Middle School Electives Courses
Electives
2D Studio Art - Semester
Close your eyes and imagine you’re standing in an art studio—the smell of paint, the heat of the kiln, and the infinite creative possibilities that linger in the air. This is where art is born, and in 2D Studio Art, you’ll learn how to bring your artistic visions to life. Whatever medium you prefer—painting, drawing, photography—this course will teach you the design elements and principles needed to create a work of art, explore your artistic inspirations, travel back in time to look at art in different cultures, and gain insight about the art of critiquing. If you’ve ever dreamed about making a living as an artist, this course will give you the tools and background that you need to turn those dreams into a reality.
Career Explorations - Semester
How do you pick a career path when you are not sure what’s out there? This course allows you to begin exploring options in fields such as teaching, business, government, hospitality, health science, IT, and more! You will align your interests, wants, and needs to career possibilities and gain the required education for each. Let's find a pathway that works for you.
Career Explorations 2 - Semester
Imagine that it’s 20 years from now. What career do you see yourself in? What do you imagine that you’ll be doing? Will you be fighting forest fires or engineering the next rocket into space? With all the careers available, it can be difficult to narrow them down. In Middle School Career Exploration 2 we’ll explore more careers and see what it takes to succeed. You’ll learn more about what steps are needed to prepare for your career and how to compare the pros and cons of different career choices. Finally, you’ll get the chance to try out parts of different careers to see if you’re a perfect fit.
Coding
Do you find yourself wondering how your favorite apps, websites, and games were made? Maybe you want to try building your own. Well, now you can! In the first semester of Middle School Coding, you will get an introduction to the basics of computer science, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Python. You will leave the course with a portfolio of work you can show off! During the second semester, you will expand your knowledge of programming languages and web development by further exploring Python, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. You will analyze the differences between web development and web application development, while growing your portfolio, which will serve to highlight everything you have learned and created in the course.
Digital Art & Design - Semester
There are so many different types of art in this world—fine art, classical art, visual art—but the impact of digital art and design is all around us, often in ways that you probably aren’t even aware of! After taking Digital Art and Design, you’ll enjoy a deeper understanding and appreciation for all things digital as you explore this special genre of art found in everything from advertising to animation to photography and beyond. In this course, you’ll learn about the evolution of art, the basic principles of art and design, and the role of art in politics and society. Additionally, you will actually create your own digital art and make it come alive. Give your creative side a boost with this Digital Art and Design course.
Digital Citizenship - Semester
The digital world seems to change every day and touch more of our lives. We use technology to communicate with friends and family, find neverending entertainment options, follow our favorite sports teams and fashion trends, and do our school work. In this course, you will get the tools to navigate this exciting and always-changing world. Learn about real-world issues and how to solve real-world problems through interactive and hands-on assignments. Discover what it means to be a responsible digital citizen, expand your digital literacy, and become a successful online student. You’ll consider the best ways to find, create, and share information, learn to maximize information and communication technologies, and explore digital content creation, from emails and blogs to social media, videos, and podcasts.
Exploring Business - Semester
Are you interested in business, becoming a leader, or making decisions to help a business be successful? While there are many different career choices in the field of business, in this course, you’ll discover options such as management, human resources, business operations, information management, and accounting. Explore the skills you’ll need, common tasks, the technology used, and characteristics of various business careers.
Exploring Health Science - Semester
Where do healthcare workers spend their days? What do they really do? From cruise ships to sports arenas, you can find healthcare workers in many places you may not expect. Explore this field, including what it would be like to work in a medical lab. You’ll learn what it takes to keep you and your patients safe, about the human body, and basic first-aid.
Exploring Information Technology - Semester
If you’ve ever dreamed of a job in technology, but aren’t sure where to start, then it’s time to explore the different career options available to you in the field of IT. You’ll examine various IT pathways of web and digital communications, information and support services, network systems, and programming and software development. The world of IT careers is in high demand, so let’s get to investigating which career pathway is right for you.
Exploring Music - Semester
What comes to mind when you hear the word “music”? Do you think about your favorite band or artist? Or do you think about instruments or scales and chords? The word music means something different to everyone which is why in Exploring Music, there’s a little bit of something for everyone! You will learn about how we hear music; how music affects our lives; important elements of music like rhythm, pitch, and harmony; different musical genres; singing and your voice; various instruments; music composition; and the history and culture of music over the years. Tune-up your understanding and appreciation for all things music by signing up for this course!
Fitness - Semester
Physical fitness is a lot more than just a number on a scale—and that’s exactly what you’ll learn in this course! This course will help you understand the basics behind what it means to be physically fit, allow you to gain a deeper understanding of how your body functions, learn the complex science behind exercise, explore what it means to be mindful and what inspires you, and determine how you can test your current level of fitness. Being and staying physically fit is a lifelong endeavor and, just like human beings, there are many complexities involved. Learning about and improving your physical fitness is a smart choice to make at any age, and by signing up for this course, you will be doing exactly that. This course is the first step on your exciting journey to understanding and improving your physical fitness.
Game Design 1
You might love to play video games, but have you ever wanted to build your own? If you are interested in a career in technology and also want a creative outlet, Game Design might be the field for you. In the first semester, you will learn how to build a game from the ground up in this interactive, hands-on course that will teach you all the ins and outs of making your own game. During the second semester, you will delve into the development process and will create details and add component pieces to a game while learning to prototype, troubleshoot, and test. Additionally, by exploring how to critique a game and advertise it, you will strengthen your ability to create a fully functioning game from start to finish.
Journalism: Tell Your Story - Semester
Who? What? When? Where? Journalism provides us with the answers to these questions for the events that affect our lives. In this course, students will learn how to gather information, organize ideas, format stories for different forms of news media, and edit their stories for publication. The course will also examine the historical development of journalism and the role of journalism in society.
Photography
Photographs are all around us, and each photo helps tell a story. This course teaches students to create their own stories through photos. During the first semester they will learn the basics of camera, lighting, and how to choose great subjects to create magazine-worthy photos. Students will amaze their friends and family with their newly learned skills. Taking photos is an art, and editing photos is a skill that many photographers seek to master. During the second semester, students will explore how to manipulate angles and lighting, the purpose for different types of photo files, how to use different software to edit photos, and safe places they can store them. Students will be well on their way to being editing gurus when they are finished with the course.
