January 18, 2005
Super Saturday program offers expanded classes this year
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – An annual enrichment program at Purdue University that gives gifted students the chance to learn about everything from dinosaurs to foreign languages is changing its format, offering more time for each class in fewer weeks.
Super Saturday, which offers a variety of challenging classes not traditionally offered in school, begins Feb. 4 and continues each Saturday through March 11. Sessions are 9 a.m. to noon, and most classes are held in the Steven C. Beering Hall of Liberal Arts and Education.
The Gifted Education Resource Institute at Purdue is sponsoring the program.
Rebecca Mann, Super Saturday coordinator and a clinical assistant professor in educational studies, said the format in the past, where classes were two hours long and lasted nine weeks, was a problem for some students due to conflicting academic schedules. This year, the classes are three hours long, lasting six weeks.
"This new format meets the needs of increasingly busy students, who were having to choose between being involved in extra-curricular activities that take place on Saturdays and attending Super Saturday classes," she said. "And with longer classes, students will now have more learning time in each session, which will allow more in-depth instruction and interaction."
Super Saturday offers classes for preschoolers through eighth-graders. Classes are divided by age group, limited to 10 to 15 students and taught by teachers who select their own course topics.
Among the classes offered this spring are mysteries of the universe for preschoolers and kindergarteners; a session on ancient Egypt for kindergarteners and first-graders; an introduction to engineering for grades 1 and 2; French and Spanish classes for grades 2 and 3; and Russian and Japanese classes for grades 3 and 4.
For older students, a mini med school is offered for fourth- and fifth-graders; a session on graphic arts and marketing for grades 5 and 6; an examination of what it takes to be a spy for fifth- through eighth-graders; and a veterinary medicine clinic for sixth- through eighth-graders.
The cost for Super Saturday is $195 per child, and some courses have an additional supply fee. The registration deadline is Jan. 20. Registration is still accepted after that date, but there is a $30 late fee.
To sign up or to learn more about the courses, go online.
To be eligible for Super Saturday, parents must provide either a copy of the student's latest test score results or a letter from a school official stating the child has the ability to succeed in an academically challenging class.
The Gifted Education Resource Institute at Purdue's College of Education has conducted research in the psychology of gifted and talented children and their families for nearly 30 years. The institute also works with pre-service teachers and teachers in the field to help them meet the needs of gifted students in their classes and offers an Indiana teaching licensure program in gifted education.
In addition to Super Saturday, the institute also offers Super Summer, a day-camp program for children in preschool through fourth grade, and Summer Camps, for fifth- through 12th-graders, where students participate in advanced classes while living on the Purdue campus.
Writer: Kim Medaris, (765) 494-6998, kmedaris@purdue.edu
Source: Rebecca Mann, (765) 494-7301, rlmann@purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
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