Teaching Young Gifted Children in the Regular Classroom: Identifying, Nurturing, and Challenging Ages 4-9.

Teaching Young Gifted Children in the Regular Classroom: Identifying, Nurturing, and Challenging Ages 4-9. Smutny, J. F., Walker, S. Y., & Meckstroth, E.A. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Publishing Inc., 1996 ISBN-1-57542-017-1 230 pp. $29.95 pb

This book is written by three prominent leaders in gifted education, and their expertise comes through in the readability of the book, its practical applications, and its thoroughness. Their combined experiences as authors in this field and founders of actual ongoing programs for gifted children enable them to provide both theoretical and practical aspects of this topic. Intended primarily for educators of young children (through the primary grades) it would be a valuable addition to any teacher's collection. For the novice in gifted education, it provides a step-by-step guide to working with such children; for the experienced teacher, it supplies thought-provoking vignettes taken from real-life situations, along with many practical ideas that are ready for immediate use. It begins with basic ways to identify such children in an educational setting, progresses to establishing an appropriate classroom environment, explores various ideas for implementation within curricular areas, develops assessment measures, examines the importance of the role of parents, and concludes with a discussion of such important issues as social-emotional development and special needs gifted children.

Although the entire book is well worth reading, one can also benefit from choosing a chapter that is of particular interest (e.g. "Promoting Imagination in the Language Arts Curriculum") and applying the ideas and suggestions to one's own classroom. Particularly useful in such applications are the reproducible pages that go along with the implementation suggestions. Also extremely helpful are the bibliographies at the end of each chapter. Having all the references relating to a particular topic grouped together this way allows for quick access and acts as a springboard for a wealth of additional information in a particular area. Such groupings add to the versatility this book has as a resource for teachers, allowing them to choose what topics are most useful and to what degree of intensity they wish to pursue that topic. A complete bibliography is also included at the end of the book. In addition, three appendices provide additional resources regarding tests for identifying young gifted children, teacher materials, and gifted education materials in general. All of these components together provide a plethora of possible resources and ideas for teachers to use.

The last chapter of this book attempts to look at some of the issues that affect educating gifted children, from ethnic minorities and economic disadvantages to gender and learning differences. It even deals briefly with highly gifted children, who need even more specialized instruction than other gifted children. The 10-page chapter only deals with these issues in a cursory manner, however, merely scratching the surface of these important areas. Although providing some insightful ideas in this book, much more information and research are needed in these important areas. Perhaps the topics of this chapter are the precursor to a new book by these authors. If so, this reviewer feels strongly that it would be as stimulating, practical, and useful as this current book, which this reviewer strongly recommends for all educators of young children.

Reviewed by Linda C. Ward, Lower School Coordinator and first grade teacher at the Avery Coonley School, a school for bright and gifted children.