Resilience in Gifted Students: An Intervention

Developing Resilience in Gifted Students

Gail Fiddyment

University of Georgia

EPSY 7260

Spring 2012

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The setting for this intervention is an elementary school in

a small city in the Southeastern United States. The total county

population is about 116,000. In recent years, the city has

experienced a shift in demographics, with the influx of a large

Hispanic population, to about 10% of the total population. Per

capita income in 2008 was $25, 632, with an unemployment rate

(2010) of 7.3%. Although the majority of county residents are

White, the school system that serves the city and county is

composed primarily of Black (54%) and Hispanic (21%) students.

These percentages are much higher than the state averages of 37%

and 11%, respectively.

The school currently enrolls about 500 students and has seen

changes in demographics similar to the city: for 2009-2010, the

most current figures available, Black and Hispanic students make

up the majority of the school population, at 42% each. White

students make up 11%, Asian students, 2%, and Multiracial

students, 3%. Eighty-seven percent of the students are eligible

for free and reduced meals, and 29% are considered limited-

English proficiency (LEP); furthermore, 25% of the students are

served in the Early Intervention Program (EIP), targeted to

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students with academic difficulties. This school has been

designated a Title I school for a number of years.

Recent challenges for teachers include higher class sizes

and fewer resources, due to state and county budget constraints.

Many of the students come from single-parent families; others

have parents who speak little or no English. Despite the

challenges of high poverty and limited-English proficiency, the

school maintains a thriving gifted program; approximately 75

students, or about 15% of the population, participate in the

program. Previous teachers have been committed to identifying

and serving as many diverse students as possible, and

administrators have supported service and curriculum

modifications in order to accommodate these students.

Length of Intervention

This intervention is planned for a semester (15 weeks).

This allows time for students to be introduced to and practice a

number of strategies and skills related to resiliency without

losing interest in the activities. If there is sufficient

student interest, the intervention can be expanded to a second

semester, with extensions and follow-up activities.

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Social and Emotional Issues

I plan to address the issue of resilience and maintaining a

positive attitude toward self, family, school, and community.

Because many students at this school come from challenging

circumstances, there is a need to build skills related to

resiliency early in their lives. Hopefully, this will give them

a foundation upon which to rely as they encounter challenges,

both personal and academic, in the future. This intervention can

be used with students from second to fifth grade; the issue of

resilience and the skills targeted in this intervention are

appropriate for students within this age range.

The emerging field of Positive Psychology appears to be

closely aligned with resilience, and many of the activities in

the intervention are adapted from the Positive Psychology Center

website (http://www.ppc.sas.upenn.edu/positiveeducation.htm).

Skills emphasized in Positive Psychology include emotion,

gratitude, strengths, creativity, self-efficacy, resilience,

mindfulness. Other activities are adapted from the Fishful

Thinking website

(http://www.fishfulthinking.com/Resilience/Activities).

http://www.fishfulthinking.com/Resilience/Activities

http://www.ppc.sas.upenn.edu/positiveeducation.htm

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The overall goal of the intervention is that students will

develop skills related to resilience. Learning objectives

include:

1. Students will recognize personal strengths which they can

use in everyday living and times of stress, which will build

self-efficacy for academic and social challenges and increase

self-esteem.

2. Students will develop personal relationships with their

peers and increased sensitivity toward others.

3. Students will plan and implement a service learning

project.

4. Students will learn ways to build a positive outlook on

life by focusing on positive events and relationships in their

lives.

Rationale for Intervention

Many students come from difficult circumstances such as

poverty, cultural obstacles, linguistic differences, neglect or

abuse; gifted students, those with high potential and promise,

are no different. Some of these gifted students fail to achieve

their potential, although others overcome difficult circumstances

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to become high achievers (Baldwin, 1987; Peterson, 1997; Hébert,

2011). These students exhibit the quality of resilience, an

interaction of protective processes that modifies response to a

particular risk factor. Ford (1994) defines resilience as “the

ability to bounce back or recover from a disappointment, setback,

obstacle, or stressor” (p. 81). Benard (1997) identifies skills

essential for resilience: “the ability to form relationships

(social competence), to problem solve (metacognition), to develop

a sense of identity (autonomy), and to plan and hope (a sense of

purpose and future),” while cautioning that “these attitudes and

competencies are outcomes—not causes of—resilience” (p. 2).

