Collaboration Guide - WCATY: Programs

Welcome
Hello WCATY Students, School Sponsors & Parents,
We are excited and honored to be working with you and your students this quarter. Our hope is that together we will meet the challenges of embracing strengths and recognizing hurdles, so that after
the last project is turned in and the last bit of feedback is received,
we can look back and see the progress made. In this vision of an
educational community, we all have a role in making sure success is
the end result. What is a successful end result? WCATY classes are
designed to help students practice higher level thinking skills while
also refining their learning and communication habits. Our goal for
your students is to push and test and struggle and fail and revise,
over and over again. In other words, the goal is simply to grow.
We ask you to support this goal by asking your students about the
conversations held, the different perspectives expressed, the books
read, and the projects created in their WCATY courses.
Contents:
Our Impact....................................................2
Collaboration Continuum .............................3
Our Assessment System................................5
2014-2015 Calendar......................................6
Happy Online Travels,
Rebecca Vonesh
Director of WCATY’s Online Academy
Wisconsin Center for Academically Talented Youth
Rebecca Vonesh
Director of Online Programming
vonesh@wisc.edu
Merone Tesfaye
Graphic Designer
mtesfaye@wisc.edu
Ola Skyba
Director of Summer Programming
skyba@wisc.edu
Michael Kenyon
Program Assistant
mjkenyon@wisc.edu
D.A. Robinson
Animator & Data Architect
darobinson3@wisc.edu
Christine Congdon
Outreach Specialist
ccongdon@wisc.edu
Edward Hartman
Program Assistant
ejhartman@wisc.edu
Brittany Fahres
Graphic Designer
fahres@wisc.edu
Marissa Greuel
Outreach Specialist
mrgreuel@wisc.edu
Suite 264 Teacher Education Building
225 N. Mills St.
Madison, WI 53706
General Line: (608) 890-3260 Fax Number: (608) 265-4309
Need Help? academy@wcatyhelp.education.wisc.edu
Online Options that Meet Your Needs
Eager to meet like-minded friends, sharpen their wit, and dive deeply into self-selected topics, each year
over 1,300 students click into campus. Like their unique talents, their interests range widely. We satisfy their
appetite for challenge by designing a smorgasbord of curricular nourishment.
Project A Missions
Academy Challenges
9 Weeks Blended
Starting in November, end of January, &
April
4 Weeks Online
Starting in October & mid January
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Tier Two, Extension Curriculum, Aligned to Common Core State Standards
20 hours of Online Instruction
A Community Passionate about Your Students’
Interests
Online activity is asynchronous, though classes
move together from week to week
Students spend four to five hours per week completing activities
Cost: Members ($115), Wisconsin Schools &
Parents ($125), Out of State ($150), International
($200)
In a Project Academy four week mission, students are
project managers in charge of selecting, planning, revising and reflecting upon their plan of work. In week
one, students jump into action selecting a problem
from a range of inquiry options. Once selected, students make a plan of work, join an interest group, and
add to the class-wide discussion about overarching
issues. After four weeks of researching their problem and crafting a product, students use group and
instructor feedback to prepare their project to be displayed in the school-wide showcase. Throughout the
experience, instructors provide regular, personalized
feedback focused on documenting growth. Schools
and parents receive a final report which includes
planning, interaction, and writing or reading grades as
well as a detailed description of student growth.
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Tier Three, Replacement Curriculum, Aligned to Common Core State Standards
90 hours of Blended Instruction including Three Faceto-Face meetings
Indepth Content Explorations
Students spend seven to ten hours per week completing activities
Students tend to work independently in school libraries or resource rooms
Cost: Members ($200), Wisconsin Schools & Parents
WCATY’s Academy provides online classes that replace a
quarter of language arts, history, science or math curriculum in over 75 districts. The research-based coursework
is assigned in weekly chunks providing the perfect mix of
community discussion and flexibility. The integrated curriculum begins with complex, real world problems which
students dig into by discussing big questions, reading fiction and non-fiction texts, writing persuasive, informative
and creative works and interacting with other eager minds.
Students also participate in face-to-face meetings where
they build community and participate in hands-on explorations. Instructors provide regular, personalized feedback
throughout the week to students. Instructors typically
spend eight to ten hours in each class per week. Our assessment system focuses on documenting growth and
helping students reflect upon their own learning process.
Schools receive a midterm and final report which includes
reading, writing and interaction grades as well as a detailed
description of student growth.
Collaboration Continuum
WCATY
• Provides extensive training for instructors
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Develops interdisciplinary gifted curriculum
Ensures the safety of students in our online campus
Provides midterm and final reports
Coordinates face-to-face workshops
Requests and uses feedback to enhance the learning environment
Instructors
• Design integrated learning experiences which develop higher level thinking skills and content knowledge
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through exploration and the production of complex projects
Give timely feedback to messages, tech questions, assignments and forum responses that push thought,
synthesize conversation paths, and add pertinent information
Articulate an overall picture of the student as a learner in the class through their scores and comments in
the midterm and final reports
Respond to feedback by continuously refining their practice and courses
Blend meaningful online interactions with motivating, hands on, face-to-face meetings
University
of Wisconsin
Offers and conducts first rate research which WCATY uses to establish best practices
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Makes available world class collections, buildings and labs, and thinkers
Provides access to graduate student mentors who often work in our online forums to provide an additional perspective to conversations
School
Sponsors
• Select and enroll qualified students
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Provide release time with web access
Supply books for students
Work with schools and parents to arrange transportation to face-to-face workshops
Monitor student work, discuss progress with instructor, and assign final grade
Give feedback on course design
Students
• Engage in lively, but respectful conversations and debates
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Monitor their own progress and learning, trying even when it is difficult and alerting the instructor to
learning hurdles and questions
Read directions, books, and resources carefully
Write clearly in order to express both personal and academic perspectives
Connect ideas and themes into their daily lives
Contribute in a cycle of evaluation and refinement by enlisting feedback given to improve work and by
participating in surveys in order to give the instructor essential information about how to grow
Parents
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Help find needed books, internet access, and possibly transportation to face-to-face workshops
Review student work before submission
Give feedback on course design and inform instructor about illness or learning hurdles
Enroll and support students in Project A classes
Destination: Higher Level Thinking
Who should take a WCATY course? Can you...
Dig Deeply: Courses delve deeply into a theme, use higher level thinking skills, and highlight multidisciplinary connections.
Balance Time and Challenge: Self-motivation, follow through, and time management are key.
Understand Your Own Process: Successful students openly articulate their learning process, are not always “right,” and respectfully question.
Consume Text and Media Wisely: A balanced approach to student-chosen and class-wide readings
culminates in contemplative conversations. Success requires sifting and winnowing large amounts of resources.
Reading several books while also doing research is very common.
Effectively Communicate: In an online setting, written communication expands beyond the realm of formal papers and becomes the tool through which students articulate their position, share personal stories, build consensus, and deviate from the
norm. Successful students write continuously, using logic, research, and personal stories as support.
Will you decide to Think like a...
Target Audience Is this for you?
Historians inter- Do you like to read historical fiction?
Targeted Skills
Read like a Historian (RI 8.1 – 8.9, RL 8.1 – 8.9, RH 8.1- 8.9)
Write like a Historian
ested in exploring
the factors that
have influenced
the evolution of
our human story.
Do you often think about how an
event might ripple throughout time?
Do you think about questions like,
how does our language impact us or
is it better now than back then?
Leaders inter-
Do you like to read dramas, romances, action adventures?
Do you tend to end up in leadership
positions?
Do you think about questions like,
who am I or I wonder how others are
feeling?
Read like a Reflective Leader
Do you like to read humorous or surrealist stories?
Do you tend to see stories in your
mind rather than hear them?
Do you think about questions like,
what is creativity or, what if…?
Read like a Designer
Do you like to read mysteries?
Do you often find yourself categorizing things?
Do you think about questions like,
what caused that or, is that really
true?
Read like a Researcher
Do you like to read science fiction or
fantasy stories?
