by Michelle Fama, Head Teacher at FasTracKids Staten Island, Grasmere

Our Fastrackids core program lays the foundation for future success on the gifted and talented test because it gives a child an advantage to learn skills, engage and build upon their cognitive, emotional and social development. All children are born with a set of gifts and talents and Fastrackids provide the education to succeed in your child’s development and to be exposed to a higher level of thinking, a structured environment and skills to teach your child how to think.

Fastrackids core program teaches critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, communication and confidence. Having all of these qualities will give your child the opportunity to score in the 99 percentile of the test.

Fastrackids offers theme based topics to expose your child to learn these skills.

Communication

Our communication theme topics teach children to learn the skill which is the key for children to express thought, feeling, and information. Children learn to elaborate through educational stories and hand on activities. Children have discussions and debates. Potential gifted & talented students require children to know a higher level of vocabulary for the verbal part of the test. It will also prepare children in the classroom, to communicate effectively, and to get their point heard.

Creativity

Our creativity theme lessons allow us to explore many point of views about cultures, traditions and contemporary topics. We learn to use our imagination, while listening to stories. G&T students need to know how to use their imagination for the verbal part as well as the non verbal. They need to create an image in their minds while listening attentively to the story to answer the question. The nonverbal part of the test requires an imagination to complete matrix puzzles.

Science

Our science theme lessons expose the children to problem-solving and critical thinking. Each lesson students develop an understanding of the scientific method as an important intellectual tool. G&T students will need certain concepts and a prerequisite for critical thinking for the verbal part of the test. Questions involving order of sequence, pattern and math concepts require these skills.

Math & Engineering

Our math and engineering theme lessons create a more expansive approach to understanding your child’s interest in math and inventions. They will explore the “how” and the “why”. The math lessons are broken down to teach number counting, mathematical vocabulary, patterns, greater than, less than concepts, shapes, sorting and grouping. Gifted & talentedstudents will require math skills and concepts for an understanding of the verbal part of the exam. They will have to answer mathematical word problem questions, complex patterns, classification questions and analogies.

Mathematics will be the gatekeeper for many areas of advanced study in your child’s future.

Fastrackids teaches collaboration. It is a skill of being accountable and an important part in group activities. During Fastrackids classes we work together to solve problems which deepens students learning. Collaborative peer learning is to help students work together actively and democratically to develop ideas and solve problems which are seen throughout each theme topic at Fastrackids. Gifted & talented need these skills to collaborate learning strategies to help everyone move forward while preparing for leadership roles that are important to our society’s future.