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Gifted Books, Gifted Readers: Literature Activities to Excite Young Minds » (New Edition)

Book cover image of Gifted Books, Gifted Readers: Literature Activities to Excite Young Minds by Nancy J. Polette

Authors: Nancy J. Polette
ISBN-13: 9781563088223, ISBN-10: 1563088223
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Libraries Unlimited
Date Published: April 2000
Edition: New Edition

Author Biography: Nancy J. Polette

NANCY J. POLETTE is Professor Emerita and former Professor of Education, Lindenwood University, O'Fallon, Missouri. She is a national consultant and author specializing in reading, gifted education, library media, and children's literature.

Book Synopsis

Countering those who question whether gifted elementary and middle school children really need a literature program to achieve literacy, Polette (emeritus, education, Lindenwood U., O'Fallon, MI) overviews their specific traits and needs, and provides activities and books of genres from picture books to the classics for developing concepts, exercising the imagination, exploring diversity, learning from the past, and having hero/ines. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

	Acknowledgments	xi
Chapter 1	Literature for the Gifted: A Gateway to Greatness	1
	Imagination Illuminates Reality	2
	Inspired Writers	2
	Books to Add Zest	3
	Books as Experience	4
	Traits and Needs of Gifted Children	5
	Notes	6
Chapter 2	Picture Books for Gifted Programs	7
	The Need to Belong	7
	The Need to Achieve and Feel Self-Esteem	11
	About Black Bears	17
	The Need for Beauty, Order, and Harmony	17
	The Need to Cope with Stress	20
	The Need for Laughter, Nonsense, and Expanded Vocabulary	23
	The Need to Know and Extend Developing Concepts	28
	The Need to Know and Extend Developing Concepts: Animal Families	30
	The Need to Know and Extend Developing Concepts: Community Helpers	33
	The Need to Know and Extend Developing Concepts: Africa	37
	Introducing the Unit	37
	Geography	38
	Problem Solving	38
	The Need to Know and Extend Developing Concepts: Rocks	41
	The Need to Know and Extend Developing Concepts: Robots	44
	The Need to Know and Extend Developing Concepts: Earthwatch	47
	Favorite Picture and Poetry Books of the 1990s	53
Chapter 3	Exercising the Imagination: Fairy Tales and Fantasy	57
	Reading the World with Folktales: China	58
	More Tales from China	60
	Reading the World with Folktales: South Africa	61
	Reading the World with Folktales: Great Britain and Switzerland	62
	Reading the World with Folktales: Mexico	63
	Reading the World with Folktales: Peru	64
	About Peru	64
	Reading the World with Folktales: Russia	65
	About Russia	65
	Reading the World with Folktales: Australia	66
	Folktales in U.S. Studies	67
	Fantasy	70
Chapter 4	The Classics and Poetry	105
	Introduction	105
	To the Teacher	106
	Activities to Improve Skills Through Classic Literature	106
	Creative Thinking	106
	Critical Thinking	106
	Vocabulary	106
	Problem Solving	106
	Imaging	106
	Observation	107
	Children's Classics	108
	Classic Author: Robert Louis Stevenson	108
	Classic Author: Jules Verne	112
	Classic Author: Howard Pyle	114
	Classic Author: Johann Wyss	117
	Classic Author: Mark Twain	118
	Classic Author: Jack London	121
	Classic Author: Washington Irving	124
	Classic Author: Rudyard Kipling	126
	Classic Author: Kenneth Grahame	130
	Classic Author: James Barrie	132
	Classic Author: Daniel Defoe	133
	Classic Author: Johanna Spyri	135
	Introducing Shakespeare	138
	"Romeo and Juliet"
	Ocean Voyages: A Thematic Unit Blending the Classics and Contemporary Literature	143
Chapter 5	Exploring Diversity	149
	A Picture Book for All Ages	149
	Native American Folklore: Picture Book	151
	Native American Folktales: Brother Eagle, Sister Sky	155
	Native Americans: Novel	156
	Native Americans Today: Novels	159
	African-Americans: Picture Book	159
	More Picture Books to Read	161
	Reconciling Differences: Novel	162
	African-Americans: Novel	165
	The African-American Hero: Novel	169
	Hispanic Folktales: Picture Books	172
	Hispanic Americans: Picture Books	173
	Hispanic Americans: Novels	175
	Hispanic Literature: Novels	177
	Asian-Americans: Picture Books	179
	Asian Literature	180
	Clash of Cultures	184
	Asian-Americans	186
	The New Immigrants: Early 1900s	186
	The World War II Internment and Release of Japanese-Americans: 1940s	187
	Immigrants from Cambodia: 1980s	187
Chapter 6	Learning from the Past	189
	The Middle Ages	189
	About King Arthur	193
	About the Round Table	193
	U.S. History	197
	Related Reading	198
	World War II	220
Chapter 7	Heroines and Heroes	229
	Heroines: Picture Books	229
	Heroines: Novels	236
	Adventures with a Female Indiana Jones!	236
	Heroes: Picture Books--Real Life Heroes	249
	Anton Leeuwenhoek	249
	Abraham Lincoln	250
	Elijah McCoy	250
	Bob Lemmons	250
	Neil Armstrong	252
	Heroes: Novels	253
	Author/Title/Subject Index	271