Project CHANGE: Pedagogical Tools to Identify and Respond to Giftedness in the Early Years

This book assists teachers in providing curriculum to identify gifted students of diversity in the early years, without the formal use of traditional measures of ability.

Appropriate for small and large group settings, the pedagogical tools and lessons in this book provide young students with teaching and learning experiences designed to uncover and promote behaviors associated with the concept of "giftedness." The product of a five-year research grant funded by a U.S. Department of Education Jacob K. Javits grant and aligned with grade-specific standards, the tools in this book reinforce both the introduction and application of word meaning, curiosity, problem solving, and creativity as components to learn and apply across subject areas. The nature and format of each lesson follows a distinctly articulated pattern outlining both its purpose and specific procedures that define how to integrate the content into basic curriculum to achieve academic, social, and emotional goals.

This book is a must-read for educators interested in providing all students with teaching and learning opportunities that promote self-identity and develop and sustain interests, abilities, and potential in the critical early years.

Sandra N. Kaplan is a Professor of Clinical Education, with distinction, at the University of Southern California Rossier School of Education, and was a recipient of the NAGC Legacy Award. She is a past president of both the NAGC and the California Association of the Gifted, where she currently serves as chair of the Education Committee.