“We Want You
To Present!”
Sharing Enrichment
Strategies with Schools
Claire Wescott
February PD Day at Robertson Academy
Research shows that we typically
UNDER-communicate our ideas.
The ideas are so familiar & important to us that
we underestimate how much information the
audience needs to “buy in”.
Keep in Mind…
When you present resources, schools will
ideally use these during classroom centers
and/or RTI time.
ONLY recommend resources & activities you
do not use in the Encore classroom.
Love Genius Hour? Don’t recommend it!
SAMPLE presentation
Ask questions as they
come up!
I’ll e-mail this presentation to
everyone later.
How can I encourage
& support my
students who need
enrichment?
Overview
Characteristics of students who most often need enrichment:
advanced & gifted students
Language strategies for supporting advanced students
What is enrichment?
Foundational RTI enrichment recommendations
Math enrichment strategies
Literacy enrichment strategies
Questions?
Gifted & Talented Students
sometimes, but not always!
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High-energy! Put it to good use!
Highly sensitive, with strong emotional reactions
Underachievement, especially with disinterest
Usually large vocabulary
Excellent memory
Interest in doing things differently
Vivid imaginations and/or daydreams
Twice-exceptionalities
High anxiety & fixed mindset can lead to…
imposter syndrome & underachievement!
High Potential Diverse Students
culturally & linguistically
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Is eager to translate for peers & adults;
Demonstrates above average English language proficiency growth;
Shows social maturity;
Adapts easily to new environments
Shows a strong sense of altruism & justice;
Demonstrates a richness in imagination through informal language;
and/or,
• Demonstrates an awareness of his/her self as a capable learner.
Please consider that some negative classroom behaviors might be an
indication that the child is gifted yet underachieving.
• Refusing to do homework
• Dominating discussions
• Overreacting due to emotional sensitivities
• Turning in sloppy assignments
• Criticizing self/others/teacher of mistakes
Introversion & Extroversion
it’s a spectrum!
• Research demonstrates a higher percentage of gifted students
exhibit introverted characteristics vs. the general population
Introverts
Extroverts
Get energy during
quiet or alone time
Get energy by
spending time with
other people
Usually prefer to listen
Usually prefer to talk
Usually prefer working
alone or with a
partner
Usually do not love
chatting
Usually prefer working
in groups
Usually love chatting
Introversion & Extroversion
MAKE TIME FOR A MINI-LESSON!
Questions to Ask Yourself
• Do your enrichment lessons preference/reward introverts or
extroverts more than the other?
• How can your enrichment lessons build on the strengths of both
introverts & extroverts?
Questions to Ask Your Students
• Who is more likely to raise their hand in class: an introvert or an
extrovert? (Answer: Extrovert)
• Does this mean that extroverts have better ideas? (NO!)
• Is it better to be an introvert or an extrovert? (Neither!)
• Turn to a neighbor & discuss: How are you & your neighbor
similar to or different from each other in regards to
introversion/extroversion?
“I’m not trying to make you be me, I’m trying to make
you be you.” – Kung Fu Panda 3
“Is Her Name TED?”
No, it’s Susan Cain & she’s the author of Quiet
If you’re an introvert, you’ll be excited to learn more about yourself. If
you’re an extrovert, you’ll learn more about your friends.
• What did you learn about the importance of introverts & how they think
differently?
Opportunities for Praise
to avoid disengagement  from Mary Cay Ricci
Struggle: Student struggles or shows perseverance with a
task.
Learning: The student learns something new!
Improvement: The student shows an improvement in effort.
Selection of difficult tasks: When given a choice, the
student chooses a more difficult task.
Persistence in the face of setbacks: The student shows
persistence when faced with a difficult situation or task.
Inspired by Fieldcrest Elementary Teachers
Praise Effort, Not Accomplishment
to avoid disengagement  from Mary Cay Ricci
Instead Of: You are so smart!
Try: You work hard in school & it shows!
Instead Of: Your drawing is wonderful; you are an artist.
Try: I can see you have been practicing your drawing; what a great
improvement!
Instead Of: You are a great athlete. You could be the next Pele!
Try: Keep practicing, and you will see great results.
Instead Of: You always get good grades; that makes me happy.
Try: When you put forth effort, it really shows in your grades. You
should be so proud of yourself. I am proud of you!
Praise Effort, Not Accomplishment
to avoid disengagement  from Stanford University’s Dr. Carol Dweck
Search: “praise and mindset” on YouTube
Embrace Failure!
watch this with your students
Search: “keep moving forward and Meet the
Robinsons” on YouTube
The Power of YET
watch this with your younger students
Search: “the power of yet” on YouTube
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I can’t do long division… YET!
For if & when failure happens
Skills are acquired with time & effort
Persistence pays off
Everyone is somewhere on the learning curve!