Do you tend to draw out concepts to
show connections?
Do you think about questions like,
how do things work?
Read like an Engineer
ested in exploring
decision-making
models, examples
of greatness, and
yourself.
Designers who
tend to envision
the new by challenging assumptions.
Researchers
who enjoy collecting, categorizing,
and measuring
information.
Engineers inter-
ested in understanding how it all
connects.
(W 8.1 – 8.9, WHS 8.1 – 8.9, SL 8.5, L 8.1-8.6)
Interact like a Historian (SL 8.1- 8.4, SL. 8.6)
(RI 8.1 – 8.9, RL 8.1 – 8.9, RH 8.1- 8.9)
Write like a Reflective Leader
(W 8.1 – 8.9, WHS 8.1 – 8.9, SL 8.5, L 8.1-8.6)
Interact like a Reflective Leader (SL 8.1- 8.4, SL. 8.6)
(RI 8.1 – 8.9, RL 8.1 – 8.9, RST 8.1- 8.9)
Write like a Designer
(W 8.1 – 8.9, WHS 8.1 – 8.9, SL 8.5, L 8.1-8.6)
Interact like a Designer (SL 8.1- 8.4, SL. 8.6)
(RI 8.1 – 8.9, RL 8.1 – 8.9, RST 8.1- 8.9)
Write like a Researcher
(W 8.1 – 8.9, WHS 8.1 – 8.9, SL 8.5, L 8.1-8.6)
Interact like a Researcher (SL 8.1- 8.4, SL. 8.6)
(RI 8.1 – 8.9, RL 8.1 – 8.9, RST 8.1- 8.9)
Write like an Engineer
(W 8.1 – 8.9, WHS 8.1 – 8.9, SL 8.5, L 8.1-8.6)
Interact like an Engineer (SL 8.1- 8.4, SL. 8.6)
The WCATY Way: Growing Your Talent
WCATY programs develop students’ concept knowledge (depth and breadth); skills (writing, reading, interacting, and sometimes computation); and learning behaviors (focusing, organizing, reflecting, working with others). Growth is documented and analyzed through
our assessment system, Pathways to Expertise. This system links school-based standards to professions (ex. historians, engineers,
designers) and is partly based on Beck and Schacter`s (1996) idea of establishing ``expert benchmarks`` for gifted students.
1. Growing Skills: Focused on teaching students to read, write and interact like
the chosen profession, the system uses instructor feedback and student portfolios to
outline growth and to target next steps. Depending on the focus, instructors select
a next step for each assignment from a list of aligned learning goals. These next
steps document individual growth by marking progress throughout the class, noting
movement from novice to professional goals. As instructors give more goals, patterns emerge. Students complete portfolios which help them reflect on their own skill
development and select their own focus for further development. Instructors then
use the patterns they see in the assigned learning goals and the students’ reflections
in their portfolios to synthesize the growth seen into the narratives they write on the
midterm and final reports. A 1-4 number score based on the amount of growth seen
is given for reading, writing, and interacting skills.
Rubric for Midterm & Final Reports
4(Dramatic Improvement) Considerable growth. While participating in all activities, he/she received progressively
more difficult learning goals, rarely receiving the same comment twice.
3(Consistent Improvement) Demonstrated growth. While participating in most activities, he/she rarely received the
same learning goal, though goals were often the same level of difficulty.
2(Some Improvement) Demonstrated some growth. Though participation is not consistent and learning goals are often
repeated, some movement has been noted.
1(Little Improvement) Very little demonstrated growth. Participation is infrequent and learning goals are aften repeated.
0(No Improvement) No work has been turned in.
2. Developing Concept Knowledge: Each course is guided by an essential question and uses a project space to help students
apply what they have learned. These two assessments are then used to gauge whether the depth and breadth of the student’s
understanding of the content has grown.
Essentail Question Responses: Students respond to this essentail question at the beginning and end of the course. The
instructor gives students feedback to their final response. Students then reflect upon their two responses, thinking about the
instructor feedback and the big ideas of the course. This reflection becomes one of their portfolio pieces.
Final Project: The final project is developed throughout the course, revised in online spaces, and presented at the last faceto-face meeting. A score is given to the final project and is included as part of the reading or concept development grade.
3. Becoming the Manager of Their Own Learning Process: Throughout the process students are asked to reflect on
their learning process, defining hurdles, strenghts and next steps of their own. They do this in our pre and post surveys as well as in
their portfolios.
2015-2016 Schedule
September 1st: Registration opens for all school year experiences
Project A Fall Missions: Oct. 5th-Oct. 30th (4-Week, Tier 2 RtI Extension Curriculum)
September 28: Registration deadline
September 30: Login information emailed to families & schools
October 5: Online missions begin
October 30: Online missions end
November 6: Reports sent to families & schools
Academy Fall Challenges: Nov. 2nd- Jan. 15th (9-Week, Tier 3 RtI Replacement Curriculum)
October 26: Registration deadline
October 28: Login information emailed to schools
November 2: Online challenges begin
November 2-13: First face-to-face meetings scheduled
December 4: Fall midterm comments available in grading section of School Support System
November 30–December 11: Second face-to-face meetings scheduled
December 21–January 3: Two week winter break
January 4-15: Third face-to-face meetings scheduled
January 15: Fall challenges end
January 22: Fall final comments available in grading section of School Support System
Academy Winter Challenges: Jan. 25th-March 18th (9-Week, Tier 3 RtI Replacement Curriculum)
January 19: Registration deadline
January 21: Login information emailed to schools
January 25: Winter challenges begin
January 25-February 5: First face-to-face meetings scheduled
February 17-March 2: Second face-to-face meetings scheduled
February 26: Winter midterm comments available in grading section of School Support System
March 7-18: Third face-to-face meetings scheduled
March 18: Winter challenges end
March 25: Winter final comments available in grading section of School Support System
Project A Winter Missions: Feb. 22nd-March 18th (4-Week, Tier 2 RtI Extension Curriculum)
February 15: Registration deadline
February 17: Login information emailed to families & schools
February 22: Online missions begin
March 18: Online missions end
March 25: Reports sent to families & schools
March 21-April 3: Two week spring break
Academy Spring Challenges: April 4th-June 3rd (9-Week, Tier 3 RtI Replacement Curriculum)
March 29: Registration deadline
March 31: Login information emailed to schools
April 4: Spring challenges begin
April 4-15: First face-to-face meetings scheduled
April 25-May 6: Second face-to-face meetings scheduled
May 6: Spring midterm comments available in grading section of School Support System
May 16-May27: Third face-to-face meetings scheduled
June 3: Spring challenges end
June 9: Spring final comments available in grading section of School Support System
Project A Missions- 4 Weeks
Think like a...Historian
All WCATY online courses are aligned to: Language Arts CCSS; 21st Century
Standards; NAGC Pre K-12 Gifted Programming Standards; and ISTE Standards.
Amazing Race, WCATY Edition|Mapping Out World Culture
Who: Historians, Researchers, Writers, Cartographers
What: Physical Geography, Cultural History, Creative Writing
CCSS: Analyze Historical Texts and Persuasively Argue for a Historical Theory
5th-8th Grade
While trekking around the world and connecting the locations, your head is filled with questions. What
does the world look like from the throne of the most powerful ruler? How treacherous is the journey to
the worst battle in history? In four weeks of fast-paced challenges, you will travel to a variety of far off
places to explore all the wonder our world has to offer. Your quick thinking and research skills will help
you uncover the mysterious, fascinating and little known facts of the locations and cultures you encounter on your worldly travels as you make your way to your final destination. Your final project will be to
collaborate with your Amazing Race Adventure Planning Team to create a map of all of your destinations, highlighting their stories and adventures. Work hard and work fast to finish the race!