Resilient children appear to share certain traits with

gifted children, including curiosity, a healthy sense of humor,

self-efficacy, and problem-solving ability (Hébert, 2011, Werner,

1989). High expectations of family (Benard, 1997; Morales, 2010;

VanTassel-Baska, 1989), social responsiveness and sensitivity

(Benard, 1997; Garmezy, 1983), strong peer relationships (Benard,

1997; Garmezy, 1991; Werner, 1989), positive outlook (Werner,

1989), task commitment, and internal locus of control (Hébert,

2011; Morales, 2010; Rutter, 1987) were also cited as common

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factors. However, it is not clear if gifted children have

different coping mechanisms in the face of adversity or if

different factors lead to the development of resilience in gifted

children.

Resilience appears to be an interaction of a number of

traits; therefore, this intervention targets several traits: peer

relationships, self-efficacy, positive outlook, self-esteem,

social responsiveness, and sensitivity to others.

Outline of Sessions

Sessions will take place once a week during extended

learning time (ELT). ELT is used as a pull-out enrichment time

for gifted students at each grade level, and lasts about 45

minutes. Several activities are planned for each session, in

order to address the objectives and ensure student engagement.

The development of internal qualities such as self-efficacy,

positive outlook, and personal strengths should be viewed as an

continuous process, and elementary students, such as those for

whom the intervention is planned, must practice and develop these

skills over time. In order to ensure this practice and

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repetition, many of the activities will be ongoing throughout the

intervention.

In addition, parents are encouraged to become involved in

the planning and execution of the service learning aspect of the

intervention and to plan extra-curricular activities for their

child(ren). Although parental support is not an objective of the

intervention, close ties with parents and other family members

and involvement with extra-curricular activities appear to be

related to the development of resilience (Garmezy, 1991; Werner,

1989).

Session 1: Students get to know each other through a

variety of games and activities, such as Business Cards (Hébert,

2011), and interest inventories. These introductory activities

will continue over several sessions in order to allow for sharing

time. This sharing time helps students identify potential

friends and common interests. Teacher facilitates these

activities and introduces students to the concept of resilience

and to an overview of the activities planned for the following

weeks, including the idea of social action/service learning, in

which the students will plan and implement a project for the

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semester, based on their personal interests and concerns.

Students are instructed to think about issues that concern them

(teacher may need to give examples, such as recycling,

homelessness, lack of food or warm clothing for some classmates,

etc.) and reflect, in writing or drawing, why that issue is

important in the community. If desired, students share their

product with the group.

Session 2: Students continue to get to know one another

with a quick partner game or activity. They then share the

Business Cards that they made last week, explaining why they

chose certain symbols or pictures to include on the card. The

teacher facilitates introductory activities and introduces Be the

Change! (Appendix B). Students answer questions about interests

and making changes. This activity serves as an introduction to

the service learning project.

Session 3: Students continue introductory activities with

Wanted posters (Hébert, 2011). They may complete posters today

but will not share until next week. Teacher introduces the Good

Things journal (see Activity 1 for details). These journals will

be used over the next 12 weeks to record positive events in the

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children’s lives. Students reflect on and record three good

things that have happened over the last week. Teacher leads a

discussion of issues of concern to the students (from Be the

Change! Chart last week). Students share the social concern that

they would like to tackle and are grouped according to their

interests. They brainstorm a list of things they need to do to

begin planning (teacher and parent volunteers may need to suggest

people to contact, inside and outside the school, what

information they will need, what actions they will need to take,

and a timeline of the plan).

Session 4: After warm-up activity and sharing of Wanted

posters, students write in their Three Good Things journals.

Students are then introduced to Using Signature Strengths in New

Ways activity (see Activity 2 for details). Students complete

inventory and rank strengths. Teacher shows bulletin board and

stack of colored index cards for recording. Each time a child is

aware of using a strength, s/he will describe it on an index

card, and post it on the bulletin board. At the end of the 15

weeks, there should be a rainbow of strengths in action.

Students continue service learning planning.

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Session 5: Warm-up activity such as “Alphabet” (teacher

calls out a letter and students join to make a physical picture

of that letter without speaking; Lewkowicz, 2007). Students

write in their Good Things Journal and share Strengths index

cards for bulletin board. Teacher introduces Set a Strength Goal

(Appendix C). Students pick strengths (from their Signature

Strengths) that they would like to develop over a period of three

weeks. Week 1: Students identify a strength to develop and seven

concrete goals that will help them practice this strength. They

will assign one goal to each day and check them off as they are

completed. Students complete service learning planning.

