Ella loved asking questions.  

"Why do stars shine?" 

"How do birds know where to fly?"

"Why do flowers need sunlight to grow?"

Her mind was always busy thinking, wondering, and imagining.

Ella was a first grader at Sunnybrook Elementary.

Her teacher, Mrs. Carter, knew that Ella learned very quickly.

Ella was a gifted learner, which meant she sometimes needed different challenges to keep her curious mind learning and growing.

One morning, Mrs. Carter gave the class a math worksheet.

“Take your time and do your best,” she said. Ella finished the first page. Then the second.

Then the third. She looked around the classroom. Everyone else was still working.

Ella began tapping her pencil. She had already figured out all the problems.

“I wish there was something harder,” she thought.

She didn't want to sit and wait. She wanted to think.

At recess, Ella told her friends, Noah and Emma, how she felt.

“I finished my work really fast,” Ella said. “But now I don't know what to do.”

Noah shrugged. “That sounds easy!” he said.

Emma added, “Maybe being really smart means school is always easy.”

Ella shook her head. “Sometimes I just want something that makes my brain work hard.”

The next day, Ella's class began learning about plants. Mrs. Carter asked, “What do plants need to grow?”

“Sunlight!” said Noah. “Water!” said Emma. “Good!” said Mrs. Carter.

Then Ella raised her hand. “But what happens if a plant gets too much water?” The room became quiet.

Mrs. Carter smiled. “That is a wonderful question, Ella.” Ella had another question.

“And what if a plant gets sunlight from a different kind of light?” Then another.

“And what if we changed the amount of water?” Ella's mind was full of possibilities.

Mrs. Carter noticed something important.

Ella didn't just need more work.

She needed a chance to think more deeply.

Mrs. Carter wanted Ella to feel challenged, included, and excited about learning. So she decided to help.