another undergraduate degree inmusic at the same time. While I met with great dissent from sev-eral of my peers and teachers at my seemingly misplaced devotionto “two masters,” I knew that I had to follow what I loved, andthat there was no compromise, at least in my mind, between thetwo fields I studied. They demanded the same devotion. The best

advice I received during that time was to take one day at a time.Today is the day that really exists, so the worries and distractionsof tomorrow do not matter. Now, that doesn’t mean one should-n’t be prepared for tomorrow!

CAG: What advice can you offer other young people with talentbeyond their years?

Gupta: Work now, party later. Seriously. CAG: Describe the biggest challenge you faced and how you over-

came it. Gupta: When I was a junior in college, I decided to complete

my undergrad in biology and take a year off from playing music.I didn’t know if I’d ever come back to playing music, but com-muting between upstate New York and Manhattan was becomingextraordinarily difficult on my parents, since I was 16 at the time.I didn’t take lessons that year, but I tried practicing and playingwith my brother (Akshar, who is a phenomenal pianist—we wentto Juilliard together), but it wasn’t the same as being part of themusical community I grew up with at Juilliard.

However, I discovered a program at Yale that offered a Master’sDegree in music and the ability to take elective courses in any field.I auditioned and was accepted, but didn’t know if I could matchthe same musical and technical standards I had before. Comingback from that year off has been very difficult, and I feel that I’vefully recovered only now, after three years. I’ve gained so muchmore in the process of “coming back,” but I’ve had to become moreconscious of my body and how it relates to the way I wish toexpress myself. Also, I relearned how to pace myself; knowing whento stop practicing is as important as practicing itself.

CAG: Please describe what it feels like being on stage at the LA Philharmonic.

Gupta: Exhilarating! It’s a dream come true. As I stated earli-er, I didn’t know if I would be able to continue playing after myundergrad, and even after Yale, I didn’t know if I’d be able to finda career that would allow me to keep playing. So clearly, beingable to play with the LA Phil was a wild dream, which, with a lotof hard work and luck, came true.

CAG: Ten years from now, where will you be and what will yoube doing?

Gupta: A passion for both science and music still exists in me,but I don’t ever foresee myself getting “tired” with making music.Let’s wait and see what happens. I’m keeping up with recentactivities in neuroscience and music, but I’ll have time to pursuemy other passions as well—film photography, and languages.

CAG: What makes you who you are? Gupta: I believe that it’s the val-

ues instilled in me by my parents. CAG: What brings you joy? Gupta: Beethoven String Quartet

in B flat, Op. 130.

JENNIFER BEAVER is the Associate Editor for ParentTopics and Student Voices for Gifted EducationCommunicator. She lives in Long Beach, Californiawith her husband and gifted son, where she runsher own communication service business.


1 0 G I F T E D E D U C A T I O N C O M M U N I C A T O R F A L L 2 0 0 8

P A R E N T T A L KBy Nancy Robinson

Perfectionism has a reputation linked to underachieve-ment, depression, anxiety, insomnia, headaches, sexualimpotence—you name it. You want none of these foryour children. But do you want them to give up trying to

do their best? Not at all! Let’s sort out the traits and behaviors thatgo by the name “perfectionism” to help children use the best anddiscard the rest.

COMPONENTS OF PERFECTIONISMA society’s high standards nurture attainment, creativity, and

productivity. Children and adults with lofty but not unreasonablegoals tend to achieve the best of which they are capable and togain confidence, optimism, and social assurance to match. That isexactly what most of us want for our children.

Two investigators, Paul Hewitt and Gordon Flett, havedescribed distinct aspects of perfectionism that differ in risks andcostliness. First are the standards one holds for one’s own per-formance. High standards can have very healthy payoffs.Anything really worth doing requires vision and the motivationto endure the rough spots, to spend endless hours of experimen-tation and practice, and to create many ideas—some garbage,some worth keeping. When expectations are unrealistic eitherbecause the road is harder than anticipated or because exception-al talent just isn’t there, then the pain may lead to children pre-maturely discarding their dreams.

When perfectionism turns literally into perfectionism, that’s adifferent matter. Children who tolerate no mistakes, who expectto be instant experts when they’ve only begun, or who, even aftera high grade, doubt their ability because they had to work hard toattain it—are in trouble. This is not a put on, even when it goesto outrageous degrees. It may be the product of fear and anxietyrelated to something else and deserves your sympathy.

Another aspect of perfectionism exists in the standards oneholds for others. Critical demands of parents and teachers, ofpeers and colleagues, often preclude warm relationships. Suchchildren are likely to conclude defensively, “Well, those people

just aren’t worth my time”; but they generally make some sort ofaccommodation to being alone.

The last aspect of perfectionism is potentially by far the mostharmful: the misery of not living up to the expectations of peoplewho are significant to you—family, teachers, mentors, andfriends. Not only is there the pain of discouragement and the per-ception of failure to endure, but the feeling that one cannot seeksupport and comfort from the very people one believes to have letdown. Of course, the child may be exaggerating what othersexpect and “failure” may be totally out of proportion (the first “B”grade, for example). External reality takes a back seat to the con-viction that others are disappointed, and at the extreme, theremay seem to be no way back. Here lurks dangerously debilitatingdepression and sometimes, indeed, unfathomable suicide.

WHY GIFTED CHILDREN ARE PRONE TO SETTING VERY HIGHSTANDARDS

There are a number of excellent reasons to explain why giftedchildren have such high expectations for themselves. They are setup for it.

Gifted children are far too accustomed to having thingscome easily. They know the answers their classmates strugglewith and learn new information the first time they hear it.Without practice in mastering the difficult or overcoming obsta-cles, their self-esteem comes to depend on this unrealistic state ofaffairs, leaving them vulnerable to feeling “unsmart” wheneverthey make a mistake or have to work hard.

Gifted children are drawn to ideas that are deep, complex,masterful, and elegant. They read fine writing and are exposedto scientific thinking and non-obvious concepts much earlierthan expected. They may aspire to attaining equal excellence forthemselves now, not in some distant future. Young musicianscomparing a YoYo Ma performance to their own exercises maywant to give up. Young writers who love reading J. K. Rowling orStephen Hawking may undervalue their own rather good writing, ortheir impressive (for their age) problem-solving in math or science.

ILLUSTRATION BY JON PEARSON

Taming Perfectionism So It Works


C A L I F O R N I A A S S O C I A T I O N F O R T H E G I F T E D 1 1

The “genius” label is often not helpful. Yet, adults who areimpressed by children’s understanding and expertise may confer a“genius” label that is totally unhelpful. Others begin to expectgreat achievements of them, but the children can’t pull themoff—or not just yet and certainly not all the time!

Finally, gifted children often are happiest with olderfriends. Unfortunately, these mental-age-matched friends comeequipped with bodies that are better at biking, playing soccer,roughhousing, writing, and drawing. Some of their friends’ moremature interests, too, may be disconcerting. They need frequentreminders that they shouldn’t expect the same things of themselves.

To sum up, gifted children are robbed of the fortitude thatcomes with mastering the difficult. They are exposed at an earlyage to excellence and aspire to the same heights. They are frustrat-ed by the asynchronies that are an inevitable part of giftedness,such as their child’s perspective on time (“If I can’t do it now, Inever will”), a match with the minds but a mismatch with thebodies of their friends, and gaps between their understanding andlevel of expertise (e.g., comprehending square root but clueless ashow to calculate it).

WHAT PARENTS CAN DOThe first task, of course, is to figure out which components of

“perfectionism” are most affecting your child. A set of remedies isthen likely to suggest itself. Almost all bright children show somesymptoms of this trait. Sometimes they hide it by underachievingor refusing to go along, but it’s there. Here are some hints that aregenerally good for all bright kids:• Rescue your children from the burden and handicap of always

being right and never having to struggle in school. Start nego-tiating for curriculum differentiation, options for accelerationand enrichment, or admission to a special program.

• Look at your own behavior. What are your own standards, andhow do you handle your mistakes and challenges? Doing sowith equanimity—“Oops! Goofed that up!” or, even better—“Now I have an idea what to do next time,” is a powerful mes-sage. Going into a funk if the bankbook just won’t balance isnot helpful! On the other hand, let your children see you cel-ebrate having done something worthwhile. Some parents arefull-blown perfectionists in the negative sense and would dowell to fix this for the sake of their children as well as theirown comfort.

• Examine what you do expect your children to attain, rightnow and in the long run. Set attainable goals for the week, themonth. Encourage independence in the context of reasonablyhigh expectations. Don’t let your kids do just the minimum inthe belief that they will find their way. They won’t. Help themsee themselves as people who like to “try hard things…newthings…exciting things.” At the same time, be sure they knowthat nobody does his best all the time. Imagine walking onyour tiptoes all day! It’s what you figure out from mistakes that counts.

• Be sure that children who have skipped a grade or are in a spe-cial class, understand that their companions are not “everybody.”

• Be sure that you talk much more about effort and progressthan level of performance. Help children focus on somethingthey can be proud of—not everything.

• Help your children see where they’ve been as well as wherethey are going. Acknowledge small steps. Keep last year’spapers and math; tape record piano practice; track typingspeed occasionally; mark height on birthdays on the door-frame. Be sure they know that you see them as children, notprodigies. And if, by chance, you are raising a prodigy, be sureshe or he knows that even prodigies hit barriers and mess upat times.

• Assure your children that they will not fall off a cliff if theydon’t succeed or win a contest. You won’t let that happen.

• Refrain from the “genius trap.” Forego the pleasure of tellingyour children that they are the smartest kids ever. Never everimply that the outstanding performance you applaud has any-thing to do with your love. They might not be entirely clearabout that.

• Consider any family issues that might be increasing anxiety,including conflicts and stresses of which you think they areunaware. Sometimes children think that if they are very good,they will keep parents together or make someone get well. Ifanxiety is severe, consider that your child may be exhibiting ananxiety disorder and seek treatment.

• Unless you really do have a prodigy on your hands, don’t putyour family’s budget all out of whack to provide the bestinstruction. The guilt burden that comes with your sacrifice ismore than children should have to bear. They don’t have towin contests to justify your investment. Let them know, forexample, that you will be satisfied if their violin lessons resultin an adult who loves music, goes to concerts, or maybe playsin a living room quartet for fun.

• Sports professionals, even the best ones, often fall apart unex-pectedly. In the 2008 NCAA basketball finals, North Carolinablew the last game. Tiger Woods misses easy putts from timeto time. Describe such occasions to your children sympatheti-cally and respectfully. “Stuff happens” to all of us.

• Finally, if your child is still avoiding activities for fear of notbeing an instant expert or “losing” homework because it justisn’t good enough, tell her straight out how you feel about thissituation. E-mail the teacher and then go in with your childfor a chat about realistic expectations and standards.

• And hug them frequently and randomly, not just when they’vedone something special!

NANCY M. ROBINSON, Ph.D., is Professor Emeritaof Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at theUniversity of Washington and former Director ofwhat is now known as the Halbert and NancyRobinson Center for Young Scholars. Herresearch interests have focused on effects ofmarked academic acceleration to college,adjustment issues of gifted children, intellectualassessment, and verbal mathematical precocityin very young children.



Before her last performance in To Kill A Mockingbird atthe Stratford Theater Festival, 10-year-old MadisonScott was diagnosed with leukemia. She had won anation-wide audition to become one of two actors

playing the challenging role of Scout. She was still in rehearsalwhen the other girl playing the role had to leave in the middleof a show. Without even a dress rehearsal or a properly fittedcostume, Madison went on that night and earned a standingovation from the other actors for her performance.Unfortunately, Madison was diagnosed with cancer just beforethe show’s final performance. Since then, she has endured 8types of chemotherapy and is now on a two-year maintenancecourse. Nevertheless, she plans to audition for a production ofThe Sound of Music soon and continues with voice and dancelessons. Her dream is to attend a performing arts high schooland eventually become a film or stage actress.

How did she get such confidence? Most children are not naturally self-confident. They learn

confidence over time. There’s a relationship between confi-dence and success. While it’s true that success builds confi-dence, it’s also true that confidence increases the likelihood of success.

Confidence is about control of one’s body—its thoughts,feelings, and actions. To build confidence, it helps to knowwhat it looks like. Who do we know who seems confident?What do they do or say that gives us that impression? Chancesare, it has something to do with the way they carry themselves.Actors know that letting their arms hang at their sides withhands open communicates confidence. Clasping hands in frontof the body, or drawing them behind the back, suggests vulner-ability or a need to hide. So, a simple exercise they can to begingrowing confidence is to get to know what their bodies looklike. We can try it too.

If we stand before a mirror, we can notice what difference itmakes when we move our feet closer together or farther apart;when we hold our head up or down; when we keep our handsopen and relaxed at our sides or behind our back or crossed infront. We can experiment with different kinds of posture. Iftrust is high among our students, they can experiment in frontof one another and give each other feedback. What kind ofposture and gestures communicate the greatest confidence?Once they have a good idea about the behaviors that commu-nicate confidence, they can practice them daily. If they practiceconfidence, their bodies will convince their heads to feel thatway. Their confidence will grow.

There are three other steps we can take to improve our stu-dents’ confidence: • Occasionally provide opportunities for students to compete

against those slightly below their ability level to keep up theirconfidence. Some gifted students never develop confidencebecause they are always matched with those who are mucholder and more competent.

• Make a list of strengths and review periodically. Make sure ourstudents have a strategy going into high stakes events or com-petitions. Don’t just say “do your best,” and avoid empty plat-itudes. Make a plan.

• One more strategy for building confidence is called “Act as If.”It is designed to help us appreciate the relationship betweenour bodies and our beliefs. Ask students to move around theclassroom for 20 seconds, walking as they normally do. Thentell them to stop for a moment and ask them to imagine thatthey are famous, rich, or powerful and to walk around theroom again. Afterwards, have them do a “writing minute” onwhat they noticed about themselves. How did they carrythemselves differently when they imagined themselves as morepowerful or important? Most students will notice quite a difference. The learning

point is that what we think about ourselves is often projectedin our bodies. Actors know this well. They walk on stage withtheir bodies. It’s all they have. The same is true for executiveswalking into boardrooms, salespeople approaching a client, andteachers walking into a classroom.

We all have situations in which we feel less than confidentand we can all learn from the actors in our midst. Practice whatconfidence looks like. “Act as if.” When we are well-prepared,it can provide a substantial boost to our performance. By learn-ing to “act as if,” we can train ourselves to feel more confidentand self-controlled in difficult situations. As we grow in confi-dence, even the most stressful situations can become fun.

RESOURCESRobbins, J.M, & Robbins, J. (2002). Acting tech-

niques for everyday life: Look and feel self-con-

fident in difficult, real-life situations. New York:

Marlowe & Company.

MAUREEN NEIHART, Psy.D., is a child psycholo-gist and former teacher and school counselorfrom Montana. She is Associate Professor ofPsychological Studies at the National Institute ofEducation in Singapore.

Preparing for High AchievementBuilding Confidence

T H E I N N E R G A M E : P S Y C H O L O G I C A L P R E P A R E D N E S SBy Maureen Neihart



A D M I N I S T R A T O R T A L KBy Carolyn R. Cooper


When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched toeverything else in the Universe.

—John Muir

For years, the arts have been the second-class citizens of thepublic education world. Seldom included in the “Big 4core” curriculum areas, the arts have rarely, if ever, beeninvited to the party; if asked, however, they’ve generally

provided the entertainment. Said another way, many classroomteachers haven’t considered the arts weighty enough to warrantserious attention—merely, frills to dress up the “real” curriculum.

Although school boards and superintendents often pay lipservice to the contrary, careful analysis of a district’sbudget revealsthe truth. Line items identify priorities, verifying an observationby the philosopher Plato centuries ago: “What a nation values itwill support.” Beyond the nearly 90% of the budget for person-nel and other contracts, most of the remaining taxpayer funds foreducation usually support reading, math, science, and social stud-ies—the “Big 4 core” curricula.

Occasionally, the arts may get a token dribble from the fund-ing faucet, but even that dribble is drying up. “NCLB has dealtsuch a whack to the arts,” says Andrew T. Garcia, Fine andPerforming Arts Supervisor in one Massachusetts district. His let-ter published in The School Administrator (June 2008) states:“We’re all stunned and standing in the rubble of lost programsand staff in favor of fear-based testing and other legislated‘reforms’” (p.4).

These “reforms” are devastating America’s education fundingat all levels. Recently, for example, Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitanovetoed a House bill intended to protect gym classes and the artsfrom proposed K-12 cuts—but that, as Matthew Benson report-ed, also allowed local school boards to “vote publicly to dropofferings such as PE and the arts if necessitated by budget strains”(The Arizona Republic, May 21, 2008). The measure, dubbed byNapolitano an “empty promise,” offered no additional funds tohelp districts provide these programs. Cuts generally—but in thearts, especially—echo Plato’s wisdom in reverse: what’s not supported is not funded.

A WIN-WIN PROPOSALWith public support waning for defensible services in both

gifted education and the arts, the time seems right to pose a solu-tion that combines them. For centuries we’ve compartmentalizedeach of the “Big 4 core” curricula and separated them from thearts, as well. This practice has never made any sense, which pri-vate schools have understood for as many years as the publicschools have been perpetuating it!

If the arts are integral to our lives, why don’t we stop segregat-ing them and, instead, integrate them in our teaching of the “Big4 core” curricula? Let’s help our teachers identify the countlesscommonalities that connect the arts with science, math, socialstudies, and language arts (itself, a connection of reading, writing,and spelling, once reported as separate subjects). “We’re not try-ing to make them art teachers,” states Mary Palmer, former dean

Need Better Core Curriculum Results? Integrating Visual and Performing Arts Can Boost Student Achievement



of the College of Education, University of Central Florida. “Forsome teachers it’s foreign territory, but what I’ve seen,” sheexplains, “is that teachers get re-invigorated, and the arts level theplaying field for the children” (Maupin, 2008). The followingexample illustrates how integrating the arts into standard subjectmatter can strengthen teaching and engage learners.

Students in a Grade 5 class I visited were using their socialstudies textbook for answers to worksheet questions about the1912 sinking of the Titanic. From my seat at the back of theroom, I listened as the teacher then read aloud from a differentbook about this tragic event, but I was puzzled at the obviouslack of student interest. That she read in a monotone, added notone comment of her own, and invited neither questions norother participation made the session flat, painfully uninterest-ing, and hopelessly boring.

Clearly, this session could have benefited immensely frominjecting some life into the topic! How? Here is where the artscould have made the perfect connection. Mr. B., an arts educa-tor on staff, would engage the students immediately by asking afew volunteers to recount their favorite parts of the Titanic storyas dynamically as they could. This step is what Palmer calls“helping teachers learn how to teach everyday subject matterthrough the arts” (Maupin, 2008).

Then, to familiarize the students with the several themes atwork in that episode, Mr. B. would ask probing, thought-pro-voking questions to expand the students’ understanding of whathad actually occurred that cold April night besides the actualcollision with the iceberg. How, for example, did the passengers’wealth or lack of it affect their chances for survival? In short, hewould pique their curiosity about the event, a strategy that well-trained teachers of gifted students employ every day and thatarts educators, as well, often know instinctively how to use.

Finally, Mr. B.’s primary role would be to engage these stu-dents in various art forms according to their learning styles.Students would be invited to select an activity from his sugges-tions, which might include the following, among others:

• Dramatize a unique aspect of the event, perhaps addingmusic, original poetry, and creative writing. (A small groupof students who enjoy performing would love this.)

• Paint a poignant scene or portrait of one or more passengersbeing lowered by lifeboat or of the unfortunate passengershuddled together in steerage but with no hope of surviving.(Students talented in visual arts would jump at this option!)

• Create original pencil or charcoal sketches that convey terror,anguish, separation from loved ones, or other emotions.(Another student might write a song, letter, or essay toaccompany the sketches and, then, create a display for theschool entrance.)

• Draft an address for the U.S. President to give the Americanpeople. (Abstract thinkers would, indeed, find substantivechallenge in creating this speech, which would be direct,grounded in historic fact, use accurate vocabulary, andexceed teacher expectations.)

• Write a newspaper reporter’s account of the event that con-veys the few facts known during the first 24 hours. (Thisactivity could engage students of all learning styles, eachresponsible for a specific function. The “what-if ” thinkerswould toss out ideas for the content that the precise, linearlearners would then write with “wordsmithing” assistancefrom the abstract intellectual students. Students who preferperforming would add creative details that no one else wouldthink of, and the final account would be stellar!)

• Develop a script for a trans-Atlantic wire message betweenEngland’s Prime Minister and the White House. (Certainstudents would appreciate “thinking out of the box” by cre-ating a variation of the President’s address and news report combined.)

Possibilities abound for making the Titanic disaster a reality,printed indelibly on the minds of those 10-year- olds! And con-necting the topic with the disciplines shown above and others,too, engages our students and stimulates them to learn evenmore about it. The result? Increased student involvement boostsstudent achievement. “The teachers are excited, and the kids areexcited,” claims Palmer. “And when the kids are excited, they’reengaged.” (Maupin, 2008). Makes eminent sense, doesn’t it?

Incorporating the arts turns up the volume, as it were, onlearning. Rich connections bring learning to life, and overlap-ping themes bind together the experiences and values integral toour lives. “If you just memorize facts and figures and numbers,you’re not contributing to society. You’re a maker of widgets,”says Emil de Cou, assistant conductor for the NationalSymphony Orchestra. “The arts can be a divine spark thatgrows,” (Hernandez, 2008).

Integrating visual and performing arts into the “Big 4 core”curricula is a win-win: schools win by combining teachers’ talentsfor the benefit of all students, and students win by understandinghow everything in life is connected. This understanding stimu-lates their intellect, thus, boosting their achievement.

REFERENCESBenson, M. (May 21, 2008). Bill to protect PE, arts classes vetoed. The

Arizona Republic.

Garcia, A. T. (June 2008). The World of Arts. The School Administrator, 4-5.

Hernandez, N. (April 18, 2008). An Elementary Lesson in Classical Music: Schools

Bring 8,000 Fourth-Graders to See Symphony Orchestra. washingtonpost.com.