Session 6: Warm up activity such as Alphabet (Lewkowicz,

2007) or Interpersonal Analysis Activities (Maccagnano, 2007).

Students write in their Good Things Journal and share Strengths

index cards for bulletin board. Students share results of Set a

Strength Goal Week 1. Week 2, Set a Strength Goal assignment:

Students will identify a different strength to develop and seven

new ways they can practice the strength. As they complete a goal

each day, they will check them off just as in week 1. Students

begin Expectations posters (example in Appendix E). Large piece

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of paper is divided into six parts and the top row is labeled:

School Expectations, Parent Expectations, My Expectations.

Bottom row is labeled Meeting School Expectations, Meeting Parent

Expectations, Meeting My Expectations. Students identify

expectations from school, parents, and themselves, and make plans

for achieving the expectations. Before implementation of service

learning project, students reflect by writing or drawing what

they have learned and accomplished so far.

Session 7: Warm up activity. Students write in their Good

Things Journal and share Strengths index cards for bulletin

board. Students share results of Set a Strength Goal Week 2.

Week 3, Set a Strength Goal assignment: On the third week, once

again pick seven entirely new goals to complete throughout the

week, complete one goal a day and check them off as in the weeks

before. Students should return completed chart next week.

Students work together to create a Good News shoe box. Every

time they read a story about something positive that happened in

the community, an inspiring story, or a story that makes them

laugh, they are to clip it out of the paper or jot a description

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of it on a note card and drop it in the shoe box. Students begin

implementation of service learning project.



board. Week 4, Set a Strength Goal: Students share their

progress on their strengths over the last three weeks. Students

work cooperatively to create a Strength Class Tree. On a piece of

butcher paper, teacher draws a tree. The names of class members

are filled in and students share stories that reflect one of his

or her top character strengths such as bravery, gratitude,

kindness, fairness, spirituality, integrity, etc. Teacher

records the strength stories on index cards and tapes them under

the classmate's name. This is a way for students to recognize

strengths in others and make social connections to their peers.

Students share stories for the Good News shoe box.

Implementation of service learning project continues.


Things Journal, and share Strengths index cards for bulletin

board, and stories for the Class Tree or Good News box. Teacher

explains the idea behind a Gratitude Letter. Even young children

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have many people—parents, teachers, friends, or coaches--who have

helped them along the way, who have been especially kind, helpful

or influential. Students are to think about the people in their

lives that have significantly contributed to them in some way and

write a Gratitude Letter to one of these individuals describing

in concrete terms why they are grateful. The letter should be

specific, telling exactly what the person did, and how it

affected the child’s life. Students should be prepared to read

their letter aloud to the person as an expression of

appreciation, recognition and gratitude for the person and

his/her efforts of support, encouragement, and

challenge/inspiration, either in person or over the phone.

Students begin to write their Gratitude Letter. Implementation

of service learning project continues.



board, and stories for Class Tree or Good News shoe box.

Students complete Gratitude Letter. The teacher models the idea

of a “Do Over,” using a foam ball with “Do Over” written on it.

The teacher deliberately makes a mistake such as sounding bossy,

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and then says, “Oh no, I sounded way too bossy. I call a Do

Over. I'm going to say that in a kinder way.” Students take turn

recalling a time that they made a mistake, throwing the ball to

each other and calling “Do Over.” Implementation of service

project continues. Students should share their Gratitude Letter

with the recipient and be prepared to discuss it next week.




Students reflect on their Gratitude Letter by answering the

following questions: 1. How did you feel as you wrote the letter?

2. How did the other person react to your expression of

gratitude? How were you affected by other person’s reaction? 3.

How long do you think these feelings will last? 4. To what

extent do you think you will recall the experience of sharing the

letter? How do you think this recollection will affect your mood?

5. Have you thought of others with whom you wish to share your

gratitude? 6. How do you think this experience will influence

your current and future development? Implementation of service

learning project continues.

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board, and stories for Class Tree or Good News shoe box. Teacher

introduces Stretching Yourself. When children take a healthy

risk, they learn to stretch themselves and to use their skills

and strengths to reach a goal or overcome a challenge. Students

work in pairs to trace each other’s body on a large piece of

butcher paper. Students should lie with arms outstretched as if

reaching high so the outline shows the student stretching.

