What happens at PEEP?

About the Curriculum

Our curriculum runs on a rotating cycle, with each unit built around a central theme. Lessons integrate math, science, language arts, and social studies, offering students a well-rounded and engaging learning experience.

Units of Study May Include:

Cryptography

Decode the past! In this unit, students explore various types of codes and ciphers—from the Jefferson Wheel to sign language—and their historical significance in communication. Students will even create and share their own secret codes with classmates!

Big Emotions – Teaching Character Through Literature

How do characters manage big emotions—and what can we learn from them?

Through powerful stories, students identify emotions, examine character choices, and evaluate how those choices affect outcomes. We’ll also explore the science behind emotions, learning about the brain and discovering strategies for managing big feelings, especially as gifted learners.

Dinosaurs

Dig into the prehistoric world of dinosaurs!

In this exciting unit, students compare traits of different dinosaurs, collaborate on research, and choose one dinosaur to explore in depth. With their new knowledge, they’ll even design and present their own unique dinosaur creation to the class!

Language Study

Pack your (imagination) bags! Each week, we’ll “travel” to a new country and explore its language, culture, landmarks, and cuisine. Students will learn key phrases and gain appreciation for the diversity of our global community.

Africa

Join us as we explore the incredible geography, wildlife, art, and music of Africa. This unit invites students to discover the richness of African cultures and histories through hands-on, cross-curricular experiences.

Cycle Year 2 – Sample Units of Study

Our Earth: Rocks and Minerals

Explore the layers of the Earth, identify rock types, learn how volcanoes form, and discover the wonders of geology in this earth science-based unit.

National Parks

Why do we protect natural spaces? What do park rangers do? Students will map out popular parks, understand conservation efforts, and appreciate the beauty and importance of America’s National Parks.

East Asia (Focus on Japan)

Through this cultural study, students learn about Japanese language, customs, history, and daily life—gaining insight into East Asia’s vibrant traditions and innovations.

Space: Outta This World!

Blast off into space exploration! Students will investigate planets, black holes, constellations, comets, and more as we journey through the universe in this exciting, astronomy-filled adventure.

Units of Study May Include:

Digital Citizenship & Coding

Students will explore the principles of responsible online behavior while building foundational coding skills. From staying safe online to writing simple code, students become savvy digital citizens and creative problem-solvers.

STEM Challenge

This hands-on unit is all about problem-solving and collaborative thinking! As STEM challenges are introduced, students will work independently or in small groups to plan, experiment, and complete engaging tasks.

Key skills include planning, organizing, trial and error, and scientific investigation—all while having fun and thinking outside the box.

Character Matters

In this creative unit, students build confidence and presentation skills through theater and storytelling.

They’ll step into the shoes of fairy tale creatures facing dilemmas—and brainstorm the best advice to help them out. After rehearsing their oral presentation skills, students will bring their solutions to life in a fun, musical performance shared with friends and family.

Iron Chef – Restaurant Creation

Get ready for the PEEP version of Iron Chef! In this deliciously creative unit, students design their own restaurant from the ground up.

They’ll develop a unique theme, plan the decor, design a floor layout, and create menus—all culminating in a 3D model of their restaurant. The unit wraps up with an exciting taste-testing competition—a flavorful finale!

Egypt

Travel back in time and explore the wonders of ancient Egypt!

This immersive unit gives students an overview of Egyptian geography, culture, and daily life. Using virtual reality, we’ll visit the Great Pyramids and dive into fascinating topics like hieroglyphs, mummification, cartouches, and Egyptian art.

Entomology – What’s Buggin’ You?

Discover the incredible world of insects!

In this science-based unit, students explore the features and behavior of insects—learning how to classify, identify, and compare traits. They'll study both helpful and invasive bugs, design pest-control traps, and even invent their own bug-inspired creatures based on what they’ve learned.

🔗 Sample Project — See how one student tackled what’s buggin’ them!

Math is Fun!

In this engaging unit, students will explore logic and reasoning activities inspired by cultures around the world. They’ll develop strategies for logical thinking and participate in friendly competitions with their peers.

Students will also dive into hands-on math activities such as geometry, pre-algebra, graphing, line designs, and tessellations—blending creativity with problem-solving skills.