Heroes and Villains|Writing Historical Fiction through their Perspective Who: Historian, Creative Writer, Researcher
What: History, Characterization
CCSS: Analyze Historical Texts and Persuasively Argue For a Historical Theory
5th-8th Grade
What defines a hero? A villain? Take Christopher Columbus. As a member of his crew, do you consider
him a hero? As a native of the Americas, do you feel the same way? What role does perspective play in
examining and judging historical figures? What if your perspective is that of an inanimate object? Imagine you are the bus in which Rosa Parks sat, or the podium at which President Lincoln gave his Gettysburg
address. What will your versions of these historical events offer to your readers?
It Never Happened|Misconceptions about History
Who: Historian, Researcher, Non-fiction Writer, Politician, Media-Communication Specialist/Journalist
What: History, Non-Fiction, Detective/Mystery, Politics, Journalism
CCSS: Analyze Historical Texts and Persuasively Argue for a Historical Theory
5th-8th Grade
Vincent Van Gough had his ear cut off as a result of an argument. Pocahontas, an adult Powhattan princess, fell in love and married John Smith. Albert Einstein, before the age of fifteen, mastered differential
and integral calculus. Do you know which of the above two statements are truths and which one is a
lie? What other historical lies do people continue to believe? Are you willing to play detective and place
historical events/people on the scale of truth? Will you then be able to tweak a historical belief and sell
your misconception to your peers?
Stupid|The Impact of Dumb Historical Decisions
Who:Diplomats, Political/Military Analysts, Economists, Anthropologists, Satirists
What: Identifying factors in evaluating historical decisions; comparing perspectives of time, culture, and
motivations as factors of responsibility; defending a system of evaluation.
CCSS: Additional alignments to National Council for Social Studies Standards
5th-8th Grade
What is the dumbest decision ever? You choose. You create a spectrum of stupid. Perhaps you have
heard of the Darwin Awards, bestowed to people whose comical, ill-advised actions land them in fatal
situations. What about historical acts that harmed others; how would they compare? You might consider the decision to delay a nonessential test to the middle of the night resulting in the world’s largest
nuclear disaster. Boom! Death and 200 years of destruction over millions of acres. Would you rank that
before or after a political leader’s campaign to mass produce steel that led to more than 20 million
deaths? Play an evaluative role and rate missteps like these, defending your order. Will you emphasize
the cost, the human toll, the global damage, the long-term effect? Will the perspectives of time, culture
or motivations weigh in your process? Theorize what human characteristics led to the biggest errors.
What recommendations would you make to protect against stupidity?
World Beat|Mash-Up World Beats and Lyrics
Who: Anthropologists, Musicians, Radio Show Host
What: Culture, Rhythm, Keys, Scales, Tempos, Phrases
CCSS: Research and Analyze Media, Clearly Inform Others about a Process
5th-8th Grade
Do you hear music and get carried away thinking about the people and places that gave birth to the
sounds? Have you ever wondered, “Am I more woodwind or brass?” Does listening to dueling conch
shells sound like fun? Have you ever pretended to have your own radio show? Join us as we sample
mournful funeral songs, celebratory songs of praise, romantic love songs, and aggressive battle songs
from around the world and from different time periods. Explore how a group of instruments have
voiced the melodies that shaped cultures around the world. Meet the musicians whose ability to
fashion new sounds and rhythms defined different music periods. Come be the radio host who takes
listeners on a tour of the world.
Think like a...Leader
All WCATY online courses are aligned to: Language Arts CCSS; 21st Century Standards; NAGC Pre K-12 Gifted Programming Standards; and ISTE Standards.
Happiness?|The Psychology and The Numbers
Who: Psychologists, Teenagers, Sociologists, Questioners of the Human Condition
What: Positive Psychology, Leadership/Identity
CCSS: Analyze Psychological Texts and Practice Reflective Journaling
Happiness. What is happiness? Is it genetic? A question of our habits? Throughout its history, the field
of psychology has focused on the dark side of human consciousness. Now a new group of psychologists
are asking the question, ``What does it really mean to be happy?`` Learn how to navigate WCATY`s
online world while joining the discussion. Exchange views with students throughout the state as we all
research, read, test, and synthesize in order to find out what exactly happiness is.
5th-8th Grade
How to Learn (Almost) Anything|Understanding How to Maximize Your
Brain
Who:Neurologists, Sociologists, Anthropologists, Health Care Professionals, Educational Psychologists,
Teachers/Principals
What: Learning Styles and Their Advantages, Effects of Diet, Sleep, Exercise on the Brain, Activities and
Puzzles that Stimulate the Brain
CCSS: Targeting students with identified leadership talents
5th-8th Grade
Have you ever wanted to learn how to bend spoons with your mind? While it would be awesomely cool
to manipulate objects with mere thought, you need to sign up for the magic course to learn that skill!
How about taking less time and energy to finish homework, conquer your gaming friends, and complete
the latest trilogy by your favorite author? In this class, by studying and experimenting on the three
pounds and 86 billion neurons within your own skull, you will discover a variety of ways to improve the
efficiency and capacity of your brain.
The Negotiator|Law and Conflict Resolution
Who: Negotiators, Legal Administrators, Conflict Mediators, Human Resource Managers
What: Crisis Management, Communications, Human Behavior, Legal Studies
CCSS: Analyze Biographical Texts/Non-Fiction Reports and Persuasively Argue for a Plan
5th-8th Grade
Just about everything we do on a daily basis involves some form of negotiation. Think about it. You want
to ask your parents’ permission to spend the night at a friend’s house. Do you anticipate and prepare for
their response? What are you going to offer in return? It is more than merely a game of chance, if you
want to guarantee success in your favor. “A negotiator should observe everything. You must be part
Sherlock Holmes, part Sigmund Freud.” explains Victor Kiam. Examining the strategies used to negotiate
issues, and how laws impact conflict management will take you closer to becoming master negotiator.
Your skills will be put to the test as you rewrite a book or movie with a “Hollywood ending” to show what
success looks like in the real world.
Think like a...Designer
All WCATY online courses are aligned to: Language Arts CCSS; 21st Century
Standards; NAGC Pre K-12 Gifted Programming Standards; and ISTE Standards.
Drawing You In|Create Your Own Graphic Novel
Who: Artists, Graphic Novel Enthusiasts, Story Tellers, Graphic Designers
What: Design, Art, Storyboarding
CCSS: Analyze and Create Media
5th-8th Grade
Great writers SHOW rather than TELL a story. Have you ever wanted to show in pictures rather than
words? The comic strip format of graphic novels allows authors to show actions and emotions in a series
of pictures. Thoughts and motives are often projected through words in either dialogue, thought bubbles, or narration. Sounds like an easy way to tell a story, right? Wrong! Graphic novels have challenges
unique to the genre. While exploring what makes for stellar graphic novels, students will create their own
graphic novel pages to share with the WCATY community.
Dr. Who|Write Your Own Fan Fiction
Who: Designers, Media Moguls, Producers, Actors, Creative Writers
What: Script Writing, Story Creating, World Building
CCSS: Analyze Non-Fiction/Fiction Texts for Interconnections and Create Science Fiction
5th-8th Grade
Is Dr. Who the savior of species as well as a true friend to Earth, or is he the villainous avenger of his race
of Time Lords? How will you depict Dr. Who in a new adventure of this infamous time traveling humanoid
alien? Learn the rules of the growing genre of fan fiction, explore the character traits of one of the Dr.
Who incarnations and his companion(s), and design a problem to be solved within a creative plotline.
Has a menacing intergalactic plot been hatched or is time itself in peril? Your final project is creating a Dr.
Who episode script or short story to be shared with the WCATY community.
Spoken Word|The Poetry Behind the Numbers
Who: Poets, Performers, Statisticians, Sociologists
What: Poetry, Performance, Statistics, Social Justice
CCSS: Targeting students identified as Creative Thinkers with additional alignments to National Coalition of
Core Arts Standards and/or Engineering Design Next Gen Science Standards
5th-8th Grade
Poetry, what do numbers have to do with it? You tell us! Our theme is the numbers of our lives, the data
that defines us and the statistics that stagger us. What are you passionate about? Why does it matter?