Students work independently to draw pictures, write words, or

glue pictures from magazines inside the outline of themself that

capture a healthy risk they want to take and healthy risks they

have already taken. Students can take outline home to continue

adding items as they continue to stretch themselves. Completion

of service learning project.




Students share stories from service learning project—things they

enjoyed, things that surprised them, things they learned about

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themselves and others. Teacher introduces My Autobiography.

Students write their autobiography as if they are an adult and

have accomplished many things in their lives.


Things Journal and share stories for the Class Tree or Good News

shoe box. Students reflect about what they have learned by

participating in service learning project, Good Things Journal,

Signature Strengths, and other activities. Students work

cooperatively to plan party for next week and make invitations

for parents and recipients of Gratitude Letters (if local).

Session 15: Celebrate! Students invite parents to

celebration/end-of-semester party, and share Good Things journals

and Strengths inventory, if desired. Parents and invited guests

can also view Class Tree, Strengths bulletin board, Good News

shoe box, and My Autobiography.

Sample Activities

Three Good Things Exercise.

Objective: Students will identify good things in their lives

and construct meaning from them.

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Process: Once a week, students write down three good things

that happened over the last few days. Beside each good thing,

they write the answers to these questions: Why did this good

thing happen? What does this mean for me? How can I have more

of this in the future?

Materials: Good Things journal. This can be a spiral-bound

notebook or purchased or teacher-made journal. In order to carry

out the “Good Things” theme, students should be encouraged to

decorate it to reflect their personalities and the “Good Things”

they identify.

Evaluation: Journal entries are used for evaluation.

Students should be able to identify three good things that happen

and also make meaning by answering the three questions above.

If they cannot identify at least three good things, they may need

to be prompted to consider routine events such as their dog

licking their face when they return from school, or playing with

a peer during recess. If students can identify the good things

but cannot answer the questions, it indicates that although they

may be aware of good things, they are not making personal

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connections and meaning of those events, in which case the

teacher may need to prompt more reflective thinking.

Using Signature Strengths in New Ways.

Objective: Students will identify their signature strengths,

ways to develop them, and then use them in new ways.

Process: Students take the Strengths Self-Rating Scale

(Appendix A) to identify their strengths; choices range from Love

of Learning to Perseverance to Leadership. Once students have

identified their top three strengths, they are to use these

strengths in at least one new way during each subsequent week.

This activity will help students view themselves from a position

of strength instead of weakness, and will help them examine

different ways in which to use those strengths. They will have

the option of discussing the ways they used their strengths

either orally or in writing in their journals.

Materials: Self-Rating Scale (Appendix A). Retrieved from:

http://www.happinesshypothesis.com/strengths-self-rating-

scale.doc

Evaluation: Students will be able to identify strengths and

weaknesses and rank them.

http://www.happinesshypothesis.com/strengths-self-rating-scale.doc

http://www.happinesshypothesis.com/strengths-self-rating-scale.doc

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Evaluating Effectiveness of Intervention

At the end of the intervention, students will be asked to

complete a brief survey regarding their satisfaction with the

activities and their learning of new skills and strategies.

Formative assessments such as observation and informal evaluation

of journals and ratings of strengths will have taken place during

the intervention.

Evaluation of Resilience Intervention

Directions: Please answer the following questions to the best of your ability. Do not put your name on your paper.

1. What did you learn about your personal strengths? How can that knowledge be useful to you in the future?

2. What did you learn about people in your class? Do you thinkyou are more sensitive to the needs of other people?

3. What did you learn from the service learning project? Will you do something like that again?

4. What did you learn about looking for good things and having a positive outlook? How can you use that in the future?

5. Please rate how much you enjoyed each of the following activities.

Not at all Not very much It was okayLiked Really liked

1-----------------------------2---------------------------3---------------------------4--------------------------5

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a) Good Things Journal: ________ (rating 1-5) Comments:

b) Signature Strengths Inventory: ________ (rating 1-5) Comments:

c) Service Learning Project: ________ (rating 1-5) Comments:

d) Gratitude Letter: ________ (rating 1-5) Comments:

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References

Baldwin, A.Y. (1987). Undiscovered diamonds: The minority gifted

child. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 10(4), 271-285.

Benard, B. (1997). Turning it around for all youth: From risk to resilience,

ERIC/CUE Digest, Number 126. ERIC Clearinghouse on Urban

Education, New York, NY.

Bland, L.C., Sowa, C.J. (1994). An overview of resilience in

gifted children. Roeper Review, 17, 77-80.

