Smarts

by Evan W.

You may think you're smart... but you're probably smarter than you think! How are you smart? How can you make yourself even smarter?

You have the potential for understanding the nature of your own intelligences - and for changing them. There's no limit to how much your brain can learn. In fact, the more you know, the more you can know!

A man named Howard Gardner came up with the idea that people have different kinds of intelligences. In fact, he thinks there are about eight different kinds of intelligences. We all have each of these intelligences, but we are often better in some intelligences than others. It's important to know about these intelligences so you can continue to develop the ones you're already good at, and so that you can improve your other intelligences.

Now on to Howard Gardner's eight intelligences:

Linguistic	Musical	Mathematical	Spatial
Kinesthetic	Intrapersonal	Interpersonal	Naturalist

After you've read about the multiple intelligences, complete the Multiple Intelligence Profile to learn more about your own smarts.

Linguistic Intelligence (Word Smart)
This intelligence helps you to write, listen, and speak. You use this intelligence while doing writing assignments, essays, or even reading a good book. It means choosing the right words and being sensitive to the many ways in which language is used. Poets, novelists, and public speakers have lots of linguistic intelligence.
Here are some terrific Web sites to help improve your linguistic intelligence:

For Young Writers If you dream about writing, or if you write and you want your writing to be better or published or just appreciated by others, it's all here!
FreeZone for Kids This place is so cool that you'll need to spend an entire afternoon just checking it out! You can do a puzzle, write a poem, and learn weird facts.
Real Kids Real Adventures: Young Writer's Clubhouse This site has stories about famous authors and how they began writing as children. It also tells how to get published and more.

Musical Intelligence (Music Smart)
This intelligence is for those who regularly use music, like musicians, to make sense of their worlds. Thinking in melodies and rhythms, people with a well developed musical intelligence are often conductors, musicians, and sound technicians. In developing the musical intelligence, we become skilled listeners, sensitive to music, and aware of the emotions music can make. People with this intelligence often change facts and other things they want to learn into songs to help their memories.
Here are some Web sites to learn more about music:

Energy In the Air: Sounds From the Orchestra This ThinkQuest Junior award winning site will give you lots of excellent information on music and sounds. There are many projects and activities you can try.
Music and the Brain This incredible page is part of our Web site. Learn about what kinds of music will help you do better on certain tasks and other interesting facts about music and the brain.

Logical-Mathematical Intelligence (Number Smart)
When you think about how to spend your allowance, make change, or even do your math homework, you are using your logical-mathematical intelligence. Scientists, engineers, computer technicians and accountants all use their logical-mathematical intelligence very much! To have a highly developed logical-mathematical intelligence, means you have the ability to calculate very complex operations like 1-2-3!
Here are some cool sites to help you improve your math smarts:
Brain Versus Calculator This activity was created by the authors of this site to help you improve your math smarts. Can you beat the calculator?
Figure This! This site is designed for kids and their families to try some great math challenges (have you lived for one million minutes).
A+ Math This site provides practice with math skills through game playing, flash cards, and homework help. You can choose the skill level.

Spatial Intelligence (Art Smart)
Look to pilots, sculptors, painters, and architects for evidence of spatial intelligence in action! People with a highly developed spatial intelligence have an ability to think in three dimensions and can often duplicate inner and external imagery. Some people draw upon their spatial intelligence to help them create art. Others may use this intelligence to create tools, such as maps or navigational aids (like compasses), that are valued in our culture.

Here are some cool sites to help you improve your spatial intelligence:

Pieces 'n Creases This award winning ThinkQuest Junior site will teach you everything you ever wanted to know about origami and more. There are great activities and lots of interesting information to learn.
Chunky Monkey This a really cool site if you like to make drawings and animations. You can even enter really cool contests!
Kidzdraw On this site, you can pick your age group. There are featured
projects each week. This is a really cool site.

Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence (Body Smart)
Whether you're a dancer, an athlete, an artist, or a surgeon - to do your job, you need to know how your body moves and how to control those movements, and this requires use of your bodily-kinesthetic intelligence. Those with a keen bodily-kinesthetic intelligence know how to fine-tune their physical skills. Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence could be seen as the base upon which the other intelligences are developed because, as babies, we explore the world through our bodies.
Here are some cool sites on sports:

Yahooligans Sports Read news stories about sports, challenge yourself with a daily trivia question, and follow the links to the sport of your choice.
Exploratorium's Science of Hockey Join the San Jose Sharks as they explore the science of one of the most exciting sports.
The Official NFL Site for Kids Learn about what it's like to be a football player, read interesting facts, and play some fun games.

