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 1 |
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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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| Mind Math:
Game Strategy (DP11): |
| Period 2 |
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| Opening play, mid-game, endgame-
develop these strategies and more as
you move across a chessboard or around a
cribbage and backgammon board. Improve
your memory, concentration, and ability to
conceptualize as you engage in these ancient
games of kings. Develop your ability
to estimate and predict your opponents’
moves. Create a personal repertoire of tactics
and plays. Create your own game. |
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| Creatures of Habitat (DP12): |
| Period 2 |
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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. Create a conservation
plan for your favorite animal. Create
an advertising campaign to educate others
about an endangered species.
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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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| Aspiring Architects (DP14): |
| Period 3 |
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Why did the builders of the pyramids
choose triangles as their building blocks?
Is glass a good material for skyscrapers?
Learn about the ways structures are built
and understand the concepts of form
and function. Test structural principles
through simple building projects and experience
the creative process of design
as you create a structure of your own. |
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| Tutankhamun’s Treasures:
Ancient Egypt Revealed (DP15): |
| Period 1 |
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From tomb paintings, mummies, and
the Great Pyramid, discover the secrets
of ancient Egypt. Gain an understanding
of the importance of religion to
civilization. Decode the messages in
hieroglyphs. Research the Boy King
and the guardians of his tomb. Gain an
understanding of the relationship between
human leadership and the rise
or decline of a civilization. Create a presentation that explains how a mummy
can be considered a time capsule. |
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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 2 |
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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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| Character and Citizenship:
Laws and Community (DP22): |
| Period 2 |
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| What do rules mean and why do we
make them? What is the role of a responsible
citizen? How do we decide
that a law has been broken? Join us
for a course in pre-law that examines
the rules of our communities and the
greater society. Learn how laws are
proposed and accepted. Discover the
responsibilities of leaders and followers.
Create your own list of rules for
citizens to follow. |
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| MATH AND SCIENCE |
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| Make Charge, Take Charge:
An Energy Efficient World (DP23): |
| Period 1 |
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| Explore the environmental impact
of five methods of electrical generation:
fossil fuels, nuclear, solar, hydroelectric,
and wind. Analyze ways
to conserve energy in our daily lives.
Design energy audits for your class to
determine the main consumers of energy
and develop plans for less usage.
Develop a multi-media presentation to
explain each energy source and the
ramifications of its use. Create a new
idea for energy production. |
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| Be a Pet Vet (DP24): |
| 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 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
some day, this class is for you. |
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| Animal Evolution (DP25): |
| Period 1 |
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| Did you know that animals evolved and
lived in the sea for 600 million years?
Journey back to a time when the land
was bathed in lethal levels of UV radiation.
Discover how the formation of the
ozone layer made it possible for living
things to venture onto the land. Investigate
the common features humans have with all living organisms. Gain a greater
understanding of your own evolutionary
history. Predict what the future may hold
for the evolution of the animal kingdom. |
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| Sunshine Science (DP27): |
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Period 2
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What’s so hot about the sun? How can a star
that is 93 million miles away be the source
of all Earth’s energy, cause the seasons, affect
the weather, and burn your skin? This
renewable resource is truly amazing. Come
find out more about the benefits and dangers
of sunshine and conduct experiments
to show how the sun’s light can be used to
help us in our everyday lives. |
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| MULTI-DISCIPLINARY |
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| The Detective’s Role: Hero
of the Street (DP30): |
|
Period 3
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Are you interested in a crimesolving career? Would you like to learn the techniques for interviewing witnesses and interrogating suspects? Have you ever pictured yourself giving evidence in a court room? If so, then join us for a study of the world of the police detective. Learn the procedures of police on patrol and the organization of investigations. Discover the roles detectives play when they go undercover or gain information from an informant. Find out how detectives collect and preserve evidence for court testimony. This course may help you identify your future career choice. |
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| Magic Carpet Ride (DP31): |
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Period 1
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| Earth is a mosaic of cultural
complexity. Discover how
culture and experience influence a
region’s characteristics. Compare
and contrast customs in other places
to those of the United States. Hypothesize
about living with host families in
different countries. Create projects,
journals, art work, and performances
representative of various cultures you
research. Gain a greater understanding
of the many cultures to understand
your own culture better. |
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| Things that Fly! (DP32): |
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Period 3
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| Everyone knows that airplanes
and hot air balloons
and birds can fly. The ordinary kind
of flying is dependent on Bernoulli’s
scientific principles. But what if we
look at flight in a different way to try
to determine what it means? Have
your thoughts suddenly flown out the
window when the teacher calls on
you to explain something? Has time
ever flown by for you when you are
on vacation? Or slowed on a rainy
day? Have you ever said the first thing
that just flew into your head? Join us
for a study of the extraordinary flight
of time and thought and other flying
things. |
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| Courses for students currently in grades
4, 5 & 6 |
| | | |
| HUMANITIES |
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| Speaking of Writing (DP40): |
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Period 3
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| Creative writing and eloquent speech
making join forces in the 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 3
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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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| Doomsday Scenario:
The Lunar Ark (DP43): |
|
Period 2
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| Did you know that NASA has
plans for archiving the records of human
accomplishments from the last
several thousand years? Did you know
that this museum is planned to be
housed on the moon? In the event of
catastrophe, the genetic information
for humans, plants, and animals as
well as information for survival techniques
such as smelting metal, planting
crops, and building houses would
all be included in this ark of information.
Join us for a study of this plan,
including the best location for its construction,
how it would be tended and
guarded, how it would be powered,
and the diversity of species capable of
surviving there. Analyze the scientific
and ethical implications of such a museum.
Create your own plan of what to
archive and how it should be done. |
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| Chemistry: The Essential Element (DP44):
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Period 2
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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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| MULTI-DISCIPLINARY |
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| Plastics: Those Popular,
Powerful Polymers (DP47): |
|
Period 3
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Plastics play a huge part in
our everyday lives. They are used in
building and construction, electronics,
aerospace, packaging, transportation,
and the medical field, to name just a
few. Emerging science is producing
degradable plastics, and plastics play
a large role in nanotechnology. Join
us for an in-depth study of the presence
of plastics in our lives. Be better
informed about the use of plastics
by researching the latest findings from
government, academia, and industry.
Create a new use for plastic. Research
and report on the plastic industry’s attempts
to go green. |
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| Spying: Secrets, Surveillance, and
Science (DP48): |
|
Period 1
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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. |
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| Move Over Sherlock (DP50): |
| 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 (DP51): |
| Period 1 |
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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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| Alternative to Rec Hour for students in grades
2-6 |
| Experts Present: Student
Led Seminars (DPR): |
| Rec Hour |
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| Do you have a subject you are
passionate about? Do you like to share
you ideas with others? Then this is the
class for you. During this class you will
research a topic of your choice, determine
how you will share your information,
and present your new knowledge
to the class. Come and discover unique
facets of your topic and share your discoveries
with others. |
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