When will you do something about it? Explore the world of spoken word poetry. Speak up and tell the
story that needs to be told. Create vivid images, engage in wordplay, generate powerful rhythms, repeat
important stats, rhyme and rhyme some more. It’s your time to perform. It’s your turn to speak. It’s time
we listen to the poetry behind the numbers.
Think like a...Researcher
All WCATY online courses are aligned to: Language Arts CCSS; 21st Century Standards; NAGC Pre K-12 Gifted Programming Standards; and ISTE Standards.
Dreams|Experimenting on Your Sleeping Mind
Who: Psychologist, Anthropologist, Oneirologist, Analyst, Scientist
What: Psychology, Science, Oneirology, Anthropology
CCSS: Analyze Scientific Non-Fiction Texts & Persuasively Argue for a Cause/Solution
5th-8th Grade
For millennia, people have pondered the meaning of dreams. Early civilizations thought of dreams as
a medium between our earthly world and that of the gods. Greeks and Romans were convinced that
dreams had certain prophetic powers. Dreams are responsible for many inventions, great artworks, and
are incredibly fascinating. In your lifetime you will get to experience more than 150,000 dreams, yet will
be able to remember only 1 of them. So, how do dreams work? How do we generate them? Do dreams
have meaning? Is it possible to control your experiences in dreams? How come dreams can feel more
vivid than reality? Take on a role of a psychologist, oneirologist, anthropologist, or analyst to explore
these and many other questions. Come and explore the mysteries of dreaming, and discover what roleour experiences and memories play in our dreams.
Microbes|Explore the Small but Deadly
Who: Agriculturist, Military Specialist, Public Health Official, Medical Doctor, Ecologist, Eco-Engineer,
Historian, Researcher
What: Pandemics, Anatomy and Physiology of Microbes
CCSS: Analyze Scientific Texts and Persuasively Argue For a Solution
5th-8th Grade
Ravaged crops, mass starvation, and disease in Ireland. Infected rodents, swollen lymph nodes, and
gangrene in Europe. Body rash, blisters, and blindness around the world. What do all of these have in
common? Microbes. Explore their microscopic world through the scope of an agriculturist, a biologist, a
world health official and a national security specialist. What microbes cause problems you work to solve?
What microbes help you solve problems? Write a policy brief and propose a course of action. How will
you prevent further destruction or use the power of microbes for good?
Real Life Super Heroes|Explained by Science
Who: Inventors, Researchers, Readers, Writers, Creative Thinkers
What: For this course, all the resources and reading materials will be provided online.
CCSS: Analyze Scientific Texts and Persuasively Argue For a Solution
Become a superhero in this course! Have you channeled your inner superhero lately? Do you have
what it takes to “fight the bad guy?” Consider Spiderman. What roles would science and technology
play in his world? Do you have the potential to become the next Spiderman? Uncover these ideas when
you unlock the superhero within yourself!
5th-8th Grade
Think like an...Engineer
All WCATY online courses are aligned to: Language Arts CCSS; 21st Century Standards; NAGC Pre K-12 Gifted Programming Standards; and ISTE Standards.
App|Create a New Approach to Computing
Who: IT Specialists, Coders, Video Game Designers, and Engineers
What: Properties of Apps, Programming, Mathematics, Visual Design
CCSS: Some courses with additional alignments to Math CCSS and/or Next Gen Science Standards
5th-8th Grade
Can you design the next big app? What app do you need that you don’t have? Why do you need it? Can
you design it? How do they affect you, your education, and your free time? Join the adventure to explore
apps and evaluate their development. Coders, video game players, Minecraft aficionados, and engineers
are needed to join our App Guild. Our guild will use models to understand and analyze how Apps are
created and developed as you design and create your own App!
Failed|Engineering Busts
Who: Engineers, Architects, Urban Planners, Government Leaders
What: Math, Science, Language Arts
CCSS: Analyze Scientific Non-Fiction Texts and Persuasively Argue for a Problem/Solution
5th-8th Grade
Challenger and Columbia. Silver Bridge in Ohio and the I-35 Bridge in Minneapolis. Levees during Hurricane Katrina and dams during the Buffalo Creek Flood. Space shuttle explosions, broken bridges, collapsed infrastructures. How do these things happen? Who or what is to blame? Investigate the world of
engineering by analyzing failed projects. You will work in a small group to identify a problem and design
a solution. In the end, your group will identify challenges, explore impacts, and present solutions in a
proposal to City Council.
Patterns that Matter|Golden Ratio, Fibonacci and More
Who: Scientists, Mathematicians, Philosophers, and Artists
What: Patterns in Nature, Science, Math
CCSS: Some courses with additional alignments to Math CCSS and/or Next Gen Science Standards
Follow the spiral in search of order. Ride a wave toward understanding. Let symmetry predict the future.
Dissect nature through the magnifying glass of a scientist, mathematician, philosopher, and artist. Journey
deep into the natural world identifying, studying, and explaining natural patterns and their impact over
time. When do they benefit living organisms? What mathematical patterns are most common? How is
natural beauty defined? Choose a role, dissect a pattern, collect your specimens, and report your findings.
5th-8th Grade
Puzzle Makers & Code Breakers|Create and Solve Logic Puzzles
Who: Puzzle Makers, Problem Solvers, Engineers, Mathematicians
What: Problem Solving, Mathematical Thinking, Critical Thinking, Logic
CCSS: Analyze Scientific Non-Fiction Texts and Persuasively Argue for a Problem/Solution
5th-8th Grade
What do transposition, ROT1, Caesar`s Shift, and monoalphabetic substitution all have in common?
How can a matrix help you solve a logic puzzle? Do you know any cruciverbalists? If you could spend
hours searching for a solution, if creating a truly difficult puzzle seems appealing, or if you would be
honored to be called the greatest puzzler in your class, then this Mission could be in your destiny. Come
join a Puzzling Society where you learn the master craft of puzzle making. Enter puzzle competitions,
and see if your best puzzle can win approval to be shown in the Project A Student Gallery.
Survival Math|Use Logic to Master the Extreme
Who: Mathematicians, Athletes, Adventurers, Survivalists
What: Applied Mathematics, Creative and Cooperative Problem Solving, Survival Scenarios
CCSS: Some courses with additional alignments to Math CCSS and/or Next Gen Science Standards
5th-8th Grade
Iron Tri-Mathlon: Do you have the math skills to survive?
Considered one of the most difficult sporting events in the world, the Ironman Triathlon is a series of
grueling long distance races which only the toughest athletes can complete. An Ironman or Ironwoman
must swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles, and then run a 26.2 mile marathon without a break. Now YOU
can go beyond racing to test the limits of your skills! Iron Tri-Mathlon challenges you to use math skills
to complete THREE extreme adventures. Pick your scenarios, sharpen your pencils, and get ready to
calculate your way to the finish line! Whether mountain climbing, scuba diving, trekking across a desert,
or mushing a team of sled dogs across the Arctic, you will need math skills to survive! Do you have what
it takes?
Academy 9-Week Challenges
Think like a...Historian
All WCATY online courses are aligned to: Language Arts CCSS; 21st Century
Standards; NAGC Pre K-12 Gifted Programming Standards; and ISTE Standards.
Building an Empire|Civilization’s Systematic Rise and Fall
Who: Ancient Civilization Buffs and Game Designer/Inventions
What: Ancient Civilizations, Cause and Effect, Sociology, Game Mechanics
CCSS: Additional alignments to National Council for Social Studies Standards
7th & 8th Grade
Why are some civilizations chronicled in history books and others left in the dust? While reading Isaac
Asimov`s The Foundation or Veronica Roth`s Divergent, you will investigate the patterns that create
human civilization. By playing the game Civilization, you will track how systems impact each other and
explore cycles of growth and decay. Analyze complex texts and digital artifacts in order to make strong
arguments in the senate halls of our forums. Play the ultimate logic game, Civilization.