Intrapersonal Intelligence (Self Smart)
When we use what we know about ourselves to plan a day at school, we use our intrapersonal intelligence. We use this intelligence when we think back to our own experiences, and examine them to gain self awareness. You will also gain empathy (knowing how people feel). For example, if your friend is sad because he or she got made fun of, you might feel as bad as that person! Religious leaders, psychologists, and philosophers all have highly developed intrapersonal intelligences.
Here are some Web sites to improve your intrapersonal skills:

Dealing With Feelings This site has many topics to help you deal with your feelings. Topics include how to deal with bullies, stress, death, and moving. Great place to help you understand yourself.
Confusius: His Life and Teachings This ThinkQuest site will teach you about the famous philosopher named Confusius. For example, did you know he was the first person to make education available to everyone, not just the wealthy?

Interpersonal Intelligence (People Smart)
How do you get along with people in your class, or even your whole school? By using your interpersonal intelligence, of course! People with a highly developed interpersonal intelligence have the ability to get along with almost everyone they meet, and are almost never shy! You use this intelligence when you're in a club meeting with friends, or even when you meet your new class mates after you moved! Religious leaders, mayors, even the President of the United States has a highly developed interpersonal intelligence!
Visit these Web sites to practice using or to learn more about your interpersonal skills:

Graffiti Wall This is a monitored site where you can enter chat rooms with other kids. There is a chat room for kids under eleven years old and one for kids who are older.
The Civil War for Kids Learn about the famous leaders of the Civil War along with lots of other fascinating Civil War facts.

Naturalist Intelligence (Nature Smart)
When you go hiking in the woods, and you know all the bird's names, what are you using? Your naturalist intelligence! You use this intelligence while on a hike or a nature walk. People with a highly developed naturalist intelligence have the ability to identify their surroundings like flowers, birds, and trees. Botanists and gardeners have highly developed naturalist intelligences. Charles Darwin is a famous example of someone with this intelligence.
Here are some Web sites where you can learn more about nature:

EcoKids OnLine At this site you will learn about the earth and its animals. There are games and interesting facts about animals. You can even submit artwork.
Plants and Our Environment This site was a ThinkQuest Junior award winner. Visit it to learn about plants, their relationship to animals, and their impact on the environment.

Here is a chart to show you more about each intelligence area:

Intelligence Area	Likes To	Learns Best Through	Famous Examples	Is Strong In	Common Misbehaviors
Linguistic	Read and write	Reading, hearing, and seeing words	T.S. Elliot, Abraham Lincoln	Reading and writing	Passing notes, reading during lessons
Mathematical	Solve Problems	Working with patterns	Albert Einstein, John Dewey	Math, logical thinking	Working on math or building during lessons
Spatial	Design, draw, or build	Working with pictures and colors	Pablo Picasso, Bobby Fischer	Reading maps, drawing puzzles	Doodling, drawing, daydreaming
Kinesthetic	Play sports and dance	Touching and moving	Michael Jordan, Charlie Chaplin	Athletics, dancing	Fidgeting, wandering around the room
Musical	Sing, hum, and listen to music	Rhythm, melody, and listening to music	Ella Fitzgerald, Mozart	Singing picking up sounds and music	Tapping a pencil or your feet
Interpersonal	Talk to people and join groups	Sharing, comparing, cooperating	Ronald Reagan, Mother Theresa	Understanding people, leading, organizing	Talking, passing notes
Intrapersonal	Work alone and reflect	Work alone	Eleanor Roosevelt, Sigmund Freud	Understanding yourself, setting goals	Disagreeing with others
Naturalist	Work with nature and hike outdoors	Working with plants and animals	Charles Darwin	Learning names of plants and animals and how they relate	Staying outside too long and collecting unusual specimens

Multiple Intelligence Profile

Now that you've read about the multiple intelligences, complete the Multiple Intelligence Profile to learn more about your own smarts. Think about these things before you complete the profile:

Read about each of the intelligences above before completing the profile.
Take time to think about the ways you use your intelligences each day.
Fill in the profile according to your intelligences one at a time.