Maupin, E. (May 13, 2008). Elementary-school educators learn how to use the arts to

teach other subjects. OrlandoSentinel.com.

CAROLYN R. COOPER, Ph.D., is a retired assistantsuperintendent and served as the specialist ingifted and talented education with the MarylandState Department of Education for several years.A seasoned district-level coordinator of giftededucation, she is active in the NationalAssociation for Gifted Children and consults withschool districts and other organizations on edu-cating gifted and talented youngsters.



Providing the best education possible has long been the goalof both educators and parents. An important aspect of thatgoal is making sure that graduating seniors will be pre-pared to take their places in the work force, ready to make

a difference in the world, and ready to earn a living in a fulfillingway. Never a simple task, this has become decidedly more difficultwith the myriad of changes happening so rapidly in the worldaround us. Sadly, the education establishment is not keeping up. Infact, many authorities are pointing out that no matter how well weare preparing students in our schools for the work that now exists,by the time they enter the workforce, these skills will be much lessimportant, and perhaps even irrelevant.

So what can be done? What changes must be made so that stu-dents will be better prepared for adult life in the world of thefuture? Anyone who reads the newspaper is surely aware of the

many proposed solutions including the No Child Left Behind leg-islation and parent demand for more and more AdvancedPlacement and Honors classes. Educators and parents alike aredeeply concerned and are seeking answers.

Surprising to many, recent research indicates that critical 21stcentury skills are to be found in the curriculum of arts education—a part of our educational system that has been pushed out of thespotlight as worried students sign up for more and more “academ-ic” classes. We clearly see this happening within the subset of gift-ed and talented education (GATE) students. Fewer and fewer ofthem are signing up for classes in the arts, classes that do not havethat “extra” grade point available. How ironic that in their madrush to succeed, they are actually passing up some of the very class-es that will give them the best chance to achieve their goals.

Of course, many will not believe that the arts curriculum is the

Arts Education Develops21st Century SkillsBy Russ Sperling



key to the future success of our students. Not only parents, but alsoeducators, tend to cling to what is familiar. I’ve noticed over theyears that a roadblock to school reform occurs when we start todeviate too far from our own personal education experience; it getsa little too uncomfortable. If the parents of our students have diffi-culty relating to the curriculum or methodology, we must expect toencounter resistance. A colleague of mine tells the story of how par-ents in her district often choose schools that have a more tradition-al academic program over a school that is arts infused, even thoughthe arts school has higher test scores.

FINDING CRITICAL 21ST CENTURY SKILLSWhat can be done to enlighten parents and educators about

the importance of the arts curriculum? As always, the first step isinformation. We must look at evidence that demonstrates theimportance of the arts—not only research, but also examples inthe world of work.

A leading expert in analyzing the future of our economy isDaniel Pink, well known lecturer and author of A Whole NewMind, Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future. He sheds light onwhat we might expect the world to look like when our childrenenter the workplace, and what skills they will need to be successfulin the new economy. Routine, repetitive work is fading away. Thisis the realm of the left hemisphere of the brain, and the side thatour education system feeds the most (think standardized testing).Pink says that computers, automation, and out-sourcing to placessuch as India are going to reduce our need for left-brain skills.

To prepare for the work of the future, we need to focus on thebrain’s right hemisphere, where Daniel Pink’s six abilities that willmatter most are processed:

• understanding of design• ability to tell a story• symphony (opposite of focus—seeing the big picture)• empathy• play-humor• understanding meaning

This is not to say that we can ignore the mathematical, ration-al, and language skills that are processed in the left side of the brain;it means that the left-brain skills will be less dominant in the futureworld of work.

Hard to swallow? Consider this:

The CEO of General Motors, that huge conservative Americanbusiness, has stated that GM is “in the arts and entertainmentbusiness.” He means that engineers working at GM have tounderstand that if the company is going to be successful, theymust consider artistic design elements to be paramount.Engineers need to have an understanding of aesthetics.

If you take time to think about it, you will realize that everyWeb page that you visit is more about the content and graphicsthan it is about the computer science. The computer skills andknowledge required to launch a website are not as important as

the ability to tell the story of the organization in a graphicallyriveting way.

Where do we find the development of these critical 21st centuryskills in education? Clearly, we find that these skills are embedded inthe curriculum of arts education. In other words, the most necessaryabilities to function in our present and future economy are locatedon the fringe of current student educational experiences.

GIFTED AND THE ARTS IN SCHOOL TODAYI have asked several art and music teachers at the secondary level

for their feedback on enrollment of gifted students in their pro-grams. On an anecdotal basis, findings indicate that our top-endstudents are feeling pressure to take as many advanced placementand honors classes as possible. Since grades for AP and Honorscourses are weighted with a 5-point “A” instead of the usual 4-point“A” given in arts classes, their overall grade-point average will belowered by taking the arts classes.

Eric Mabrey, a music teacher at Olympian High School in theSweetwater Union High School District states:

I’ve seen a bit of a decrease due to the increased pressure offulfilling all recommendations for the University ofCalifornia system, plus the push for more enrollment in APclasses, PE requirements, and pressures for when sciencesshould be taken. This has pushed many higher performingstudents into a position of not being able to stay with a per-forming arts discipline for multiple years in high school.

Another interesting trend is occurring at many middle schoolsthat feed into high schools that have the prestigious and advancedInternational Baccalaureate (IB) program. Depending on howmany periods there are in the middle school’s master schedule, stu-dents who are identified as having good potential to be in the highschool IB program are given a rigorous pre-set course schedule thatoften precludes them from taking any arts electives. What is some-what strange is that the IB curriculum at the high school levelrequires an arts component. In spite of IB apparently being a pro-arts program, the structure of the preparation can take students outof the arts.

The reform brought about by No Child Left Behind (NCLB)has caused school administrators to reinforce what is on the test—and the arts are not on the test. This is in spite of the fact thatNCLB also strengthened the language regarding the arts, specifyingthe arts as core curriculum for the first time in national legislation.Unfortunately, this strong language is usually overlooked in theanxiety over the reality of test scores in math and reading, even asmany studies show that students who take arts classes do better onthese tests.

The idea that arts education has faced challenges finding a solidand consistent home in our schools is probably not new to you.Furthermore, for gifted students and their parents—especially atthe secondary level—the pressures of preparing to apply to univer-sities can make course selection a serious enterprise. The questionto ask at this time is “What kind of a world are we preparing our



students for?” A heavy academic load without the arts may seemlike a safe preparation for life, but in reality, it’s a preparation for lifein the past.

ADVOCACY NEEDED TO PLACE ARTS AT THE COREAs the world changes, it is my belief that our economic suc-

cess as a nation is at stake unless we do a better job of prepar-ing our children with the skills that they will need in this cen-tury. Indeed, political candidates from Mike Huckabee toBarack Obama have given the plight of arts in the schoolsnational recognition, and their reason for doing so has eco-nomic overtones. One of Huckabee’s arguments for arts educa-tion—that it makes school less boring—should ring true forparents and educators of gifted learners.

So how can we work to include more arts in our children’seducation? There are opportunities for all of us.

Parent advocacy. We know that parents can be strong advo-cates for their children with their teachers and site administra-tors, and this is an important component for change. It’simportant for parents to understand the reasons—many ofthem articulated in this article—for the inclusion of arts in theschool day.

Parents can also encourage their children to participate in artsand music programs in and out of school, and to take creative andartistic approaches to their regular class assignments. Is a termpaper due? Perhaps the teacher would accept the writing and pro-duction of a play involving classmates instead of—or in additionto—the traditional paper. While studying poetry, students couldcreate visual artwork that expresses the poem’s meaning. Or amusical composition could be written and performed using thepoetry text as the lyrics. While these ideas may just seem like fluff,remember that these “fun” skills are the skills that General Motorsactually wants in its employees!

If there are concerns about the level of arts classes that areoffered by a school, parents can advocate for the creation ofAdvanced Placement Arts courses such as AP Music Theory or APStudio Art. These courses can also help with grade-point average concerns.

Administrators’ new perspectives. While the pressure onteachers and administrators to produce higher and higher testscores motivates educators to focus the curriculum on math andreading, an increasing number of administrators are findingdiminishing returns. There is a realization that the way studentslearn is through the arts—being engaged and actively participat-ing in a subject, rather than passively listening and/or reading.

Scott Goergens, Principal at Lakeside Farms ElementarySchool in Lakeside, California, found his high-performing schoolstuck in a rut with scores that were relatively high, but stagnantyear-after-year. After infusing arts into the curriculum, Scott says,“The results have been wonderful. Our students are happier andmore engaged, our teachers and parents are pleased and proud ofour offerings, and our test scores have risen dramatically.”

Teacher strategies. I find that experienced or veteran teach-ers of gifted students understand well that student creativity

can be best nurtured through keeping arts at the core.However, many younger teachers have gone through their ownschooling without training in the arts, so they lack the knowl-edge to bring the arts into their classrooms. District and siteadministrators have the challenge of developing these teachers’skills in arts instruction.

Arts specialists. For teachers who specialize in teaching visualart, music, drama, or dance, identifying the high achievers intheir classes and providing advanced instruction is vitally impor-tant. For the music teacher, providing extra opportunities to solo,compose, mentor other students, or even conduct an ensemblewill inspire these students to excel to the level of performance andstay involved with the school music program.

ARTS PAIRINGSFor the elementary classroom generalist, or secondary English,

math, social science or science teacher, there are particular art formsthat pair nicely with the academic subject. For example:

Math and movement (dance): great for kinesthetic learners asthey see and move through mathematical problems.

Science and music: the creation of sound and the alignmentof harmonies are all based on physics. The potential for teachingvisual art principles through lab studies and observations is vast.

English and theatre: the acting out of scenes attached to lit-erature may seem like a time-waster or too chaotic for someteachers of English; but in reality, a greater depth of learning takesplace when students “live” the scenes through the eyes of thecharacters in a novel.

Social science and visual art: the depiction of historicalscenes through art is as old as history itself. Not only shouldstudents be engaged in producing their own art, but also theyshould study the art of each culture and time period in acourse curriculum.

ArtsEdge, the arts education arm of the Kennedy Center inWashington, D.C. has exceptional resources for lessons for class-room teachers available at: artsedge.kennedy-center.org/.

Such pairings provide a good way to get started with arts inte-gration. There are many classroom management considerationswhen integrating the arts, so starting slowly is good advice forteachers new to this concept.

Eventually, for those who see improvement in student engage-ment and academic results, using arts at the core of the curricu-lum will become natural. A unit on Egypt becomes a study in itshistory, art, music, and math with student projects, artwork, andcompositions becoming the work of the unit.

ANXIETY OVER CHANGEI used to get anxious as I read what futurist Daniel Pink has to

say about the coming economy. Change can be a scary thing—especially if we aren’t ready for it. But when I remember that abili-ties like design, fun, and story telling are the skills we will needinstead of the ability to perform routine tasks—sign me up! That’sthe good news in all of this—the skills we need to develop are alsothe ones we actually enjoy doing. Maybe that’s why there is resist-



ance to moving our schools toward curriculum with arts at thecore—it just looks like fun, and that’s “not what my school looked like.”

John Adams once said:

I must study politics and war that my sons may have lib-erty to study mathematics and philosophy. My sons oughtto study mathematics and philosophy, geography, naturalhistory, naval architecture, navigation, commerce, andagricultures in order to giver their children a right to studypainting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry,and porcelain.

Perhaps we are arriving—over 200 years later—at the pointJohn Adams foresaw long ago.

Yes, an expanded arts curriculum is beneficial to all students,but perhaps it is the gifted student who most desperately needsthis change. In their determination to succeed, these students arepiling on academic courses, one after another after another. Eventheir free time is often dominated by academic endeavors. Music?Art? No time for such “frills.” After all, the grade-point average iswhat is important, and if a class doesn’t offer that extraHonors/AP grade point, gifted students often will not sign up forit. They are single-mindedly seeking what they believe will assurethem success—the highest grade-point average possible.Students, parents, and educators all seem to share this belief. Howsad that they are bypassing what could actually be of most bene-fit to them—the arts curriculum.

Although people will undoubtedly find it hard to believe, it istruly the arts curriculum that provides the best way to developthose right-brain skills that will be needed by our students as theymake their way in the world of the future. For generations of

older people, their world rewarded the left-brain skills—the skillsthat traditional education developed so well. Yes, change is hard;change is frightening. But for our students to succeed as adults,change is vital. And this important change—expanding the artscurriculum and accepting its importance—can be nourishing tothe very soul of each student. It’s not often that something can beboth aesthetically pleasing and highly pragmatic in the “realworld.” But in this case, it can. The arts curriculum holds the keyto a successful future for our students!

RESOURCESCritical Evidence: How the Arts Benefit Student Achievement (2006). Written by Sandra S.

Ruppert, this pamphlet was sponsored by the National Assembly of State Arts

Agencies and Arts Education Partnership and can be found at: nasaa-arts.org and

aep-arts.org.

Quality, Equity and Access: A Status Report on Arts Education in California Public Schools,

prepared by the California Alliance for Arts Education, Pasadena CA (no date given).

It can be found at: artsed411.org.

Arts and Economic Prosperity: The Economic Impact of Nonprofit Arts and Culture

Organizations and Their Audiences (pamphlet, no date given). Americans for the Arts,

Washington, D.C., available at: americansforthearts.org.

An Unfinished Canvas—Arts Education in California: Taking Stock of Policies and Practices

(2007). A Summary Report, SRI International, Menlo Park, located at:sri.com.

Learning, Arts and the Brain (2008). The Dana Consortium

Report on Arts and Cognition, organized by Michael

Gazzaniga. New York, available at: dana.org.

Arts with the Brain in Mind by Eric Jensen (2001). Association

for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Alexandria VA.

RUSS SPERLING is Director of Visual and Performing Arts in

the Sweetwater Union High School District in Chula Vista (San

Diego County), California.

A heavy academic load without the arts mayseem like a safe preparation for life, but inreality, it’s a preparation for life in the past.



As parents, we were honored to have our daughter gradu-ate from Cal Arts (California Institute of the Arts) inphotography in 2002. The experience was phenomenaland the president’s address to parents about remaining

patrons of the arts was life-changing. The evening was perfect. After a picnic on the hillside at the

Cal Arts campus, we witnessed the most creative, imaginative,and meaningful college graduation. The procession was lead byvarious unusual but outstanding music groups; the studentscame—not in traditional caps and gowns—but in whatever garbof their choice. Imagine what art students would wear and whatyou could not even imagine—it was there—including boas andfeathers and lots of different types of dress up. It was joyous andself expressing, demonstrating what the art college was all about.

After a brilliant keynote address from Alice Coltrane,American jazz pianist, organist, harpist, composer, and the wife ofJohn Coltrane, professors from each school awarded degrees per-sonally to their students. Then, President Steven Lavine addressedthe graduates. He asked them to turn, stand, and thank theirparents. Then he addressed the parents.

You have all supported your children as they pursued theirart. You have been their patrons and thus patrons of the

arts. We thank you for all the financial and emotional sup-port you have provided. You think you are done. But you,as patrons of the arts, are only beginning to serve in thisrole. Ever since the decline of royal patronage in the 18thcentury, families have been the critical patrons of eachemerging generation of artists. So you shouldn’t see yourcontinued support as your offspring’s failure but instead,take pride in joining the great tradition of patrons of thearts. Without patrons, the arts cannot survive. You mustcontinue to be patrons of the arts.

Our daughter had clearly and definitely announced her col-lege choice. She was applying to the California Institute of theArts. It was that or nothing, despite the overwhelming oddsagainst acceptance. There were so many applicants for only a fewslots; only six were accepted in photography, our daughter’s goal.

She said the arts had always been on the side while she pur-sued her academics. But in college, she wanted the arts to be thecenter and focus of her learning and her life. We were shockedbut supportive. Her mind was made up. Today she is a successfulgraphic designer who also teaches design and multimedia at twocolleges. And we as parents are still patrons of the arts andencourage others to be so as well.

The Second National Symposium on Assessing Gifted LearnersSponsored by Science Destinations & Institute for the Study of Advanced Development

This symposium brings together a group of dedicated experts who havebeen instrumental in the design and investigation of various tools used inthe assessment of giftedness. It will provide cutting edge information onmeasures of intelligence and creativity, as well as qualitative assessmentstrategies. This is an extraordinary opportunity for psychologists, examin-ers, program coordinators, administrators, teachers and parents to learnabout breakthroughs in the identification of gifted learners.

Presenters include:

Alan Kaufman, James Kaufman, Sylvia Rimm, Linda

Silverman, Annemarie Roeper, Dawn Flanagan, Bobbie

Gilman, Tom Cayton, John Wasserman, Linda Powers Leviton,

Kathi Kearney, Betty Maxwell, Frank Falk, Nancy Miller,

and Richard Boolootian.

Friday, March 27, 20098 a.m.– 9:30p.m.

Airtel Plaza Hotel7277 Valjean Ave. Van Nuys, CA

Cost: $275 if registered before March 1, 2009; $300 after March 1st. To register contact www.sciencedestinations.org or www.gifteddevelopment.com

Parents Needed as Continuing Patrons of the ArtsBy Victoria and John Bortolussi



Dear Colleagues, lean closer and concentrate; I am about todivulge my most embarrassing hidden secret: I have beentaking guitar lessons on and off for close to 35 years andI still can’t play very well at all! In fact, I believe that I just

might be the “drooling idiot” my mother warned I’d become if Ieven stepped into a room with somebody who smoked those“funny cigarettes.” I never did step into one of those rooms, butwhen it comes to music I still drool a bit!

That first paragraph might make more sense if I digress a bit andshare with you some successes I’ve had with musicals over the past13 years in elementary school classrooms.

I landed my first job in the number one school in the largestschool district in northern California; it was a “Rapid Learner”center—a step up from the GATE (Gifted and TalentedEducation) program in that district. Not only that—all the pri-mary classes were expected to perform a musical during the win-ter holiday season! The entire school board would be there alongwith the five largest news stations in Northern California andthree cameras for recording the show for all of the parents too! Iclosed my eyes and watched my hard earned credential fly awayinto the distance in my mind’s eye. My heart sank as I sat throughmy first real staff meeting.

Luckily for me, my first assignment was to go to the state confer-ence of the California Association for the Gifted. During the con-ference I met two guys who changed my future and mitigated thepossibility that I would get fired because my class musical actuallycaused mental illness in our principal! The two guys: Ron Fink andJohn Heath and their company, “Bad Wolf Press”! The subtitle ofthe company is: Musical plays for musically timid teachers!

Musically timid—that’s me! (OK, I’m really a musical goofball!)I chose: “Anansi and the Moss Covered Rock” because Ron andJohn said it was fun, a bit silly, supported our curriculum and likeall of the plays included a cassette (now they come with CD’s) withthe words and music on one side and just the music on the otherside. I sat at their booth, read the play, and asked a bazillion ques-tions. They answered them all, didn’t roll their eyes once, and tookmy money. I returned to the booth numerous times during the con-ference to ask more questions and got my answers and friendship too!

Now, I know that most of you out there are thinking: How, inthis current climate of “High Stakes Testing” can this clown justifytaking valuable class time for producing plays? If you choose care-fully, musical plays can add a tremendous amount of depth to thecurriculum without wasting your valuable class time. There areplays that are based on history, science, math, and even language

arts. I choose ones that fit well with something we are studying anduse the show to go “deeper.” I had no choice about doing my firstmusical, but I continue to do them for many reasons: students thinkthey can’t memorize anything, and plays and musicals show themthat they can and it can be fun. Plays are a great way to teach studyskills: highlighting, summarizing, and note taking. Plays are, in myopinion, the absolute best way to introduce and further publicspeaking skills. You can really do some great team building exercis-es too. Plus, I always throw in some Physical Education with dance:small and large group synchronized movement, and a lot of sillyrunning around ala Monty Python’s Flying Circus! How else wouldyou end a comedy musical of Macbeth!?!

My class practiced and practiced until we were ready forBroadway—err, that is—our little stage in the cafetorium. We didexactly what my teacher’s guide in the back of the script said todo. I incorporated all the elements Ron and John said I needed,and to my utter disbelief we were the hit of the show. There were“speed bumps” of course but we got over them. Ron told me tohave some understudies for the most important parts, and lucki-ly I did. Not two minutes into the performance Devon, whoplayed “Anansi,” reached up and dug a particularly large boogerout of his nose and ate it in front of 500 people and cameras; hismother shouted “Oh! *?&”, ran up to the stage, grabbed the boy,and ran out the back door—we didn’t see him again for threedays! But being forewarned, Misty stepped into Devon’s place andfinished the show to a standing ovation!

Fast-forward about ten years worth of musicals and you willfind me at the “oldest continuously inhabited school west ofthe Mississippi.” I kid you not; we still use skeleton keys to getinto the classrooms in the main building! We have a beautifultheatre—not a cafetorium, not a multipurpose room or a café-multiofficeatorium—a theatre that was used for honest-to-goodness vaudeville shows. I can “fly in” things to the stage;there are nine backdrop lines and real stage lighting. We havedone one or two musical plays each year for many years now,and I am the “old pro” of musicals in the school, having pro-duced more than anyone else.

Many of my colleagues and their classes have joined me in anight of musicals. We’ve learned from experience that these playsare fun to produce, tied to the curriculum, easy to produce, and didI mention that they are really fun! Plays where followers becomeleaders, leaders become better leaders, shy kids “explode” onto thestage and steal the show, outgoing kids learn to rein in their enthu-siasm, and students learn to work together for an audience…actu-ally working together for someone else’s enjoyment! Students learn

Musical Plays Add Pizzazz and New Depth to Your Classroom By Greg Miller



some cool history, language arts, scienceand math too.

Every year after “Play Night,” stu-dents from all the other upper grade class-es come to me and ask if they can be inthe next play…or if I can “make sure thatthey are in my class next year.” I’m con-sidering taking bribes.