Callahan, C.M., Sowa, C.J., May, K.M., Tomchin, E.M., Plucker,

J.A., & Cunningham, C.M. (2004). The social and emotional

development of gifted students. RM04188

Center for Effective Collaboration and Practice (n.d.).

Promoting resilience in children: What parents can do.

Retrieved March 3, 2012 from

http://cecp.air.org/familybriefs/docs/Resiliency1.pdf

Davis, G.A., & Rimm, S.B. (2004). Education of the gifted and talented

(5th ed.). Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.

Ford, D.Y. (1994). Nurturing resilience in gifted black youth.

Roeper Review, 17, 80-85.

http://cecp.air.org/familybriefs/docs/Resiliency1.pdf

23

Garmezy, N. (1991). Resiliency and vulnerability to adverse

developmental outcomes associated with poverty. American

Behavioral Scientist, 34, 416-430.

Grotberg, E.H. (1995). A guide to promoting resilience in

children: Strengthening the human spirit. Early Childhood

Development: Practice and Reflections, Number 8. The Hague: Netherlands.

The Bernard van Leer Foundation. Retrieved March 2, 2012 from:

http://www.resilnet.uiuc.edu/library/grotb95b.html#appendix1

Hébert, T.P. (2011). Understanding the social and emotional lives of gifted

students. Waco, TX: Prufrock Press Inc.

Lewkowicz, A.B. (2007). Teaching emotional intelligence: Strategies and

activities for helping students make effective choices. Thousand Oaks, CA:

Corwin Press.

Maccagnano, A. (2007). Identifying and enhancing the strengths of gifted

learners K-8. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Morales, E.E. (2010). Linking strengths: Identifying and

exploring protective factor clusters in academically

resilient low-socioeconomic urban students of color. Roeper

Review, 32, 164-175.

http://www.resilnet.uiuc.edu/library/grotb95b.html#appendix1

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Nugent, S.A. (2005). Social and emotional teaching strategies. Waco, TX:

Prufrock Press, Inc.

Peterson, J.S. (1997). Bright, tough, and resilient—and not in a

gifted program. The Journal for Secondary Gifted Education, 8(3), 121-

136.

Peterson, J.S. (2003). Underachievers: Students who don’t

perform. In J.F. Smutny (Ed.), Underserved gifted populations:

Responding to their needs and abilities (pp. 307-332). Cresskill, NJ:

Hampton Press, Inc.

Rutter, M. (1987). Psychosocial resilience and protective

mechanisms. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 57, 316-331.

Ryan-Wenger, N.M. (1992). A taxonomy of children’s coping

strategies: A step toward theory development. American Journal of

Orthopsychiatry, 62, 256-263.

Smutny, J.F. (2003). Underserved gifted populations: Responding to their

needs and abilities. Cresskill, N.J.: Hampton Press, Inc.

Van Breda, A.D. (2001). Resilience theory: A literature review. Pretoria, South Africa: South

African Military Health Service.

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VanTassel-Baska, J. (1989). The role of the Family in the

success of disadvantaged gifted learners. Journal for the

Education of the Gifted, 13, 22-36.

Ungar, M. (2009). Resilience practice in action: Five principles

for intervention. Social Work Now, 43, 32-38.

Werner, E.E. (1989). Children of the Garden Island. Scientific

American, 260(4), 106-111.

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Monograph Series. Oak Brook, IL: North Central Regional

Educational Laboratory.

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Appendix A

Signature 1Strengths, Self-Rating Scale(Adapted by Jonathan Haidt, from M.E.P. Seligman, 2002: Authentic

Happiness) Everyone has a characteristic set of strengths and virtues, that is, things that they are “good” or “strong” on. Research in Positive Psychology suggests that there are (at least) 24 strengths and virtues that are recognized in most cultures. Please read the descriptions of the 24 strengths and virtuesbelow. As you read them, write a “+” in the margin next to the ones that you think describe you well. Write a “-“ in the margin next to the ones that you think do not describe you well. Leave the rest unmarked. Then look through the ones with a “+” next to them and try to rank order your top 5. That is, place a “1" in the left-hand column for the one that you think best describes you, then a “2" in the next best one, etc. Finally, look through the ones with a “-“ in the margin and try to rank the five that are LEAST true or applicable to you. That is, put a “24" next to the one that is least like you, then a “23", etc., out to 20. These might be considered your “weaknesses.” But bear in mind that everyone has strengths AND weaknesses, and being honest about both will help you plan out a life that takes maximum advantages of your strengths.

