Twice Exceptional

Our daughter was just diagnosed as twice exceptional. Bittersweet -- we were testing her for dyslexia and the tests confirmed that she does indeed have dyslexia and we also found out what we already knew but had no cognitive documentation -- she is VERY gifted. So I have two thoughts:

1. How do parents help their children when it can be so frustrating to be so smart, but unable to express themselves in a manner that showcases their gifts?

2. As a teacher, how do we provide services that enrich/enhance their learning while still helping the students with their disability?

Book Reviews

An idea that I have seen and hope to implement next year is having students write book reviews for books that they have read. The twist is that we would video tape the review and add special effects. Students would then be able to access the review via the school server and be able to add their star rating of the book. Can you see this working in your classroom or school? Do you have any ideas that could help improve this idea?

Reading for Gifted Readers

On page 90 the author states "The reading program that is most appropriate for all students and essential for gifted students is one that allows them to read, discuss, analyze and write about literature that challenges them, while being excused from practicing skills they have already mastered."

While I wholeheartedly agree with this, how do we put this into place with AR being the tool that is most widly used in schools? While I agree that AR is a great tool to use for those students who are below grade level readers, I believe that it becomes punitive for students who are reading above grade level, gifted or not. Why should an 8th grade student who reads at a 12th grade level have to read more than everyone else? How about having them delve deeper into the book and use higher level thinking skills instead of rote memorization for AR tests?