So, to get back to the “drooling idiot”thing, I still can’t play the guitar…but Ican produce some tremendous plays. This“musically timid” teacher has learnedeverything I know about musicals fromBad Wolf Press in the persons of Ron Finkand John Heath…and I “Double DogDare” you to give their plays a try!

GREGORY L. MILLER, MS, is a Multi-Age GATE Teacher atTheodore Judah Elementary School, in Sacramento,California.

Note* In addition to the plays by BadWolf Press, you may wish to explore thoseof Accompany Publishing at: accompa-nypublishing.com, Magic ParrotProductions at: magicparrot.com,Music8 at: musick8.com, and TwinSisters Productions at: twinsisters.com.

In many schools, teachers integrate musical right

into their classroom activity with minimal costumes

or props. Multiple explorations of simple plays with

little production hoopla (whether with or without

music) can touch on more areas of curriculum and

be much less imposing (and time-consuming) than

one big production per year. And if teachers still

want to do an end-of-the-year big performance for

parents and the school, students will be all the bet-

ter prepared for such a production.

Readers theater approach. Simply having stu-

dents read a play through once or twice is a terrific

way to increase fluency as well as review whatever

curriculum the play is built around. Some teachers

merely copy the script and have students take turns

reading the parts. If there are songs, then the CD is

played at the appropriate moment, or lyrics are

merely read by the “actors.” This reader’s theater

approach gives more time in class for questions and

discussion of curricular material.

Focus on individual scenes. Another useful

tactic is to read and perform individual scenes from

a play—again, with or without singing—only as the

topic of the scene crops up in student assignments.

For example, students studying U.S. History might

spend a class period on a scene about the

Louisiana Purchase just when that subject is part of

the curriculum. A single play could be stretched,

one scene at a time, throughout weeks or even

months of study.

The simple approach. There are tremendous

benefits to putting on a musical play as some form

of theater. Although kids and audiences do love cos-

tumes, props, and fancy sets, they can also be the

source of many headaches both before and during a

performance. Since the real point of doing musical

plays is to enhance, support, and review the curricu-

lum in an exciting cross-curricular fashion, too much

time and energy spent on production values can

take away from the educational benefits. Simple but

complete productions throughout the year in the

classroom that cover several different curricular top-

ics may be the best way to take advantage of all the

benefits of musical plays.

Simple Ways to Use Musical Plays in the Classroom



In 1968 my father gave me a book on “data computers” formy 16th birthday. He’d been lauding the benefits of“teaching machines” to his colleagues at Michigan Statefor some time. But there were fears then about the poten-

tial pitfalls of these machines for students and children; of spe-cial concern was that of overindulgence, and of course, thepotential loss of connection between human teacher and student.

Like many children of the 50s, I was a latecomer to person-al computer use. I didn’t want to become dependent on amachine. They have no hearts to feel—nor eyes to see. I didn’tgrow up in a computer world as millions of users now have. I’m56. I could have said—as many have and do—that I don’t wantto get swallowed up by endless computer upgrades, nor by hav-ing to maintain yet another mechanism in my already toomechanized life. I was always warned about not watching toomuch television and, again, although a promoter of their use-fulness, warned by my father about similar addictive drawbacksof “data computers.”

Today, things are very different. I’m writing this article on aborrowed beautiful MacPro with a wide screen and dashingcolor background, a near-effortless touch-friendly keyboardwith lighting underneath the keys, and a compactness that

belies its massive capabilities and “boggleability” of thisauthor’s child-of-the-50s mind. I also use my own MacBookvoraciously and daily and nightly for my music pursuits.

EARLY EVENTS IN MY COMPOSING AND RECORDING WORLDNot that long ago several friends and I went to a commer-

cial studio to record some compositions we had worked on forsome time. We had spent endless hours practicing and rehears-ing to prepare what made up a relatively small output. And itcost thousands of dollars to do so! This was something none ofus could afford on a regular basis.

Then in 2002, I created my first demonstration CD of clas-sical and choral music of my own composition and others,using an early computer program that I learned ‘on the dog’and with references to manuals.

DISCOVERING “GARAGEBAND” AND “iTUNES”With the advent of a new laptop MacBook and the built-in

programs of GarageBand and iTunes, my composing andrecording world has been revolutionized! Since spring 2007,I’ve recorded close to 150 songs into GarageBand, sent them allto iTunes, and burned preliminary CDs—so far, the equivalentof seven CDs. I played up to five guitars on some songs, and allthe other instruments needed to create music usually requiring


Joining GarageBandMaking Music the Computer Way

By Michael Haddan



several players. I’ve sung all the parts: lead, and four-to-eight-part harmonies.

One can also choose from GarageBand’s “loop library,”chopping the instrument selections up at will to create verybelievable “human” drum performances. I’ve blended the tracksand edited where needed, cut and pasted everything frommissed notes to repeated notes to whole verses. I’ve addedeffects such as “reverb,” “echo,” “ping-pong pulses,” and eventhe sound of cows mooing and lowing, deftly sidestepping thehigh cost of royalties to real cows!

These programs are “non-linear,” meaning they can beerased and retrieved almost no matter how bad your mistake is.The cost of recording what I have done so far in Garage Bandis minimal; to do it in a professional studio would be in thetens of thousands of dollars.

PITFALLSThere are dangers lurking in computerland, however. One

must be constantly aware of the size of music files. A couple ofweeks ago, my little Mac crashed for the second time. I hadover 120 songs in it that I’d worked very hard at for well over ayear to create. It had already crashed the month before, where-upon I added a 500GB external drive to save everything onto;but I’d not yet saved it all into this mighty-mouthed helper.Fortunately, that first crash didn’t take everything with it: infact the last track I’d laid down was even there when I reopened.

I backed up everything to the external drive after the firstcrash. But I was so anxious to get going on my song demosagain that I did not regularly check the memory on the homecomputer. “Just one more track to this song, and I’ll check it,and then send it to the external hard drive.”

Then came the Katrina called “the pinwheel of doom” bysome, or, “the pinwheel of hell” by others and myself. I thinkPCs have a cousin of this frozencyber-tundra, at least in some casescalled “bluescreen hell.” I’d crashedagain—still apparently not sufficient-ly aware of the bigness of music files.

As it turned out, the hard drivehad failed, this time utterly and com-pletely. I was told by understandingMac mechanics that this wasn’t nec-essarily my fault, blunderbuss thoughI’d surely been.

CONCLUSION I go to my Mac every day and cre-

ate music that could make it to the air-waves, and I make something beautifulfor me and my friends and family, allin astoundingly little time and withrelative ease. I have been able to dis-play a talent I didn’t even know I hadmyself (singing four-to-eight part har-

monies in the same song merely by adding a new track for eachvoice). I am able use several instruments I’ve learned over theyears in my quest to compose for orchestra. I can obtain manymore instruments from the two midi keyboards I have, which Ican plug directly into my Mac. I can have an entire orchestra orgrand piano or cathedral organ or choir all in the programmingof a simple-to-use but relatively highly advanced recording studioin a wafer of metal no “bigger’n a breadbox.” I can literally createand record music in my own bedroom!

Large, impressive looking, very expensive recording mixing-board consoles in recording studios still exist and are still astro-nomically expensive to buy and to use. They make jet airplanecockpits look ill equipped. It takes several highly trained pro-fessionals to run them. But when I listen again to songs I’ve puttogether via my little computer, and my small collection ofinstruments, I am filled with gratitude to those who have cre-ated these great “data computers.”

It’s been said that loving one’s own art works too much is a

bad thing: create your work and let go they say. Luminaries likeBach, Beethoven, and Vaughan Williams certainly did not needGarageBand loops, recording software, or a Mac or PC. But

that was then. I’ve not heeded that caveat since I found thethrill of making music through technology. I am still so amazed

by what can be created as art through programs such as thesethat I stand in joyous appreciation every day for what I created

the day before, and will continue to create each day as a result.Such programs could make a difference for the budding

composer or musician in your classroom or home as well. Nodoubt there are similar computer programs related to every artsactivity you can think of; check them out…give them a try.

MICHAEL HADDAN lives and works in Santa Barbara, California, creating music for theenjoyment of all in his realm.


2 4 G I F T E D E D U C A T I O N C O M M U N I C A T O R S U M M E R 2 0 0 8

A s a fourth grade teacher in a self-contained gifted and talented program, I wasused to integrating subject areas and had discussed with my principal the idea

that I could not list one or two standards on the chalkboard for a lesson; if I wasdoing my job well, I was addressing multiple standards from multiple subjects. Tome, it was natural to blur the lines between domains and show students how inter-connected subject areas were. These interdisciplinary lessons and units were usuallyrestricted to the academic areas, with an occasional partnership to integrate music.My own arts background being weak, I did not naturally connect my lessons to art.That was until the students started expressing a need for it. One year in particular,I had several students who were very artistically talented and interested in learningmore about art. It became necessary to integrate art into the curriculum to satisfytheir interest and generate new connections for them. My students were used to mak-ing connections with language arts, but I found that their curiosity, interest, andneed for challenge were best met when we integrated arts and science. One of thebest parts of integrating arts and science is that it addresses not only content stan-dards in both subjects but also process standards; students are able to learn andrefine skills and methodologies of one discipline and apply them to the other; inaddition, their content knowledge in one discipline helped them grow in the other.

—Jill Adelson

W hen the third grade teachersapproached me a couple of years

ago to begin an interdisciplinary unit withtheir science curriculum and my art class,I was surprised. While I had been integrat-ing language arts into my lessons for years,I had not considered the possibilities in sci-ence. In a wonderful collaboration withthese teachers, however, insights of connec-tions between the two disciplines becameapparent. The people who benefited mostfrom the collaboration were the third-grade students. Throughout the course ofthe year, I saw not only their knowledgeabout art and science grow, but also theirenthusiasm for the subjects and their abil-ity to draw connections between all of thecontent areas they studied.

—Hope Wilson

The Science of Art and the Art of ScienceIntegrating Artand Science in the Elementary Classroom

By Hope E. Wilson and Jill L. AdelsonILLUSTRATION BY KEN VINTON



Based on our experiences as an elementary art teacher andan elementary teacher in a gifted and talented program,we will explain the importance of interdisciplinary stud-ies for gifted learners and how to integrate science and

the visual arts. Along with providing connections between thetwo disciplines, we also will include ideas for lessons to supportstudent learning.

PURPOSE OF INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES Interdisciplinary education often has been cited as an effective

way to meet the needs of gifted learners (e.g., Van Tassel-Baska,& Little, 2003; Winebrenner, 2001). Since gifted and high-abili-ty students are able to draw connections between disparate disci-plines, combining various content areas into a lesson or unit is anespecially appropriate choice for these students. When teachersintegrate content areas, it is vital that the integrity of both sub-jects be maintained. A surface-level treatment of one of the disci-plines, rather than incorporating authentic objectives of both sub-jects, is less effective for gifted learners and does not respect andreflect both disciplines. For example, in studying American histo-ry, a truly interdisciplinary unit might include not only discussionof the historical events of the colonial era but also might providecultural context for the studies by including an investigation ofthe art historical movements of the time period and the creationof a work of art in the style of the colonial painters. Thus, the his-tory and art objectives complement each other, and the integrityof both areas is maintained.

The visual arts are especially suited for integration with othercontent areas (The Consortium of National Arts EducationAssociations, 2002). The flexible nature of the visual arts allowsthem to be integrated easily with other areas. While teachershave used “craft” projects for many years, there is much more tointegrating the arts effectively. Staying true to the integrity ofthe discipline of the visual arts means that the curriculumshould include objectives around four concentrations of thevisual arts: aesthetics, art criticism, art history, and art produc-tion (i.e., Clark, Day, & Greer, 1987). Aesthetics deals with themeaning and conception of art, art criticism with the evaluationof art, art history with historical and cultural contexts for thecreation of art, and art production with the techniques used tocreate art (Clark et al., 1987). Each of these concentrationsincorporates specific objectives that can be integrated with avariety of content areas.

TOOLS OF ART AND SCIENCEWhile perhaps not as intuitively apparent, the visual arts

and the sciences have many similarities. In practice, scientistsand artists use many of the same tools. The process of creatingand analyzing art involves some of the same mental processesnecessary for scientific inquiry. As students develop these skillsin one discipline, they can be transferred to their learning inthe other.

Observation. A major component of both creating art andconducting scientific research includes intense observation. Asartists make pieces of art, either abstract or realistic, they must

observe life much in the same way scientists observe experiments.The skill of noticing detail is developed in both content areas. Ascientist must observe nature to develop theories about the occur-rences in the environment, just as an artist must observe objectsto develop a composition.

Analysis. Another skill used by both scientists and artists is theability to analyze their observations. Scientists take their observa-tions from experiments and analyze them to find patterns in theirdata and develop theories based on these patterns. Similarly,artists use their observations of life to find patterns and convertthree-dimensional objects to a representation of these patterns intheir artwork. Art historians and art critics also observe artworks,categorize these images into styles and themes, and draw conclu-sions based on their analyses.

Project: Audubon. While every fine artist and scientist usesobservation and analysis to some extent, one particularly excellentexemplar is nineteenth-century artist and naturalist James JohnAudubon. James John Audubon is noted for his work document-ing North American wildlife, namely the native birds. Throughcareful observation, he documented the characteristics of birdsthrough his drawings and paintings in Birds of America (1841).

In a study of biology, particularly the various characteristics ofvertebrates—including birds, mammals, and reptiles—teacherseasily can incorporate the artwork of Audubon. Documenting thecharacteristics of a particular species through both written andartistic methods will encourage a close observation of nature inthe style of Audubon. See Figure 1 for an example of a kinder-gartener’s observations from photographs of a giraffe.

For this project, first introduce the life and artwork of JamesJohn Audubon. Discuss the process of creating artwork based onobservation and the importance of including details. Distributephotographs of various animals to students, including multipleimages of each animal. By having many views of each animal, stu-dents will be discouraged from copying one image of the animals.Rather, they will use higher-level processes to synthesize the pic-tures and create their own composition. After students have

FIGURE 1.KINDERGARTEN ILLUSTRATION OF A GIRAFFE.



selected their animals, engage students in a discussion classifyingand grouping the animals into categories.

After the students have worked to classify the animals, introducestudents to the classifications of Linnaeus and the modern classifica-tion systems of the living world. Depending on the age of students,you may want students to classify based on broad categories (e.g.,mammals, reptiles, birds), how their physiology aids them in theirenvironment (e.g., camouflage to hide, sharp teeth to eat prey), orother physical, physiological, or biological characteristics. Give stu-dents pencils and paper to describe their animals using both wordsand drawings. Allow students to add color to their drawings withcrayons, colored pencils, oil pastels, or watercolor paints. These illus-trations and written work could be combined into a classroom booksimilar to Audubon’s Birds of America (1841).

SHARED TOPICSIn addition to the common processes or skills used in both dis-

ciplines, there are many topics that are related to both areas,including chemical reactions and light and color. Some topicslend themselves to study in both areas as well, such as plants andtexture. Topics like these can provide a foundation and startingplace for arts integration at a variety of grade levels.

Chemical reactions. Much of the art of ceramics is built uponscientific principles and chemical reactions. The chemical reac-tion that occurs when clay is heated to extreme temperatures andchanges from greenware into bisqueware is one example of theintegration of science and art. When students first experience andwork with clay, it is pliable and easily molded. As the clay driesand the moisture inside of it evaporates, the clay becomes hardand brittle. This is called greenware. If you were to take greenwareat any stage in the drying process and soak it in water, eventuallythe clay would become soft and pliable again. However, when thegreenware is heated to very hot temperatures in a kiln, a chemicalreaction occurs and the clay becomes bisqueware. The chemicalcomposition of the clay has changed when energy, in the form ofheat, is added. At this stage the clay is much stronger. If bisque-ware is soaked in water, it will not reconstitute into a soft materi-al that can be manipulated. This is why ancient pottery has sur-vived throughout the millenniums.

As students study the artwork of ancient people, including theremains of ceramic pieces, the importance of the chemical reac-tion that occurred becomes apparent in that only pieces that havebeen heated to extreme temperatures survive through the millen-nium. As students create their own works of ceramic art, they canobserve the various changes in the clay as it dries and then is heat-ed in the kiln. Making detailed notes concerning the appearanceof their artwork may aid in their understanding of the processesthat the clay is undergoing.

Light and color. Another example of a common themebetween art and science is color theory and the physics of light. Asstudents learn about light waves and how different frequencies oflight waves produce different colors on the electromagnetic spec-trum, they can explore the differences between mixing coloredlights (spectral color) and colored pigments (reflective color). Bysetting up stations in your classroom, some students can experi-ment with mixing various colored lenses in front of various lightsources. Other students can mix pigment colors in the form oftempera paints, colored pencils, and watercolor paints. Each ofthese types of media has differing properties when mixing colors.To increase scientific processing skills, students can record theirobservations at each station. They then should be encouraged todraw conclusions or make hypotheses based on these observations.

To tie this lesson with objectives from art history, students canexplore the artwork of color field painters, such as Mark Rothko,Kenneth Noland, and Jules Olitski. These artists emerged fromthe abstract expressionism movement in the 1960s. Their work ischaracterized by large areas of color, focused on the properties ofthe color rather than a symbolic representation. Figure 2 illus-trates one kindergartener’s artwork in this style. For this project,students drew two large shapes on their paper. They painted eachshape in a different primary color (red, blue, or yellow). Theythen mixed the two primary colors in the background of theirpaper to create a secondary color (orange, green, or violet).Through this process, they explored primary and secondary col-ors as well as the artwork of color field painters, especially focus-ing on the style of Mark Rothko.

PLANT LIFE AND TEXTURE Another way to integrate art and sci-

ence is in the area of plant life and, inparticular, the classification of leaves.The science objectives include learninghow plants are classified by the shapeand characteristics of leaves. The artobjectives include recognizing actualand simulated texture and creating frot-tage (rubbings).

Students need to collect leaves inorder to create the artwork. This couldbe done on the school grounds if a suf-ficient variety of leaves is available, orstudents could bring leaves from home.The best types of leaves for this activity

FIGURE 2.KINDERGARTEN

COLOR FIELD PAINTING.



are still green and not dry or brittle.Each student should place a leaf under apiece of white paper and color over thepaper with a crayon. This technique iscalled frottage, a vocabulary word teach-ers should introduce to the students.Students should compare the texture ofthe actual leaf to the texture of thepaper. By doing so, students will cometo understand the difference betweenactual and simulated texture. Next, stu-dents should make multiple rubbings oftheir leaf in a variety of colors and care-fully cut out each leaf. Working ingroups, students should then classify their leaves into cate-gories. Each group should then share with the class how itdecided to classify the leaves at its table.

After students have categorized leaves in their own ways,the teacher then should introduce students to the methodsscientists use to classify leaves and ask students to classifytheir leaves accordingly: by petiole (stem connection to stalk),by blade (simple or complex), by edge (smooth, serrated,lobed), by veins (parallel, pinnate, or palmate), or by arrange-ment on stem (alternate, whorled, opposite, or rosulate).After students have classified their leaves based on a numberof characteristics, they can share their leaves in groups to cre-ate a collage of leaves. See Figure 3 for an example of a secondgrader’s collage of leaves.

FINAL THOUGHTSAlthough at first glance, the sciences and the visual arts do not

appear to be related closely, the process skills and topics addressedare very similar. Through careful observation and analysis, stu-dents develop their skills as both artists and scientists. Many top-ics in science and art incorporate the other discipline. Animal andplant classification, color theory, and chemical reactions are onlya few examples. With purposeful collaboration between scienceand art specialists, teachers can tailor these and other lessons foreach individual school environment.

The visual arts provide a rich source of content to tie withother content areas. These interdisciplinary connections are par-ticularly suited for gifted and high-ability learners to enrich anddeepen their learning in both areas. By keeping the integrity ofboth the arts and the other content areas, students develop theirability to draw connections between disparate areas of learning,and they can use their interest in one subject to expand theirlearning in the other subject.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCESDiscipline Based Art Educationhttp://www.naea-reston.org/pubs_bibliography.html James John Audubonhttp://www.audubon.org/nas/jja.htmlBirds of America available on-line

http://www.audubon.org/bird/boa/BOA_index.html Carl Linneaushttp://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/history/linnaeus.html Color Field Paintinghttp://www.tate.org.uk/collections/glossary/definition.jsp?entryId=71 Leaf Typeshttp://www.botanical-online.com/hojastiposangles.htm

REFERENCESAudubon, J. J., S. F. R. S., E. L. E. (1841). The birds of America. From Drawings made in

the United States and their territories. Vol. III. New York: Author.

Clark, G. A., Day, M. D., & Greer, W. D. (1987). Discipline-based art education: Becoming

students of art (Vol. 21, pp. 129-193): University of Illinois Press.

The Consortium of National Arts Education Associations. (2002). Authentic connections:

Interdisciplinary work in the arts. Retrieved April 8, 2008, from http://www.naea-

reston.org/pdf/INTERart.pdf

Van Tassel-Baska, J., & Little, C. A. (Eds.). (2003). Content-based curriculum for high-

ability learners. Waco, TX: Prufrock Press.

Winebrenner, S. (2001). Teaching gifted kids in the regular classroom: Strategies

and techniques every teacher can use to meet the academic needs of the gift-

ed and talented. Revised, expanded, updated edition. Minneapolis, MN: Free

Spirit Publisher.

HOPE E. WILSON is a doctoral candidate in EducationalPsychology at the University of Connecticut with a concen-tration in Gifted and Talented Education and the assistanteditor for the Journal of Advanced Academics. She earnedher M.A.Ed. in Gifted Education from Hardin-SimmonsUniversity and her M.A.T. in Education from Austin College.Prior to beginning her doctoral education, Hope worked asan elementary art instructor in Texas.

JILL L. ADELSON is a doctoral candidate in EducationalPsychology at the University of Connecticut, pursuing ajoint degree in Gifted Education and in Measurement,Evaluation, and Assessment with a cognate in MathematicsEducation. She earned her Certificate in QuantitativeResearch Methods in Psychology from the UConn and herM.A.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction, specializing in GiftedEducation, from the College of William and Mary. Jill taughta self-contained gifted and talented fourth grade class inNewport News, VA.

