In this section:
Courses for students currently in grades K through 1
Courses for students currently in grades 2 & 3
Courses for students currently in grades 4, 5 & 6 |
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| Courses for students currently in
grades K through 1 |
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| HUMANITIES |
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| The Write Stuff (DP10): |
| Period 2 |
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| Write a postcard from an imaginary place, or a letter in the voice of your favorite cartoon character. Pretend you are a space traveler and write a journal from outer space. Write a diary entry in the voice of a famous person. Use your imagination and love for writing as you create unique stories and illustrations. As a final presentation, you will be able to share your talents with family and friends. |
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| MATH AND SCIENCE |
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| Fuel for Thought: Critical and Creative Problem Solving (DP11): |
| Period 1 |
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| Did you know that you can train your brain to improve your problem-solving skills and expand your imagination? Learn how to identify real problems and generate ideas for solving them. Plan solutions to real-life problems. Discover how to use tools like brainstorming and elaborating to find the answers. Create original problem solving strategies for your classmates to use. |
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| Creatures of Habitat (DP12): |
| Period 1 |
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Become an explorer and a junior zoologist as you research animals and where they live. Find out how animals have adapted to their environments and the role that humans play in protecting those habitats. You'll become familiar with many species of wildlife as you learn about such places as wetlands, drylands, and woodlands. Finally, design an imaginary habitat and create the animal that lives there.
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| The Curious Chemist: Chemistry in Our Daily Lives (DP13): |
| Period 3 |
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The way materials are put together and the way they act under certain conditions is called the study of chemistry. Chemistry helps us explain the things that happen in nature. Chemists are scientists who use each of their five senses to explore and make sense of life. Experiment with water, acids, bases, and everyday household items to discover the chemical world in which we live. Design a series of experiments to test your predictions about the reactions of substances. |
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| MULTI-DISCIPLINARY |
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| Pattern Potpourri (DP15): |
| Period 2 |
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Have you ever hummed the same tune over and over? That was a pattern of music. This class will help you recognize and enjoy the patterns that can be found in music, art, and nature. You’ll listen to the pattern of heartbeats and waves, and examine the patterns in spider webs and snowflakes. Understanding patterns will help you make sense of the world around you and appreciate its wonder and beauty. Create an original pattern and have your peers guess what would come next. |
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| Courses for students currently in grades
2 & 3 |
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| HUMANITIES |
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| The Writer's Block (DP20): |
| Period 1 |
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| Where do authors get their ideas? How does a science fiction story differ from historical fiction? What are the elements all stories need? Come have fun and gain writing experience creating new characters and a book of your own. The class will culminate with a reading of original stories to parents at a "Young Authors' Tea." |
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| Make Me Laugh! Understanding Comedy and Humor (DP22): |
| Period 2 |
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| Did you know that your brain’s activity increases when you laugh? Doctors have used comedy to help reduce their patients’ stress levels and pain. Humor has been used throughout history to bring social and political issues to our attention. Discover how humor and comedy can improve your awareness and understanding of the world around you. Develop your ability to see humor in any situation. Create a humorous skit or story of your own. |
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| MATH AND SCIENCE |
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| Math in all Probability (DP24): |
| Period 2 |
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Have you ever wondered about your chances of winning a million dollars? Did you know that when you play games with spinners, coins, cards, or dice, you are experiencing probability? In this class, you’ll conduct probability investigations, generate data, make graphs, interpret data, and communicate your conclusions to others. |
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| Be a Pet Vet (DP25): |
| Period 3 |
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| Do pets have personalities? Are they trying to tell us something when they bark, scratch or whinny? If you’d like to know more about the care and understanding of pets, this class is a must for you. You’ll also have the chance to learn more about that special animal that you love the most, whether it’s a fish or ferret, hamster or horse! If you think you might want to be a veterinarian someday, you will love this class. |
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| Ocean Overview (DP26): |
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Period 1
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| How do pearls grow in an oyster? Why do crabs shed their skins? Come explore the world beneath the oceans’ waves! The ocean is so huge that it makes the earth appear blue from outer space. You’ll discover new information about your favorite ocean creatures and what you can do to help them. |
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| Rocks, Minerals, and Crystals: Earth’s Treasures (DP27): |
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Period 3
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Whether you like to collect rocks or just appreciate the beauty of a colorful gemstone, this class has something for you. You’ll learn to analyze and appreciate rocks and minerals by their characteristics, grow crystals, and research related topics that really interest you. Finally, you’ll determine what makes things like gems valuable to humans. |
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| MULTI-DISCIPLINARY |
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| Magic and Sorcery: Fact and Fantasy (DP29): |
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Period 3
