Which gifted strands does the Touchpebbles/Touchstones Reading program address?

The correct answer focuses on the essential cognitive abilities that the Touchpebbles/Touchstones Reading program aims to develop. This program emphasizes both critical and creative thinking skills, which are vital for gifted learners.

Critical thinking involves the ability to analyze, evaluate, and synthesize information, allowing students to make reasoned judgments. Creative abstraction encourages learners to think outside the box, innovate, and imagine possibilities beyond conventional limits. Both aspects are crucial in engaging gifted students, helping them to not only grasp complex literary concepts but also to express their thoughts in unique ways.

The other options, while important in education, do not align with the specific focus of the Touchpebbles/Touchstones Reading program. The emphasis on physical abilities in sports, for instance, is not relevant to a reading program that primarily targets cognitive skills. Communication skills, while certainly significant in a comprehensive educational approach, do not specifically capture the unique focus of critical and creative thinking emphasized in this reading curriculum. Similarly, interpersonal skills, though valuable, do not represent the central aim of the program as it pertains to cognitive development.