Understanding+Ideas

==Chelsea is an twelve-year-old who is entering the seventh grade. Chelsea is known for her song writing and acting talents. During the summer, she directs and leads her neighborhood friends in plays that she creates. She has recently become fascinated with fashion and has spent hours creating elaborate costumes for her productions. She loves to sing and act and has been chosen for numerous solos in school concerts and plays. She also organizes the productions, designs and paints sets, and orchestrates ticket sales with her friends. On the stage, she is outspoken and confident, however, she displays a different role in the classroom. Chelsea is well respected by adults and peers because of her positive attitude towards everything and everyone. She never passes up an opportunity to help her classmates, neighbors, teachers, and family.==

==Science and math offer her roller coaster days. Although the textbooks are confusing to her, Chelsea loves doing science experiments and working with math manipulatives. Her ups and downs in math and science also derail her performance in language arts class. She is a great speller, has neat handwriting, and loves telling stories she creates; however, she avoids class discussions and writing assignments. Her responses are short and non-elaborative. She finds long explanations and directions complicated and confusing. Although Chelsea is a strong oral reader, she is unable to find main ideas and struggles with summarizing and making inferences. To compensate for these difficulties, she concentrates on what is being said and tries to connect new information to her personal experiences.==

Adapted from All Kinds of Minds. (n.d.). Resources, Case Studies, Understanding Ideas, Chelsea– 6th grade. Retrieved from June 21, 2008 http://allkindsofminds.org/CategoryAll.aspx?section#CaseStudy