Greek Mythology|Where Ancient Stories Reveal Your Hero’s Quest
Who: Folklorists, Historical Researchers, Ethnographers
What: Language Arts, Ancient History, Culture
CCSS: Analyze Historical Texts and Persuasively Argue for a Historical Theory
5th & 6th Grade
Even though they are over two thousand years old, the mythological tales of the ancient Greeks are still
widely known and influence modern society today, from Hermes` caduceus to the names of businesses
such as Nike shoes, Ajax Cleanser, and Midas Mufflers. Take this opportunity to read the mythological
tales of the ancient Greek gods and goddesses. Write creative pieces about the heroes and their amazing
adventures. Battle your classmates to gain rank in our forums on Mount Olympus. Imagine a world of terrifying beasts and humans with extraordinary powers. Come live with the Olympians.
Mystery Hunters|Unravel the Mystery of European History
Who: Ethnographers, Geographers, and Political Historians
What: Qualitative Research, History, Problem Creation
CCSS: Research Multiple Historical Perspectives and Persuasively Argue for a Historical Theory
7th & 8th Grade
Looking for work? The Anachronism firm is hiring. Come be employed by a mystery figure who is looking to
change the course of history. Travel through time to visit different eras in European history and in each era
gather clues to solve the problem. What is the problem? That information is classified and only available to
those who accept the challenge. You will be provided the reading, but be prepared to spend a good deal of
time researching and writing to form a solution to this mysterious problem.
Survivor|Quick Thinking in the Face of Danger
Who: Adventure Tour Guides, Insurance agents, Historians, Game Makers
What: Language Arts, Risk Management, Psychology, History
CCSS: Analyze Biographical Texts/Non-Fiction Reports and Persuasively Argue for a Plan
7th & 8th Grade
What would you do if the worst happened? What do the recent disasters like Tsunamis and Katrina teach
us about the human spirit? Can we ever be really sure of our own safety? Everything in life involves risk.
Sometimes we have control over risk. Practicing prudent decision making helps to decrease the chances
of bad consequences. But there are also perils that are out of our control. Come explore risk and human
behavior in disastrous situations.
World Mythology|Stories that Define Culture
Who: Folklorist, Historical Researcher/Investigator, Ethnographer
What: Anthropology, Sociology, Narrative Development
CCSS: Additional alignments to National Council for Social Studies Standards
7th & 8th Grade
Since the beginning of time, people have been on a quest for understanding. Where did we come from?
Why does nature act the way it does? What is our ultimate destiny? What is the meaning of life? As past
cultures searched for answers, mythical characters, themes and systems were born. Come explore these
sacred stories, learn how their human themes run through world culture and consider the influence they
had and continue to have on contemporary life.
World Time Traveler|Connections Throughout Time
Who: Historical Researchers, Ethnographers, Anthropologists, Sociologists
What: Language Arts, Geography, History, Problem Solving
CCSS: Analyze Historical Texts and Persuasively Argue For a Historical Theory
Unless you win the lottery, it is unlikely that you will be able to travel to every interesting place on earth.
But in this class you might be able to visit Germany in WWII, China while the Great Wall is being built,
Canada as they become an independent country and much, much more. Learn about different periods in
history and make your own itinerary that spans countries and decades. Get your passport ready and make
sure you are buckled up and ready to travel!
5th & 6th Grade
Think like a...Leader
All WCATY online courses are aligned to: Language Arts CCSS; 21st Century Standards; NAGC Pre K-12 Gifted Programming Standards; and ISTE Standards.
Board of Directors|Complex Decisions with Big Consequences
Who: Future Executives and Industrialists
What: Business, Statistics, Leadership/Identity, Energy
CCSS: Targeting students with identified Leadership Talents
7th & 8th Grade
Do you have what it takes to be a Decider? As we speak, the remaining vacancies on the board of Petrozine Incorporated are being filled. These are seats of power. This multinational oil corporation owns oil
rigs and business all around the world. If the idea of solving complex issues doesn`t intimidate you, if the
idea of holding people`s lives in your hands doesn`t make you want to back away, we may have a position
for you on the Board of Directors.
Character Driven|A Psychological Case Study
Who: Dramatic Writers, Psychologists, Sociologists
What: Language arts, Sociology, Psychology, Character Development
CCSS: Analyze Biographical Texts and Non-Fiction Reports and Persuasively Argue for a Plan
7th & 8th Grade
The lady in the pink gloves. The man noisily reading the newspaper. The kid chewing on his pencil and the
loud laughing girl. They are all around you. Breathe. And exhale. Secretly take out your pencil and notebook. Listen to their thoughts. Analyze their body language. What do they really think about the others in
their group? Notice their wishful glances. What motivates them? What do they really value? Capture the
characters in your world. Sketch, stretch and remake them into literature. Don`t just be a character. Create
them.
Fantasy Franchise|Statistics, Team Dynamics, and Marketing
Who: Sports Fans, Athletes, Coaches, General Managers, and Team Owners
What:Statistics, Leadership/Identity, Athletics
CCSS: Targeting students with identified Leadership Talents
5th & 6th Grade
Sports fans, huddle up and get ready to give one hundred and ten percent! If you want to be recruited to
play on this team, you should have interest in all things sports: famous athletes and rivalries, cooperation
versus competition, salaries and sports facilities, as well as the history of sports. Future sports franchise
owners should come to the class bargaining table ready to negotiate and trade, provide their best analysis
of sports ideas and issues, and be prepared for anything at all times. It`s time to get ready to rumble in the
wild world of sports!
Law 101|The Policies Behind Civil Rights Who: Activists, Lawyers, Lobbyists, Politicians, Union Leaders, Psychologists
What: Political Science, Civil Rights, Legal Studies, Sociology, Psychology
CCSS: Targeting students with identified Leadership Talents
7th & 8th Grade
Imagine waking before dawn every day to walk to a factory. You sit in a windowless room on a concrete
floor cutting threads off shirts for 10 hours, only to break for lunch. It`s not child`s play. But for this 9year-old girl from Bangladesh, it is survival. The goal of fair and equal rights for all has been chased for
hundreds of years but is still not a reality for many people throughout the world. What can you do to bring
society closer to this goal? Come explore how change takes place by examining civil rights throughout history, and create an action plan to tackle a problem of your own.
Presidential|Decision Making at the Highest Level
Who: Leaders, Politicians, CEOs, Supervisors
What: Infamous historic decisions, Leadership, Government
CCSS: Targeting students with identified Leadership Talents
7th & 8th Grade
A terrible blunder… and you made it as the President of the United States! Dive deep into the archives
of presidential libraries to investigate and scrutinize some of the biggest scandals of our past. Use these
historic lessons to explore the art of good decision making. Can you make a good decision? Do you
know how to effectively explore your options? Can you sell your decisions to others? Do you know how
to deal with the outcome of a bad decision? Answer these questions and unlock your full potential as
an effective decision maker and compelling leader.
Truth?|Logically Arguing Philosophy
7th & 8th Grade
Who: Philosophers, Leaders, Critical Thinkers
What: Logic Argumentation, Universalism, Realitivism, Fallacies, Philosophy
CCSS: Targeting students with identified Leadership Talents
7th & 8th Grade
Is there really such a thing as truth? Is there a right answer, or are there only right questions? Can something be simple and complex at the same time? Why do people still talk about the ideas of Aristotle, Plato
and other philosophers when they have been dead for thousands of years? Come investigate these questions and many more while traveling back in time to explore the thinking of those who searched for the
timeless. Using Sophie`s World by Jostein Gaarder as the guide, you will find out why ancient thought
still rings true when applied to modern issues. As you learn to construct probing questions, design logical
arguments and defend your position on the floor of our Forum, you may uncover more than just the art of
persuasion. You may uncover a better understanding of yourself.