Strength Description1.Curiosity

Rank_______

You are curious about the world and you strongly desire experience of it. You are flexible about matters that don’t fit your preconceptions. Curious people do not simply tolerateambiguity but they like it and are intrigued by it. You seek out novelty, and you are rarely bored.

2.Love of learning

Rank_______

You love learning new things, whether you are in a class or onyour own. You always loved school, reading, museums - anywhereand everywhere there is an opportunity to learn. There are domains of knowledge in which you are the expert, and others value your expertise. You love learning about these domains, even in the absence of any external incentives to do so.

27

3.Judgment

Rank_______

You think things through and examine them from all sides. You do not jump to conclusions, and you rely only on solid evidence to make your decisions. You are able to change your mind. You are very good at sifting information objectively andrationally, in the service of the good for yourself and others. You do NOT just think in ways that favor and confirm what you already believe.

4.Ingenuity

Rank_______

When you are faced with something you want, you are outstanding at finding novel yet appropriate behavior to reachthat goal. You are rarely content with doing something the conventional way. This strength is also called "practical intelligence" or more bluntly common sense or street smarts.

5.Emotional intelligence

Rank_______

You are aware of the motives and feelings of others, and of yourself, and you can respond skillfully. You notice differences among others, especially with respect to their moods, temperaments, motivations, and intentions, and then you act upon these distinctions. You also have finely tuned access to your ownfeelings and the ability to use that knowledge to understand and guide your behavior.

6.Perspective

Rank_______

You have a way of looking at the world that makes sense to others and yourself. Others seek you out to draw on your experience, and you are often able to help them solve problemsand gain perspective. You have a good sense of what is really important in life.

7.Valor

Rank_______

You do not shrink from threat, challenge, pain, or difficulty.Valor is more than bravery during physical threat. It refers as well to intellectual or emotional stances that are unpopular, difficult, or dangerous. The brave person is able to uncouple the emotional and behavioral components of fear, resisting the urge to flee and facing the fearful situation. Fearlessness, boldness, and rashness are not valor; it is facing danger, despite fear, that marks valor.

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8.Persever-ance

Rank_______

You finish what you start. You take on difficult projects and finish them, usually with good cheer and minimal complaint. You do what you say will do and sometimes more, never less. Perseverance does not mean dogged or obsessive pursuit of unattainable goals. Rather you remain flexible, realistic, andnot perfectionistic.

9.Integrity

Rank_______

You are an honest person, not only always speaking the truth but also living your life in a genuine and authentic way. You are down to earth and without pretense. You representing yourintentions and commitments to others and to yourself in sincere fashion, whether by word or deed.

10.Kindness

Rank_______

You are kind and generous to others, and you are never too busy to do a favor. You enjoy doing good deeds for others, even if you do not know them well. Your actions are very oftenguided by other people’s best interests, even when these override your own immediate wishes and needs.

11.Loving

Rank_______

You value close and intimate relations with others. You have deep and sustained feelings for others, who feel the same way about you. This strength is more than the Western notion of romance; it is about very deep ties to several or many people.

12.Citizenship

Rank_______

You excel as a member of a group. You are a loyal and dedicated teammate, You always do your share, and you work hard for the success of the group. You value the group goals and purposes even when they differ from your own. You respect those who are rightfully in positions of authority, like teachers or coaches, and you identify with the group.

13.Fairness

Rank_______

You do not let your personal feelings bias your decisions about other people. You give everyone a chance. You guided in your day-to-day actions by larger principles of morality. You take the welfare of others, even those you do not know personally, as seriously as your own, and you can easily set aside personal prejudices.

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14.Leadership

Rank_______

You do a good job organizing activities and seeing to it that they happen. You are a humane and effective leader, attending to getting the group's work at the same time as maintaining good relations among group members. You are additionally humane when you handle intergroup relations "with malice toward none and charity toward all."

15.Self- control

Rank_______

You can easily hold your desires, needs, and impulses in checkwhen it is appropriate. It is not enough to know what is correct; you must also be able to put this knowledge into action. When something bad happens, you can regulate your own emotions. You can repair and neutralize your negative feelings, and generate positive emotions on your own.

