By Beth Smith, M. Ed. | #smithingifted

One of the most important things we can do in a gifted classroom is help students understand that giftedness is not just about being “smart.” It is about strengths, challenges, perspective, growth, and learning how to use your abilities well.

That is why The Smarticles of Giftedness by Michelle Courtney can be such a meaningful read-aloud for gifted learners.

The book introduces Gabe, a child who is sometimes seen as a “know-it-all,” but who discovers that even gifted students have areas that do not come easily. In Gabe’s case, chemistry becomes a challenge. With the help of a science-fair partner, he begins looking at giftedness from a different perspective. The book uses “Smarticles”—special spectacles that represent seeing social-emotional situations in a new way. 

For me, that creates the perfect opening for a much bigger classroom conversation.

Gifted Does Not Mean Good at Everything

Gifted students frequently enter our classrooms believing one of two things:

“I’m gifted, so this should be easy.”

Or:

“If this is difficult for me, maybe I’m not really gifted.”

Neither is true.

After reading the book, I would write this statement on the board:

Being gifted does not mean everything is easy.

Then ask students whether they agree or disagree.

Let them defend their thinking.

This conversation can naturally lead into productive struggle, perseverance, perfectionism, and growth mindset.

I especially want gifted students to understand that encountering something difficult is not evidence that they have failed. Sometimes it is evidence that they have finally encountered something worthy of their thinking.

Create Your Own “Smarticles”

The Smarticles concept provides a wonderful gifted-learning extension.

Give each student a paper pair of glasses and ask:

If you could put on Smarticles and see your giftedness differently, what would you notice?

On one lens, students write:

Something that comes easily to me

On the other:

Something that challenges me

Around the glasses, they can add words describing themselves as learners.

Examples might include:

curious • creative • intense • persistent • impatient • imaginative • analytical • emotional • independent • perfectionistic

The goal isn’t to label every characteristic as “good” or “bad.” Instead, students begin recognizing that the same characteristic can become a strength or a challenge depending on the situation.

For example:

Persistence can become refusing to change strategies.

Leadership can become controlling a group.

Curiosity can become interrupting constantly.

Perfectionism can produce outstanding work—or prevent someone from starting.

That is a powerful discussion for gifted children.

Try the “Giftedness Is… / Giftedness Is Not…” Challenge

After the read-aloud, divide students into teams and give them two chart-paper headings:

GIFTEDNESS IS…

and

GIFTEDNESS IS NOT…

Students generate statements for both sides.

They might decide:

Giftedness is having advanced abilities in certain areas.

Giftedness is thinking differently.

Giftedness can include creativity, leadership, academic ability, or intellectual ability—the book itself emphasizes that giftedness is broader than one narrow definition. 

But giftedness is not:

Knowing everything.

Always earning an A.

Never needing help.

Always behaving perfectly.

Being better than other people.

Being gifted in every subject.

When teams finish, have them defend the statement they believe is most important for other students to understand about gifted kids.

Now the lesson has moved beyond comprehension into reasoning and perspective.

Connect It to Productive Struggle

One of my favorite ways to extend this book would be to give students a problem they cannot immediately solve.

Do not rescue them.

Let them wrestle with it.

Then stop halfway through and ask:

What are you feeling right now?

You may hear:

“Frustrated.”

“Annoyed.”

“I thought I knew how to do it.”

“I want you to tell us the answer.”

That moment is gold.

Ask:

Does struggling with this problem make you less gifted?

Of course not.

Then introduce one of the most important messages we can give gifted learners:

Struggle is not the opposite of giftedness. Struggle is part of learning.

For some gifted students, school has been easy for so long that difficulty feels like failure. We need to intentionally give them opportunities to experience productive struggle while they still have teachers beside them helping them develop the tools to navigate it.

Have Students Create a Gifted Learner User Manual

This would make a fantastic follow-up activity.

Students complete:

My brain loves…

I become frustrated when…

Something people misunderstand about me is…

I learn best when…

Something that is easy for me is…

Something that requires productive struggle for me is…

When I am overwhelmed, it helps when…

One thing I am trying to become more independent with is…

One thing I wish teachers knew about gifted students is…

For younger students, this can be a one-page activity.

For older gifted students, it can become a reflection journal or digital portfolio piece.

And from a teacher standpoint? The answers can be incredibly revealing.

Put the Smarticles on Again: Perspective Challenge 🔎

Because the Smarticles represent seeing something differently, I would use them throughout the year—not just during the book lesson.

When students encounter conflict, frustration, or disagreement, say:

“Put on your Smarticles.”

Then ask:

What might you be missing?

What would this look like from someone else’s perspective?

What evidence do you have?

What are you assuming?

Could two things be true at once?

Suddenly the book becomes more than a read-aloud. It becomes classroom language.

And that is where a children’s book becomes really valuable.

A Great Beginning-of-the-Year Gifted Lesson

I would especially use The Smarticles of Giftedness during the first few weeks of gifted class.

It gives us an opportunity to establish that our gifted classroom is not a place where students come because they already know everything.

It is a place where they come to:

🧠 think deeply
💡 create
🔎 investigate
❓ question
🤝 collaborate
🔄 change their thinking
💪 struggle productively
🚀 become increasingly independent learners

The publisher describes The Smarticles series as addressing social-emotional topics through the idea of using “smarticles” to gain a new perspective, and the giftedness title is intended for children as well as teachers, counselors, and families. 

That makes it especially suited for what gifted classrooms sometimes overlook:

teaching gifted children how to understand themselves.

Academic acceleration and enrichment matter tremendously.

But so does helping a child realize:

I can be gifted and still need help.

I can be gifted and make mistakes.

I can be gifted and struggle.

I can be gifted and have strengths that look completely different from someone else’s.

And I am still growing.

That may be one of the most important lessons we teach all year. 💙

#smithingifted | Gifted Education | Social-Emotional Learning | Productive Struggle | Autonomous Learners