If Disengagement Happens
self-talk strategies from Vanderbilt’s Dr. Donna Ford
Instead Of: He can’t do it.
Try: He can do it. He will do it!
Instead Of: That’s good enough for her. That’s all I expected.
Try: Is this her best work? She can do better. I expect & want her to do
better.
Instead Of: He is so lazy.
Try: He’s learned poor work habits.
Instead Of: She doesn’t want to learn this.
Try: She has learned to dislike school/reading/math. How can I motivate &
interest her?
Now that we’ve discussed the
characteristics of advanced students &
how to best support them…
What IS enrichment?
“Advanced students should receive targeted reinforcement
and enrichment. Enrichment activities expand on students'
learning in ways that may differ from the strategies used
during core instruction. They often are interactive and
project-focused. They enhance a student's education by
bringing new concepts to light or by using old concepts in
new ways to deepen students' understanding. These
activities are designed to be interesting, challenging, and
impart knowledge. They should allow students to apply
knowledge and skills learned in core to real-life experiences.”
RTI Framework Manual, pg. 35
Enrichment is NOT:
more work.
Enrichment is:
different work varied through
content,
process,
& product.
Think:
Could all children do this?
Would all children do this?
Should all children do this?
(Ideally “no” for all three to meet advanced students’ needs)
BUILD ON THEIR
STRENGTHS!
Foundational RTI Enrichment
Recommendations
Identify advanced RTI students by the top 5-10% using school-based norms of
AIMSweb.
When advanced students shift for RTI to new teachers: If in doubt, raise the
curriculum up two grade levels.
Accelerate (speed up!) the curriculum by pre-assessing with the 5 most difficult
summative unit questions. Students who score at or above 80% on these questions
should be considered proficient in this standard & moved up to the looping grade
level standard or different (more in-depth) content.
Consider analyzing issues instead of topics. For example, instead of teaching the
topic of “water”, you could analyze “Should the U.S. implement different measures of
water conservation?” Issue questions can tend towards closed-ended in order to
encourage research during RTI time.
Teach with a higher level of complexity during advanced RTI time than during
general education time.
Math
Enrichment
Strategies
Encourage Open-Ended Inquiry
open-ended format appropriate for all students
1. How many different ways can you get to 36?
+, -, x, ÷, fractions, negatives, commutative property…
2. What doesn’t belong?
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List 4-6 numbers on the board, “3, 6, 9, 12”
There is no right answer!
Two-digits, primes, squares, place values, doubles…
3. What’s the (math) question?
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Show a photograph & ask students to generate questions.
What question could we ask, even if we don’t know the
answer yet?
From Byrdseed
What’s the (math) question?
• How many people are wearing yellow?
• What is the difference in the current score?
• What is the sum of all of the elementary school students’
ages who are at the game?
Encourage Open-Ended Inquiry
warm ups  transitions  math stations
$19.50 on Amazon
* Bump question up two grade levels
EXAMPLES
I left home & arrived at school 45 minutes
later. When might I have left home & when
might I have arrived at school?
Can you find things that have a greater
area than your desk top but not much
greater?
In a bag I can feel an object that has flat
faces, sharp corners, and straight edges.
What might this object be?
Encourage Open-Ended Inquiry
warm ups  transitions  math stations
Good Questions for Math Teaching:
Why Ask Them & What to Ask,
Grades 5 – 8
• Written by Lainie Schuster & Nancy
Canavan Anderson
• $18 on Amazon
• Peter Sullivan & Pat Lilburn wrote a
K – 6 version which is also worth
referencing
• Bump questions up two grade
levels
EXAMPLE
• Kirsten says, “My rectangle has a
greater area than yours.” Scott
replies, “My rectangle has a greater
perimeter than yours.” What might
the dimensions of each of their
rectangles be?
Encourage Open-Ended Inquiry
open-ended format appropriate for all students
* Examples pulled from K – 6 book
Increase Grappling
open-ended format appropriate for all students
• Shift from solution unknown to [addend/divisor] unknown
The Easy Way!
1. Print out the answer key, white out the addends, make copies!
2. Distribute this enriched page to high math achievers
• Allow for error analysis
1. Print out a worksheet with 5-8 questions
(math stories are great! but anything related or review will do)
2. You write the answers, most deliberately wrong with common errors
3. Ask students to analyze what you did incorrectly
4. Require correction & a sentence about what was wrong in each
• Offer choice: “If you need a challenge today, I suggest this activity.”
• Multi-step math stories
"Always the beautiful answer who asks a more beautiful question.”
- e.e. cummings
Interleaving in Math
a fancy word for mixing it up!
Blocked Practice
• Tells them what to do at the top
of the page
• Students might rush without
critical thinking
Mixed Practice…
or INTERLEAVING
• Result unknown subtraction,
addend unknown addition,
graph, money… all on one page
• “Forces students to distinguish
between types of problems &
decide which strategy is
appropriate” -NYT
• Forces attending to precision
• Cut & paste!
