Joseph S. Renzulli - Enrichment Clusters: A Practical Plan for Real-World, Student-Driven Learning

About the Authors

Joseph S. Renzulli is a longtime faculty member of the Department of Educational Psychology at The University of Connecticut and was selected by the university as one of its Distinguished Professors. He holds dual directorships at the Neag Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development and the federally funded National Research Center for the Gifted and Talented.

Marcia Gentry is the director of the Gifted Education Resource Institute and Professor of Educational Studies at Purdue University. Her research has focused on the use of cluster grouping and differentiation, the application of gifted education pedagogy to improve teaching and learning, student perceptions of school, and nontraditional services and underserved populations.

Sally M. Reis is the Vice Provost of Academic Affairs and a Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor at The University of Connecticut. She was a public school teacher for 15 years and worked with academically talented students on the elementary, junior high, and high school levels. She is a well-known scholar and has authored or coauthored more than 250 articles, books, book chapters, monographs, and technical reports.

Acknowledgements

This book is in honor of our mothers, Letitia Morgan and Jacky Gentry, and the many creative and dedicated teachers throughout the United States who participated in the enrichment cluster studies.

Special thanks go to Arnold Gamboa, Jason McIntosh, Kristina Ayers Paul, and Jeff Spanke for their insights and suggestions.

Appendix A

If I Ran the School Survey

Developed by Deborah E. Burns

Name ____________________________________

Grade ____ Teacher ______________________________

I am really interested in:

SCIENCE

1. The Stars and Planets

2. Birds

3. Dinosaurs and Fossils

4. Life in the Ocean

5. Trees, Plants, and Flowers

6. The Human Body

7. Monsters and Mysteries

8. Animals and Their Homes

9. Outer Space, Astronauts, and Rockets

10. The Weather

11. Electricity, Light, and Energy

12. Volcanoes and Earthquakes

13. Insects

14. Reptiles

15. Rocks and Minerals

16. Machines and Engines

17. Diseases and Medicine

18. Chemistry and Experiments

SOCIAL STUDIES

1. Families

2. The Future

3. Our Presidents

4. The United States

5. Other Countries

6. History and Long Ago Times

7. Famous Men and Women

8. Problems We Have in Our Town

9. Holidays

10. Native Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanics, and African Americans

11. Explorers

12. People Who Live and Work in Our Town

13. Travel and Transportation

MATH

1. Math Games and Puzzlers

2. Measuring Lines, Liquids, Weight

3. Shapes and Sizes

4. Buying and Money

5. Calculators and Computers

6. Building

7. Counting and Numbering

8. Calendars and Time

9. Math Stories and Problems

LANGUAGE ARTS

1. Writing a Book

2. Writing Poems

3. Writing Plays and Skits

4. Writing Newspapers

5. Making Speeches

6. Sign Language

7. Making a Book

8. Comic and Cartoon Strips

9. Letter Writing

10. Spanish and French

11. Talking and Listening to Stories

12. Making a New Game or Puzzle

ARTS

1. Cartoons

2. Art Projects

3. Painting

4. Clay

5. Acting

6. Dancing

7. Drawing

8. Writing Music

9. Photography

10. Movies

11. Puppets

12. Radio and Television

13. Famous Artists and Their Work

14. Making New Toys

15. Magic

16. Mime

CAREERS

1. Doctors

2. Lawyers

3. Police Work

4. Firefighters

5. Scientists

6. Builders

7. Reporters

8. Store Workers

9. Sports Stars

10. Actors

11. Veterinarians

12. Farmers

13. Writers

14. Engineers

15. Artists

16. Inventors

You forgot to list some of my very special interests. They are:

Appendix B

Sample Enrichment Cluster Descriptions

Following are examples of real clusters that took place in schools involved in our research studies. We have organized them by the general interest areas identified in the sample wall chart in ). Some include facilitator bios, which is optional.

LANGUAGE ARTS, LITERATURE, AND THE HUMANITIES

THE POETS WORKSHOP

What is it like to be a poet? Explore the poetry of some of Americas greatest poets, including Robert Frost, Langston Hughes, Emily Dickinson, and others. Write, illustrate, and perform original poems or interpret others work. Identify outlets for our work.

VOICES FROM OLYMPUS

Step back into the lives of an ancient civilization. Was the world held on the shoulders of a giant? Did monsters lurk in the depths of a maze? Was the world controlled from a mountain top? Lets explore the world of the ancient Greeks. What connections can we make to our world today?

AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE

How do people communicate without using a voice? In this cluster, American Sign Language will be introduced through both words and songs. Decide what to do with your newfound language. Who might be your audience?

YOUNG AUTHORS GUILD

Are you an aspiring writer? Join other writers in creating original works in any genre you choose, such as poetry, fiction, drama, and short story. Help identify outlets for your work. Submit for publication, enter contests, create a performance, develop a gathering of writers, and more.

PHYSICAL AND LIFE SCIENCES

INVENTION CONVENTION

Are you an inventive thinker? Would you like to be? Come to this cluster to brainstorm a problem, try to identify many solutions, and design an invention to solve the problem. Create your invention individually or with a partner under the guidance of Bob Erickson and his colleagues. You may share your final product at the Young Inventors Fair, a statewide, daylong celebration of creativity.

HABITAT HUNTERS

Have you ever wondered why penguins live at the South Pole? Why plants and animals live where they do? Will your children know the same plants and animals you do? How are plants and animals in our area currently affected by human population and expansion? What can we do to save these species from extinction? Make a difference: Join the Habitat Hunters as we explore these issues and more.

FLIGHT SCHOOL

Pilot your own helicopter! Discover how and why a glider flies and build one to test your ideas. Construct a rubber-powered model airplane and launch your own rocket to understand more about Bernoullis Principle and Newtons Third Law. Discover the history of flight and the science of simple machines. You will be able to plan and complete your own project and experience one of lifes greatest rewards, taking two steps back to admire your own work. Mr. Schimmel is a former teacher, director of an environmental education center, and currently a school administrator in Mansfield. He obtained his pilots license in 1981 and continues to enjoy learning about why and how bats, birds, and boomerangsas well as numerous man-made machinesmanage to FLY! Mrs. Latino is a fourth-grade teacher at Southeast School who has a variety of interests, including skiing and sailing.

HERPETOLOGISTS SOCIETY: REPTILE DISCOVERY

Explore the mysteries, superstitions, myths, and real-life problems for reptiles in todays world. Get up close and personal with reptile specimens. Discover what issues herpetologists study, identify how you can make a difference in the world of reptiles, and then take action.

PALEONTOLOGIST SOCIETY

Step back in time to the Jurassic era. Explore the lost world of the dinosaurs with staff from Dinosaur State Park. Explore geologic time, invertebrate fossils, fossil plants, and fossilization, and work beside paleontologists as you explore the mysteries of the past at the dig site. Decide what to create as a result of your work.