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Language Arts

Reading and Grammar Courses

CTYOnline offers several critical reading and grammar courses that allow students with qualifying verbal scores to improve their skills with the assistance of CTY instructors. Writing and critical reading courses are not remedial. Students must already be proficient in Standard Written English.

The themes in the Young Readers and Art Meets Science critical reading series challenge gifted readers to hone their reading, thinking, and writing skills. The three grammar courses promote a student's understanding about how to create effective sentences and a distinctive writing style.

  • Learn more about session dates and application deadlines.
  • These session-based courses are 10 weeks long in the fall, early spring, and mid spring, and 12 weeks long in the early summer--to allow students to take a 2-week break for vacations or camp.
  • The courses are also offered in an intensive midsummer session lasting 5 weeks.
  • Learn more about the summer sessions or visit the FAQ.

Critical Reading: Young Readers and Art Meets Science

In the Young Readers Series, gifted students in grades 2 through 5 read books well above grade level by such authors as Rick Riordan, Avi, J.K. Rowling, and Young Readers LogoTamora Pierce. Guided by CTY instructors, students engage in high level thinking in their book-related creative writing assignments and participation in discussion forums. Students are also exposed to challenging vocabulary words and literary devices in the texts, discussions, puzzles, and online games. Students learn to make accurate inferences to understand plot and character and are encouraged to support their opinions by referring to the text. These courses are ideal for students who enjoy reading, pondering, and sharing their thoughts with gifted students from around the world. Students typically read, discuss, and write at least every other day (fall, spring, early summer) or daily (intensive midsummer). For more information, visit the course descriptions:

Young Readers Series for Grades 2 and 3: Good Dogs, Dragon Tales, Mystery Stories, Robot Encounters

Young Readers Series for Grades 4 and 5: Greek Myths Revisited, In Search Of, Magical Life Lessons, On Our Own, Quests and Challenges, The Right Stuff (Nonfiction)
CTY young student female readingThe Art Meets Science Series [Nonfiction, Literature] for grades 6 and 7 encourages students to explore the connection between scientific discovery and creative writing. In this critical reading series, students discover how scientific inquiry and creative writing offer different perspectives on the same complex and unfolding universe. Readings inspired by science provide students with models for creating their own poems, stories, and essays. For example, students might consider how Einstein's theory of relativity has influenced the images and themes of 20th-century poets, or how an essay about childhood memories is enhanced by understanding neuroscience. These courses involve substantial discussion of readings as well as writing workshops in which the instructor and peers offer constructive criticism. Students typically read, discuss, and write at least every other day (fall, spring, early summer) or daily (intensive mid summer). For more information, visit the course descriptions:
Art Meets Science: Nonfiction and Literature


Grammar Matters

CTY young student male writing with pencil

A deep understanding of grammatical structure allows students to make informed choices about style. In Building Blocks, the lessons and exercises encourage students to think like linguists to discover how the parts of speech and sentence patterns can be used to build effective sentences. Grammar FUNdamentals covers a broad range of topics to meet current middle-school grammar standards, and reinforces lessons with grammar games, puzzles, and tests. From Structure to Style encourages students to write analytically about grammatical usage working in an online collaborative community, and then apply the analysis to their own creative writing. All three courses include writing assignments critiqued by CTY instructors to give students the opportunity to practice their grammar prowess. Students emerge from these courses understanding how their grammatical choices can affect the quality of their prose. Students typically work at least every other day (fall, spring, early summer) or daily (intensive mid summer).  For more information, visit the course descriptions:


Building Blocks (Gr. 3 and 4)

Grammar Fundamentals (Gr. 4-6)

From Structure to Style (Gr. 7-12)

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