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Did you know that the belief that a person can influence supernatural powers goes back to cavemen? Did you know that the earliest known magicians were priest and scientists? Learn about famous magicians in fiction and reality. Discover the relationship of magic to science. Study the different types of magic and create an illusion of your own. |
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| Courses for students currently in grades
4, 5 & 6 |
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| HUMANITIES |
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| Speaking of Writing (DP40): |
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Period 1
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| Creative writing and eloquent speech making join forces in this course. Evaluate and improve your writing skills and then deliver your written word through public speaking practice. Work on precision of language, imagery, figures of speech, and the revision process. Then, learn the skills required for professional speech making. Learn how to move audiences with your written and spoken word. |
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| Going to Court (DP41): |
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Period 2
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| “All rise for the honorable judge….you!” Through the process of enacting trials, you will experience the justice system of the United States. You'll take on the roles of judge, jury, prosecutor, defender or witness. Through active involvement in the courtroom drama, you will learn to organize facts, develop your speaking and questioning abilities, and understand the concepts of justice through jury deliberation. |
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| MATH AND SCIENCE |
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| Anticipating Algebra (DP42): |
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Period 1
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| "When will I ever use algebra?" you ask. Here's one way. Introduce yourself to pre-algebra through this class that focuses on applications of algebra in the world. In addition to tackling concepts of linear equations, polynomial functions and factoring, you may also have time for fun with games, tessellations, and probability. |
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| Marine Biology (DP43): |
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Period 2
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| Oceans cover 71% of the Earth’s surface and contain vast resources with 13,000 species of fishes and 50,000 species of mollusks. No wonder marine biologists have so much to study! This course will examine the work of these biologists, looking at historical and current research as well as environmental concerns. Find out more about this exciting science and what you can do to protect the ecology of the oceans. |
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| Chemistry: The Essential Element (DP44):
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Period 1
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| Welcome to the laboratory that is the world in which you live. Experiment with domestic chemicals, environmental materials, foods, and living organisms to discover the chemical nature of substances, their properties, reactions and uses in daily life. Design a series of experiments to test your hypotheses about the reaction of substances. |
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| Creative Math Paths (DP45):
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Period 2
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| Develop your math problem-solving ability! Using both individual and cooperative small group strategies, this course will present various problem situations that encourage multiple methods of solutions. Challenging problems will provide opportunities for intuitive and inductive reasoning, mathematical discovery, reasoning skill, insight, creativity, and originality. Expand your thinking and creativity through mathematical games. It's great preparation for real life problem solving! |
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| MULTI-DISCIPLINARY |
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| The Search for Life in Outer Space: Astrobiology to
Xenobiology (DP46):
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Period 3
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What would life look like on a glacial planet? A gaseous one? How do you think life evolves to endure extreme planetary conditions? What are the implications of the latest findings on Mars? Debate these questions, and more, as you search the universe for the existence of life. |
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| Spying: Secrets, Surveillance, and Science (DP47): |
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Period 3
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Did you know that the newest satellite technology can look into your living room from thousands of miles away in space? Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a spy and monitor this technology? Did you know that some of the gadgets from James Bond really exist? Come discover how spies keep—or uncover— secrets. Get an inside look at the science behind the spy’s tricks of the trade. Create an original spy gadget and persuade your peers of its usefulness. Analyze the relationship between spying and the invasion of privacy. |
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| Move Over Sherlock (DP49): |
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Period 2
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| How do real detectives solve mysteries? Come examine how modern crime investigators use cutting-edge scientific discoveries to search for evidence, gather clues, and analyze data. Participate in a simulated mystery where you become the detective as you learn skills in logic, inductive and deductive reasoning, data collection, and analysis. This is a great way to practice using your scientific problem solving skills! |
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| Future City Design (DP50): |
| Period 3 |
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Explore the challenges of the future! Take on the roles of chemical, mechanical, electrical, aeronautical, and civil engineers as you develop a vision for a future city. Construct a scale model that evidences your ideas for future architectural design, transportation, communication, recreation, environmental concerns, and the health and safety of your future citizens. |
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| CREATIVE AND PERFORMANCE ARTS |
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| Two and Three-D Media: Drawing and Sculpting (DP51): |
| Period 1 |
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| Express yourself in pencil, ink, or three dimensions. Develop your techniques in perspective, light, and shading. Learn the fundamentals of positive and negative space. Create an original, displayable work. |
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