Curriculum/Calendar 2024/2025

First semester 2024: Sep. 3 - Dec. 20 (16 weeks/15 weeks of class)

*Fall sessions start Tuesday, Sep. 3rd.
*Nov. 3rd (daylight savings time ends in U.S. – fall back an hour)
*No class Monday, October 14 - Friday, October 18 (fall break). Class resumes Monday, Oct. 21st.
*No class Thursday, November 28th or Friday, November 29th. Class resumes Monday, Dec. 2nd.
*Last day of the first semester: Dec. 20th
Lesson Topics:

Sep. 3 - Sep. 6: Gifted Mirroring: Finding Friends, Mentors, and Role Models
Sep. 9 - Sep. 13: Navigating Transitions and Change
Sep. 16 - Sep. 20: What is Giftedness (Exploring Definitions)
Sep. 23 - Sep. 27: Healthy Friendships + How to Apologize
Sep. 30 - Oct. 4: Handling Teasing and Bullying (With or Without Adults Around)
Oct. 7 - Oct. 11: Humor and the Gifted Brain
*No class Monday, October 14 - Friday, October 18 (fall break).
Oct. 21 - Oct. 25 : What is Your Conflict Style?
Oct. 28 - Nov. 1: The Creative Process 
Nov. 4 - Nov. 8: Focusing Curiosity and Creativity
Nov. 11 - Nov. 15: Drawing Exercises For Enhanced Creative Thinking (all abilities/not an art class)
Nov. 18 - Nov. 22: Additional Exercises for Enhanced Creative Thinking
Nov. 25 - Nov. 27: Gratitude 
*No class Thursday, November 28th or Friday, November 29th
Dec. 2 - Dec. 6: Adolescence and the Gifted Brain
Dec. 9 - Dec. 13: Handling High Expectations (Internal and External)
Dec. 16 - Dec. 20: Using Books, Art, and Music to Handle Intense Feelings + Social-Emotional Journaling


Second Semester 2025: Jan. 6 – May 23 (20 weeks/19 weeks of class)
*March 9 (daylight savings time in U.S. – spring ahead an hour)
*No class Monday, March 10 - Friday, March 14th (spring break). Class resumes Monday, March 17th.
*No class Friday, April 18 or Monday, April 21st. Class resumes Tuesday, April 22nd.
*Last day of the second semester: May 23rd. 
Lesson Topics:

Jan. 6 - Jan. 10: Effective Goal Setting + Effective Note Taking
Jan. 13 - Jan. 17: Daily Routines for Long Term Success
Jan. 20 - Jan. 24: Decision Making and Reasonable Risk Taking
Jan. 27 - Jan. 31: Leadership
Feb. 3 - Feb. 7: Strategies to Beat Stage Fright and Fear of Public Speaking
Feb. 10 - Feb. 14: Imposter Syndrome + How to Take a Compliment
Feb. 17 - Feb. 21: Pyramids in Psychology (Bloom's Taxonomy and Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs)
Feb. 24 - Feb. 28: Simultaneous Discoveries: Why Do People Invent and Discover Similar Things at the Same Time in History?
March 3 - March 7: Understanding Impulse Control 
*No class Monday, March 10 - Friday, March 14th (spring break)
March 17 - March 21: Perfectionism 
March 24 - March 28: Self-Acceptance and Realistic Expectations
March 31 - April 4: Empathizing and Systemizing 
April 7 - April 11: Anxiety Toolkit 
April 14 - April 17: Learning Versus Knowing 
*No class Friday, April 18 or Monday, April 21st
April 22 - April 25: 2E Biographies (Twice-Exceptional People in History)
April 28 - May 2: Living, Learning, and Working (Surveys For Self-Knowledge)
May 5 - May 9: Working With Others
May 12 - May 16: Responsibility and Personal Accountability
May 19 - May 23: First Creative Dollars (The Unexpected Ways People Started Their Careers: Examples from Bob Ross, Louisa May Alcott, Frederick Douglass, Jules Verne, Rachel Carson, and More)

Overall Routine for M-F

The routine on Monday focuses on project-sharing. What qualifies as a project is very flexible (essays, Lego creations, videos of piano recitals, science experiments, coding projects, sharing about activities over the weekend, etc.).  Friday classes include online games, riddles, and lateral thinking puzzles. The gifted psychology information given on Tu – Thur. comes from “The Gifted Kids Workbook: Mindfulness Skills to Help Children Reduce Stress, Balance Emotions, and Build Confidence” by Heather Boorman and “The Gifted Kid/Teen Survival Guides” along with other resources suggested by Davidson.

  • DYS Homeroom 1 (9:30am EST / 8:30am CST / 7:30am MST/ 6:30am PST)
  • DYS Homeroom 2 (11:00am EST / 10:00am CST / 9:00am MST / 8:00am PST)
  • DYS Homeroom 3 (11:30am EST / 10:30am CST / 9:30am MST / 8:30am PST)
  • DYS Homeroom 4 (12:00am EST / 11:00am CST/ 10:00am MST / 9:00am PST)

Interested in enrolling?

Semester sign-up forms are distributed in select communities online. If you’ve heard about this class from a different source, please forward your Davidson Exchange email along with a request for a sign-up form to dyshomerooms (at) gmail.com.







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