• Everyone will benefit –
especially advanced students
who rush through their work
and/or say it is “too easy”
Math Perplexors & Coin Clues
warm ups  math stations  small group work
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Deductive logic puzzle books
Easy to copy!
On Amazon & Mindware - $12
About 50 stories per book
NOTE: Encore teachers often
use the literacy-based
Perplexors
• Level B: Grades 5 – 6
• Level C: Grades 6 – 7
• Level D: Grades 7 – 9
Literacy
Enrichment
Strategies
Jacob’s Ladder
reading groups  literacy stations
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By Dr. VanTassel-Baska & Dr. Stambaugh (with Vanderbilt University)
Requires pre-teaching & academic vocabulary
Sold on Amazon & Prufrock Press (2012 version) – approx. $30
Each lesson either lists known children’s book OR has the full-text to copy!
Awesome, high-quality text selections!
• Each lesson has 2-4 ladders of questioning – easy to copy!
• Launch as guided small group, move to independent work
• For enrichment (not gifted), I would recommend bumping down
• Primary 1: 1st & 2nd (labeled K – 1st)
• Primary 2: 2nd & 3rd (labeled 1st – 2nd)
• Elementary 1: 2nd – 4th (labeled 2nd – 3rd)
• Elementary 2: 4th (labeled 4th – 5th)
Jacob’s Ladder Workbooks
reading groups  literacy stations
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By Dr. VanTassel-Baska & Dr. Stambaugh (with Vanderbilt University)
Easy to copy!
Requires pre-teaching & academic vocabulary
Only sold on Prufrock Press – approx. $25 for 10
Available for Short Stories, Poetry, & Non-Fiction
For enrichment, I would recommend bumping down
• Level 1: 3rd & 4th (labeled 2nd-3rd)
• Level 2: 4th (labeled 4th & 5th)
Pre/Post Assessment: TUG O’WAR
• Around the room, you will see lots of dilemmas. Visit at least 4 dilemmas & come
up with “tugs” (or reasons) for each side of the dilemma.
• Write each “tug” on a post-it note. Be creative!
This activity encourages:
• Analyzing issues over topics
• Determining multiple perspectives
• Connecting with prior knowledge
Samples from an Encore Classroom
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Tourists should be allowed in outer space.
Outer space is only for astronauts & scientists.
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We should bring animals into outer space.
Animals should stay on Earth.
Activity originally presented by Bethy Butler from Lipscomb University
Vocabulary Pre-Assessment
• Appeals to advanced students who “know” it, but struggle to put complex
information into words
• Students appreciate this validation & answer honestly
• Quickly determines depth of knowledge
• Encourages connections to prior knowledge
Dictionary Race
open-ended format appropriate for all students
Step One: Get two white boards & two white board markers.
Step Two: Select one of the dictionary pages that you are going to fill in with words
– circle one (or make your own):
BAD to BUNK
DEAR to DUNGEON
FANG to FEAR
SACK to SUNK
Step Three: You and your partner race to come up with as many words that you
would find on that page!
Step Four: Stop at the same time & check each others’ work. Each correct word
gets one point! (It is okay if you both list some of the same words). Erase the
words that don’t belong.
Step Five: Combine the words and list them in the alphabetical order they would
appear on that dictionary page.
From Understanding Reading Problems: Assessment & Instruction
Scaffold Critical Analysis
Plan a Literary Dinner Party
Creative Writing Tools
As a note…
In regards to both the list at
left & the readings discussed
on prior slides, you know
your students & their families
best. Please choose
readings that you feel are
most appropriate for your
students’ values. The goal is
to expose students to the
highest quality literature
possible, while remaining
both developmentally &
culturally appropriate.
Encourage Reflection
puts responsibility for learning & behavior on students
• With exposure to advanced content & strategies, reflection encourages
students to take ownership of effort & self-evaluation
• Can be planned or unplanned based on student work habits
• Encourages self-regulation
Example Prompting Questions
• Was this your best work? Why or why not?
• What would you do differently next time?
• How did you work with your partner/group?
• How can you improve your work product or behavior next time?
• Did you experience any struggle in this activity? How did you
persevere?
• If students were presented with an activity choice: Did you select an
activity that was too easy or too hard? Why did you feel that way?
More Helpful Resources
 Byrdseed.com for enrichment lesson plans
 The Davidson Institute for articles on giftedness/talent
 Carol Ann Tomlinson’s books
 Mary Cay Ricci’s Mindsets in the Classroom
 Christine Fonseca’s Emotional Intensity in Gifted Students
 Beck & McKeown’s Improving Comprehension with Questioning
the Author
Questions?