FIGURE 3. SECOND GRADE LEAF RUBBING COLLAGE.



California VAPA Content StandardsMusic

1.0 ARTISTIC PERCEPTION

Processing, Analyzing, and Responding to Sensory Information Through

the Language and Skills Unique to Music. Students read, notate, listen to,

analyze, and describe music and other aural information, using the terminology

of music.

Read and Notate Music

Listen to, Analyze, and Describe Music

2.0 CREATIVE EXPRESSION

Creating, Performing, and Participating in Music. Students apply vocal and

instrumental musical skills in performing a varied repertoire of music. They com-

pose and arrange music and improvise melodies, variations, and accompaniments,

using digital/electronic technology when appropriate.

Apply Vocal and Instrumental Skills

Compose, Arrange, and Improvise

3.0 HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXT

Understanding the Historical Contributions and Cultural Dimensions of

Music. Students analyze the role of music in past and present cultures through-

out the world, noting cultural diversity as it relates to music, musicians, and

composers.

Role of Music

Diversity of Music

4.0 AESTHETIC VALUING

Responding to, Analyzing, and Making Judgments About Works of Music.

Students critically assess and derive meaning from works of music and the perform-

ance of musicians according to the elements of music, aesthetic qualities, and

human responses.

Analyze and Critically Assess

Derive Meaning

5.0 CONNECTIONS, RELATIONSHIPS, APPLICATIONS

Connecting and Applying What Is Learned in Music to Learning in Other Art

Forms and Subject Areas and to Careers. Students apply what they learn in

music across subject areas. They develop competencies and creative skills in prob-

lem solving, communication, and management of time and resources that con-

tribute to lifelong learning and career skills. They also learn about careers in and

related to music.

Connections and Applications

Careers and Career-Related Skills

Dance

1.0 ARTISTIC PERCEPTION Processing, Analyzing, and Responding to Sensory Information Through the

Language and Skills Unique to Dance. Students perceive and respond, using

the elements of dance. They demonstrate movement skills, process sensory infor-

mation, and describe movement, using the vocabulary of dance.

Development of Motor Skills and Technical Expertise

Comprehension and Analysis of Dance Elements

Development of Dance Vocabulary

2.0 CREATIVE EXPRESSION Creating, Performing, and Participating in Dance. Students apply choreo-

graphic principles, processes, and skills to create and communicate meaning

through the improvisation, composition, and performance of dance.

Creation / Invention of Dance Movements

Application of Choreographic Principles and Processes

Communication of Meaning Through Dance Performance

Development of Partner and Group Skills

3.0 HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXTUnderstanding the Historical Contributions and Cultural Dimensions of

Dance. Students analyze the function and development of dance in past and pres-

ent cultures throughout the world, noting human diversity as it relates to dance

and dancers.

Development of Dance

History and Function of Dance

Diversity of Dance

4.0 AESTHETIC VALUING Responding to, Analyzing, and Making Judgments About Works of Dance.

Students critically assess and derive meaning from works of dance, performance

of dancers, and original works according to the elements of dance and aesthetic

qualities.

Description, Analysis, and Criticism of Dance

Meaning and Impact of Dance

5.0 CONNECTIONS, RELATIONSHIPS, APPLICATIONS Connecting and Applying What Is Learned in Dance to Learning in Other Art

Forms and Subject Areas and to Careers. Students apply what they learn in

dance to learning across subject areas. They develop competencies and creative

skills in problem solving, communication, and management of time and resources

that contribute to lifelong learning and career skills. They also learn about careers

in and related to dance.

Connections and Applications Across Disciplines

Development of Life Skills and Career Competencies



The framework and specific grade-level competencies in each of the disciplines of Visual and Performing Arts can be found on the web-site for the California Department of Education, www.cde.ca.gov, under the curriculum and instruction menu.

Visual Arts

1.0 ARTISTIC PERCEPTION Processing, Analyzing, and Responding to Sensory Information Through the

Language and Skills Unique to the Visual Arts. Students perceive and respond

to works of art, objects in nature, events, and the envi-ronment. They also use the

vocabulary of the visual arts to express their observations.

Develop Perceptual Skills and Visual Arts Vocabulary

Analyze Art Elements and Principles of Design

Impact of Media Choice

2.0 CREATIVE EXPRESSION Creating, Performing, and Participating in the Visual Arts. Students apply artis-

tic processes and skills, using a variety of media to communicate meaning and

intent in original works of art.

Skills, Processes, Materials, and

Communicate and Express Through Original Works of Art

3.0 HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXT Understanding the Historical Contributions and Cultural Dimensions of the

Visual Arts. Students analyze the role and development of the visual arts in past

and present cultures throughout the world, noting human diversity as it relates to

the visual arts and artists.

Role and Development of the Visual

Diversity of the Visual Arts

4.0 AESTHETIC VALUING Responding to, Analyzing, and Making Judgments About Works in the

Visual Arts. Students analyze, assess, and derive meaning from works of art,

including their own, according to the elements of art, the principles of design, and

aesthetic qualities.

Derive Meaning

Make Informed Judgments.

5.0 CONNECTIONS, RELATIONSHIPS, APPLICATIONS Connecting and Applying What Is Learned in the Visual Arts to Other Art

Forms and Subject Areas and to Careers. Students apply what they learn in the

visual arts across subject areas. They develop competencies and creative skills in

problem solving, communication, and management of time and resources that

contribute to lifelong learning and career skills. They also learn about careers in

and related to the visual arts.


Careers and Career-Related Skills

Theater

1.0 ARTISTIC PERCEPTION

Processing, Analyzing, and Responding to Sensory Information Through the

Language and Skills Unique to Theatre. Students observe their environment and

respond, using the elements of theatre. They also observe formal and informal

works of theatre, film/video, and electronic media and respond, using the vocabu-

lary of theatre.

Development of the Vocabulary of Theatre 1

Comprehension and Analysis of the Elements of Theatre

2.0 CREATIVE EXPRESSION

Creating, Performing, and Participating in Theatre. Students apply process-

es and skills in acting, directing, designing, and scriptwriting to create formal

and informal theatre, film/videos, and electronic media productions and to per-

form in them.

Development of Theatrical Skills

Theatre Creation/Invention in Theatre

3.0 HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXT

Understanding the Historical Contributions and Cultural Dimensions of

Theatre. Students analyze the role and development of theatre, film/video, and

electronic media in past and present cultures throughout the world, noting diversi-

ty as it relates to theatre.

Role and Cultural Significance of Theatre

History of Theatre

4.0 AESTHETIC VALUING

Responding to, Analyzing, and Critiquing Theatrical Experiences. Students

critique and derive meaning from works of theatre, film/video, electronic media,

and theatrical artists on the basis of aesthetic qualities.

Critical Assessment of Theatre

Derivation of Meaning from Works of Theatre

5.0 CONNECTIONS, RELATIONSHIPS, APPLICATIONS

Connecting and Applying What Is Learned in Theatre, Film/Video, and

Electronic Media to Other Art Forms and Subject Areas and to Careers.

Students apply what they learn in theatre, film/video, and electronic media across

subject areas. They develop competencies and creative skills in problem solving,

com-munication, and time management that contribute to lifelong learning and

career skills. They also learn about careers in and related to theatre.




DANCEContent Standard 1: Identifying and demonstrating movement elements and

skills in performing dance

Content Standard 2: Understanding choreographic principles, processes, and

structures

Content Standard 3: Understanding dance as a way to create and communi-

cate meaning

Content Standard 4:Applying and demonstrating critical and creative thinking

skills in dance

Content Standard 5: Demonstrating and understanding dance in various cul-

tures and historical periods

Content Standard 6: Making connections between dance and healthful living

Content Standard 7: Making connections between dance and other

disciplines

MUSICContent Standard 1: Singing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music

Content Standard 2: Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied

repertoire of music

Content Standard 3: Improvising melodies, variations, and accompaniments

Content Standard 4: Composing and arranging music within specified guidelines

Content Standard 5: Reading and notating music

Content Standard 6: Listening to, analyzing, and describing music

Content Standard 7: Evaluating music and music performances

Content Standard 8: Understanding relationships between music, the other arts,

and disciplines outside the arts

Content Standard 9: Understanding music in relation to history and culture

THEATERContent Standard 1: Script writing by planning and recording improvisations

based on personal experience and heritage, imagination, literature, and history

Content Standard 2: Acting by assuming roles and interacting in improvisations

Content Standard 3: Designing by visualizing and arranging environments for

classroom dramatizations

Content Standard 4: Directing by planning classroom dramatizations

Content Standard 5: Researching by finding information to support classroom

dramatizations

Content Standard 6: Comparing and connecting art forms by describing theatre, dra-

matic media (such as film, television, and electronic media), and other art forms

Content Standard 7: Analyzing and explaining personal preferences and construct-

ing meanings from classroom dramatizations and from theatre, film, television, and

electronic media productions

Content Standard 8: Understanding context by recognizing the role of theatre,

film, television, and electronic media in daily life

VISUAL ARTSContent Standard 1: Understanding and applying media, techniques, and

processes

Content Standard 2: Using knowledge of structures and functions

Content Standard 3: Choosing and evaluating a range of subject matter, symbols,

and ideas

Content Standard 4: Understanding the visual arts in relation to history and cultures

Content Standard 5: Reflecting upon and assessing the characteristics and mer-

its of their work and the work of others

Content Standard 6: Making connections between visual arts and other disciplines

Developed by the Consortium of National ArtsEducation Associations (under the guidance of theNational Committee for Standards in the Arts), theNational Standards for Arts Education is a document

which outlines basic arts learning outcomes integral to thecomprehensive K-12 education of every American student. TheConsortium published the National Standards in 1994through a grant administered by MENC, the NationalAssociation for Music Education.

The division of the Standards into special competenciesdoes not indicate that each is—or should be—given the sameweight, time, or emphasis at any point in the K-12 sequence,or over the student’s entire school career. The mixture and bal-ance will vary with grade level, by course, by instructional unit,and from school to school.

The Standards encourage a relationship between breadth

and depth so that neither overshadows the other. They areintended to create a vision for learning, not a standardizedinstructional system.

Two different types of standards are used to guide studentassessment in each of the competence areas:

• Content standards specify what students should know andbe able to do in the arts disciplines.

• Achievement standards specify the understandings and lev-els of achievement that students are expected to attain in thecompetencies, for each of the arts, at the completion ofgrades 4, 8, and 12.

The content and achievement standards are listed in theirentirety on the ArtsEdge website. Achievement standards areorganized in clusters: K-4, 5-8, and 9-12. The ArtsEdge web-site has suggested lesson plans for each standard.http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org

The National Standards for Arts Education



Tools for assessment have been the catalyst for change aswell as instruments for evaluation. They have facilitatedcomprehension of definitions, attributes, accomplish-ments and generally, the nature of the gifted student. The

realization that the state, district, and oftentimes classroomrubrics and standardized tests do not adequately measure theteaching and learning derived from a differentiated curriculummade it necessary and logical to attempt to develop a moreappropriate tool; this tool needed to provide the “picture” of thegifted student’s intellectual development in relation to the specif-ic goals of a differentiated curriculum for gifted learners. TheEducation Committee of the California Association for theGifted (CAG) took on this task, and over time, the rubricevolved to its present form.

While educators often claim they do not need another form ofassessment, it is important to note that the CAG rubric is intend-ed to serve many needs related to the education of the gifted:

• assessment• differentiated curriculum development and authenticity• teacher efficacy and teaching evaluation• academic awareness and readiness• advocacy

ASSESSMENTThe rubric provides a delineation of descriptors related to

major areas of achievement: novice, conversant, expert. The dif-ferences between each category of achievement are defined bydegrees of sophistication in both skill mastery and the applicationof these skills with content at advanced levels of performance.The skills ranging from novice to conversant to expert are inter-dependent; a student cannot attain the level of expertise withoutat least a cursory knowledge of the skills that are classified in theless advanced areas. In this sense, the rubric presents a quasi

scope-and-sequence of indicators that can guide discussionsabout the developmental expectations held for gifted learnerseither within or across grade levels and subject matter areas.

The steps taken to design the rubric were determined by theneed to gain a consensus from many perspectives of individualsvested in the education of the gifted and the outcomes anticipat-ed for these students.

A collection of performance indicators inclusive of a range ofbasic to complex skills and their applications pertinent to boththe core and differentiated curriculum were selected.

The levels of proficiency for each of the indicators were decid-ed by educator representatives on the CAG Board of Directors,coordinators of school or district gifted programs, teacher educa-tors or individuals who provide university and/or county or dis-trict professional development, and parents. The tabulation of thefrequency distribution accorded each of the indicators ultimatelydictated their placement as novice, conversant, or expert.

Field-testing was conducted at various CAG-sponsoredevents such as teacher institutes and conference presentations toaccess and integrate the responses of participants regarding theconcept of the rubric, the indicators and their placement on therubric, and the potential uses of the rubric in alignment to itsmultiple purposes.

It is important to note that the rubric is a working docu-ment. It is possible that new indicators will be identified andadded to the categorical referents as the rubric is used morewidely within the state.

Assessment of gifted student performance is the primary endfor which the rubric was designed. Assessment can assume manydifferent forms beyond the discrete reporting of student accom-plishment at a specific level of performance. It is anticipated thatthe rubric can guide teacher–parent conferences, enabling parentsto gain a broad comprehension of the goals of the gifted program

Rubric for a Differentiated CurriculumA Multipurpose DocumentBy Sandra N. Kaplan

ILLUSTRATION BY KEN VINTON



and differentiated curriculum beyond their child’s current scoreon the rubric. These goals should represent an academic expecta-tion beyond the attainment of a given score.

Another use for the rubric is to provide gifted students withthe opportunity to define their own academic goals and thestrategies they believe are required to be learned and practiced inachieving these ends.

DIFFERENTIATED CURRICULUM AND AUTHENTICITY The plethora of curricula labeled as appropriate for gifted

students demonstrates the need to have criteria to judge whatis and what is not most appropriate for these students. Therubric provides a frame of reference against which curriculumunits and lessons can be measured to decide if they contain theelements that align with the indicators categorized at the“expert” level. Just as individuals read the labels on food com-modities to discern the ingredients and their match to healthneeds, teachers can use the rubric to discern the level at whichthe curricula they are selecting meets their gifted studentsintellectual needs.

Curriculum development as a formal task demands attentionto a model or procedure that directs the construction process andvalidates the inclusion of the skills, content, resources, and prod-uct areas of the curriculum to ensure that they are reflective of theCalifornia standards for Gifted And Talented Education (GATE)and the nationally held principles of differentiation for the gifted.

The CAG rubric provides the indicators that can be used asbenchmarks to assure that the elements of differentiation areincluded within the newly designed curriculum. As teachersdevelop their less formal daily curriculum in conjunction withtextbook activities, they can use the CAG rubric as a reference. Itallows them to add to or replace some of the prescribed learningexperiences with those that are more aligned with the needs,interests, and abilities of gifted learners.

TEACHER EFFICACY AND TEACHER EVALUATION The rubric has the potential to assist principals and adminis-

trators in their roles as evaluators of teaching performance.Teachers have expressed concern that evaluators do not under-stand the purpose and type of strategies used in the context of thelesson they observed, and subsequently they do not fairly or ade-quately assess what they see. The rubric could ameliorate thisproblem, and perhaps it could serve to inform the evaluator aboutdifferentiated curriculum and gifted education fundamental tothe assessment process.

Teachers also need to have affirmation for their teachingpractices. They need to be able to justify and gain confidence intheir role as curriculum developers and instructors. The rubriccan be used to affirm their selection and administration ofobjectives and strategies as appropriate for gifted learners. Theambiguity related to determining one’s own level of perform-ance can be resolved to some degree when using the CAG rubric

Rubric

NOVICE

Low (0-10)

• Specify the correct form of usage (1)• Use the skill/knowledge learned in

the context of the topics/area understudy (5)

• Describe or articulate the skill/knowl-edge (2)

• Exemplify or provide examples of theskill or content (7)

• Identify the meaning, use, purposeof what is learned (6)

• Identify the relationship of theskill/knowledge to the disciplines (8)

CONVERSANT

Average (11-20)

• Apply the skill or knowledge to a newarea of study (17)

• Relate the use or value of the skill orknowledge across the disciplines (15)

• Relate the skill/knowledge to the “con-temporary world” (13)

• Recognize how the skill/knowledge isrelated to other skills/knowledge (18)

• Prove with evidence the knowledgelearned (14)

• Trace the origin of the skill/knowledgelearned (11)

• Associate the skill/knowledge with itsuse in “classics” (13)

• Apply the skill or knowledge learned toa NEW concept (20)

EXPERT/PROFICIENT

High (21-30)

• State the relevance of what hasbeen learned for self, discipline, and society (26)

• Define criteria to judge and/or criticizethe use/application of the skill/knowl-edge (23)

• Define new creative, innovative ways to apply/use what was learned (25)

• Defend, debate, or argue a point of view about the use, etc. of theskill/knowledge (24)



as a resource to answer the proverbial question: am I providingthe “right” and best curriculum and instruction to meet theneeds of my gifted students?

ACADEMIC AWARENESS AND READINESSMany gifted students enter the gifted program and the accom-

panying differentiated curriculum with a naiveté about what toexpect in these experiences. They anticipate “fun” and are askedto engage in intellectual and challenging learning experiences.The rubric outlines the expected results to be gained from a gift-ed student’s participation in the gifted program. Indicators on therubric in essence represent a “programmatic promise” to the par-ticipants that certain specific outcomes will result from theirinvolvement in a differentiated curriculum and gifted program.

The fact that a number of gifted students “drop out” of theirgifted programs could be a consequence of their lack of under-standing of the intellectual responsibilities required of the pro-gram and its curriculum. The rubric could serve to introduce gift-ed students to the intellectual parameters of the differentiatedcurriculum and the expectations for arriving at “expertise” insome areas over time.

The literature related to gifted education continually address-es the need to develop these students as independent learners.Gifted students need to be introduced to the concepts of academ-ic rigor and the rubric could serve this purpose; it could be intro-duced, discussed, and demonstrated as a lesson that prefaces gift-ed students’ serious engagement in the tasks identified on therubric and that correspond to a differentiated curriculum. Itcould facilitate their awareness and acceptance of intellectualaccountability—that is, assuming responsibility for one’s ability.Confronting the expectations related to the curriculum is a firststep in assisting gifted students to develop the academic and emo-tional awareness of the active role they must assume in the learn-ing process.

ADVOCACYThe rubric serves as a document to validate a common con-

cept or definition of a differentiated curriculum. The lack ofclarity provided to the community regarding the dimensions ofa differentiated curriculum sometimes aggravates rather thanstimulates cohesive advocacy efforts. The rubric is one way tosolidify the perceptions of a group toward answering the follow-ing questions:

What are the elements of a differentiated curriculum?What are some of the indicators of student success in a differ-

entiated curriculum?The application of the CAG rubric in the classroom is depend-

ent on a particular set of practices:

• Indicators on the rubric must be integrated consistently withcontent or subject matter across the disciplines that addressacceleration, depth, complexity, and/or novelty.

• Indicators on the rubric must be taught with strategies thatemphasize the value of each indicator, the purpose for learningeach indicator, a demonstration of how to operationalize each

indicator, and how to use the indicator to meet school-basedand personal academic goals.

• Students must be aided to comprehend that progress andimprovement toward “expertise” are as valued as the actualarrival at the level of “expertise.”

• The indicators must be taught across all grade levels and togifted students who represent linguistic, economic, cultural,and academic diversity. Expectations for mastery can be mod-ified; however, the expectation for exposure and teaching to allgifted students regardless of their differences is mandatory.

The rubric was designed to be responsive to the needs, abil-ities, and interests of gifted students and is intended to be usedto direct and assess their performance; however, the rubric hasthe potential to be used with all students and could be the toolthat uncovers potential among students who are not yet recog-nized for their giftedness.

SANDRA N. KAPLAN, Ed.D., is a clinical professor at theUniversity of Southern California. She chairs the CAGEducation Committee and led the development of theCAG rubric. She is a past president of both the CaliforniaAssociation for the Gifted and the National Associationfor Gifted Children. She is in demand as an internationalconsultant and speaker.

Response to the CAG RubricThe CAG Rubric was featured at the 2007 CAG Fall Teacher Institute and was

presented to K–12 classroom teachers at the 2008 CAG Annual Conference. One

of the most interesting responses has been the multitude of applications brain-

stormed by the groups. Many see it as a tool to help increase the complexity of

lessons taught in classrooms to meet the needs and abilities of all learners. If

teachers believe that they are teaching most of the time at the novice level, they

now have a target to work toward in order to meet the needs of gifted and

advanced learners.

The rubric can also be adapted to evaluate student projects or work to

determine the level of expertise of products in all academic disciplines. Finding

evidence of judging with criteria or evidence of application to self, society, or

discipline may earn more credit to the scholarly work presented when evaluat-

ing student projects. This rubric could also serve as a tool to evaluate the

expertise and skills of a teacher of the gifted by using it as a continuum of skills

for differentiation.

Most teachers value the concept of placing thinking skills on a continuum of

complexity. The CAG Education Committee is currently in the process of developing

lessons and exemplars for each of these skills to be readily used in the classroom.

—Deborah Hazelton, CAG Education Committee



The Latino Art Program is proving that fine arts nurture the develop-ment of the whole child. It is an after-school program engaging youthat six Dakota County locations just south of Minneapolis and St. Paul,Minnesota. Now in its fourth year, it travels weekly to a library, a sen-

ior high school, a teen center, an Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE)site, a juvenile detention center, and an apartment complex. Depending on thesite, the 200 plus youth vary in ages 5 to 18 years old. There are lots of “pret-ty pictures” and other art projects, but their stories and evaluation studies showpositive impact on academic achievement, self-esteem building, developmentof leadership skills, and civic engagements. Most are very gifted in creativity,attentiveness, and social development, but perhaps have been unable to achievegood grades due to language and cultural roadblocks.