Two Thumbs Up|Becoming a Book Critic
Who: Book Lovers, Book Reviewers
What: Language Arts (emphasis on reading)
CCSS: Analyze Fiction and Persuasively Argue about Books
5th & 6th Grade
Are you an avid reader? Do you search online book reviews looking for recommendations? What about
talking to others about what they are reading? Are you anxious to tell them about the book you are
reading? Would you like to write book reviews too? Choose your genre of expertise, browse online book
reviews for reading suggestions, make your choices, and dig into some great books. Then share your reactions by writing book reviews and responding to those written by fellow critics.
Think like a...Designer
All WCATY online courses are aligned to: Language Arts CCSS; 21st Century
Standards; NAGC Pre K-12 Gifted Programming Standards; and ISTE Standards.
Authoring Children’s Books|Simple Stories with Big Messages
Who: Authors, Editors, Publishers, Teachers, Librarians
What: Language Arts, Purposeful Writing, Publishing
CCSS: Targeting students identified as Creative Thinkers with additional alignments to National Coalition of
Core Arts Standards and/or Engineering Design Next Gen Science Standards
5th & 6th Grade
‘Oh, the places you’ll go’ when you’re crafting your short stories with big messages! Will you write like
‘The Jumping Mouse’ hopping from here to there or will you move like the ‘Old Turtle’ plowing forward
slow and steady similar to ‘The Little Engine that Could?’ As a final project, you will select your favorite
creation and publish your own online book, complete with artwork and storyline, sharing a big message
with future generations! Join the WCATY young author’s club and write stories that may one day be found
on your own children’s bookshelves - a literary classic with a lifelong lesson!
Become A Film Critic|Where Film Making and Critique Meet
Who: Writers, Directors, Actors, Camera Men/Women, Film Lovers
What: Literature, Writing, Media Studies, Anthropology
CCSS: Research and Analyze Media and Persuasively Argue for a Position
7th & 8th Grade
Life sprawls out in front of you on the big screen. You sit munching popcorn as your mind wavers between
being fully engrossed in the story and analyzing its components. With the first establishing shot you think,
``I hope the movie industry isn’t just recycling the same tired storyline.’’ With the lack of bankable actors,
you ponder, ``could this film be an outlier? Will it resist genre?’’ As the plot thickens, you wonder, ``Will the
character make it? Is this story relatable? Will other people care like I do?`` As the credits roll, you murmur
to those watching with you, ‘’I wonder if this movie will change the world?’’ This question rattles around
your keyboard as you articulate your thoughts online, arguing for the film in our group forums, and finally
completing a full film critique employing elements of a variety of critical approaches.
Comic Con|Characters, Costumes, and Adventure
Who: Businessmen/women, Graphic Designers, Writers, Movie Buffs, Pop Culture Fanatics, Illustrators
What: Franchising, Reading, Business, Design, Ethnology, Composition
CCSS: Targeting students identified as Creative Thinkers with additional alignments to National Coalition of
Core Arts Standards and/or Engineering Design Next Gen Science Standards
5th & 6th Grade
Imagine Katniss Everdeen shaking hands with Spiderman, or Loki meeting Wolverine for the first time. The
characters you love don’t have to exist only in fiction. Enter the world of Comic Con, a multi-day, multigenre fan experience of a lifetime. Lovers of comics, movies, television, video games, books, and more
unite and share with each other their love for the characters and franchises that make up their obsessions.
Learn about different mediums of storytelling and characters from genres you’d never imagine existed.
Delve into the business side of Comic Con and take a look at franchising. Create your own character or
dress up as your favorite and attend our own WCATY Comic Con!
Creativity in Context| From Ideas to Product
Who: Engineers, Designers, Historians, Leaders, Researchers
What: Creative Thinking, Problem Solving, Researching, Researching, Writing Process
CCSS: Targeting students identified as Creative Thinkers with additional alignments to National Coalition of
Core Arts Standards and/or Engineering Design Next Gen Science Standards
7th & 8th Grade
What does it mean to be creative? Are engineers, designers, historians, leaders and researchers all creative
in the same ways? Or does creativity look, sound and feel different in each of these real world spaces?
Explore the unique design and writing processes used by people who think, generate and achieve great
things in a variety of fields. Do your research and find out how different people from different professions
might apply a creative process to solve a problem. Are their approaches more alike or different? Do they
experiment, explore and question in the same ways? Do they find patterns, make connections and generate solutions in the same ways? Find out when you explore Creativity in Context!
Creativity in Context|Design Like a Professional
Who: Engineers, Designers, Historians, Leaders, Researchers
What: Creative Thinking, Problem Solving, Researching, Writing Process
CCSS: Targeting students identified as Creative Thinkers with additional alignments to National Coalition of
Core Arts Standards and/or Engineering Design Next Gen Science Standards
7th & 8th Grade
Are artists the only ones who get to be creative? Why does fiction writing get all the creative accolades?
Can’t engineers, leaders and researchers be creative too? What if you engineered a more realistically human-like simulator to help train future doctors and nurses? Or motivated a team to bring attention to global
poverty? Or researched the way young brains learn language to find the most effective method for teaching
reading? Would you be considered creative?
iCreate|Design Problems and Processes
Who: Inventors, Creative Thinker
What: Language Arts, Creative Process, Design, Ethics
CCSS: Research a Market Need and Create a New Invention
5th & 6th Grade
Unique. Unusual. Imaginative. Artistic. Resourceful. Novel. Do any of these words describe you? Can you
think creatively? Do you often envision something that doesn`t exist yet? Do you ask “what if?” Explore
what it means to be original, creative, and innovative as you read about discoveries that shape our world
today. Stretch your problem solving skills as you play in our creative thinking sandbox. Unleash your own
creative process as you develop an innovative concept. In a world buzzing with ordinary people, what
makes you innovative and original? Come show that you too belong in the ranks of the edgy and unconventional.
Images=1,000 Words|Reveal the Hidden You
Who: Photographers, Journalists
What: Language Arts, Photography, Journalism, Geography
CCSS: Research a Market Need and Create a New Invention
5th & 6th Grade
What stories do you see happening every day? What about your own story? How can you blend words
and images to illustrate who you are? Come learn how to tell stories through your images and how to
visualize with your words. Read how masterful writers paint pictures of big ideas through everyday situations. Learn about human consciousness and perception. Discuss the extremes of human emotion.
Blend photography and psychology to create pieces that represent the depths of your mind and express
who you really are. What will your words and photos say?
Make ‘em Laugh|Puns,Parody, and Punchlines
Who: Actors, Screen Writers, Social Critics, Comedians, Humorists
What: Defining Humor and Finding Inspiration for Comedy, Real World Applications for Humor and Comedic Devices, Writing and Performing Comedy
CCSS: Targeting students identified as Creative Thinkers with additional alignments to National Coalition
of Core Arts Standards and/or Engineering Design Next Gen Science Standards
7th & 8th Grade
Ever gone for a punchline only to have your joke taken the wrong way? Laughter is said to be the best
medicine, yet it seems to be taboo in a traditional academic setting. Come see life from the vantage point
of the outsider, the jester, the comedian, and discover how they have leveraged social change through
laughter. Discuss what is and is not funny and then take a leap into the world of verbal and visual humor,
improvisation and stand-up comedy as you learn how to ‘’make ‘em laugh’’.
Playwrite|The World, the Characters, and the Script
Who: Playwrites, Scene Designers, Critics, Dramaturges, Dirctors
What: History of Folklore, Genres of Theatre, Playwriting
CCSS: Targeting students identified as Creative Thinkers with additional alignments to National Coalition
of Core Arts Standards and/or Engineering Design Next Gen Science Standards
7th & 8th Grade
Do you love to create? Do you really enjoy fairy tales but feel that with a twist here or there, you could
make, say, “Jack and the Beanstalk” truly epic? Do you love the stage? Would you welcome the opportunity to create your own work of theatrical excellence? Using this amazing knowledge and your creative
genius, you will learns the ins and outs of playwriting (including how to get your play published), while
creating multiple works of awesomeness including monologues, duet scenes, and a 10-minute scene. So
bring your inner Shakespeare and prepare to embark on a journey that will most likely end in a happily
ever after. Well, unless you’re one of the evil stepsisters. Or a witch. Or a troll. Anyway, the curtain’s
about to open. Are you ready to take the stage?