16.Prudence

Rank_______

You are a careful person. You do not say or do things you might later regret. You wait until all the votes are in beforeembarking on a course of action. You are far-sighted and deliberative. You are good at resisting impulses about short term goals for the sake of longer term success.

17.Humility

You do not seek the spotlight, preferring to let your accomplishments speak for themselves. You do not regard yourself as special, and others recognize and value your modesty. You are unpretentious. You see your own aspirations, victories and defeats as pretty unimportant in the larger scheme of things.

18.Apprecia-tion

Rank_______

You stop and smell the roses. You appreciate beauty, excellence, and skill in all domains: nature, the arts, science, and the wide range of abilities that other people possess. You often see or hear things cause you to feel profound feelings of awe and wonder.

19.Gratitude

Rank_______

You are aware of the good things that happen to you, and you never take them for granted. You always take the time to express your thanks. Gratitude is an appreciation of someone else's excellence in moral character. We are grateful when people do well by us, but we can also be more generally grateful for good acts and good people. Gratitude can also be directed toward impersonal and nonhuman sources--God, nature, life – but it cannot be directed toward the self.

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20.Hope

Rank_______

You expect the best in the future, and you plan and work in order to achieve it. Hope, optimism, and future-mindedness area family of strengths that represent a positive stance toward the future. Expecting that good events will occur, feeling that these will ensue if you try hard, and planning for the future sustain good cheer in the here-and-now and galvanize a goal-directed life.

21.Spiritual-ity

Rank_______

You have strong and coherent beliefs about the higher purpose and meaning of the universe. You know where you fit in the larger scheme. Your beliefs shape your actions and are a source of comfort to you. You have an articulated philosophy of life, religious or secular, that locates your being in the larger universe. Life has meaning for you by virtue of attachment to something larger than yourself.

22.Forgive-ness

Rank_______

You forgive those who have done you wrong. You always give people a second chance. Your guiding principle is mercy and not revenge. Forgiveness represents a set of prosocial changesthat occur within an individual who has been offended or hurt by someone else. When people forgive, their motivations and actions regarding the transgressor become more positive (e.g.,benevolent, kind, generous) and less negative (e.g., vengeful,avoidant).

23.Humor

Rank_______

You like to laugh and bring smiles to other people. You can easily see the light side of life. You are playful and funny.

24.Zest

Rank_______

You are a spirited person. You throw yourself body and soul into the activities you undertake. You wake up in the morning looking forward to the day. The passion that you bring to activities is infectious.

A much longer and more accurate version of this test can be takenat:www.authentichappiness.org

For more information about strengths, happiness, virtue, and flourishing, seewww.happinesshypothesis.com

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Appendix B

Be the Change!(adapted from Be the Change! at

www.fishfulthinking.com/Resilience/Activities)

Answer the questions. Brainstorm potential activities and service projects. Make a concrete plan and go for it!

1. What types of things make you excited?

2. What subjects are interesting to you?

3. What stories or movies about a person making a difference in school or the world do you like the most?

4. If you could make one change to the world, what would it be?


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5. What are three things you could do today that would make the

world a better place?

Appendix CSet a Strength Goal

(adapted from Strength Goals atwww.fishfulthinking.com/Resilience/Activities)

To build a strength, you have to practice!

Week 1 Week 2 Week3

Goal: Goal: Goal:

1 1 1

2 2 2

3 3 3

4 4 4


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5 5 5

6 6 6

7 7 7

Appendix D“Finding Your Flow” Chart

(adapted from “Finding Your Flow” Chart atwww.fishfulthinking.com/Resilience/Activities)

Make a list of regular, favorite activities. In the next column list the skills, talents, and strengths used when doing the activity. In the next two columns, identify when the activity istoo easy and gets boring, and when it is too hard and gets overwhelming. Identify a way to make the activity the right level of challenge for total engagement and focus (somewhere between too easy and too hard). Activity Skill/

Talent/Strength

Too Easy(Boredom)

Too Hard(Overwhelmi

ng)

FindingFlow(Joy)


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Appendix E

Example of Expectations Poster

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School ExpectationsI will behave and domy work.

Parents’Expectations

I will do my best.I will do my chores.

My ExpectationsI will be nice to other people.I will make friends.

PlansI will listen to theteacher and follow directions.I will move away from people who might get me in trouble.

PlansI will study and payattention so I can do my best.I will do my chores without anyone asking me.

PlansI will ask someone to play on the playground.I will tell someone if they hurt my feelings.

Resilience in Gifted Students: An Intervention

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