TAG Opportunities
Talent hits a target no one else can hit; Genius hits a target no one else can see.
Arthur Schopenhauer
I believe that every person is born with talent.
Maya Angelou
TAG opportunities and extensions
I love my TAG kids, and the high-level thinking they bring to the classroom mix. Quirkiness is not just accepted; it's valued!
My standard TAG policy is that if a student already knows content, they simply have to prove it to me. Then they can propose an alternative idea of interest to them, pertinent to what we are doing. Other ideas include presenting a paper or project in a different way. For instance, if I ask for a paper or a PowerPoint, perhaps the student would prefer demonstrating the learning with another use of technology, a video, a website, etc. I ask that they present the idea to me first, but nearly always I'm able to accommodate.
Foundation SEED Classes: If you haven't heard about the TTSD Foundation SEED Classes, you should check it out here. http://www.the-ftts.org/seed
I'm thrilled with how many students challenge themselves to dig deeper and explore things they are interested in. This is what education is all about!
Vocabulary Sheet Extension/Alternative:
When a student has received 100% on quizzes regularly (usually through the first quarter and final), they are no longer are required to do the vocabulary sheets. I'm not interested in wasting anyone's time with busy work. Instead they may work on SAT prep analogies and sentence completion. Top students in previous years have really enjoyed this and learned a lot (it is 10th/11th grade level work). Students must still learn the 5 words each week, and they can always opt to do vocab sheets if they'd prefer or need the extra practice that week.
Writing Extension activities:
For students who exceed the standard on a writing assignment, on the next assignments of the same type, they may choose to do alternative writing or research. I'm open to ideas on these, but here are some from the past.
"Tell-Tale Heart" Students who did well on the pre-test (80%) can opt to do this interesting writing assignment instead of taking the final. (Alternately, they can do a quick written vocab matching on the TTH words, and answer the other questions orally, then do the writing assignment while others do the final.)
One alternative assignment is for a student to research the Harlem Renaissance and write an essay about it.
Another alternative is to read the play, "A Raisin in the Sun" by Lorraine Hansberry (160 pages), and write a review of it, including their explanation of how the poem, "A Dream Deferred," might have inspired it.
The Raven
Around Halloween I show a video of Poe's poem, "The Raven," as a follow up to reading "Tell-Tale Heart." An extension (or extra credit) assignment could be to analyze "The Raven," including defining the words they didn't know.
I love my TAG kids, and the high-level thinking they bring to the classroom mix. Quirkiness is not just accepted; it's valued!
My standard TAG policy is that if a student already knows content, they simply have to prove it to me. Then they can propose an alternative idea of interest to them, pertinent to what we are doing. Other ideas include presenting a paper or project in a different way. For instance, if I ask for a paper or a PowerPoint, perhaps the student would prefer demonstrating the learning with another use of technology, a video, a website, etc. I ask that they present the idea to me first, but nearly always I'm able to accommodate.
- Choice reading at ability level.
- SAT prep (analogies and sentence completion) alternative to vocabulary sheets (after 1 quarter of “proving it.”)
- Top writers can compete to attend the Oregon Writing Festival the first Saturday in May (10 are selected from my classes)
- Literary analysis alternative (after you have exceeded the benchmark during a previous quarter) - Compare and contrast essay for 2 related novels. See me for recommendations. Outsiders and Tex - both by S. E. Hinton is one good choice to see how place affects how a person grows up. Another possibility is to write a short research paper on a WWII topic. Here are topic ideas and directions.
- I submit the top 2 writers’ in a national writing competition (Promising Young Writers through NCTE-the National Council of Teachers of English)
- TAG students can propose alternative assignments after exceeding proficiency twice in a category.
- SAT prep alternative to vocabulary sheets (available 2nd quarter --after I have data on who isn't being challenged with regular vocabulary). Read about it here.
Foundation SEED Classes: If you haven't heard about the TTSD Foundation SEED Classes, you should check it out here. http://www.the-ftts.org/seed
I'm thrilled with how many students challenge themselves to dig deeper and explore things they are interested in. This is what education is all about!
Vocabulary Sheet Extension/Alternative:
When a student has received 100% on quizzes regularly (usually through the first quarter and final), they are no longer are required to do the vocabulary sheets. I'm not interested in wasting anyone's time with busy work. Instead they may work on SAT prep analogies and sentence completion. Top students in previous years have really enjoyed this and learned a lot (it is 10th/11th grade level work). Students must still learn the 5 words each week, and they can always opt to do vocab sheets if they'd prefer or need the extra practice that week.
Writing Extension activities:
For students who exceed the standard on a writing assignment, on the next assignments of the same type, they may choose to do alternative writing or research. I'm open to ideas on these, but here are some from the past.
"Tell-Tale Heart" Students who did well on the pre-test (80%) can opt to do this interesting writing assignment instead of taking the final. (Alternately, they can do a quick written vocab matching on the TTH words, and answer the other questions orally, then do the writing assignment while others do the final.)
One alternative assignment is for a student to research the Harlem Renaissance and write an essay about it.
Another alternative is to read the play, "A Raisin in the Sun" by Lorraine Hansberry (160 pages), and write a review of it, including their explanation of how the poem, "A Dream Deferred," might have inspired it.
The Raven
Around Halloween I show a video of Poe's poem, "The Raven," as a follow up to reading "Tell-Tale Heart." An extension (or extra credit) assignment could be to analyze "The Raven," including defining the words they didn't know.