Introducing
a proven method to engage and motivate young learners!
Our renowned Junior Great Books program is now available online with the Junior Great Books Virtual Academy™ for grades 1–8. The JGB Virtual Academy provides much-needed English language arts content, direct teacher instructional time, and opportunities to accelerate student learning in a fun and stress-free way.
In each session, students connect with peers in an engaging and collaborative online environment, and take part in lively discussions and varied interpretive activities led by experienced Great Books trainers.
97% of parents said they would enroll their student in a future session!
Students enjoy:
- Collaborating with their peers
- Sharing their thoughts and ideas
- Learning from our expert instructors
- Participating in respectful discussions
- Working in an interactive environment
Parents enjoy the essential skills students will build through:
- Voicing their ideas and thoughts with their peers
- Making and explaining inferences about a text or artwork
- Engaging in civil discourse in a collaborative environment
- Identifying evidence and explaining how it supports an answer
- Experiencing and learning from the guidance of our stellar trainers
The NEW Junior Great Books Virtual Academy strengthens skills in:

Critical Thinking

Reading Comprehension

Speaking and Listening

Writing
What Students, Parents, and Educators Have to Say
Online Student Discussions
Using the Junior Great Books curriculum, the Junior Great Books Virtual Academy combines works of art, short films, and interactive reading activities with student-centered online discussions to help students develop their ideas, use and explain evidence, and respond constructively to their peers.
- Format: Four- and six-week sessions where students meet for 60 minutes once a week
- Price: $149–$209

Spring Virtual Academy Sessions Now Enrolling!
Visual Arts and Poetry
Exploring Creative Mediums for Grades 1–8
These sessions will use visual art and poetry as a basis to offer students an opportunity to expand their critical thinking and creative skills. Courses emphasize analyzing and responding to works of visual art and poetry.
- Sample session for grades 1–2: Participants will explore artworks by Vincent van Gogh and create original spiral poems.
- Sample session for grades 3–5: Participants will delve into the paintings of Marc Chagall and prose poems.
- Sample session for grades 6–8: Participants will connect with Pieter Bruegel’s art and William Carlos Williams’s poetry.

Film
Exploring Language and Meaning for Grades 4–8
We watch and enjoy films, commercials, YouTube videos, TikTok videos, and a variety of visual mediums every day. But how do filmmakers create meaning? And how do we talk about a film’s meaning? These sessions will use film as a basis to offer students an opportunity to expand their critical thinking and creative skills. A new film concept will be introduced each week, accompanied by a short film and discussion about how the film created and established meaning.
Give your student the opportunity to engage with thought-provoking content while providing opportunities to accelerate learning and interact with peers in a supportive, fun online environment. Sessions begin the week of March 15.

Coming Soon
Summer JGB Virtual Academy Sessions
Year-Round JGB Virtual Academy Sessions
JGB Educators
Discussion Leader Training
Our training for educators prepares participants to begin using the Great Books Foundation's Shared Inquiry™ method of learning through reading and discussion with students of all levels. We'll share our tips and tricks for using inquiry-based learning to keep students engaged online!
Learn questioning strategies that keep discussions lively and focused while improving students':
- Reading comprehension
- Critical thinking
- Writing skills
- Verbal communication
Through a variety of training courses, educators develop the craft of writing interpretive questions and using follow-up questions to involve students of all ages and proficiency levels. Learn how interpretive activities support student learning and meet state and district standards.
Introductory Online Training
- This training will prepare you to implement a Junior Great Books program with your students. The course includes three 2-hour interactive webinar sessions and 4 hours of self-paced online learning modules.
- Duration: 6 hours live + 4 hours independent learning
- Cost: $250 per person
Intermediate and Advanced Online Training
- Increase the effectiveness of inquiry-based teaching and learning. Offered courses include The Power of Student Questions, Using Junior Great Books Online, Shared Inquiry Advanced Review, and more. We also arrange custom courses to meet your needs!
- Duration: 2 hours
- Cost: $85 per person1
Parents & Adults
Discussion Leader Training
We offer training for parents, volunteers, and adult program leaders conducting group discussions.
Workshops are interactive and hands-on, and they include:
- Demonstrations of inquiry-based reading strategies and discussions
- Reflection on the elements and benefits of the Shared Inquiry activity sequence
- An introduction to and practice with using follow-up questions to deepen students’ thinking
- Time for questions about implementation and troubleshooting
How to Lead Online Discussions
- This two-part webinar prepares participants to begin conducting Shared Inquiry discussions as volunteer Great Books leaders. Participants will learn how to lead their own discussions online and in person. This course is not open to teachers.
- Duration: 4 hours (two 2-hour sessions)
- Cost: $99 per person
1 | Costs for custom courses may differ. Please contact your Great Books educational consultant to arrange your custom course. |