Recommendations

Books, tools, conferences, apps, and more recommendations.

Why I Stopped Giving Talks

I made my living talking about teaching. Here’s why I’m done with that!

How I Evaluate Resources and Tools For Gifted Classrooms

When it comes to choosing which tools and resources to bring into a classroom of gifted kids, I have three rules.

2 Simple Questions for Conference Feedback

So many conference feedback forms are 7,000 questions long when there are really only two questions to ask.

All of My Apps

A central repository for all of the little apps I’ve written here at Byrdseed.

PD Rule: Speak from Experience

The key to a great presentation? Only talk about things you have actually, personally done. Oh, and always start with your failure!

Recommendations for a Book Study

Looking for some recommendations for a book study or reading group? Here are some of my favorites (although not necessarily directly about education!).

A Guide To Attending Gifted Education Conferences

What’s the best way to attend a conference? After going to hundreds of them, I offer a few stray thoughts on how I approach an education event.

Book Recommendation: Living Gifted

Lisa Van Gemert gave me a copy of her new book: Living Gifted. Here’s what’s inside…

Is NAGC’s Annual Conference Worth The Cost?

NAGC’s annual conference is great for academics. But is it worth the cost if you’re a teacher?

Recommended Greek Mythology Books

A reader asked for recommendations for books about Greek Myths appropriate for 5th graders. Many of you delivered!

Here’s a round-up of a few books I’ve either just finished or am in the middle of that I thought you might like. Rebellion Alis Wade has finished the third book in her Gifted Potentials series: Rebellion. She sent me a copy and I’m still working my way through it (you can blame the infant!). […]

A Gaggle of Gift Guides and Places To Give

Looking for gift ideas for your classroom or home? Here are my go-to gift guides as well as places kids might be interested in giving some money.

3 Things You Can Give Your Students (That Don’t Cost Anything)

As the holidays approach, few teachers can afford to buy each student a gift – but we all have the power to give students something meaningful that doesn’t cost a thing. Here are three ideas…

Books Featuring Gifted Guys

I’ve done a couple rounds of book recommendations featuring gifted female protagonists, so here’s one for the fellas: kid-friendly novels with a gifted male character.

Summer Reading 2017

A handful of books I’ve read recently that stuck with me. Two teaching-related books, a biography, a book about, like, everything, and one great sci-fi novel.

Giving Better Presentations

It’s conference season, and that means we’ll all be settling in for a few sessions. I’ve put together a free resource to try to make those sessions more enjoyable for both presenter and attendee.

Lots of Recommended Books

Lots and lots of friends on Facebook and Twitter sent in their favorite books to use with gifted kids. Enjoy!

Books with 700, 800, 900, & 1000 Lexile, Recommended By Teachers

A reader was looking for examples of high-quality books for gifted/talented 4th and 5th graders, but she was constrained to a lexile range of 900-1000. Here are the recs I received…

Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Recommendations

Many readers sent in recommendations for sci-fi and fantasy stories for gifted readers. I’ve gathered these together here as a growing collection.

Summer 2016 Reading Recs

Looking for something to read this summer? Here are a few sorta-teaching-related texts I’ve enjoyed.

3 Books I Loved in 2015

One of my goals for 2015 was to read 48 books. Out of those, here are 3 that you might enjoy, and that tangentially relate to gifted education:

Creative Coloring Books

I recently took a trip to New York and visited the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art. In the gift shop they had a series of fantastic coloring books based on famous artists, including: Dali, Van Gogh, and Monet.

Recommendation: Engaging Gifted Readers & Writers

A quick review of Ken Smith’s book “Engaging Gifted Readers & Writers.” Definitely worth checking out!

Gifts for the Gifted Classroom

Some of my favorite games, novels, creativity books, and tools for differentiation.

Game Recommendation: Qwirkle

Every veteran teacher has a well-stocked board game closet for those special days. Qwirkle is a great addition to your arsenal.

Classic Paintings for your Classroom

Exposing students to great pieces of art is an easy way to enhance a lesson, provide a visual way to practice a skill, and educate our students beyond the prescribed curriculum. Here’s a list of works that you can easily grab and use in your class.

Summer Reading: Book Edition

Here’s some summer reading recommendations of books you can actually touch! No real theme to these, except that each one challenged my understanding of kids and made me rethink the way I approach learning.

Summer Reading: Digital Edition

The internet is a treasure trove of fascinating and inspirational reading material, but how can we keep track of it all? Here are three tools that I use to tame the wild web and set up digital reading system.

A Book For The Trivia-Obsessed

There’s a type of gifted kid who is simply filled to the brim with “did you know” trivia. If you know a student like this, then have I got a book recommendation for you! “The Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things” explains how objects, customs, and sayings got their start.

A Creative Coloring Book (For All Ages)

A few years ago, my young niece picked up interesting coloring book while we vacationed in Mammoth Lakes, CA. This is no “stay within the lines” book, however. Titled Scribbles, this book is filled with nearly 400 creative, divergent, and open-ended thinking tasks.

Review: Orientation

“Orientation” is a unique sci-fi novel specifically written for gifted children as a tool for learning about their social and emotional needs. I’ll open with my highest praise: I wish someone had given me this book when I was in elementary school!

Books Featuring Gifted Girls as Main Characters

Here are a bunch of books featuring gifted girls as their main characters. Each protagonist struggles to balance her abilities with others’ expectations. None rely on tired cliches or overused school settings. And each novel is so well-written that I read them on my own during summer break!

Review: Challenging Units for Gifted Learners

While at NAGC 2010, the most exciting session I attended was put on by Ken Smith and Susan Stonequist. They outlined a geometry unit in which their students built a working miniature golf course. I was thrilled to hear that this unit was just one part of an upcoming series of books. Last week, I received copies of the series, called Challenging Units for Gifted Learners.

Books for Teaching Thinking

We teach our gifted students to solve math problems, write fantastic essays, and read above grade level, but do we teach them to think? Edward Debono believes that thinking should be taught as a discrete subject. As I start the new school year, I’ve found a few books to help me embed quick “thinking lessons” into my day. These tools make great options for extension menus or creative differentiated products.