GDC Newsletter Updates
Celebrate Life with Color!
Review by Dr. Jerry Flack | “Ashley Bryan and his work are more than a national treasure; they are one of the great treasures of the world. His astonishing mind and gentle heart bring back our natural optimism about life, without which we can’t actually grow together. He is a gift to us all.” - Virginia Euwer Wolff
New Insights into Overexcitability
An article by Dr. Linda Kreger Silverman | What is overexcitability (OE)? Is there empirical evidence that gifted children and adults have greater OE? Does OE portray gifted children as emotionally needy and peculiar? Why is the concept controversial? Can we distinguish OE from AD/HD, sensory processing disorder, and other issues? How should we respond to OEs?
Jane Goodall: A Great Life
Review by Dr. Jerry Flack | Jane Goodall’s life story is a wonderful avenue to use to introduce young readers to the intellectual pursuit of scientific discipline and the world of biography. Here are 3 picture book biographies that celebrate her.
Book of the Year!
Review by Dr. Jerry Flack | Review by Dr. Jerry Flack | Barnes & Noble booksellers everywhere participated in the selection of the corporation’s inaugural Book of the Year prize... British author-illustrator Charlie Mackesy’s incredibly exquisite children’s book, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse, was the overwhelming winner...The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse presents a journey not to be missed.
A Beloved and Timeless Classic
Review by Dr. Jerry Flack | Few books in any language have the lasting appeal for both children and adult audiences as Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s classic, The Little Prince, first published on April 6, 1943. Generations of readers and listeners have loved this novella with its fairy tale-like structure and its sweet, gentle, and yet also satirical humor and pathos. Le Petit Prince has been translated into an astonishing 300 languages.
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry: A Life to discover
Companion Activities for The Little Prince | Explore the life of Antoine de Saint Exupéry.
ADJ Volume 18 Now Available!
The inner experience of giftedness has been neglected in most research and theories, especially in adults. Consequently, definitions of giftedness that exist do not reflect how gifted adults see themselves and in what ways they value their giftedness. Learn more in our newest ADJ Volume!
Investigate the Natural World
Companion Activities for The Lost Words | Encourage children to explore the world of nature through Haiku poetry, etymology, nature journals, painting and more.
An Invitation to the Sacred World of Nature
Review by Dr. Jerry Flack | The Lost Words: A Spell Book is one of the most exquisite and important books to be published for children in recent years. Beyond its wondrous beauty there is an urgency to its message. It is a book children need now.
Advice for Parents!
In preparation for the coming school year and the probability that distance learning will continue to be a part of the school experience, the Gifted Development Center’s virtual education leaders group continues to meet. Members have pooled their collective wisdom to provide support for families in the coming year.
Look Harder for Gifted Children of Color: They are Everywhere!
By Kathi Kearney | “For the past 100 years, when educators and researchers have really looked, they have found gifted children of color. It is not the IQ tests themselves that are at fault, but the refusal to look in all racial and ethnic groups for gifted children. These children are there. They are everywhere.”
Meet the “New Kid”
Companion Activities for New Kid | Imagine what life is like for others, research new holidays and more.
New Kid
Review by Dr. Jerry Flack | The most highly honored work of juvenile fiction in 2020 is Jerry Craft’s funny, poignant, and insightful graphic novel, New Kid. Craft’s novel should be required reading in colleges and universities for participants in teacher education programs, particularly for those instructors destined for middle schools.
Human Rights: The Mission of Giftedness
An article by Dr. Linda Kreger Silverman | From its inception, the person-centered study of giftedness has been built on the mission of protecting human rights. While some still profess that the purpose of gifted education is to foster eminence, there is a more profound need for identifying and supporting the gifted.
Discover Poetry
Companion Activities for I Remember | Write prose, email professional artists, create your own poetry, research poets and more.
Diversity Celebrated
Review by Dr. Jerry Flack | In words and pictures I Remember shines a beacon upon the things that are good about life in the USA, but also recognizes wrongs that need to be made right if the USA is to experience the dream of a more perfect Union.
Dreams of Infinity
Review by Dr. Jerry Flack | Mathematical precocity is one of the most remarkable types of giftedness; yet, it is ironic that so little is written about it. Amy Alznauer’s picture book biography of Srinivasa Ramanujan is, therefore, a breakthrough book for gifted children of all ages.
Explore Genius
Companion Activities for The Boy who Dreamed of Infinity | Use math in everyday life, research the history of mathematics, explore the Lost Notebook of Ramanujan and more.
Poetry is Delicious
You may live in an age when people turn less frequently to poets in times of trouble such as the world now faces with the COVID-19 pandemic. Poetry instructs. Poetry enlightens. Poetry offers comfort and solace when you most need it. Poetry also expresses joy when it is fitting to celebrate life’s blessings and special moments.
Invent Like Ben
Companion Activities for A Ben of All Trades | Fly kites, draw cartoons, write journal entries, create almanacs and more.