9:30-10:30 AM
World Cultures
Students will explore different cultures through food, music, and traditions. We will focus on different countries and will learn about our own cultures!
CONTINUING EDUCATION
GIFTED ACADEMY
CLASS OUTLINE
Explore the class options in the published Gifted Academy outline,
organized by grade group and time block.
Grades K-1
10:30-11:30 AM
Deconstructing Fairytales
This course takes a closer look at classic fairytales from a different character鈥檚 point of view. Students will read the stories they know and love from the villain鈥檚 viewpoint. They will compare the original stories to the new.
11:30 AM-12:30 PM
Geography Gems
Each week the students in this class will learn about a different country. They will be immersed in the country鈥檚 culture through readings and crafts.
Grades 2-4
9:30-10:30 AM
Math Lovers
The class is designed to teach the major strategies of problem solving, foster mathematical creativity, and stimulate enthusiasm in math. Students also explore deductive reasoning by utilizing numbers as clues to solve mysteries. They can exhibit their creativity through solving math puzzles, number patterns, and sequences. Students also explore logical reasoning and mental arithmetic to solve these brainteasers, as well as learn to work backward.
10:30-11:30 AM
World Cultures
Students will explore different cultures through food, music, and traditions. We will focus on different countries and will learn about our own cultures!
11:30 AM-12:30 PM
Writing with Different Voices
Students will immerse themselves in different "realities," learning to write from the point of view of different people and objects. They will write and illustrate their own short stories using the strategies that they learn.
9:30-10:30 AM
Persuasive Writing
Young writers will learn how to express their opinions clearly and confidently through fun, engaging writing activities. In this course, students will explore the art of persuasive writing by developing strong arguments, supporting their ideas with reasons and examples, and learning how to capture a reader鈥檚 attention. Through creative prompts, debates, advertisements, and opinion pieces, students will strengthen their vocabulary, organization, and communication skills while building confidence in their unique voice. By the end of the course, students will be able to craft persuasive pieces that inform, convince, and inspire others.
10:30-11:30 AM
The Human Body
Investigate and discover why do we see? How do we hear? How does the brain work? Why do we need sleep? Find out the answers to these questions and many more as we explore the human body.
11:30 AM-12:30 PM
Reading and Art through Pictures
In this interactive class students will have hands-on opportunities to deepen their love for reading. Students will express their thoughts and feelings about what they read by creating and reviewing their own art, as well as the art of others.
Grades 4-6
9:30-10:30 AM
Solar System Exploration
What makes up the solar system? How does gravity work in space? Why isn鈥檛 Pluto still a planet? In this class, students will explore different planets within the solar system and investigate the latest research on new discoveries. This will be accomplished through reading articles and viewing a variety of documentaries that will help us uncover the mysteries of the solar system.
10:30-11:30 AM
Comprehension Strategies
Strong readers use strategies to deepen understanding, think critically, and make meaningful connections to what they read. In this course, students will strengthen their reading comprehension skills through engaging fiction and nonfiction texts while learning techniques such as predicting, questioning, summarizing, visualizing, identifying main ideas and supporting details. Students will also explore how to make inferences, analyze characters and themes, and support their thinking with evidence from the text. Through interactive discussions, group activities, and independent reading tasks, students will become more confident, thoughtful, and active readers prepared for academic success across all subject areas.
11:30 AM-12:30 PM
Math Word Problems
Students will strengthen their problem-solving and critical-thinking skills by learning strategies to confidently tackle challenging math word problems. In this course, students will practice identifying key information, choosing appropriate operations, and applying mathematical reasoning to solve multi-step problems involving fractions, decimals, measurement, geometry, and real-world situations. Through interactive activities, games, and collaborative challenges, students will develop perseverance, accuracy, and confidence in explaining their mathematical thinking. This course encourages students to become thoughtful problem solvers who can apply math skills both in and beyond the classroom.
Grades 5-8
9:30-10:30 AM
Public Speaking
Each week students will bring in a current event or issue that directly relates to their daily lives. This can come from a Newspaper or article online. Students will work in groups to construct logical and thoughtful persuasive speeches based on the topic the groups choose. This is an excellent opportunity for students to increase their public speaking abilities as well as develop and practice their persuasive writing skills!
10:30-11:30 AM
You鈥檙e the Jury
The goal of this course is for students to use critical thinking skills and various areas of logic to uncover the mystery of whether a person on trial is guilty or innocent. Cases are presented to students and details of the case are discussed together as a group. Also, students will use various forms of visual aids (evidence from readings, video, etc.) to help them identify guilty or innocent charges of a case and sustain their choice of verdict with proper evidence.
11:30 AM-12:30 PM
Codemasters & Detectives
Students will sharpen their critical thinking and problem-solving skills as they crack codes, solve mysteries, investigate clues, and even video riddles. Through logic puzzles, cryptography challenges, and detective-style activities, students will learn to analyze evidence, recognize patterns, and think creatively to uncover solutions. This engaging gifted and talented class encourages collaboration, perseverance, and higher-level reasoning while making learning fun and interactive.
9:30-10:30 AM
Real-World Math & Problem Solving
Students will strengthen problem-solving and critical thinking skills through real-world math applications involving percentages, probability, budgeting, data interpretation, and logic-based activities. The course will include interactive challenges, collaborative exercises, and hands-on problem solving.
10:30-11:30 AM
Pre-Algebra & Algebra Foundations
This course focuses on building strong foundational math skills through equations, fractions, ratios, integers, graphing, and multi-step problem solving. Students will develop confidence and mathematical reasoning through guided practice and engaging activities.
11:30 AM-12:30 PM
Math Puzzles, Logic & Critical Thinking
Students will explore math through puzzles, games, logic challenges, brain teasers, and strategy activities designed to strengthen analytical thinking and creativity in a fun and supportive learning environment.
Source: Gifted Academy class outline (PDF). Converted to accessible HTML on November 7, 2026. Minor spelling and text-encoding errors corrected; course assignments retained.