Meet Anais, age 18. She has been one of the most esteemed artists forthree years and has now graduated from the program. At “The Garage,” ateen center, Anais had been just hanging out with her friends. She becameexcited about art for the first time and began to create, to lead, and thento supervise. She designed a talavera tile and recruited a dozen other teensto help her make more tiles from her design. The tiles are now groutedpermanently into a doorway at the center. She chaired a task force to plana large 5-by-15 foot portable mural that depicts the diversity of youth atThe Garage. Her leadership facilitated a four-month drawing and paint-ing project that portrays the ethnicities of youth dancing across an arc.

Not Just a Pretty PictureThe Latino Art Program

By William Svendsgaard



The mural was entitled, “United—We Are All One.” Beingportable, it can be displayed at other locations to inspire otheryouth to build their cross-cultural communities.

Last fall, Anais was one of three youth to receive the MinnesotaAlliance with Youth “Red Wagon Award,” presented by MinnesotaGovernor Pawlenty. She also had a sculpture accepted into an artgallery at the Minneapolis Central Library for an art show highlight-ing teen issues of today. Her sculpture was created from pieces ofbroken pots and she included this statement with her exhibit:

Memories. I am a Latina. I am proud of my family and ourpast. I remember very hot days and living near the cactus.Now I miss it. Some days were very difficult but I have goodmemories. To break a flowerpot and give it a new form isexciting. It’s like my life. I love to create almost anything.

This art project was planned to serve as a metaphor for seeingthemselves anew in their world.

Meet Milton, age 16. He’s been in the South St. Paul HighSchool Latino Art Program for two years and can’t wait to return thisfall. He had never before been in an art program, nor involved inother school activities. His favorite art projects have been creating artglass vases, talavera tiles and sculptures. Milton took the lead fortwenty-four others at this site in presenting their art pieces and sto-ries to the District Cultural Diversity Committee and also to theSchool Board. In his improving English, he overwhelmed them.With his friend Brenda, they created a poster “Respect My Ride” fora campaign being conducted by Dakota County Public Health.Their poster and four posters created by others were used through-out Dakota County schools.

Last year, Milton was named one of twelve students from hisschool to receive the “Good Character Award” for the trimesterand had his picture in the hallway with the others. He continuesto create and in doing so, is improving his English, his confidenceand his grades.

Beth Wilson, an English as a Second Language teacher at hisschool serves as an advisor to the program and she states:

This Latino Diversity Art Program invites students to followtheir creative instincts in a low stress, sociable environment.Research has verified the positive correlation between afterschool programs and academic success. Students are benefit-ing in this program in myriad ways. They practice the disci-pline required to see projects through to completion byworking on them over multiple sessions. They demonstratethe commitment and time investment in an outside schoolactivity that is also needed to succeed in the classroom. Inthis program, the English Language Learners (ELL) takeadvantage of opportunities to practice their English in anauthentic setting. It has also been a potent motivator interms of school attendance; several students continuallyexpress how they dislike being absent on the days we meet,so attending this program is an incentive to be in school.Overall, the student artists have shown their enthusiasm for

their program by returning week after week with great atti-tudes and imaginative minds.

Meet Giovanneli, age nine. She has been creating for twoyears in the Latino Art Program hosted by an ECFE programcalled Building Bridges, located at Garlough Elementary School.She loves to draw and paint. Her mother says, “I didn’t knowGiovanneli was so good at something; you know, she has someproblems with reading and math.”

The Building Bridges Director, Carmen Pineda, shared this:

I have so many complements for this art program and I thinkthe main reason everybody wants to participate, including theparents, is because this art program has been a way of self-expression and self-discovery. The kids have found that theyhave a creative talent and this has built some self-esteem.Building Bridges is an ECFE site with a parenting component.We require parents to come with their children; however, wehad Jose, a nine-year-old whose parents came a few times andthen decided not to come anymore. This art program has beenso successful that Jose was going by himself, even though wedon’t accept kids by themselves. It took three classes [weeks]for me to figure out that he was sneaking on the bus and ask-ing other parents to take him as if he were their kid. This pro-gram has helped kids who have failed to respond to the tradi-tional educational services but feel successful with art.

Both Jose and Giovanneli are now creating environmental artposters for a Community POWER grant through this art program.They can continue the program during the summer since they livein an apartment complex where this art program is brought to themthrough “On the Move for Minnesota Families.” It’s coordinator,Suzanne Sheridan, is at the University of Minnesota Extension,Dakota County, and has collaborated and supported this Latino ArtProgram. She comments:

Student artists are led to reflect on their art creationsand the depth of these observations is breathtaking.Much is revealed about struggles with poverty, immigra-tion, loss of culture and self-esteem as well as futuredreams for college, a house, and a visit to the homeland.It is clearly making an impact on a particularly difficultgroup to engage—teenage boys.

Participants and partner organizations wanted the pro-gram to continue and were willing to help cover some of thecost. We have been creative in obtaining funding, and thathas also opened other opportunities. This past year, aCommunity Power waste management grant enabled theseart students to design social marketing campaigns on environ-mental issues in their communities.

(Note: Seven teenage boys from the juvenile detention center hadpaintings and sculptures accompanied by printed stories acceptedfor exhibit in the Minneapolis Public Library.)



DEVELOPMENT OF THE LATINO ART PROGRAMThe Latino Art Program serving Dakota County was devel-

oped during the 2005-2006 school year by collaboration of thecounty 4–H program, a youth organization originally establishedas a farm youth group but now serving urban youth as well, andAmeriCorps, administered by the Corporation for NationalCommunity Service. Mary Duncomb with the Dakota County4–H Program stated:

There existed a need and desire on the part of the DakotaCounty 4-H Program to focus on expanding youth develop-ment opportunities to new immigrant families in Burnsville.To address this situation, 4–H applied to AmeriCorps to hosta “Promise Fellow” to help.

I was hired as this Promise Fellow. The basic mission of theAmeriCorps’ Promise Fellow is to address the issue of the achieve-ment gap existing in many schools with students from low-incomefamilies and families of color. I created a Leadership Team of 12members representing interested schools,youth, a teen center, county government offi-cials, and the University of MinnesotaExtension. In addition, I attended numer-ous workshops conducted by Latino lead-ers throughout Dakota County to gainawareness of the strengths and needs ofLatino youth and families.

This collaboration of 4-H and theschools is a good fit in that it mergesformal education with non-formalexperiential learning. The schoolsand other youth-serving agencies wel-come the format of the Latino Art Program asan after-school activity, providing culturally sensitive,and non-threatening new art forms.

AmeriCorps already had in place the means of measuring studentacademic growth and civic engagement. Students are recruited bypromoting the program at Latino community events, churches, andschools. Displays of potential Latino art projects and colorful flyersin Spanish and English are also used. AmeriCorps’ purpose is torecruit Latino students to teach them cultural arts honoring theirhistory and values, and exposing them to other art forms. However,the program is open to any student so that cross-cultural experiencesbecome a focus of the group

AND THE KIDS CAME—AND MORE LATINO AND SOMALI LEADERSSUPPORTED IT

About 40 youth participated the first year. Last year, more than250 youth were involved in experimenting with learning new arttechniques. Six sites host the program. As the Promise Fellow, I trav-el to all sites once weekly and work with one-to-three staff or volun-teers to present two hours of art activities. The program is informaland non-graded; it is deeply embedded with positive reinforcementand encouragement. It engages each student in honoring self in

making personal art, to create projects as seen from within self andfrom within his or her culture. The students are comfortable andrespected for their ideas and are allowed to experiment and makemistakes and to celebrate successes. They see it as “their club.”Usually new students attend after being invited by a friend. Theytake ownership and help plan the art sessions. Any adults workingwith me are trained to offer a two-track program addressing theneeds of participants as both individual beings and as social beings.

EXPECTED OUTCOMESAs the youth become excited in experimenting with learning

new art techniques, they are learning new life skills. Their majorchallenges are in following through with an art project to itscompletion, respecting the personal ideas of others, developingskills in problem solving and decision making, and not beingintimidated by creative and critical thinking. For some, it is alsoa challenge to eliminate the use of gang signs and related repre-sentations. We expect the students to learn valuable skills theycan transfer toward future employment, improve their abilities

in reading and math, develop a creativeeye for respecting beauty, and con-tribute to building of their commu-nity. We also expect students toparticipate indefinitely so a longcommitment will enable the nurtur-ing of these expectations.

Currently, the average tenure of astudent is more than two years andmany are going into their fourthyear. At one location, students were

asked if they had their work displayedbefore; no one said yes. Roberto, 14 years old, had been told

that his artwork might make him “rich and famous.” Hereplied, “I’m already famous—well, with my friends—but youcan make me rich.”

MEASURING OUTCOMESBy agreement, school principals and other directors track grades

for students participating in the after-school Latino Art Program.They include only those in seventh, ninth, and eleventh grades, tocoincide with already existing testing and tracking of these students.Only students receiving D’s or F’s are reported. This is in compli-ance with AmeriCorps’s promise to help students falling into theachievement gap. Of fifty-one students participating in the LatinoArt Program with a combined 111 D’s or F’s, 34 of these gradesimproved to a C or better.

AmeriCorps provides another valuable measurement by surveyingstudent attitude toward civic engagement. From this survey, about90% of the participants chose to contribute their art abilities towarda community cause. Many created posters depicting the need to recy-cle or to improve practices of safeguarding our eco-systems. Some ofthese posters are being reproduced as handout flyers for distributionat libraries, government centers, and other public places. Manydesigned reusable cloth tote bags. Some constructed power-towersculptures depicting the need to protect our environment.


The civic engagement student survey demonstrated enlighten-ing results among the older teens. 100% of these teens indicatedthey strongly agreed with the statement: “because of being in thisprogram, I am more likely to help my community in the future.”They also strongly agreed that:“ this program was a good way tolearn about how youth can make a difference in their communi-ty.” 90% strongly agreed that: “In the next three years, I will helpwith at least one community project.” In all other categories, allresponses were in one of the agreement levels.

Another measure of success is in the increased funding provid-ed by host sites. There are numerous anecdotal comments fromparents, teachers, community leaders, and the kids themselves.Last year, 114 students had their art displayed in galleries, at com-munity events, in storefronts, in a teen center, and in school halldisplays. Teachers report that the student art experiences havemade a visible impact on science projects and on student abilityto read and speak English.

LATINO ART PROGRAM FUNDINGFor the first two years, AmeriCorps and Dakota County 4-H

paid an annual $12,000-$13,000 living allowance for me as aPromise Fellow. Dakota County Extension provided an additional$4000 to cover mileage and art supplies and office space. By thethird year, AmeriCorps’ support ended but an additional grantfrom “On the Move” provided a $9000 stipend for me and coveredart supplies and mileage not picked up by the host sites. Currently,a year’s operation of the Latino Art Program is approximately$13,500, funded collaboratively by six participating agencies.

One young teen from the juvenile detention center created anacrylic painting and made this comment about his experience:

I felt like crap. My day was going crappy. I just scribbled withmy brush ‘cause I didn’t care. I put the dark shapes in tochange it up. I hate most things but I like art.

His project was later accepted at an art gallery in the MinneapolisPublic Library. Julie Angeles, Supervisor at the detention site, stated:

We have seen an increase in confidence, self-esteem, and will-ingness in these boys to go outside their comfort zone. Thesebenefits certainly carry over into other areas of their lives, andlay groundwork for the positive, long-term changes theseyoung men need to make.

Years ago I read an anonymous adage, “Children learn what theyplease and learn best what pleases them most.” This saying is a sig-nificant component of the Latino Art Program. It allows youngartists to learn valuable life skills as they enjoy and become pleasedwith the art they create. The students are encouraged to developtheir own exploration and social atmosphere. It is their programand they can be as clever and creative and social as desired. Whenthey “own” the program, they keep coming and producing andgrowing. There are some trashing of projects and starting over butthey become engaged without a feeling of failure. Many studentswho have previously struggled to achieve academically are nowimproving their grades. Also many of these students are gifted andtalented and seek the opportunity to be creative and critical thinkers.How exciting it is to hear parents say, “We didn’t know our daugh-ter or son had all these ideas and could make these things.” Theycan’t stop talking about this program. They are so happy.

BILL SVENDSGAARD is Professor Emeritus from theUniversity of Minnesota Extension, and currently the artteacher for the Shakopee Woman’s Prison as well as thecreator and instructor for the Latino Art Program in DakotaCounty, Minnesota. He received the USDA Superior ServiceAward in Washington, D.C. for creative leadership and col-laborative work with disadvantaged youth in HennepinCounty, Minnesota; his professional artistic media include:batik, clay sculpture, and watercolor.

Latino Art Program GoalsThe most important goals of the program are to:

• develop student visions and dreams with the art materials provided

• permit experimentation without fear of failure

• encourage development of group art projects

• build new relationships

• use creativity to provide public services

• provide opportunities to display creative works in public spaces

• encourage and support aspiring young artists

• facilitate the transfer of art skills to other academic areas in school

• celebrate personal successes with each student

• connect with different communities to accept the student contributions to those

communities

Currently, the visual art projects that are requested over and over are talavera

tiles, glass art vases, batik, broken terra cotta pot sculpture, acrylic painting, plas-

ter cloth sculpture, and environmental poster making.

Latino Art Project Success Factors• The project is well researched within the Latino community to determine par-

ent interest in a program for their children.

• All members of the leadership team collaborate to shape and improve the

program.

• The program provides non-threatening yet challenging art experiences that

encourages all students to take ownership of their own innate creativity.

• Individual artists always have choices in selecting their projects. (No two art

projects have ever looked alike).

• Students are linked to opportunities to publicly display their art or make public

presentations telling their stories.

• Community projects are provided as an opportunity for students to embed their

art experiences in another cause or integrate them into science and language

art classes.

• The program is a positive after-school activity and frequently serves as an

alternative to the streets or to being alone.

• The youth artists are valued first—then their art.




Many Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) teachers arefrustrated with time constraints and have difficultyattending to the California Academic ContentStandards while getting students ready for a recital,

concert, performance, or art show. The journal project began as ajourney with Attilio Tribuzi, Instrumental Music Director for SanMateo High School in San Mateo, California. He wanted toaddress the standards at a theoretical level and still be ready for thescheduled concerts. In response to these goals, we created a seriesof five-minute journal tasks that, collectively, lead to deep under-standing of complex ideas. Our journal has evolved into a tool thatpromotes reflective, autonomous learning, and enables self-actual-ized artists who think analytically, creatively, and critically.

DESCRIPTION OF THE JOURNALJournals have long been a tool for promoting literacy and flu-

ency in writing. Leonardo da Vinci’s notebooks show themetacognitive processes that reflect his genius. Similarly, as stu-dents investigate concepts and record their thoughts, studentsmake connections that promote literacy and intelligence in thearts. The journal is a place to explore ideas.

The California Academic Content Standards for all Visual andPerforming Arts are organized in five strands:

Artistic Perception: students perceive and respond, using theelements of the field of study.

Creative Expression: students apply principles, processes, andskills to create and communicate meaning.

Historical and Cultural Context: students analyze the func-tion and development of an artistic idea in past and present cul-tures throughout the world, noting human diversity as it relatesto their particular topic.

Aesthetic Valuing: students critically assess and derive mean-ing from artistic works or performance and according to specificelements and aesthetic qualities.

Connections, Relationships, and Applications: studentsapply what they learn in the visual or performing arts to learningacross subject areas. They develop competencies and creative skillsin problem solving, communication, and management of timeand resources that contribute to lifelong learning and career skills.They also learn about careers in and related to the arts.

For each standard, prompts encourage students to analyze a par-ticular work, anthology, or genre that is related to the repertoire, lit-erature, or collection under study in class. Students are asked toconsider the language of their discipline, details, patterns andtrends, perspectives, and overarching ideas in response to open-ended questions that serve as the focus for conversation in class.

For example, in a journal for an elementary classroom, stu-dents might be prompted to listen to three or four songs and thendecide which music might be the theme song for a character intheir favorite book. They might be asked to look at a painting andexplain its compositional and communicative qualities (or, at thekindergarten level, what we like and don’t like about a painting).Any of the prompts can be extended or simplified to meet theneeds of the learners.

Journaling into UnderstandingMeeting Arts Standards Using JournalsBy Delia Nerez-Ragadio and Beth Littrell



Examples from a High School Music JournalThese prompts may be modified to use in dance, theatre, or visual arts classes, based on

the standards for each of those disciplines.

Reflection and Self-evaluationStudents are encouraged to reflect on their performance throughout the process and

then to self-assess their progress to make goals for future practice. Periodically, they are

asked to write about their progress or to select one or two prompts to be evaluated by the

teacher. When I used this kind of journal in my elementary classroom, each student was

given a sticky note to use as a flag so that I could go immediately to the entry she wanted

me to evaluate. On that flag, the student wrote two to four pieces of evidence (reasons) that

explained how the selected prompt showed progress as a student and as a musician. Two

possible formats for the reflective process are given here:

Reflection on my progress

Other entries could ask for specific evaluation of sight-reading, vocal or instrumental

skills, or quality of practice. Rubrics developed and used in the San Mateo Union High

School District are available in the full version of the journal, available online at

www.cagifted.org; click on Resources.

Middle and High School journals are much more specific to aparticular field of study. They are simply a collection of open-ended prompts that facilitate an academic leap into the theorybehind a particular artistic expression. As students analyze andevaluate the theoretical underpinnings of artistic work they arestudying in class, their own performance is enhanced. Self-evalu-ation is integral to the entire process.

JOURNALS AS AN ANCHORING ACTIVITYCarol Ann Tomlinson in The Differentiated Classroom:

Responding to the Needs of All Learners (1999) discusses anchoringactivities as those tasks that are done in the first 5–10 minutes ofthe class period to focus learners on the activities of the day.

Journaling activities can focus attention to important details oroverarching ideas within an individual work, collection of works ofa time period, artist, or genre. This can be done as students enter

the classroom, as you are working with a small group of students,or during a formative assessment task when students are asked toanalyze and evaluate their own performance and the performanceof their peers. Some teachers use the journal daily, others once aweek; others use it periodically. Greater success is reported whenthe journal is used as a springboard to learning, an opportunity toboth ask and contemplate the answers to questions. Both studentsand teachers have become frustrated when the journal becomes aperpetual research project to be done at home.

Flexible grouping is another strategy discussed by Carol AnnTomlinson and other authors in the field of differentiation andgifted and talented education. Some activities should be designedfor quiet individual work. Others should be offered as a choice:“Work on this by yourself, with a partner, or in a group of three.”

At the end of two-to-five minutes of quiet time to processthoughts in the journal, three or four students are offered the

Melody• Pitch• Duration• Cadence• Modulation• Dynamics• TimbrePitch• Note• Scales

• Diatonic, Pentatonic,Chromatic

• Major, Harmonic Minor,Melodic Minor, NaturalMinor

• Octave• Interval

• Modes• Intonation• Tonality• Key• ModulationRhythm

• Meter• Tempo• Measures (bars)• Time Signature• Beats• Accent• Syncopation• Polymeter, Polyrhythm

Harmony• Interval• Chord, Chord Progression• Tertian• Consonance, Dissonance

Dynamics• Pianissimo• Fortissimo• Staccato• Legato• Velocity

Texture and Timbre• Monophony• Heterophony• Polyphony• Homophony• Monody

Form or structure• Musical syntax• Phrases• Periods• Sections• Genre• Fugue• Invention• Sonata-allegro• Canon• Strophic form• Theme and Variations• Rondo• Twelve bar blues

What I am doing very well:

Evidence of my success in this area:

Steps I took to make progress in this area:

My goals:

Flag one prompt to submit for evaluation, and

explain how that prompt shows your progress

as a student and as a musician.

•

•

•

•

Vocabulary

NOTE: Ideas for introducing vocabulary are included in the fullversion of the journal, available at www.cagifted.org



opportunity to share their thoughts. Students might sharewith each other in a two-minute discussion using the“write–pair–share” strategy. The teacher might use a strategydiscussed by Kate Kinsella: walk around and check on studentsas they share in partners and then invite two or three studentsto share their response with the entire group. This promotesequity and ensures that students will be prepared when theyare given the opportunity to respond. The teacher might alsocall on students randomly or allow an open-ended conversa-tion. Misconceptions can be quickly clarified, and then theclass is focused and formal instruction can begin. With prac-tice, the entire process can take as little as ten minutes.

ACCOUNTABILITY (GRADING)There are several strategies for accountability. A student assis-

tant or member of the class (on a rotating basis so that everyonehas a chance to process information) could walk around with a

class roster, putting a check (P) if the student is writing somethingrelated to the prompt.

Near the end of the grading period, students could be givenself-stick notepapers to mark the pages they want to have evaluat-ed. On their notes, students write the criteria they used in choos-ing this as the piece they want evaluated. An alternative might beto provide, on the cover sheet for that section, a self-evaluationwith teacher-generated rubrics. The teacher then simply reads theone prompt the student wants to share.

The teacher could also use the journal as a participationgrade, immediately recording the responses as students sharethem orally. In Beth’s elementary class, students were expected toshare two responses each week; it was feasible because her class-es usually contained 28–30 students instead of 50–120. Perhapsa more realistic goal for secondary teachers is to have studentsrespond orally once a week, once a month, or two-to-three timesin a semester.

Exploring TheorySome prompts are opportunities for students to show proficiency on

standards or to stretch themselves beyond proficiency. For example, in

response to standard 1.1 Read a full instrument or vocal score and describe

how the elements of music are used, the following prompt is given

Using the language of music, explain how musical elements are used

in this piece.

Form:

Harmony and Melody:

Rhythm:

Dynamics:

Timbre and Texture:

Extension: What overarching statement describes the “big idea” of this

music? Tell how this music is distinguished from other genres, other pieces.

Composing, Arranging, and ImprovisingThe journal is also a place for students to record the music that they

compose or arrange. Pages that have musical staffs are included:

After students have created or arranged music, the journal also provides

challenges that integrate all VAPA standards, extending far beyond standard

expectation:

Extension: Discuss the attributes (characteristics) of your work. Tell

how the musical trends from a genre, style, or culture influenced your com-

position. Tell how it is structured. Describe your work from the perspective

of a musical critic or from the perspective of an artist from a different

genre, style, or culture.

