Discovering and Developing Talents in Spanish-Speaking Students

Book excerpt: ¡Atención! Recognize the strengths of Spanish-speaking students! With the growing population of Hispanic students, it′s more important than ever to persevere beyond the language barrier and nurture their gifts and talents. This book provides teachers and leaders with the skills needed to uncover each child′s abilities and ultimately boost achievement for gifted Spanish-speaking students. Packed with strategies, suggestions, and materials teachers can use immediately to enhance instruction and assessment, this book shows how to: Recognize students′ unique strengths Identify and develop the gifts of bilingualism and different cultures Create challenging learning experiences for every student in the class Adapt tools and strategies to meet each learner′s unique needs Connect with parents and the greater Spanish-speaking community Included are testimonials from teachers and students; examples of communications with and from parents; selected poems from gifted students; and inspirational stories from adults who overcame language challenges to earn college degrees and achieve successful careers. Too often, Spanish-speaking students are overlooked, miscast into special education, or not recognized for their abilities. This book shows you how to uncover the creativity in each one of your students.