“Giftedness is not what you do or how hard you work. It is who you are. You think differently. You experience life intensely. You care about injustice. You seek meaning. You appreciate and strive for the exquisite. You are painfully sensitive. You are extremely complex. You cherish integrity. Your truth-telling has gotten you in trouble. Should 98% of the population find you odd, seek the company of those who love you just the way you are. You are not broken. You do not need to be fixed. You are utterly fascinating. Trust yourself!”

Linda Silverman~Gifted Development Center Denver


Sunday 11 October 2015

Something sweet for Thanksgiving


Picture of Happy Thanksgiving at Teachingisagift.blogspot.ca

It's Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada and I can't stop thinking about FOOD.  I love to roast a turkey, make cranberry sauce from scratch, mash potatoes and rutabaga, and bake some stuffing (this year I am doing some gluten free too, of course).  Last week at school we had our annual Thanksgiving luncheon and I took a vegan, dairy free, gluten free pumpkin pie that was to die for. There is a new gluten free bakery in my neighbourhood called Whisked and they make awesome bread, cookies and pies.  Something about fall just makes you crave delicious treats. 

If you live in Toronto be sure to check out all the awesome 
gluten free goodness at Whisked.


With food and report cards on my mind, I whipped up these levels of achievement posters.  I know I am not the only one who loves food, my students do as well.  I have been using the ice cream sundae analogy for many years to describe what work looks like at different levels.  I decided having a great visual would help me better explain the concept to my class, and would allow me to refer to it all year long.

4 Picture Levels of Achievement Posters Ontario Curriculum @ Teachingisagift.blogspot.ca


 I know the idea of using the ice cream sundae is not unique in classrooms across the country.  What I wanted though, was to create a set of posters which teachers could modify to suit the needs of their own classrooms.  Sometimes the language we create a poster or anchor chart with just doesn't work for another group of students in another classroom, or for a particular group of students, or even for the task at hand.  


Picture of 4 Levels of Achievement Posters Ontario Curriculum @ Teachingisagift.blogspot.ca

Each poster includes a yummy visual depicting one of the levels of the Ontario Achievement chart.  For these posters I have used student friendly language which I have found works in my classroom with junior students. But have you ever purchased something like these posters and you just wanted to tweak something?  Or you love the graphics and the concept but the way the author created the posters just doesn't work for your class? With that in mind, I made this set of posters so that teachers can make each level say exactly what they know will work their students.  

Picture of 4 Levels of Achievement Posters Ontario Curriculum @ Teachingisagift.blogspot.ca

Each poster set includes two versions.  One has my wording on them and the other set allows you to create posters which say anything you wish.  When you open up the PDF file you will see blue boxes on the slides which are editable.  No need to worry about downloading and matching fonts.  The posters have the font embedded in the file so they match the headings on each poster. Simply type the wording you want into the box, and voila, you have your own personalized version of the poster.

Picture of 4 Levels of Achievement Posters Ontario Curriculum @ Teachingisagift.blogspot.ca

You can get your own set of posters by clicking on any of the images above or by clicking HERE.  

I hope you are having a wonderful weekend, whether you are celebrating Thanksgiving or Columbus Day.  Enjoy time with family and friends.