Analyzing and Describing MusicStandards 1.4 and 1.5 ask students to describe significant musical events and elements perceived and remembered in a given aural example or musical work

that make the given work unique, interesting, and expressive. In this area, the journal gives students choices to explore, with blank lines for that exploration.

It is important to note that the teacher should use the music they are playing in class and may introduce new music if time allows.



The journal could also be an ungraded part of the curricu-lum that is intended to spark curiosity and open the possibili-ties. Grading issues should not interfere with the opportunityto discover, analyze, and engage in reflective learning. We real-ize that the prompts in our high school music journal are diffi-cult and that many graduate students would not be able toanswer them easily, but we did not anticipate pages and pagesof response; nor did we expect a prescribed answer. We findthat by the end of the first quarter, student answers demon-strate significant growth in both theory and practice.Giftedness emerges in engaging environments that encourageproblem solving, critical thinking, and other activities thatmake subject matter meaningful.

As you encourage students to create a journal of their dis-coveries in the Visual and Performing Arts, create the docu-ment that will best serve your student population. If you wouldlike a copy of the high school music journal we created, please

go to the CAG website at: cagifted.org andclick on Resources.

DELIA NEREZ-RAGADIO is a dentist by profession. Mother offour sons, she is passionate about the arts and education,and co-founded the Foundation for Fine and PerformingArts in the San Mateo Union High School District with JanEsaki and Sue Friedman. She accompanies musicals for thehigh school and community theatre. Currently, she servesas President of the Foundation.

BETH LITTRELL, M.Ed. is a BTSA Advisor and ResourceSpecialist for GATE in the San Mateo-Foster City SchoolDistrict in California. She has worked with gifted stu-dents and their teachers for twenty-four years. Sheserves on the publications committee for the CaliforniaAssociation for the Gifted as well as a ParentRepresentative for the Bay Area.

Analyzing and Describing Music (continued)Using the language of music, describe the piece your director has assigned by talking about at least three of the following elements: melody, harmony,

rhythm, tempo, texture, dynamics, timbre, form, aesthetics.

Extension: You may answer one of these questions instead of the more basic one, but be sure to include and extend the ideas from the prompt.

• How does this composer apply the rules or structures of the genre to this piece of music?

• What historical and cultural factors contributed to the composition of this piece and how did this piece contribute to subsequent pieces within and beyond this

genre? Explain how this music impacted history or how it was impacted by historical or cultural factors.

• If this piece of music was being composed today, how would it be different (or explain how this piece would have been different if it were composed in a cultural

or historical period other than the one where it was composed).

• Discuss this work from the perspective of two other disciplines (perhaps a sociologist, an artist, a dancer, a politician, a military leader, a philosopher, a mathe-

matician, or ______________).

Composer: _______________________________________________________________________ Title: ______________________________________________________________________________

Genre: ___________________________________________________________________________ Culture: ___________________________________________________________________________

Response to prompt would be written on these lines (note that the journal can have as many lines as you would like to give).

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Another standard asks students to identify uses of musical elements in nontraditional music (e.g. atonal, twelve-tone, or serial). The prompts for this stan-

dard ask students to identify the structure of each kind of music and the factors that influenced the music. Students then complete a chart that analyzes sim-

ilarities and differences in style:

These are a few of the prompts that show how student journals might be used to explore complex ideas in any discipline of the Visual and Performing

Arts. The complete journal is available on the CAG website: www.cagifted.org; click on Resources.

SIMILARITIES

Atonal Music

DIFFERENCES

Twelve-tone Serial



The arts are fundamental resourcesthrough which the world is viewed, mean-ing is created, and the mind developed.

—Elliot W. Eisner

Such pretty words! Even if it isn’tfactual, it feels like all the wordsabout the arts are pretty words,and all the words about basic

skills are emphatic, rugged words. Beautyand music and sound and colors anddrama versus academics and practice andrepetition and thinking and discipline.Uh oh, it looks like I’ve mixed them upbecause practice and repetition and think-ing and discipline are part of the arts, too,aren’t they!

Silly argument. Old argument. Out-of-date argument. Yet it is still today’sargument due to No Child Left Behind,the program that is either totally wrongor totally misinterpreted. Either way,today’s gifted children are enrolled ingifted programs that are bereft of music,art, theater, and related subjects. Manyof our gifted children are experiencingbasic reading programs that teach skillsmany of our gifted children havealready mastered. And the time spent inproscribed instruction leaves little timefor the arts.

Now the old argument that basic skillswere neglected even before NCLB is avalid argument because they were. Thatoccurred in the history of gifted educationbecause people assumed that our giftedchildren automatically learned the basics.People also feared that we would bore ourgifted children with drill. And that, too,was true. It was true in the same waytoday’s politics are foolishly divided to theextremes instead of a balance.

So why is it that we can’t drill and kill ina creative way? Part of the answer is thatbasics are humdrum and are not toleratedeasily by today’s gifted children who areused to Internet pizzazz. Part of the reasonis that we have not brokered a marriagebetween the arts and the basics that is con-stant and daily practiced. And above all,part of the reason is that many of today’steachers come to our profession withouttheir own background in music or the arts.And why should they? Years ago, educatorsthemselves, as children, studied music,played instruments, took painting les-sons— had leisure time for homemade the-atrical endeavors. ’Twas another age. Weneed to re-enter that age to recapture whatour children need in a dual passion: thearts as motivation for the basics, not thebasics first and then art or music as a treat.

We are now entering a new politicalera where No Child Left Behind may beleft behind. We have a new politicalopportunity to demand what we know tobe best for gifted children—what profes-sional educators know to be true, not whatpoliticians who are searching for votesthink is true. But to be professionals, wemust make an academic case for the artsand show how they can blend into purescholarship and make scholarship shinewith the sound of music or painted with arainbow of colors!

The “back-to-basics” curriculum, whileit has merit, ignores the most urgent void inour present system—absence of self-disci-pline. The arts, inspiring—indeed requir-ing self-discipline—may be more basic toour national survival than the traditionalcredit courses.

—Paul Harvey

ELAINE S. WIENER is AssociateEditor for Book Reviews forthe Gifted Education Comm-unicator. She is retired fromthe Garden Grove UnifiedSchool District GATE program.She can be reached at:[email protected].

C A R P E D I E MBy Elaine S. Wiener

The Basics Versus the Arts

Must It Be Versus?



H A N D S - O N C U R R I C U L U MBy Ann MacDonald and Jim Riley

When you listen to a piece of music, your brain is abuzz withintense neural activity…just as we naturally take to language…somust music be part of the very structure of the human brain.

—Colin McGinn, in a review of Musicophilia: Tales of Musicand the Brain.

Indeed, the electronics of today have made music a lubricantof life. This lesson taps into the production of musicalsounds, exploring the history and complexity of instrumentsthrough student research and presentations. Individual stu-

dents or partners will choose an instrument to present, as eachclass member organizes the reported information in a personalnotebook of musical instruments. We provide a wide-rangingsupportive framework encompassing the beauty of the sound, aswell as the nitty-gritty of the instrument—including mainte-nance, cost, and the physics involved.

WHY DO IT? Music is an important element of a child’s education, and most dis-

tricts have curriculum standards for music; but how do you provideappropriate intensity for gifted and talented students? Lessons need to

• create an awareness of music through historical and culturalperspectives,

• add depth of knowledge that develops an appreciation forthe intricacies of music, and

• enhance research, note taking, organization, and presenta-tion skills.“Making music and exploring movement is for everyone,”

says Erika Alexia Tsoukanelis in the Utne Reader. “…it’s aboutexpression, celebration, growth, fun, emotional honesty, andcommunity.” And health? The 11 musicians of the ViennaVegetable Orchestra, on their international tours, as reported inthe March 2008 issue of Discover, play music exclusively onvegetables: leek violins, pepper trumpets, eggplant clappers,cucumberphones—blowing into carrot tubes, strumming apumpkin harp, and snapping celery stalks.” And then servingsoup with the remaining vegetables.

GETTING STARTEDA musical puzzle is a way to initiate interest in the study of

musical sounds. Tell the class you are going to play back someshort samples of music, and ask them to identify the instrument.

Musical InstrumentsReaching for the High Note



4 4 G I F T E D E D U C A T I O N C O M M U N I C A T O R S P R I N G 2 0 0 8

Challenge them with a variety of sounds, such as the oboe fromTchaikovsky’s Peter and the Wolf, the celesta from the “Sugar PlumFairy” in the “Nutcracker,” the instrumental question andresponse from Weber’s “Invitation to the Dance,” or Ravi Shankaron the sitar (ravishankar.org/). A lesson from the Santa BarbaraSymphony illustrates telling a story without words, using Peterand the Wolf, and then challenges the class to predict what instru-ments could be used in telling a new story (thesymphony.org/Family_SBSymphony.html).

Other examples for this musical puzzle can be found on anyCD that introduces the sounds of the orchestra, accessed oniTunes, or found on the Internet. Some students may even havetheir own favorite sample to challenge the class.

Discuss with the class which musical instruments have leftmemorable impressions—the trumpet call of morning reveille atcamp, the calliope’s magical spell at the merry-go-round, theglockenspiel announcing the ice cream truck, the drum roll of thenational anthem at a ball game, mariachi guitars and violins atdinner, bagpipes in a parade. Continue the discussion by askinghow many of them play an instrument. Encourage students todiscuss why they chose a certain instrument and what playing ithas meant to them.

DEFINING THE TASKIntroduce the topic of individual reports to broaden and deep-

en student knowledge about an individual instrument. This willresult in an oral report by each student while class members com-pile a personal record of the data in individual notebooks.

Goals and standards may need to be adjusted according to theneeds of the class, as well as time and resources available, but theuniversal skills involved in the project—research, note taking,organization, oral presentation, time management—justify theallocation. Think through the use of this assignment guide oninstruments in making your specific plans. You will want to:

• organize the selection of instruments and plan for duplicate choices,

• set up a rubric for the report and individual notebook,• lay out a timeline that includes research, reports, as well as

intermediate checks of notebook progress,• provide needed lessons in organization, note-taking, and

presentation skills, and• tap into available community resources.

It’s surprising how much can be known about an instru-ment. Generate a class list about the qualities and character-istics that bring to light the complexity of an instrument—theselection, development, sound production, and historicalbackground—using the general categories below. The scope ofthe challenge is large; some details may not be available foreach instrument.

Musician’s Choice of an Instrument• cost range• maintenance requirements

• difficulties in learning• physical limitations• availability of a teacher and venue

How Sound is Produced• parts of the instrument• physics of the core sound• tuning—gross and fine• producing special effects

Composing for the Instrument• principal or support • how many notes played at once• range compared with other instruments• unconventional sounds• famous teachers, composers, and pieces

Historical Development• period introduced and size/composition of the orchestra• changes gone through• how and where manufactured • examples of music and venues where it fits • famous musicians who have played it

Many sources of information are available. Using the maintopics listed above, we have included appropriate Internetresources with annotations to help you choose support foryour lesson. You will note that some will provide backgroundinformation and a jumping off spot for introducing that partof the lesson.

For reporting on a musician’s choice of an instrument, advicecan be sought from an instrumental music instructor who canadjudicate between a potential player’s desires vs. dental braces,arm length, among other situations. The following site also pro-vides many helpful details:

www.musicianscoupons.com/info/instruments/child-musical-instrument.html For reporting on the production of sound, consideration can

be given to different mutes or uses of a bow, for example. Lessonson the physics of sound can be found at:

http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/hframe.htmlyale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/2003/4/03.04.04.x.htmlhttp//openlearn.open.ac.uk/mod/resource/view.php?id=289465http://cnx.org/content/m11060/latest/For reporting on how to compose for the instrument, con-

sider whether the instrument can be a principal voice or aharmonic/ rhythmic support. Look for composers who fea-tured the instrument. A source for this information can befound at:

http://cnx.org/content/m12746/latest/For reporting on historical development and to connect the

changes in the instrumental sound—for example, when valveswere invented that transformed the bugle into a trumpet:



http://library.thinkquest.org/15413/instruments/instruments.htmhttp://library.thinkquest.org/11315/instrum.htm sbgmusic.com/html/teacher/reference/instrum.htmlsi.edu/Encyclopedia_SI/History_and_Culture/Music_History.htmvirtualmuseum.ca/Exhibitions/Instruments/Anglais/classement_en.htmlA natural culmination for this project would be to arrange for

a live performance by an orchestra and/or discussion with someof its members. Since resources vary, explore the school outreachprograms of the local symphony, special student-oriented pro-grams and performances in the community, including the localhigh school orchestra.

ACTIVITIES TO INTERSPERSE THROUGHOUT THE PROJECTAs students are preparing the instrumental presentations, you

might want an activity to alter the rhythm and bring the grouptogether intermittently with one of the exercises below.

Points to Ponder. What agonies do people go through whenan instrument is being practiced? Where does a potential musi-cian go to make the squeaks and squawks of learning? Ask yourstudents to add their comments to these reactions:

No one should be allowed to play a saxophone until he knows how.—E. Esar

No matter how well you play the bagpipes, it always sounds as ifyou were practicing.

—E. Esar

It’s easy to play any musical instrument: all you have to do is touchthe right key at the right time, and the instrument will play by itself.

—J. S. Bach

Is there a sound that brings to mind a particular culture? Whatwould you say about an instrument that might be representativeof a group of people? Here is a reaction to get you started:

The only music typically American is that made by the mockingbird, the saxophone, and the cash register.

—E. Esar

Family Matters. Lineage is important in tracing the family treeto make sure you get all the wayward relations. This is no less truefor inclusion in instrumental families. And as it is with relatives, noteveryone sees eye to eye. The first classification system for musicalinstruments took into consideration only one era and one civiliza-tion. Methods of classification have undergone many changes sincethen. A brief history can be found on the website: virtualmuse-um.ca/Exhibitions/Instruments/Anglais/classement_en.html.

Phone Listing. For an activity on delineating sound produc-tion, compare the following dictionary definitions with the mod-ern day orchestra classifications—string, woodwind, brass, and

percussion. Which instruments caused the need for the following“phone” listing?

Aerophone: A musical instrument (a trumpet or flute) inwhich sound is generated by a vibrating column or eddy of air;wind instrument.

Chordophone: A member of the class of musical instrumenthaving strings and including for classifying purposes the zithers,lutes, lyres, and harps.

Idiophone: A musical instrument (as a bell, gong, rattle) thesource of whose sound is the vibration of its elastic constituentmaterial unmodified by any special tension (as in a drum).

Membranophone: A musical instrument (as a drum or kazoo)having a tightly stretched membrane as a vibrator or resonatorand made to vibrate by percussion or friction.

(Webster’s 3rd New International Dictionary, http://library.thinkquest.org/11315/instrum.htm and virtualmuse-um.ca/Exhibitions/Instruments/Anglais/classement_en.html.

The sounds of you. Many musicians and various ethnicgroups have employed as instruments the sounds made with bodypercussion and vocal utterances, such as chest beating, thigh slap-ping, hand pounding, finger snapping, oral clicking, whistling,moaning and rolling r’s.

Choose a basic rhythm of 3 or 4 beats to the measure. Leadthe class in clapping out a basic rhythm so that everyone hearsthe foundation. Illustrate or have class members demonstratesome ways to create body percussion. Divide the class into fouror five groups and give them a short amount of time to choose asound and practice a rhythmic pattern to go with the basic beat.

Let each group demonstrate its sound while the teacher or aclass member provides the basic beat by clapping or tapping on adesk. Continue in this manner until each group has had a turn.Then play the finale by beginning with the basic beat and addingthe groups one at a time. If you make it this far, try orchestratinga short piece that builds to a climax.

After this performance, you might agree with one ofStravinsky’s unnamed critics:

Who wrote this fiendish Rite of Spring?What right had he to write the thing, Against our helpless ears to fling Its crash, clash, cling, clang, bing, bang, bing?

ANN MacDONALD and JIM RILEY are the editors of the Hands-on Curriculum departmentof the Gifted Education Communicator. They taught in the San Diego City School’sSeminar program for the highly gifted.



The arts drive and are driven by technology. Visual andperforming arts provide aesthetic impetus for techno-logical advances that allow us to both create and shareideas. Technology provides the tools that enhance the

performance of both amateur and professional musicians, cre-ates new canvases for graphic artists, and preserves the momentof live performance on silicon chips.

The arts were not my gift, and I can vividly remember feelinglike a failure during piano lessons or any time my teachers pulledout the paints to announce it was time for art. I developed a pho-bia about art and was determined not to pass that same fear onto my students. I recognized that as a parent and teacher of musi-cally gifted children, I had to find a way to nurture somethingthat was beyond my experience. I also knew that I had to teachmy students how to present themselves on stage; the greatesttragedy of all would be for one of those gifted fourth or fifthgraders to come up with the solution to a global problem, butlack the communication skills and stage presence requisite toshare their ideas with the world. Teachers of gifted studentsencourage responsible risks in an attempt to move beyond per-fectionism. I realized that I had to take that same risk, and I wasgrateful for the technological resources that helped me accom-plish my goal. This article is for the musically and theatricallyilliterate. It will tell you how technological resources can helpyou bring music and theatre to your classroom.

In a time of diminished resources, technology makes it pos-sible for educators, regardless of background in the visual andperforming arts, to provide opportunities in all artistic disci-plines for students. Elementary musical productions integratemusic, theatre, and core academic content on a wide selection of

topics and themes. These musicals come with annotated scriptsand lesson plans, Compact Disk recordings with both practiceand performance music, and rights for the live performance.The practice CD is an accompanied vocal recording that helpsstudents learn the words and music. Performance recordingshave instrumental music accompaniment without the vocals forthe live performance. Sources for these musicals include BadWolf Press: badwolfpress.com, JW Pepper: jwpepper.com,Stage Pass: stagepass.com and others that can easily be found inan Internet search.

The first step in producing one of these musicals is to decideon a topic that matches the curriculum, interest, and talent ofyour students. When I was in the classroom, I had fourth andfifth graders who stayed with me for two years. In that two-yearcycle we generally did one play around a social studies theme andanother focused on culture, arts, or literature. The tradition beganin 1991, my first year in California. I came from a state that man-dated gifted education and resources for that population wereabundant. When I arrived in California, I was surprised at thelevel of my students and used every strategy in my repertoire tocompact, accelerate, and infuse depth and complexity so thatthese students could master grade-level texts and begin to explorethe ideas that seemed appropriate for a special-day class of giftedlearners. By December, I was sure that mastery of grade-specificcontent was in place and called the director at the district officeto find out where my supplemental materials were. I was aghastwhen I learned that the textbooks in the room were my suppliesand that they were intended to last the entire year.

And so, in desperation, I decided to produce a musical withmy students. I had seen the process many times. In my former

T E C H N O L O G Y I N T H E C L A S S R O O MBy Beth Littrell

Technology to the Rescue Help for the Musicallyand Theatrically Illiterate



district, students had a credentialed music teacher who workedwith the physical education staff to teach the music and chore-ography to students and everyone participated in these plays.The year before we moved, the play was Let George Do It, amusical recounting of the life of George Washington. I told mystudents we would be putting on a musical, and the next day,Joshua walked up to me and said, “My mother said she wouldhelp you with the play.”

During the first ten years of teaching, I felt indomitable; Icould do almost anything without assistance. In my mind I resis-ted this generous offer, but knew that it would be a politicalnightmare to say, “NO!” And so began a thirteen-year collabora-tion with the person who would eventually be my dearest friend.

I ordered the play and it came with a vinyl 33 LP, studentscripts, and a director’s score. On one side of that record was theentire play (including dialogue between the songs) that studentsused to learn the music. Because the “cutting edge” technologyof the day was cassette tape, I rigged our various stereo compo-nents to dub a cassette tape of that old scratched record. The stu-dents listened to the songs on the tape and then sang along.When they had learned the words, we moved on.

The flip side of the record had an instrumental score of themusic without words. That first year, I brought the family“boom box,” started and stopped the cassette tape, and hadsoloists come to a single microphone on our elementary schoolstage. One of the families had a video recorder, so we were ableto watch ourselves after the production.

But music was only one part of the play. I wanted my studentsto add some choreography to the music. Since that was not my tal-ent, I planned to show them the video of my former class so thatthey could see and copy the moves that were directed by a profes-sional. As it turned out, I didn’t have to use that. Delia, the parentwho volunteered to help, took over the direction of the musicaland wrote and taught all the dance steps. Had she not been so will-ing and talented, I could have modified dances from the play onthe tape or from musicals that are produced in Hollywood. Giftedstudents in class often had their own ideas and taught others byvideo taping the movement of their feet while calling the stepsorally on the film. Students watched and copied their peers, andanyone who wanted a little privacy as they were learning some-thing new could take the tape home to practice.

As technology progressed, these musicals became easier and eas-ier to produce. Now, the full score is on CD or DVD, and studentscan listen to pristine sound as they learn the words and the musicto the songs. Accompaniment music comes on a separate CD, andsome musicals come with a DVD for choreography ideas.

Recording devices, too, have come a long way. Students canvideotape their practice and then watch it for self-evaluation.Seeing themselves on tape gives immediate and specific feed-back that is far more powerful than the evaluative comment ofa director or teacher. Occasionally, I would invite strugglingstudents to stay for private viewing of their performances.When they could see themselves alongside students who hadmastered the movements, we could find a strategy to make the

change. When students felt satisfied with their performance, Ioften let them go on stage a little out-of-sync with the rest ofthe group; not everyone’s gift was movement, but this was nota play by audition, and it was far more important to me to fos-ter self-confidence than to have perfection. In the end, eachstudent did his or her personal best, and all parents in the audi-ence believed that their child was the star of the show.

