Problem Solving and Gifted Education: A Differentiated Fifth-Grade Fantasy Unit

Abstract

Imagine three types of students in your classroom. One student is a traditional “schoolhouse” gifted student who tests well, picks up new concepts quickly, and displays an overall interest and aptitude for established academics. Another student is a nontraditional gifted student who has an extremely high intellect, but does not perform well in traditional tasks, and who reasons better when allowed to study and perform in a way that fosters a nontraditional style. A third student is one who has particular strengths or interests within an array of personal abilities, but may not be viewed as gifted on recognized measures.

How can a literature unit be designed to provide for the special needs of these three kinds of students? Renzulli's (1998) schoolwide enrichment and Tomlinson's (1995, 1999) differentiated instruction models, combined with research in problem solving (Bereiter, Burtis, & Scardamalia, 1988; McCutchen, 1986; Smith, 1995; Wineburg, 1991), inspired the fifth-grade teachers at Sunset Ridge School in Northfield, IL, to design a unit on fantasy that did just that. The unit had two overlapping segments. First, students worked in small groups exploring a novel to learn the germane content and genre characteristics. Then, students regrouped to refine and apply what they had learned to a variety of open-ended problems—in the process, creating a representation of their knowledge to share with other students. In all parts of the unit, instruction was differentiated to foster individual strengths, creativity, and interests.

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