Step on Stage|A Songwriter’s Journey
Who: Song writers, Musicians, Poets
What: Music, Creative Writing, Media Studies
CCSS: Research a Market Need and Create a New Invention
7th & 8th Grade
Course Description: When you pop in your ear-buds and pump up the volume, do you see yourself on
stage? Do you ever wonder about the singer or the band, and how they came to make such a sound?
What is the musical journey from the songwriter’s pen, to the stage, to the listener’s ears and into the
hearts of the audience? Come explore the genres of American music, define your style, and write songs!
There is much work to be done when you Step On Stage. Musicians , poets, songwriters, and unite!
Video Games|Choice, Consequence, and Design
Who: Game Designers and Marketers
What: Language Arts, Business, Design, System Mechanics
CCSS: Research a Market Need and Create a New Invention
7th & 8th Grade
Do you spend a lot of time playing board games or gaming on your computer? Playing Wii or X-Box? These
games are fun to play—but they’re strengthening your brain, too. This course will focus on how GAMES
help learning achievement. Dive into the world of gaming and learn the ins and outs of what makes a game
worth playing. You will also explore various games, analyze their target strategies, review their processes
and procedures, and then relate that information to how the BRAIN develops. You will learn why games
can be beneficial to learning processes and how to use gameplay to increase your BRAIN POWER! Use your
knowledge to design, test, and share your own board game.
Think like a...Researcher
All WCATY online courses are aligned to: Language Arts CCSS; 21st Century Standards; NAGC Pre K-12 Gifted Programming Standards; and ISTE Standards.
Alien Minds| The Neuroscience of Extraterrestrial Communication
Who: Astronomers, Astronauts, Anthropologists, Linguists, Cultural Sociologists
What: Verbal and paralinguistic communication and environment and cultural affects on communication
CCSS: Research a Market Need and Create a New Invention
7th & 8th Grade
According to the Kepler space mission data, the Milky Way Galaxy contains as many as 40 billion Goldilocks planets. Other species have developed on some of these planets, would you like to talk to them?
What challenges might humans and aliens encounter upon first contact? Human communication and
understanding is often hampered by different ways of thinking, sensing, feeling, and expressing thoughts
or emotions. How much more difficult will it be to communicate with an alien race significantly different
from Earthlings? Consider challenges in human communication, explore possible human/alien communication challenges and investigate cultural challenges that could cause misunderstandings between humans and aliens. Create your own alien species and develope a communication method to use between
your extraterrestrials and the inhabitants of Earth.
Finding the Cure|Trip Down the Amazon
Who: Developers, Ecologists, Local Activists
What: Language Arts, Environmental Science, Geography, Leadership
CCSS: Analyze Scientific Texts and Persuasively Argue For a Solution
5th & 6th Grade
The heavy, humid air soaks your shirt and makes it hard to breathe. The river sparkles red,
orange, and yellow as the sun sets on the horizon. Your day of rainforest adventure and
exploration weighs heavy on your eyelids. You finally give in and close your eyes. As the noisy
chorus of insects, amphibians, and monkeys serenade you to sleep, you ponder, can humans
find a way to be a part of the Amazon without destroying it? Explore this question through the
lens of an energy company, a cattle rancher, a mining company, a crop farmer, or a cultural
preservationist. Take a role, weed through conflicting information, create reports, and deal with
the consequences of decisions. Come join us as we take a trip down the Amazon.
Genome|The Science and Ethics of Biotechnology
Who: Geneticists, Botanists, Ecologists, Biologists, Historians, Doctors, Lawyers, Public Policy Makers
What: Biology, Engineering, Ethics
CCSS: Some courses with additional Math CCSS alignment and/or Next Gen Science Standards
7th & 8th Grade
What is biotechnology? What effects does it have on our everyday lives? Advances in science make
more and more new technologies possible. But do the benefits of these new technologies outweigh the
drawbacks? For every good intention, unintended consequences could cause more harm than good. The
study of the science and ethics of biotechnology is a vast and fast growing field. We will learn the basics
of the science and delve into many of the ethical issues involved. Should people be denied jobs based
on a genetic predisposition for a certain disease? Should genetically modified food be mass-produced to
relieve hunger? Who gets to decide the “right” answers?
Measuring Up|Using Math to Describe Impact
Who: Mathematicians, Sociologists, Political Leaders
What: Language Arts, Mathematician Modeling, Statistics, Leadership
CCSS: Analyze Scientific Texts and Persuasively Argue For a Solution
5th & 6th Grade
How do your actions impact your school? Your town? Your state? The USA? The world? How do small actions lead to big consequences? Come ponder your role—your power—in the universe by using algebraic
equations and statistics to describe yourself and your community. Read about how experts have used math
to better understand our world through finding patterns and solving problems. Use models to understand
and analyze how problems build when their size is adjusted to state, national, and international scales.
Journal about your findings, incorporating mathematical thinking to create truly persuasive pieces. Analyze
data and writings from a variety of perspectives, weighing conflicting influences in order to better understand the complexities involved in the problem you have chosen to study. Come learn how to describe your
influence in your world, mathematically speaking. Note on books: each student will only be working with
one of these books for research purposes. They will be determined during the 1st F2F meeting.
Medical Mysteries|Diagnosing Medical Phenomenon
Who: Physicians, Psychologists, Detectives
What: Medicine, Health, Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention, Mysteries
CCSS: Analyze Scientific Texts and Persuasively Argue for a Solution
7th & 8th Grade
Mermaid Girl. Elephant Man. Bubble Boy. Benjamin Button. These are just a few examples of medical
mysteries, real and imagined. Perhaps Dr. House, after three unsuccessful diagnoses, would have discovered their cures via inspiration from a seemingly simple clue. As a doctor, what investigatory skills would
you use to determine a diagnosis and to administer successful treatment? Could you, using tools and
knowledge that have been available to those in the medical profession, adjust your care and treatment of
your curious patients, depending on the time period?
Murder, Mystery, and Mayhem|Forensic Science Meets Mystery Writing
Who: Mystery Writers, Detectives, Spies, Scientists
What: Language Arts, Forensics Science
CCSS: Research and Analyze Scientific Texts, Create Mysteries, and Persuasively Argue for a Solution
7th & 8th Grade
What’s your motive? Cut to your opening scene. All of the clues, right in front of everyone’s eyes. The victim, the foot prints, the lurkers, the culprit, all there from the very first chapter. And yet, they don’t know.
They can’t sort out the truth from the lies. They don’t see the hidden relationships. They haven’t read the
forensics report. They don’t see the twist. But you know. You have strategically planted each lead, carefully
mapped out the possibilities, hinted at the possible motivations, and skillfully added the misdirection. You
are a mystery writer. Come join the secret society and learn how to hide in plain sight.
Myth Busting|Experimenting on Folklore
Who: Scientists, Urban Lore Collectors
What: Language Arts, Scientific Process, Mythology, Psychology
CCSS: Analyze Scientific Texts and Persuasively Argue for a Solution
5th & 6th Grade
Have you ever tapped the top of a soda can before opening it? Waited at least 30 minutes to swim after
eating? Eaten carrots because they’ll improve your eyesight? You’re not alone! You’ve experienced the
power of an urban legend. Why do you believe what you believe? Are you getting information from a
reliable source? Does something need to be scientifically proven in order for it to be true? Explore the
meaning behind myths and urban legends. How do myths get started and what impact do they have on our
culture? Why do humans believe when we don’t know for sure? Consider the role myth builders play in
developing scientific theories. In the spirit of Mythbusters, the popular Discovery Channel show, test your
scientific thinking and experimenting on a commonly held belief. Do you have what it takes to be a myth
buster?
You the Scientist|Genius or Villian?