In my final year in the classroom, two dear friends, AttilioTribuzi (music) and Delia Nerez-Ragadio (lyrics) wrote originalsongs for my class to perform. The play was about transi-tions—moving on to new adventures while cherishing the past.The music was superb, but there was no accompaniment CD,and even after thirteen years, I did not have the musical abilityto teach the students the songs. Once again, I relied on tech-nology to do what I could not do. Delia, a dentist by profes-sion, but a musician in spirit, played the songs on the piano,and we recorded them for the students to use in practice. Tilsang the songs onto cassette, and we played those for the stu-dents to learn both the music and the words.

These homemade tapes were not the quality that can now beproduced with 24-bit digital recording devices that have built-inhigh-grade stereo condenser microphones that render pristinesound. I have seen the Roland R09 Wave/MP3 used effectivelyin our program of support for beginning teachers (BTSA). Forexample, in middle school music classes and with the immediatefeedback from this portable recording device, students had thechance to develop specific criteria for making informed criticalevaluations of the quality and effectiveness of their performanc-es. If your technological budget can afford this kind of instru-ment, there are many ways it can enhance education. But evenancient, affordable technological tools can benefit students.

In 1993, a student asked me how a person with a voice likemine was able to coach students to a successful 45-minute musi-cal about New Year celebrations around the world. I smiled, putmy arm around my best friend who coached the choreography,then pulled a cassette tape from the tape deck. “I know where togo for help,” was my reply. Since that time, I’ve had CD players,MP3 players, and now an iPod. Finding music for the classroomhas become quite easy and somewhat affordable. I find myselfstopping more frequently to savor the details, and I see studentssynthesizing in ways that were not possible when I began mycareer. Technology cannot become a substitute for musical instru-ments, art supplies, and live performance for the gifted artists,musicians, and performers who give the world its aesthetic sense.However, it is my hope that you will embrace technology and

other community resources to your stu-dents’ benefit.

BETH LITTRELL, M.Ed. is a BTSA Advisor and ResourceSpecialist for GATE in the San Mateo-Foster City SchoolDistrict in California. She has worked with gifted stu-dents and their teachers for twenty-four years. Sheserves on the publications committee for the CaliforniaAssociation for the Gifted as well as a ParentRepresentative for the Bay Area.



Online surveys have many usefulapplications for classroom teach-ers who want to inject someengaging technology into their

classrooms and for administrators whowant timesaving means to survey schoolstakeholders. There are many differentoptions for creating online surveys,including those listed below:

• surveymonkey.com• polldaddy.com• questionpro.com• constantcontact.com• zoomerang.com• http://web-online-surveys.com

Pricing is comparable on all of theseservices. Most sites offer a free service thathas limitations or a fee-based service ($10-20 per month) that allow virtually unlim-ited access. At the fee-based level, you canlimit access to the surveys, design moreand different types of questions, and accessmore comprehensive data analysis.Multiple choice, ranking, short-answer,essay, and other types of questions areavailable from all providers. Results can besorted in a large variety of ways. For exam-ple, you can set up your survey to deter-

mine if there are response differences basedupon age, gender, job title, and so on.

SURVEY USES IN THE CLASSROOMYou can generate significant excite-

ment using computer surveys in yourclassroom. The possibilities are seeminglyendless; your students will love participat-ing in them! Respondents can be identi-fied or anonymous. Some sample applica-tions are found in the listing below.

• Sociological data: Respondents canprovide personal data on any area.Be careful with privacy issues.

• Elections: with a secure login,respondents can vote on issues orvote for candidates.

• Opinion polls: Students really enjoycompleting 10-20 question surveysand then working to analyze theresults. These polls are especiallyeffective in terms of boosting interestin humanities courses.

• Course, assignment, or instructor feed-back: this can be confidential or open.

• Parent or other stakeholder surveys: youcan use the survey process as a part ofclassroom or other program evaluation.

• Assignments: some of the programs

will facilitate online submission ofanswers, including multiple-choice,short answer, matching, and essay tests.

CONVERTING TO A USEFUL LINKIn most applications, publishing the

survey gives you a lengthy URL (webaddress) that is too easy to miscopy and isdiscouraging for users. The original CAGConference survey URL was over 30 char-acters in length. To mitigate this problem,tinyurl.com provides a free service allow-ing you to merely copy the original URL,paste it in a dialogue box, click “Make TinyURL” and the Tiny URL service generatesa 6-character URL to replace the original.

Using online surveys can improve interestand efficiency. It is worth your time to explorethe vendors mentioned, and others, to deter-mine which of the programs is best for yourparticular needs.

LANCE ARNT teaches APEuropean History, AP EnglishLanguage, and AVID atGranite Hills High School inApple Valley, California. Healso serves as the AVID andGATE coordinator for theApple Valley Unified SchoolDistrict, and is currently theTechnology Chairperson forCAG. His favorite number is 8.

T E C H N O L O G Y I N T H E C L A S S R O O MBy Lance Arnt

Using Online Surveys in Your Classroom



W E B W A T C HBy Carolyn Kottmeyer

Visual and Performing Arts

How do the visual and perform-ing arts relate to gifted educa-tion? I’m spending my vacationwith a friend roaming through

Grand Teton and Yellowstone parks, andshe put it well: “The arts are like thehuckleberries in a huckleberry shake—life would be bland and boring withoutthem!” And though I’m “just” a math-type person, I’m enjoying the amazingand varied visual panorama, taking pho-tographs, and enjoying the music andfoods of the region. Without the arts…my vacation would be just another drivethrough another state.

Joan Franklin Smutny summarizes itwell in the ERIC digest Integrating theArts into the Curriculum for GiftedStudents, hoagiesgifted.org/eric/e631.html. Research shows that the arts “cansignificantly advance gifted students’academic and creative abilities and cog-nitive functioning.” Important specifi-cally to gifted education, the artsincrease “the skills of observation,abstract thinking, and problem analy-sis.” These citations alone make thisdigest worth reading, and it is only thebeginning of the important information

Smutny offers us, including subject-spe-cific approaches and benefits gainedfrom studying the arts.

Some students show their gifts in thevisual and performing arts. What do wedo for such students? In Program-ming Opportunities for Students Giftedand Talented in the Visual Arts,www.gifted.uconn.edu/NRCGT/reports/rbdm9402/rbdm9402.pdf, GilbertClark and Enid Zimmerman of IndianaUniversity tell us that there is no currentresearch on such opportunities. Clark andZimmerman offer us a starting point bycollecting demographic baseline informa-tion from existing studies of students withvisual and performing arts gifts.

Jill LaBatte offers another perspectivein Nurturing Creative / Artistic Gifted-ness in American Indian Students,j a i e . a su . edu/31/V31S1nur.h tm.LaBatte shows us how nurturing cre-ative/artistic giftedness in AmericanIndian students enhances their potentialas gifted students.

In Performing Arts Instruction forExceptionally and Profoundly GiftedChildren, hoagiesgifted.org/perform-ing_arts.htm, Beth Wright shares her

family’s experiences in this area. Whatare the traits of artistically gifted chil-dren? What do parents need to knowabout developing these unusual gifts?What do educators need to do different-ly? How can we prepare ourselves, tohelp accommodate these talented chil-dren’s education and development?

Want to give yourself an advantage increativity? It may be as easy as getting agood night’s sleep! Study confirms sleepessential for creativity, cnn.com/2004/HEALTH/01/21/sleep.creativity.ap.

What we really need is more researchand understanding of the relationshipbetween the arts and education, both ingeneral and in gifted education. Whatlittle we know clearly shows that the artsare key to all education, enhancing theskills our students need to be successfullearners. And the little research in thearts and gifted education shows that thearts may be even more key to gifted edu-cation. We need to do the research, andpublicize the results, that show that thearts are not an area to be skimped andcut when education is struggling, butinstead, an area to be enriched andenhanced, to improve not only gifted,



but all students’ growth in their basicskills of reading, writing and arithmetic!

This means education in the arts isup to us—the teachers and parents, toenrich our children’s lives. For curricu-lum units in the arts, begin withEdSITEment, edsitement.neh.gov, partof the National Endowment for theHumanities. Here you can search on thearts and find complete lesson plans forthe Visual Arts for grade levels K-12.From Alice in Wonderland and Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, to the Relationship betweenComposition and Content in the VisualArts… find more than 50 ready-to-useplans here.

Visit the Annenberg Media Learner,learner.org, for teacher resources andprofessional development materials inthe arts. These video workshops offer

new ideas as well as traditionalapproaches to incorporating the artsinto the classroom, for elementary, mid-dle and high school educators.

Don’t miss the Kennedy Center Arts-Edge, artsedge.kennedy-center.org, forlessons in Dance, Music, Theater andVisual Arts, at all grade levels. Search bySubject, by Grade Level, or by ContentStandard, through over 400 plans.Subjects range widely, including favoriteclassic and modern literature, the study ofmusic, choreography and other aspects oftheatre and dance, classic art and artists,modern graphics, and much more.

KIDS KORNER (FOR KIDS OF ALL AGES!)Our youngest art aficionados will

enjoy GettyGames, getty.edu/get-tygames, with art memory, detective

and puzzle games. These fun games, inhard or not-so-hard versions, introduceclassic artwork from the Getty Museum.

Visit with some of the greatest art-work in the world. The New YorkMetropolitan Museum of Art, metmuse-um.org, includes over 51,000 individualpieces of artwork available online. Youcan enlarge and zoom in on each piece.Explore one of hundreds of thematicessays, from African Rock Art to Fashionin European Armor, The Papacy duringthe Renaissance to Violin Makers.Browse by collection, by artist, or justwander through—it’s not quite the sameas being there, but it’s the next best thing!

Express your creative side…create your own comics in English or Spanish. MakeBeliefsComix, makebeliefs-comix.com, lets you design your own lay-

VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS

Annenberg Media Learner

learner.org

EdSITEment

edsitement.neh.gov

Integrating the Arts into

the Curriculum for Gifted Students

hoagiesgifted.org/eric/e631.html

Kennedy Center ArtsEdge

artsedge.kennedy-center.org

Nurturing Creative / Artistic Giftedness

in American Indian Students

jaie.asu.edu/v31/V31S1nur.htm

Performing Arts Instruction for Exceptionally

and Profoundly Gifted Children

hoagiesgifted.org/performing_arts.htm

Programming Opportunities for Students

Gifted and Talented in the Visual Arts

www.gifted.uconn.edu/NRCGT/

reports/rbdm9402/rbdm9402.pdf

Study confirms sleep essential

for creativity

cnn.com/2004/HEALTH/01/21/

sleep.creativity.ap

KIDS KORNER

ChaosPro Fractal Generator

chaospro.de

Escher and the Droste effect

escherdroste.math.leidenuniv.nl

Finale Notepad

finalemusic.com/notepad

Fractals

math.rice.edu/~lanius/frac/

GettyGames

getty.edu/gettygames

Google Sketch-Up

sketchup.google.com

Google Sketch-Up Warehouse

sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse

Google Sketch-Up 3D Challenge

sketchup3dchallenge.blogspot.com

Harry and the Potters

eskimolabs.com/hp

Impressionism & the Making of Modern Art

communitas.princeton.edu/blogs/mod-

ernart

J.S.Bach

jan.ucc.nau.edu/~tas3/wtc.html

MakeBeliefsComix

makebeliefscomix.com

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

metmuseum.org

Virtual Keyboard

bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ft

p/ks2/music/piano

Wizard Rock

wizardrock.org


out, add characters expressing differentemotions, add text, panel prompts, andmore, then print, color and use your comicto share, as a greeting card, or just for fun!

Want to create your own 3-dimensionaldrawings on your PC? Download GoogleSketch-Up, sketchup.google.com, for free,and start creating your own 3-D world!Create and rearrange your bedroom, modela new city, car, or even a Lego creation. Check out the Google Sketch-Up Warehouse, sketch-up.google.com/3dwarehouse, to see what others are doingwith Google Sketch-Up. And enter theGoogle Sketch-Up 3D Challenge,sketchup3dchallenge.blogspot.com, aweekly contest among Sketch-Up users.Past challenges include Clocks, Salt &Pepper Shakers, Space Ships, and lots more.

Remember the Cracker Jack box, withthe picture of a boy holding a box ofCracker Jacks, with the picture of a boyholding…? This recursive picture effect iscalled the Droste effect, named for theDutch Cocoa that uses the effect on itsbox. Escher and the Droste effect,escherdroste.math.leidenuniv.nl, givesus a step-by-step explanation of how toturn any picture into a swirling, divingEscher print containing the Droste effect.

Find the artistic side of mathe-matics in fractals. Fractals, math.rice.edu/~lanius/frac/, is a unit for ele-

mentary and middle school students(and their parents, too). This unit isready-to-use for teachers and lots of funfor kids. Build simple fractals with Javaapplets. Do you know how fractals relateto Pascal’s triangle? Learn more here!

To play with fractals on your ownPC, download ChaosPro FractalGenerator, chaospro.de. Visit theirTutorials and Gallery for instructionsand ideas…then create your own frac-tals. You’ll be amazed at the beautiful artyou can create!

Impressionism & the Making ofModern Art, communitas.princeton.edu/blogs/modernart, undergraduatestudents at Princeton offer a series ofvirtual exhibits, explaining the stylesand forms of impressionism and devel-opment of modern art.

Virtual Keyboard, bgfl.org/bgfl/cus-tom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks2/music/piano, is an on-line electric keyboardwith all the bells and whistles! You willfind sounds, rhythms, chords, mode andmore. And while you’re creating yourmusic, use Finale Notepad, finalemu-sic.com/notepad, to record your musicin musical notation, so you can share itwith others and play it again later!(available for Windows or Mac)

J.S.Bach, jan.ucc.nau.edu/~tas3/wtc.html, dissects a Johann Sebastian

Bach composition, defining the parts ofthe composition, and separating andcombining the bits to demonstrate thecomplexity and simplicity of musicalcomposition.

And check out the newest genre ofrock music… Wizard Rock, wiz-ardrock.org. As you might haveguessed, this new style of rock arosefrom J.K.Rowling’s Harry Potter novels,and has developed quite a following.Don’t miss the premiere band of thisnew genre, Harry and the Potters, eski-molabs.com/hp. You can listen to someof their music right on the website.Don’t miss it!

CAROLYN KOTTMEYER is the founder and director ofHoagies’ Gifted Education Page, hoagiesgifted.org,and Hoagies’ Kids and Teens Page, hoagieskids.org.She is a winner of the National Association for GiftedChildren (NAGC) Community Service Award and thePennsylvania Association for Gifted Education (PAGE)Neuber-Pregler Award.




As the new school year begins, there are numerous oppor-tunities to explore new worlds and share them with stu-dents. Given the wide range of possibilities, biographieshave the capacity to inspire kids to reach their goals. As a

person’s life story, a biography can tell a tale of personal achieve-ment, triumph over challenge, or a lifelong journey. Biographiescan change lives because they inspire or ignite a passion. If we wantkids to be aware of the world around them and what their futuresmight be, then we need to expose them to a variety of options.

I often wonder why so many biographies remain alone anddusty on the library shelves for most of year. Library checkouts ofbiographies are often highest during February for Black HistoryMonth and in March for Women’s History Month. Considerencouraging students to read biographies throughout the year oreven beginning the school year with each student exploring thelife of a person who might share their interest, persistence, ordesire to make the world a better place. This is a time when manystudents set goals for the year or begin a new journey of knowl-edge; it is an opportunity that ought not be lost.

In order to connect students effectively with biographies, youmay wish to assess student interests and suggest biographies thatmatch students with the same interests. If you are not able to finda biography in a field of interest, suggest a biography of someonewho might have followed a parallel path in a related discipline.Consider biographies as “mentors in print” who have the capacity

to model and inspire action. They may motivate readers to devel-op particular talents or take actions to address specific problems.

A biography is a description—usually written—of a person’slife and presents an opportunity to explore another’s life.Furthermore, the biographies that line library shelves today are nolonger boring text accompanied by brown sepia drawings and achronological list of facts. They are as varied as the people theyportray. These are books that should be savored and read aloud.

Most students do not know what lies ahead in the career pathsthey will follow, but it may be something they explored early intheir lives. Snowflake Bentley and The Dinosaurs of WaterhouseHawkins are two children’s picture book biographies that presentthe stories of young people who developed interests as childrenthat were cultivated throughout their lives.

Snowflake Bentley chronicles Wilson Bentley, a man who wasmesmerized by snowflakes and dedicated his life to snow; in fact,he developed the photographic techniques to capture individualimages of single snowflakes.

As a young boy, Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins was fasci-nated with dinosaurs. He drew and sculpted them, and as hegrew older that interest turned into his life’s work. In TheDinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins written by Barbara Kerley andillustrated by Brian Selznick, readers follow the dreams of a manwho wanted to learn about dinosaurs and shared his interest,knowledge, and passion.

B O O K S A V V Y : C R E A T I N G L I F E T I M E R E A D E R SBy Susannah Richards

Exploring Potential by Reading Biographies


The Abracadabra Kid: A Writer’s Life, authored by NewberyAward winning Sid Fleischman, is actually an autobiography, buthas all the elements of a perfect biography for kids! While theentire books shares insight into how a writer develops, the storiesare funny, personable, and full of great moments. Fleischmanshares his early and continued interest in performing magictricks. He grew up in San Diego and decided that he wanted tobe a magician. When he graduated fromhigh school he traveled all over thecountry in vaudeville andin a midnight ghost andgoblin show.

Fleischman includesa strong element ofmagic in his books; itshould be no sur-prise that ten yearsafter writing hisau tob iog r aphy,F l e i s c h m a ndescribed how EhrichWeiss bamboozled audiencesand turned himself into Harry Houdini inhis next biography, Escape: The Story of theGreat Houdini, a Boston Globe/Horn BornHonor title. The rare photographs includ-ed will help readers fall into the world ofHoudini’s illusions.

While young people may think thatsuccessful people have always been suc-cessful and appreciated, that may not bethe case. Described as “more wrinkled andless attractive than average” when she wasborn, Eleanor Roosevelt grew up to be aFirst Lady with a social and political agen-da that continued long after she left theWhite House. Candace Fleming bringsEleanor Roosevelt to life in Our Eleanor.In the introduction Flemings explainswhy she wrote about Eleanor and theresearch that she conducted to completethe book. Her forthcoming book, TheLincolns: A Scrapbook Look at Abrahamand Mary Lincoln, will be published laterthis year by Schwartz & Wade.

Kathleen Krill pulls out the most inter-esting facts about scientists in the “Giantsof Science” series (Viking Press) thatincludes the lives of Leonardo daVinci,Isaac Newton, Sigmund Freud, and MarieCurie. In these works she presents famousscientists as human beings who were fasci-nated by science and often quirky in howthey pursued science. Krill’s books intrigue

readers by exploring the context of science and learning aboutthe driving force behind each of these scientists. Leonardo daVinci wanted to know everything there was to tell about air; hestudied it, and drew images of contraptions that would fly. MarieCurie was driven to succeed when women were not allowed inthe sciences. Her work was her lifeline and became the cause ofher death. She died of radiation poison from the years of inves-tigating the dangerous element that she herself had discovered;even her notebooks were radioactive!

Biographies are not always in the form of a chronological storywith more words than pictures. There are graphic-novel biogra-phies that use a combination of images and text to present visualand textual snapshots of someone’s life. To dance: A Ballerina’sGraphic Novel written by Sienna Cherson Siegel and illustrated byMark Siegel, is a personal story of Sienna Siegel’s dream tobecome a ballet dancer. Readers follow a young girl’s dancingdream through graphic windows that illuminate her talent devel-op from a dancer backstage to in front of the curtain. Mark


• Start the school year with students reading

biographies to explore new worlds and

uncover potential talents they might share

with the person they are reading about. They

may want to write a poem for two voices (for

a model of these poems read Joyful Noise

by Paul Fleischman) about themselves and

the person they selected.

• Read a biography aloud in the same way

that you might read a novel aloud.

• Listen to a biography on audio. Biographies

on audio may provide good company on a

long car ride.

• Ask the reader to create a list of qualities,

challenges, and accomplishments rather

than a chronological timeline of the person

about whom they read.

• Broaden readers’ concept of a worthwhile

biography by including graphic novels.

• Use a picture book biography by David Adler,

Don Brown, Demi, Diane Stanley or others to

introduce a person, era in history, or a

potential struggle or accomplishment.

• Introduce readers to the biographies that

investigate personal worlds and present

lives in the context of the times.

• Before students read a biography, have

them develop a hypothesis about the person

they have selected.

• Think about biographies as stories rather

than a list of facts and events.

• Have readers discuss the people they read

about in groups and explore the connections

between the lives

• Suggest that readers create an alter ego for

the person they read about.

• Provide opportunities for readers to share

their insights after reading a biography. They

may want to share those on a blog, such as

a “Biography Gossip” blog or “Who Did What

When” blog.

• Encourage kids to read biographies about

living people as well as those who are no

longer living.

• Measure a biography by its substance, not

by its page length.

• Work with the school librarian to evaluate

and update the biography collection. Be sure

to include biographies from diverse people

with diverse talents, expertise, experiences,

and contributions.

