Heroes Academy for the Gifted

04/19/2024

When gifted children aren't challenged enough, it can affect their behavior. My son, Noah, seems like a different child when he's understimulated and not getting the support he needs to advance. Teaching him to read wasn't the first thing that came to mind when Noah showed signs of boredom. He's still so young. Fortunately, I figured it out, and by supporting him, I've found my happy child once again. But it's different teaching a child to read at (almost) 2 than at school-age, and Noah's reshaping my philosphies on teaching children to read.

Years ago, I made a chart correlating almost a dozen different leveled reading systems, but I focused on reading levels for 2nd grade and beyond. Now, I've applied the same logic to correlate the reading level of learn to read series and books.

I’ve had a plan for teaching my child(ren) to read for more than a decade. As an educator, I felt like, if anything, I was overprepared to homeschool my child. I always envisioned using a phonics-f…

03/16/2024

While we primarily educate students ages 6 and older at HEROES, I'm having a TON of fun starting preschool at home with Noah. We are doing a Letter of the Week program, and we are currently finishing Letter C! We are doing lots of crafts, sensory activities, and scavenger hunts.

You can follow our journey and get my lesson plans here!

https://resources.njgifted.org/letter-of-the-week/

02/08/2024

Writing essays is often met with groans from students, but the truth is that strong writing skills are crucial for success in life. At HEROES Academy, I’ve spent more than a decade developing a writing curriculum that can give students the head start that I wish I had.

What constitutes a "good" essay? How can you develop strong writing skills in your gifted student?

Writing essays is often met with groans from students, but the truth is that strong writing skills are crucial for success in life. At HEROES Academy, I’ve spent more than a decade developin…

01/31/2024

𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐕𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐎𝐄𝐒 𝐀𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐲!
Don't miss out on this amazing opportunity. HEROES Academy has been serving gifted and talented students in NJ since 2007, and now we're ready to expand our reach! Our language arts classes are ready for the virtual environment. Classes start in September of 2024. 𝐋𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞. 𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝟒 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐟𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐞-𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧!
➼ Self-paced classes allow gifted students to move at a pace that works for them!
➼ Placement based on your child's abilities rather than their age or grade level.
➼ A curriculum designed specifically for gifted and talented students
➼ Our tried-and-true curriculum available from the comfort of your own home
➼ A distance learning option with limited screen time!
➼ Students can read PRINTED lessons OR watch video lessons -- or they can use both!
➼ Hands-on learning activities to complete at home with easy DIY manipulatives
➼ A fully comprehensive writing and grammar curriculum works perfectly for homeschoolers and students enrolled in other school environments (e.g. public, private, charter, micro-school, co-op, etc)
𝐓𝐰𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬:
⁍Self Guided Learning with Grading and Feedback provides your child with 36 weeks of lessons, assignments, and real human grading and feedback from HEROES Academy's Director and Language Arts Instructor, Miss Danielle Voit. Students also have the ability to chat with Miss Danielle three days per week
⁍e-Learning with Private Virtual Tutoring provides your child with 30 1-hour sessions of 𝐨𝐧𝐞-𝐨𝐧-𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 AND all the great benefits of our self-guided course including 36 weeks of curriculum, grading, and feedback from Miss Danielle! 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝟒 𝐬𝐥𝐨𝐭𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐟𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.
Find out more: https://njgifted.org/courses/languagearts/
Follow Heroes Academy for the Gifted and feel free to send us a message to chat!

12/10/2023

I love every moment with Noah, but some moments are more cherished than others – there’s nothing more wonderful than watching your child experience, learn, or accomplish another first. I’ll never forget the moment I first laid eyes on Noah, as he raised his head off my chest to stare right back at me only moments after he was born. The first time he sat up, crawled, said mama and I love you, his first steps -- these memories are ingrained in my memory as if they were yesterday.

I anxiously awaited all of these moments with Noah.

Sometimes, these moments catch us by surprise; they’re moments in which our children evoke a sense of joy, pride, love, or humor when we least expect it. Tonight was one of those moments.