Who: Anthropologists, Researchers, Scientists
What: Ethics, Experimental Design, Scientific Process
CCSS: Some courses with additional Math CCSS alignment and/or Next Gen Science Standards
5th & 6th Grade
What do you see in your mind’s eye when you hear the word “scientist?” Do you see a hero, villain, lab rat,
madman or genius? What role do scientists play in your life? As Spider-Man’s Uncle Ben said, “With great
power comes great responsibility.” Scientific discoveries can benefit humankind or become our worst nightmare. But, who decides what scientists do and how they do it? Explore the work of those who have and will
continue to change the world as we know it. Have scientific discoveries challenged or changed society for the
better or worse? What role, if any, do ethics and beliefs play in the work of a scientist? You decide.
Think like an...Engineer
All WCATY online courses are aligned to: Language Arts CCSS; 21st Century Standards; NAGC Pre K-12 Gifted Programming Standards; and ISTE Standards.
Build It| Engineering the Future
BU LT IT
7th & 8th Grade
Who: City Planners, Engineers
What: Language Arts, City Planning, Ecology, Leadership, Business
CCSS: Analyze Non-Fiction and Fiction Texts for Interconnections, Argue for a New Vision Of The Future
Ever since Ancient Egyptian times, civilizations have attempted to plan cities to make them work more
efficiently. Planners seek to organize a city in a way that benefits all its inhabitants. They build housing,
construct infrastructure like roads and plumbing, provide public services like electricity and garbage collection, coordinate commerce, provide recreational facilities such as parks, stadiums and museums, and
facilitate transport. These days, planning is not a simple job suited for one department or group. More and
more, the cooperation of a number of government departments, ocal organizations and private citizens is
needed to make a city—even a neighborhood—function healthily. Nevertheless, a coherent vision of what is
necessary, what is good, and what works is needed if cities will survive in the future. The students` job is to
construct that vision.
Epic Failures and Wicked Problems|Design Solutions in a Complex World
Who: Engineers, Designers, Pattern Finders, Problem Solvers, City Planners
What: Types of Problems, Design Constraints, Complicating Factors
CCSS: Research and Analyze Scientific Non-Fiction Texts and Persuasively Argue for a Problem/Solution
5th & 6th Grade
Have you experienced failure? What causes a person, idea, or concept to fail? Are failures a natural or unnatural part of life? How do epic failures and wicked problems shape society? Join us as we discover what
epic failure means, what wicked problems are, how wicked problems are solved, and the psychological and
social impact that epic failures and wicked problems have on both individuals and society. Stops along this
journey will look at your own life and the impact failure has on it, a look into past history and how epic
failures have changed the course of time, and the opportunity to work on developing solutions to wicked
problems that can be found in today’s society.
Flight|An Aviator’s Math and Science
Who: Pilots, Map Makers, Navigators, Air Traffic Control Operators, Engineers, Historians,
What: Literature, Writing, Math, Aviation, Engineering, Logistics
CCSS: Research and Analyze Scientific Non-Fiction Texts and Persuasively Argue for a Problem/Solution
5th & 6th Grade
Flight plan filed? Check. Cockpit ready? Check. Left and right wings ready? Check. Fuel? Check. Passengers briefed? Check. You are now ready for takeoff. Taxi off the runway and defy gravity with us. Break
through the ceiling of clouds as you explore the history of adventure and flight. Check your altimeter
while you contemplate the impact of flight on our economies, our environment, and our world. Report
back to air traffic control and explore Newton`s Laws of Motion. Balance your thrust versus the drag as
you try out wind tunnels and flight simulators. Test out your engineering skills by building paper airplanes,
wind foils, and parachutes at our face-to-face meetings. Begin your landing procedure as you tie all of the
skills together and plan out a trip around the world.
Fortune-Tellers|Using Math to Predict the Future
Who: Futurists, Mathematicians, Political Leaders
What: Language Arts, Mathematical Modeling, Statistics, Cause and Effect
CCSS: Some courses with additional alignments to Math CCSS and/or Next Gen Science Standards
7th & 8th Grade
Have you ever wanted a crystal ball? Or are you the kind of person that can guess what will happen
next, before everyone else? Do you love to read science fiction? Come discover how experts have
learned to use math to predict the future. Comb through a variety of science fiction short stories/novels
and predictions from current day futurists to explore the probability behind the predictions. Use similar
mathematical models to make predictions of your own and then attempt to quantify the impacts of the
predictions on local communities through statistical models. Finally, bring all of your predictions together to create your own persuasive proposals and science fiction stories.
How Things Work|Engineering Your Own Machine
Who:Engineers, Physicists, Mathematics, Inventors, Machinists
What: Initial Ideas, Improvements, Impact
CCSS: Some courses with additional alignments to Math CCSS and/or Next Gen Science Standards
HOW
THINGS
WORK
5th & 6th Grade
What are the parts of a machine that work together to accomplish the tasks we take for granted every
day? How did people come up with these ideas in the first place? Even the most complex of tasks is accomplished through different combinations of a small number of simple machines. Explore these simple
machines and how they increase mechanical advantage to make work easier or life simpler. Using these
simple machines, you will design and build your own multi-step machine to present at our final face-toface meeting. Will your machine succeed in completing the task?
How to Lie With Numbers|Exploring How Math Gets Misused
Who: Mathematicians, Reverse Engineers, Nonlinear Thinkers, Order Questioners
What:Linear and Nonlinear Relationships, Inference, Proportionality, Correlation vs. Causation
CCSS: Some courses with additional alignments to Math CCSS and/or Next Gen Science Standards
7th & 8th Grade
Numbers don’t lie, right? But what’s behind the numbers? As pattern finders, we are constantly making
up models of our world. We make these models from our experience, from what we hear from family and
friends, from what the media tells us. Often these models are made to sound more official by terms like
“the data tells us” or “95% agree.” But just because math is used, does that make the model presented
logical? What is logic anyway? And how does it work and how do people misuse it? After all, math isn’t
debatable. Right?
iRobot| Programming Ethics
Who: Programmers, Software Engineers, Mathematics, Computer Sciences, Philosophers
What: The Past, The Present, The Future
CCSS: Some courses with additional alignments to Math CCSS and/or Next Gen Science Standards
5th & 6th Grade
Robotics is a wondrous and varied topic that draws on a multitude of disciplines - from the concrete worlds
of engineering, physics, mathematics and computer science to the more esoteric worlds of art, psychology
and advertising. Wherever your interests lie, you are certain to find an offshoot or niche related to the
growing fields of Robots and Robotics. Students will read both fiction and non-fiction sources to explore
this wide-ranging topic. Isaac Asimov’s rules of robotics will be discussed in relation to the ethical code
of programmers. The history of the field will be considered through the present and predictions into the
future. All the while, ethical dilemmas will be analyzed for their various perspectives and nuances.
More than Numbers|The Social Side of Math
Who: Mathematicians, Anthropologists, Historians
What:Math, Culture, History
CCSS: Some courses with additional alignments to Math CCSS and/or Next Gen Science Standards
5th & 6th Grade
What relationship, if any, do principles of math have with the cultures and societies that create them? Is
culture influenced by mathematics or is mathematics shaped by the cultures and societies they evolve
from? What will math look like 10, 20 or 30 years from now? What legacy will today’s society leave on
future mathematical principles? Come explore the invention and advancement of numbers and math
principles, along with the impact they have had and continue to have on areas such as architecture, art,
literature, philosophy and more! Discover the social side of math.
Travels in Time| The Physics of Alternate Futures
Who: Theoretical Physicists, Science Fiction Lovers, Futurists
What: Language Arts (emphasis on reading), Physics, Psychology, History
CCSS: Analyze Scientific Non-Fiction Texts and Persuasively Argue for a Problem/Solution
7th & 8th Grade
Would changing the past create alternative futures, a completely different future, or would time correct
itself and return to a predetermined time? How could time travelers avoid the Grandfather Paradox? If
you could change one event from the past, what would you change? In addition to exploring the scientific
possibilities of time travel, consider the effects of altering the timeline’s past, present, and future. Through
extensive readings, essays, and several projects, investigate historical research and causality. Come change
history!