🔗 Math is Fun Project — See what our young mathematicians created!

Digital Citizen Superhero Training

In this dynamic unit, students train to become true Digital Citizen Superheroes by learning how to be smart, safe, courteous, honest, and healthy online. They’ll examine real-life digital dilemmas, brainstorm solutions, and explore the potential risks of unsafe online behavior.

Students will also learn how to make their research time more efficient and effective as they grow from digital consumers into responsible digital leaders!

🔗 Sample Activity — Check out how we turn digital habits into hero traits!

Mythology

In this imaginative unit, mythology comes to life as students explore the famous myths of Greek, Roman, Norse, and Egyptian cultures.

Students will read stories, watch videos, participate in simulations, and act in plays—all while building a strong foundation of mythological knowledge. Then, their creativity takes center stage in a culminating mythology project, where they apply what they’ve learned in original and engaging ways.

🔗 Sample Project — Take a peek at one student’s mythical creation!
🔗 Sample Project — Another exciting mythology showcase!

Ocean Life

Dive into discovery! In this unit, students explore the amazing variety of ocean plant and animal life, including coral reefs, saltwater ecosystems, and deep-sea creatures.

From this foundation, students will design their own creative projects—such as videos, plays, infographics, or even inventing a newly discovered sea creature!

🔗 Sample Project — Explore a student’s ocean-inspired masterpiece!

Amazing Race: World Geography

This exciting unit expands students’ understanding of world geography through an interactive simulation called Caravans.

As part of Caravan teams, students will “travel” the globe in search of museum artifacts. Along the way, they’ll learn about latitude and longitude, cartography, languages, cultures, and more. Students will work collaboratively, solve challenges, and share artifacts to help their team advance in the race!

🔗 Sample Project — See where the journey took them!

It’s CHOW Time! (Food, Exercise Science, and the Human Body)

In this health-focused unit, students explore the connection between nutrition, exercise, and the human body. Through interactive activities and hands-on learning, they’ll discover the importance—and fun—of taking care of their whole selves: body and mind.

🔗 Sample Activity — Take a look at one student’s healthy living project!

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Building a Business

In this exciting unit, students will explore the fundamentals of starting and running a business. Each student will choose a business idea to develop and operate within the gifted classroom.

They’ll also take a deep dive into advertising, learning how different marketing strategies work. Using this knowledge, students will create promotional materials such as business cards, logos, jingles, billboards, and even radio and TV commercials.

As the final project, students will step into the role of entrepreneurs during PEEP Shark Tank—a fun, classroom version inspired by the hit ABC show Shark Tank. They’ll pitch their business ideas to real local business owners and CEOs.

🔗 Sample Project — Check out this student-created business website!

Shakespeare

This unit introduces our PEEPs to the world of William Shakespeare and the magic of theater! Through reading and discussion, students will explore various Shakespearean works and choose a favorite to inspire their own music video project.

Along the way, students will take part in cross-curricular activities that help them understand the culture, language, and life of late Renaissance Elizabethan England—gaining both appreciation and insight into this rich historical era.

🔗 Romeo and Juliet — A student project inspired by the Bard!

The Middle Ages

This immersive unit deepens students’ understanding of life during the Middle Ages—from everyday customs to major historical figures and events.

We begin with a timeline overview, then move into research and exploration of individually chosen topics. Students will experience a multimedia, inquiry-based approach and develop their own research project to share their learning in a meaningful way.

🔗 Royal Medieval Fashion — See how one student brought the Middle Ages to life!

Roller Coaster Physics

In this hands-on science unit, students explore the forces that shape the world around them by studying Sir Isaac Newton and his Three Laws of Motion.

Through interactive experiments with 3D models of skate park equipment, students will learn the physics behind skateboarding and roller coasters. They'll then apply this knowledge to design and build their own working skate park out of cardboard!

As a final challenge, students will send marble “skaters” through their parks and explain how motion, friction, inertia, potential, and kinetic energy all come into play.

🔗 Sample Activity — Watch a marble skater in action!

Your Amazing Human Body & CHOW II

In this unit, students dive into a genius-hour style investigation, selecting a topic related to the human body that sparks their curiosity. They'll conduct research, design a presentation, and share what they've learned with their peers—celebrating curiosity, creativity, and discovery!