Challenging Units for Gifted Learners: Teaching the Way Gifted Students Think (Math, Grades 6-8)

I have used two units from this book so far and they have been FANTASTIC! The first unit I completed with my fourth grade students was "Building a Miniature Golf Course -- S.T.E.A.M." The students truly loved what we learned in the various lessons. What's more, the work that the students were completing was really sophisticated. We were actually hitting some of the high school CCSS. I personally enjoyed how this book tied in concepts from multiple disciplines and academic areas. To hit the literature piece, we also read the book "Chasing Vermeer" by Blue Balliett. There are some great discussions of both pentominoes and art in that novel, so it tied in perfectly. At the end, the students loved playing their miniature golf courses, and it was awesome to see their creativity. This is definitely a "keeper" for next school year.Currently, I am working on the probability unit in the book with my third graders. Once again, the concepts are very sophisticated, but the way Ken has the lessons progress, my third graders are catching on right away. I'm so happy that I am able to introduce these important math concepts to them now.

I made the wrong book choice...too high of a grade level.

I love that the lessons contained in this book are challenging (as the title indicates), and are made to meet national standards. Easy to follow and implement. They can be used for enrichment, after school clubs, or as hands on work after the basics are completed.

Having been superintendent and principal at Sunset Ridge School District #29, Northfield, Illinois for twenty-four years, I am now in a unique position to review Challenging Units for Gifted Learners: Teaching the Way Gifted Students Think - Math by Kenneth J. Smith, Ph.D. and Susan Stonequist, Prufrock Press, 2011. The School District's passion to ensure that the needs of all gifted students were met lead to the design and implementation of exacting and exciting units of study in Math by Dr. Ken Smith and Susan Stonequist. Having personally witnessed Dr. Smith and Mrs. Stonequist's outstanding gifts in the implementation and teaching of many of these units first-hand, I was excited to learn that the units were committed to a formal writing process and published so that students across our county might benefit from their wisdom. Drawing upon his research work in cognitive psychology from Columbia University in New York, Dr. Smith enlightens readers on the different ways in which gifted learners think and process information and how to reach gifted learners in different ways. The book is a tutorial for learning about gifted learners as well as a vital source for unique units of study for teaching. As a teaching tool the book is divided into chapters for each unit of study with specific step-by-step lesson plans. Each chapter uses an easy-to-follow format with the following sections: Overview, Cognitive Connection, National Standards, Activities, Challenging Minds: Highlighted Activities and Adaptations. The book provides the reader with all the details necessary to understand the background of the unit and to successfully teach it. This book is for novice and experienced teachers working to ensure successful experiences for their students. It is a must read as it will enlighten you on your journey as a professional attempting to understand how your gifted learners think and learn as well as assist you with specific unit plans to successfully reach them.Howard J. Bultinck, Ph.D.Associate Professor and ChairDepartment of Educational LeadershipNortheastern Illinois UniversityChicago, Illinois

This book is helpful to all teachers! I am a music teacher, and I'm working to incorporate Common Core Standards from Mathematics and ELA/Language Arts into my music curriculum. Filled with creative ideas, Ken Smith's book opened my eyes to new ways to challenge gifted students and incorporate math into my music lessons. Smith's ideas are fresh and usable right away. The units are well organized and easy to follow, while also leaving plenty of room for individual teacher styles.

I saw Ken Smith do a presentation based on one of the units from this book at the National Gifted convention. He and Susan gave a very structured overview of how to develop a miniature golf course with middle school students. This creative, open-ended challenge had me hooked. The book contains this unit as well as three other equally engaging activities.Smith, who combines a PhD in cognitive psychology with everyday teaching experience, has developed these units with gifted thinkers in mind but has written them out with busy teachers in mind. I really appreciated the step-by-step directions (and homework ideas) for each day's lessons. I also found it easy to adapt these lessons for my own unique class. So far, my kids are very interested in understanding the math behind golfing, but are even more engaged in designing their own courses.

Dr. Smith knows how to present challenges for gifted children, with clear examples and exercises. I consider myself "innumerate," because math has always puzzled and frustrated me. Would that my elementary and high school teachers had Dr. Smith's knowledge and the willingness to figure out how I learn and work with me. I hope this book, and the others in this series, teach educators how to recognize different manifestations of intelligence in their students, and then to fan the flames of a child's thirst for knowledge...and challenge. Thank you, Dr. Smith.

Kenneth Smith has mastered the art of problem based learning with his series Challenging Units for Gifted Learners. In his math book students will love to create a miniature golf course to play. Understanding advanced concepts are presented with hands-on discovery to ensure problem-based learning. Lessons are designed with clear and precise directions in order to devise an innovative and engaging educational project that will enrich educational content in mathematics.