Suggestions for ConnectingKids and Biographies



Abracadabra Kid: A Writer’s LifeSid FleischmanGreenwillow, 1996978-0688158552, Ages 9-12

Babe DidriksonZaharias: The Making of a ChampionRussell FreedmanHoughton Mifflin, 19999780395633670, Ages 12-Up

The Dinosaurs ofWaterhouseHawkinsBarbara Kerley,illustrated by Brian SelznickScholastic Press, 20010439114942, Ages 6-10

Dolley MadisonSaves GeorgeWashingtonDon BrownHoughton Mifflin, 20079780618411993, Ages 4-8

Escape: The Story ofthe Great HoudiniSid FleischmanGreenwillow, 20069780060850944, Ages 9-12

Giants of Science: Leonardo Da VinciKathleen KrullViking, 2005978067005920X, Ages 9-12

Giants of Science: Marie CurieKathleen KrullViking, 20079780670058945, Ages 9-12

Houdini: The Handcuff KingJames LutesHyperion, 20079780786839025, Ages 10-Up

John Lennon: All I Want Is TruthElizabeth PartridgeViking Press, 20050670059544, Age Young Adult

Lincoln: APhotobiographyRussell FreedmanHoughton Mifflin, 19879780395518489, Ages 8-Up

Martha Graham: A Dancer’s Life Russell FreedmanHoughton Mifflin, 19989780395746554, Ages 8-Up

Our EleanorCandace FlemingAtheneum, 20059780689865442, Ages 10-4

Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim CrowJames SturmJump at theSun/Hyperion, 2007978078689001

Snowflake BentleyJacqueline Briggs Martin, illustrated by Mary AzarianHoughton Mifflin, 1998978-0395861622, Ages 4-8

To Dance: A Ballerina’sGraphic NovelSienna Cherson Siegel,illustrated by Mark SiegelAtheneum, 20069780689867477, Ages 9-12

The Voice that Challenged aNation: MarionAnderson and the Struggle for Equal RightsRussell FreedmanHoughton Mifflin, 20049780618159765, Ages 9-Up

Up Close series titles:Viking PressAges 11-14

Johnny CashAnne E. Neimark9780670062157

Rachel CarsonEllen Levine9780670062201

Ella FitzgeraldTanya Lee Stone9780670061495

Bill GatesMarc Aronson9780670063482

Jane GoodallSudipta Bardham-Quallen9780670062638

Robert F. KennedyMarc Aronson9780670060665

Thurgood MarshallChris Crowe9780670062287

Elvis PresleyWilborn Hampton9780670061662

Ronald ReaganJames Sutherland9780670063451

John SteinbeckMilton Meltzer9780670061396

W.E.B. DuBoisTonya Bolden9780670063024

Oprah WinfreyIlene Cooper9780670061624

Biographies to Know


Siegel’s graphic watercolor and ink images help set the stage forthis delightful glimpse of a dream and the drive to reach it.

The goal of the biographer is to find the person behind theimage and that is what Elizabeth Partridge explores in JohnLennon: All I Want Is Truth. Adolescent readers see the highsand lows of Lennon’s life and develop their own ideas aboutLennon’s path to become a rock legend. This is a photograph-ic biography and there are many photographs never or rarelypublished.

With his amazing storytelling ability and his insights andknowledge as a historian, Russell Freedman illuminates thelives of many famous Americans in his numerous historicalbiographies. Babe Didrikson Zaharias: The Making of aChampion, Lincoln: A Photobiography (1988 Newbery Awardwinner) Martha Graham: A Dancer’s Life (1998) and TheVoice that Challenged a Nation: Marion Anderson and theStruggle for Equal Rights (2005 Robert Sibert Award winner)are just a few of the many biographies Freedman has pennedfor young people.

In a new series of biographies, “Up Close,” published byViking Press, readers feel as though they have just met the peoplethey are reading about. Each of the titles is written by an estab-lished nonfiction author such as Marc Aronson, Tonya Bolden,Ilene Cooper, Wilborn Hampton, and Ellen Levine. The biogra-

phies are accessible, interesting, and feature a wide range of per-sonalities from different eras, fields, and backgrounds. Theyinclude writers John Steinbeck and Harper Lee, political personassuch as Robert F. Kennedy and Thurgood Marshall, musical tal-ent such as Ella Fitzgerald and Elvis Presley as well as leaders andthinkers who made a difference, Jane Goodall and RachelCarlson, W. E. duBois and Bill Gates.

Many biographies focus on people who are no longer living, butkids need to read about current accomplishments as well. There aremany biographies about living people including presidents and ex-presidents, politicians, entrepreneurs, entertainers, inventors, scien-tists, and more. For information on living people, CurrentBiography is a monthly magazine that can be found in many pub-lic and school libraries. There are 11 issues annually and 16-20 peo-

ple are profiled in each issue.

SUSANNAH RICHARDS, Ph.D. is an assistant pro-fessor of education at Eastern Connecticut StateUniversity in Willimantic, Connecticut. She is co-chair of the Middle Schools Division for theNational Association for Gifted Children.Additional interests include finding, reading,and collecting books, cooking, sewing, garden-ing and traveling. She can be reached at:[email protected].


GIFTED EDUCATION COMMUNICATOR is designed to be a practi-

tioner’s journal—providing you with the information and

strategies to apply the theory, research, and best practicesin the field. You’ll find these regular features in each issue:

• Feature theme articles

by national leaders in the field

• Parent Talk

• Hands-On Curriculum

• National Calendar

• Administrator Talk• Student Voices• Technology in

the Classroom

Subscribe Today by contacting the California Association for the Gifted: 11130 Sun Center Drive, Suite 100, Rancho Cordova, CA 95670; Phone: 916-441-3999; e-mail: [email protected]; website: CAGifted.org

Information and practical solutionsfor parents and educators.

UPCOMING THEMES:Winter - Equity & Excellence Spring-Leadership/Ethics Summer - Integrated Learning


The Essential Guide to Talking withGifted Teens: Ready-to-useDiscussions about Identity, Stress,Relationships, and MoreBy Jean Peterson

(2008) Free Spirit Publishingpaperback, $39.95, 282 pp.ISBN -13:978-1-57542-260-2; -10:1-57542-260-3

REVIEWED BY MEREDITH J. GREENE

I t is important to have discussions withany and all teens, particularly aboutsocial and emotional issues. While gift-

ed teens face the same developmental hur-dles as any other adolescent, they oftenexperience them with heightened intensi-ty and sensitivity. Engaging teens in dis-cussion about personal matters is a chal-lenging task, but Jean Peterson’s latestpublication eliminates the guess work.The Essential Guide to Talking with GiftedTeens: Ready-to-use Discussions aboutIdentity, Stress, Relationships, and Moreprovides starting points for adult facilita-tors, along with many questions, activi-ties, and tips for group leaders.

Peterson intended her guide to be usedfor “focused, development-oriented discus-sion to prevent problems and enhancedevelopment— an intervention for at-riskstudents with a potential for problems”(p.8). This enhanced volume shines a spot-light on the importance of addressing affec-tive issues and is a breathof fresh air to educatorsand counselors of giftedand talented adolescents.

Guided discussiongroups have many bene-fits for gifted teens.Meaningful dialogue withcaring adults can provide aforum in which teens cansupport each other, validatetheir feelings, become self-aware, explore common issuesand challenges, and normalizetheir experiences.

The 70 ready-to-use, semi-structuredsessions are arranged under six main foci:identity, stress, relationships, feelings, fam-

ily, and the future. While many of the top-ics are the same as those in Peterson’s orig-inal guide created for the general popula-tion, she has added sessions that are specif-ically geared to gifted issues. The sessionscan be conducted with small or largegroups and can form the basis for a com-prehensive program or series of discussionsor stand-alone sessions. This built-in flexi-bility makes this guide even more practicalfor implementation. For added value,Peterson has included pages of recom-mended resources and an extremely practi-cal CD-Rom that contains PDF versionsof dozens of reproducible student andteacher forms.

Each chapter begins with a generalbackground and objectives to give contextand direction for the discussion. The ses-sions (or lessons) revolve around two maincategories: internal and external issues.Internal issues includes such topics asunderstanding one’s giftedness, self-esteem,coping with stress, understanding emo-tions, and personal values. Some of theexternal issues for discussion are: dealingwith friends, relationships, family life, andstereotyping. A particularly welcome sec-tion deals with looking to the future tobuild a satisfying adult life.

The introductory chapter is one of thehighlights of this guide. The “Nuts & Boltsof Group Work” section should not beoverlooked as the tips and recommenda-tions are the keys to success for any discus-

sion group. The sectioncreated for facilitators(Are You Ready to Leada Discussion Group?) isessential, especially fornovices, as changingone’s role from expertand teacher to listenerand facilitator is noeasy task.

The author hasan impressive back-ground as a coun-

selor, researcher, educator, writer, andgifted advocate. She has developed and con-ducted more than 1000 discussion groupswith gifted teens, and her guide is a tremen-dous contribution to the field of gifted edu-cation. These discussion sessions are not

meant as therapy groups, but provide anopportunity for gifted teens to “just talk”with one another under the care of a non-judgmental adult. The sessions are “triedand true,” encompassing the expertise of atrue practitioner. The topics guaranteeinteresting and meaningful discussions.

Peterson states that emphasis must beplaced on providing a safe place, with nofocus on academics or talent areas, butinstead, a focus on the teen as a person inhis or her own rights.

Peterson’s comprehensive volume ofdiscussion topics and activities is a must-have for anyone who works with giftedadolescents. The goals of this book areself- and other-awareness and personalgrowth. These are accomplished by allow-ing gifted teenagers to forge connectionsto others outside of their academic or tal-ent arenas. Gifted teens will profit greatlyfrom learning information about thesocial and emotional domains of gifted-ness, developing personal awareness, andpracticing interpersonal skills with theguidance of a nurturing adult.

MEREDITH J. GREENE, Ph.D., serves as adjunct facultyat the University of Connecticut; she is also a consult-ant for the Annapolis Valley Regional School Board,Nova Scotia, Canada. She lives in Paradise, NovaScotia, Canada.

Peak Performance for Smart KidsBy Maureen Neihart

(2008) Prufrock Presspaperback, $16.95, 184 ppISBN: 978-1-59363-310-3

REVIEWED BY EL AINE S. WIENER

M aureen Neihart is a familiar namein gifted education. The frontcover of this book spells it out for

us: Strategies and Tips for EnsuringSchool Success:

• develop the mental habits of high achievers

• build success in school, sports, andthe arts

• coaching techniques to help kidssucceed

• performance strategies, tools, andchecklists




And then she delivers! If I were incharge of a gifted program I would buythis book for every teacher.

Dr. Neihart states that there areseven mental competencies that driveperformance:

• a tolerence for stress or anxiety• a willingness to work at the edge of

one’s competence (risk-taking)• SMART goal setting• mental rehearsal• optimism• mood management• an ability to resolve the need to

belong with the need to achieve

The SMART goals are specific, meas-urable, attainable, realistic, and timely.

The rest of this book is filled withhow-to’s for the seven competencies—exact, detailed, charted, what to say andwhen to say it, worksheets guiding theway to personal insight, and individualstories that make a point each time.

We know that for decades the abili-ty to handle stress has diminished andexplains why children escape intodrugs or other escaping mechanisms.This book may become the bible forguiding solutions to such issues. It is aseamless approach with great insightsthat go far beyond the usual education-al commentaries.

ELAINE WIENER is Associate Editor for Book Reviews forthe Gifted Education Communicator. She is retired fromthe Garden Grove Unified School District GATE program.She can be reached at: [email protected].

How to Parent So Children Will LearnBy Sylvia Rimm

(2008) Great Potential Presspaperback, $21.95, 318 ppISBN: 978-0-910707-86-2

REVIEWED BY EL AINE S. WIENER

D r. Sylvia Rimm is known for herclear, practical, no nonsense, to thepoint solutions. She is a staple in

the world of education. And so I won-dered how this new book would farealong with her many past successes. Whatcould she possibly do that she hasn’talready done? How could she possiblymake things any easier?

This time she has conjured up anarrow called parent pointer in the marginof the pages that takes you point-by-pointright to the heart of the matter.

The ease of finding or re-finding anyfact or statement is, literally, at your fingertips!

The parent pointers, the letters to Dr.Sylvia with response-filled answers fromDr. Sylvia, the boxed-in-bulleted tips andsolutions, not to mention the cartoonsthat make you smile, all make this newbook a sure winner. Dr. R. does it again!The back cover sums it up best:

Dr. Rimm tells parents how to parentwith a united front work with teachers andschools encourage learning and creativityguide children toward good study habitssolve homework problems help childrenimprove test-taking skills set limits for chil-dren select appropriate rewards and punish-ment handle sibling rivalry decrease argu-

ments and power struggles encourage inde-pendence without overpowering children.

All of Dr. Rimm’s books are like secu-rity blankets for parents and educators.

(A new edition of her classic, WhyBright Kids Get Poor Grades, is also nowavailable.) We rely upon her experienceand wisdom…year after year.


Alternative Assessments with Gifted and Talented StudentsEdited by Joyce L. VanTassel-Baska

(2008) Prufrock Presspaperback, $34.95, 335 pp.ISBN-13: 978-1-59363-298-4

REVIEWED BY MARCIA DIJIOSIA

Assessing the cognitive functioning of indi-viduals who lack the manifest language todemonstrate their latent knowledge has beenproblematic for as long as clinicians assessedintelligence.

— Bruce A. Bracken

Culture matters not only when studentsare learning, but also when they are takingtests; this reality should not be ignored,negated, or minimized with examining thetest scores of diverse students.

—Donna Y. Ford

T his comprehensive collection ofresearch pieces and theoretical issuessurrounding the assessment of gifted

children provides an extensive overview ofalternative assessment. An impressive gather-ing of respected authors in the field of giftededucation have contributed to topics rangingfrom identification of students for a giftedprogram, the use of portfolios to assessprogress, the employment of rubrics, to pro-gram design improvement. The table of con-tents contains such names as Naglieri, Ford,Sternberg, Robinson, Rimm, Silverman,Renzulli, and VanTassel-Baska, editor of thisexcellent reference guide.



Beginning with identification, severalsuggestions are made to aid in the identifica-tion of traditionally underrepresentedgroups. The use of non-verbal tests as part ofthe process is highly recommended. Despitethe fact that teachers are more accustomedto gifted verbal skills than non-verbal, theuse of these tests reduces the bias in assessingEnglish Language Learners (ELL), childrenfrom impoverished homes, and those fromother than the mainstream culture. To sup-port this process more completely, all stu-dents at a particular grade should bescreened. In that way, no children will bemissed simply because they were not nomi-nated. In addition to ability testing, suchassessment tools as Teacher Rating Scales,Parent Questionnaires, and achievementtests (acquired knowledge) aid in forming acomplete picture of the student. Accordingto Robinson, two types of students shouldbe identified—those who are “currently inacademic need” and “those who display aca-demic promise.” This supports a selection ofstudents who would not be able to succeedin a regular classroom and those who, if nur-tured, might grow to have the same academ-ic success as the first group.

Accurately defining student progresswithin an enriched or accelerated environ-ment is another aspect of assessment thathas stumped educators over the years.Sternberg’s theory of successful intelligenceholds that “intelligence is one’s ability toachieve one’s goals in life, within one’ssocio-cultural context by capitalizing onone’s strengths and compensating for orcorrecting one’s weaknesses, so as to adaptto, shape, and select environments througha combination of creative, analytical, andpractical abilities.” With each student fol-

lowing a unique path, how can one deter-mine what progress is being made? In addi-tion, where does the elusive definition ofcreativity fit into the picture? AlternativeAssessments recommends the use of portfo-lios and rubrics to help form conclusions.When guidelines are preset and expecta-tions clearly defined, the reviewer is able toplace the child in a range that closely meas-ures levels of advancement.

These assessment tools can also be usedto hold programs accountable, redefineprogram delivery models, and determinethe success of interventions or enrichmentopportunities. Portfolios and rubrics helpto distinguish optimal learning conditionsfor each student to drive the program in themost beneficial direction for each partici-pant. Finally, it “integrates assessment withinstruction” (Johnsen). Assignments wherea student fully understands the skill or con-cept can still have the ceiling raised throughmore advanced and complex content. Inother words, new goals can be set that willchallenge the student to a higher level ofmastery (Renzulli and Callahan).

This book is filled with a variety of ideasand ideals for assessing at all stages fromidentification to programdelivery model. Interspersedthroughout are helpfulcharts, graphs, and tables tomore clearly illustrate thepoints of view of theauthors. VanTassel-Baskadraws it all together in herfinal thoughts:

No topic has receivedgreater attention in our literatureor the popular press than identifying gift-ed learners. We clearly have enough evi-dence to suggest the power of alternativeassessment to help us do a better job offinding underrepresented groups of learn-ers and assessing their true potential fortalent development. Yet, the real workbegins once such learners are identified,the work of providing the optimal match-es in programs and services and assessingtheir impact on gifted student learning.Here, too, alternative assessments providea better map of the territory of authenticstudent learning than traditional meas-

ures. Thus, the role of alternative assess-ment in gifted program design is crucial toconsider because of the effectiveness of oursystems in gifted education are at the coreof our efforts to find and serve special pop-ulations of gifted learners.

MARCIA DiJIOSIA is the GATE Program Manager for SanDiego Unified School District. She was also the GATESenior Psychologist. She served as the Palomar Region’sEducator Representative on the CAG Board for 8 yearsand is presently the CAG Special Needs Chair.

Ready for PreschoolBy Nancy B. Hertzog

(2008) Prufrock Presspaperback, $ 16.95, 198 pp.ISBN-13: 978-1-59363-311-0

REVIEWED BY EL AINE WIENER

S tart backwards in this book with theresource sections. Dr. Hertzog says,“This is the information age and

everything we are wondering about is near-ly a ‘finger click’ away with the Internet.”And so the resources are Internet abundantincluding book titles for parents, maga-

zines for parents and young chil-dren, and selected journals forparents on early childhood.

In addition, each chapterhas a list of resources with won-derful Web sites:

Chapter 1: Introduction withresources from large organizations. Chapter 2: What Can Parents Do? Chapter 3: Enhancing Social and

Emotional Competencies.Chapter 4: Choosing a Preschool.Chapter 5: Strengthening PartnershipsBetween School and Home.Chapter 6: Letting Go: Making theTransition From Home to School.

Dr. Hertzog directs the UniversityPrimary School at the University ofIllinois that is designated as an early child-hood gifted education program. The phi-losophy of this program incorporatesmany well-known theories such asKohlberg and Mayer’s statement that,



“The educator’s responsibility is to providelearning situations that challenge chil-dren’s analytical and problem solving abil-ities and to propel them toward higher-level thinking” (Feinberg & Mindess,1994, p.89). In Dr. Hertzog’s words, “Thepurpose of this book is to help guide youin making some of those decisions thatwill positively impact the growth and well-being of your child before he or she eversteps foot in a classroom.”

Because this is a book about preschool,readiness is the key word. Ready families,ready communities, ready services, andready schools are the categories we wrap ourthoughts around. And although there isinformation available for families, moreand more of the responsibility is falling onour schools and communities.

Ready for Preschool is an all-in-one andthoroughly basic book for parents, teachers,and others who want specific knowledgeabout our youngest children. You’ll find theusual checklists, tables, and tip sheets whichmake looking for answers an easier job.

Think what a better world it would be ifwe all, the whole world, had cookies and milkabout three o’clock every afternoon and thenlay down on our blankets for a nap.

—Barbara Jordan


Parenting with Purpose:Five Keys to Raising Children withValues and VisionBy Robert W. Reasoner & Marilyn L. Lane

(2007) Personhood Presspaperback, $14.95, 205 pp.

ISBN-13: 9781932181258

REVIEWED BY NORA HO

W ouldn’t it be wonderful to have ahandbook on parenting—a guidethat would help answer questions

when we are at our wit’s end and don’tknow how to deal with a particular issue.When our children are ill, we call the doc-

tor and describe the symptoms; but whatabout plain old growing pains? What do wedo then?!

Parenting With Purpose offers practicalsuggestions to ensure that our childrenwill grow up to be responsible, caring,respectful, highly motivated,happy, and successful. Theopening chapter asks us totake time to reflect on whatwe really want for our chil-dren. That, in turn, willdetermine how we disci-pline, what we discusswith our children, andhow they feel aboutthemselves. To guide ourchildren, we mustunderstand our own beliefs and values.This understanding influences the devel-opment of integrity, morals, values, andself esteem. Being conscious of our ownstrengths and habits will enable us towork on changing or maintaining them aswe consider our parenting goals.

Reasoner and Love provide manysuggestions to foster specific qualities inchildren. A chart of characteristics foreach of the basic human needs is pre-sented showing children who eitherexhibit or lack qualities in each of theseareas. A diagnostic checklist assists read-ers in identifying the negative qualitiesthat may exist in their children. Laterchapters offer suggestions to developpositive qualities where problems maypresently exist.

The old adage, It takes a village to raisea child, aptly defines Chapter 2 in whichthe role of the parents, the grandparentsand the family are described. Practicalactivities are listed to help parentsstrengthen their relationships with theirchildren and also, to help children under-stand their roles within the immediate andextended family. Four parenting styles aredescribed based on Leon Canerot’s work:Chairman or chairperson; commander;counselor; and peer. Research shows thatthe “chairman” is most effective in raisingresponsible, resilient children. If this is notyour parenting style, do not fret. There aresuggested activities to help modify andstrengthen your style!

In chapters 3–7 the authors discussMaslow’s hierarchy of the five basichuman needs in more depth; they alsoinclude activities to help guide childrenin developing social skills and self-awareness. Several chapters have been

devoted to helping children withunique needs including:ADHD, learning dis-abilities, physical dis-abilities, autism, Asp-erger’s Syndrome, chil-dren of divorce, and gift-edness. What can we asparents do, to help our chil-dren to grow intellectually,to focus their energy, and tounderstand themselves? Howcan we become the parents we

want to be? The adults our childrenbecome are strongly influenced by whowe are as adults. Good parenting comesfrom parents with personal strength andpositive self-esteem.

The last chapter of the book givessuggestions for adult personal develop-ment to enhance effectiveness as par-ents. Lane and Reasoner state:

Parental wisdom comes over a peri-od of time, pulling together andapplying all those things that helpyou arrive at being an effective par-ent. You may never believe that youfully achieve such a state, but ideal-ly, you now have some principleson which to base your growth, bothas an effective adult and as a com-petent, loving parent.

Parenting With Purpose is a compre-hensive guidebook for becoming an effec-tive parent. It is a resource book that is amust for any parent or individual whoworks with children!

NORA HO is the Principal of Ruskin Elementary Schoolfor Berryessa Union School District in San Jose,California. She received her Bachelor of Arts and Masterof Arts in Elementary Education, a Reading SpecialistCredential, and an Administrative Credential from SanJose State University. Ms. Ho is an active member ofCalifornia Association for the Gifted and has givenworkshops at the statewide conferences and worldconference. She also serves as the chair of CAG’sMembership and Marketing Committee.




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