I love every moment with Noah, but some moments are more cherished than others – there’s nothing more wonderful than watching your child experience, learn, or accomplish another first. I’ll never …

12/06/2023

Are you looking for some fun (and funny!) ideas to help your kids master their addition and subtraction facts? This list is filled with great ideas for you.

https://resources.njgifted.org/fun-and-funny-addition-and-subtraction-fact-activities/

12/05/2023

I LOVE this revision activity! My students wrote their initial thesis statements for their new essay assignment. Then, they traded with a classmate to peer-review. Their classmate rated their thesis statement based on the following questions:
-Does the thesis clearly state the topic?
-Is the author's tone authoritative?
-Does the thesis show how the information will be presented? (Does it match the planned organizational structure of the essay?)
-Are there any grammatical or mechanical errors?

They colored the icons for each category red, yellow, or green. Then, they wrote notes to explain their rating.

Each student handed the thesis statement and revision paper back to their classmate. The original author revised the thesis accordingly before passing it along to a new classmate for a peer review. They continued in this manner until they earned a "green" rating for each category. Green means go!

They had a lot of fun with this activity, and they have AWESOME thesis statements now.

12/05/2023

Looking for the perfect holiday gift for your gifted child? Check out this list! It's filled with great ideas for curious kids who love word games, math, logic, problem-solving, and science!

https://resources.njgifted.org/holiday-gifts-your-gifted-child-will-love/

12/04/2023

I LOVE this revision activity! My students wrote their initial thesis statements for their new essay assignment. Then, they traded with a classmate to peer-review. Their classmate rated their thesis statement based on the following questions:
-Does the thesis clearly state the topic?
-Is the author's tone authoritative?
-Does the thesis show how the information will be presented? (Does it match the planned organizational structure of the essay?)
-Are there any grammatical or mechanical errors?

They colored the icons for each category red, yellow, or green. Then, they wrote notes to explain their rating.

Each student handed the thesis statement and revision paper back to their classmate. The original author revised the thesis accordingly before passing it along to a new classmate for a peer review. They continued in this manner until they earned a "green" rating for each category. Green means go!

They had a lot of fun with this activity, and they have AWESOME thesis statements now.

Want to use this in your classroom? I'll post a link in the comments!

12/03/2023

It's back! We designed our 3D Coloring and Logic Puzzles over seven years ago, and they're still one of our students' favorite activities. Now, they're available for you to use at home or in your classroom! Each coloring page is a logic puzzle, asking students to color the 2D net so that the vertices match up when it's folded, so that opposing faces are the same color, so no two adjoining faces are the same color, etc. It's a great spatial reasoning activity, and the nets can be used to talk about attributes of 3D solids, surface area and more. They also make great Christmas ornaments! It's a perfect activity to do with your middle school math students before Winter break, and there's no prep! Just print and go!
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/3D-Shapes-Coloring-Craft-and-Logic-Puzzles-Ornament-Bundle-10620449

11/30/2023

There's something truly magical about a child learning to read. Watching Noah learn to read is an incredible experience, and he amazes me every day. For Noah, it seems like learning to read is as natural as learning to walk or talk. It just makes sense to him.

"Embark on a captivating journey into early reading skills with Noah. Explore the magic of a child learning to read, from unique experiences in laundromats to insights on memorization and fluency. Discover valuable recommendations for children's books and leveled readers. Join us in nurturing a love...

11/29/2023

In our classes, we offer students the opportunity to move at their own pace. We take differentiation seriously, providing a truly individualized experience for each student. Our Mystery Message Task Cards are one of many resource types that make this possible. These task cards are self-checking and keep students engaged. They love decoding the mystery message, and the task card format works well to keep kids on task -- even students who struggle to stay on task LOVE task cards!

This set is perfect for reviewing 4th-grade Fractions Operations. It works well for students who may need a little extra review at the end of the unit, for the whole class before a test, or for a student working ahead!

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Operations-with-Fractions-Review-Mystery-Message-Task-Cards-4th-Grade-10573049?epik=dj0yJnU9Yko4WTVNM0hxQnZOQ01lWTBONG85RklrTzhSUC1PR3QmcD0wJm49RzctMkItZkxYOTBBRlNkRFhTd1NHdyZ0PUFBQUFBR1ZubHdZ