Leadership Prep School Middle School Elective Course Guide 2017-2018
Mandatory Classes Communications 5 th Grade Mandatory This course is designed to build effective presentation skills in students. They will learn to present an opinion in a concise, logical and engaging manner. While they will learn to use multimedia to enhance their main idea and theme, the primary focus will be on teaching the speaker to be comfortable and engaging when presenting to groups. Students will give several presentations throughout the course Teen Leadership 6 th Grade Mandatory This class is a full year course that builds strong relationships among its students and serves as a foundation for growth and development. Students will learn leadership skills, build selfconfidence, and feel empowered to lead themselves in their educational goals. Students will learn how to make good choices and feel encouraged. Students new to LPS in 7 th -8 th may be required to attend this class. Physical Education 6 th & 7 th Grade Mandatory (optional for 8 th graders who have already taken PE in 6 th and 7 th grades or two years of athletics) The Physical Education program provides each student with the opportunity to participate in a comprehensive program consisting of skill development, lead up games, team sports, and physical fitness activities. The students receive instruction in rules, skills, and strategies associated with the different sports as well as learning experiences involving physical conditioning activities. The students will also have opportunities to become involved in lifelong physical activities through individual sport units. The program promotes the spirit of cooperation, leadership, fair play, and friendly competition. PE uniform is required. Teen Living 7 th Grade Mandatory Teen Living is designed to teach students skills they can use at school and in life. Along with addressing national standards pertaining to academic success, students will also immerse themselves in Family and Consumer Sciences education. Careers 8 th Grade Mandatory This is a course where 8 th graders are exposed to a variety of different career paths and create a 10 year plan. Through class activities, research, and our guest speakers, the students will learn what educational requirements and life experiences are needed to be successful in a wide range of jobs as well as financial requirements for living and college. Classes subject to change depending on interest and class sizes. Page 2 of 7
Electives Art 5 th 8 th Students will create original artworks based on direct observations, original sources, and personal experiences. Artworks will including drawings, paintings, prints, sculptures/modeled forms, ceramics, fiber art, photographic imagery, and digital art and media, using a variety of materials. Students will also develop an understanding of art history and culture by analyzing artistic styles, historical periods, and a variety of cultures. Additional fee and supplies required. Theatre Appreciation 5 th & 6 th Theatre appreciation is a course designed to introduce students to the basics of theatre and theatre as an art form. This course is intended for students who have not yet taken theatre. Students will learn about basic theatre terminology, stage directions, reading techniques, and writing techniques in regard to plays and musicals. Students will perform monologues, duet, and group scenes. Beginning Band 5 th & 6 th The Beginner Band will be divided into specialized classes, woodwinds (flute, clarinet and saxophone) and brass (trumpet, trombone, French horn, tuba, baritone)/ Percussion (this is not just drums). During these classes we will be teaching the basic fundamentals of playing a band instrument. Students will complete objectives to demonstrate good tone production, technical skills, musical expression, and music theory ( learning to read music). Students will be required to participate in 2 to 3 concerts per year, solo and ensemble competition and will attend a full band festival. Students will also be required to attend 1 full band rehearsal after school starting in October. Students will be required to turn in to the band director, a weekly practice log for a portion of their grade. All performances will be graded as well. Classes subject to change depending on interest and class sizes. Page 3 of 7
Concert Band 6 th 8 th The Middle School Concert Band performing group which is made up of the mostly 6 th, 7th and 8th grade students. The students in this band must be proficient on their instrument and must be willing to commit to regular rehearsal and practice time. Concert Band students will have at least one 45 minute sectional rehearsal per week as well as some extra full band rehearsals before or after school throughout the year. Students in this band are expected to participate in all of the scheduled rehearsals, concerts, and contests. Students in the Concert Band are expected to participate in the Solo & Ensemble contest. It is the responsibility of the student and the parent to check the band calendar and incorporate the scheduled events into your family calendar. In order to establish and maintain a high level of performance, Concert Band students will need to practice 30 to 60 minutes daily. Students will be required to turn in a weekly practice journal to their director. DI- Destination Imagination 7 th & 8 th Destination Imagination encourages and fosters the development of 21 st century skills by challenging students to use creative problem solving. Students learn to work as a team to solve open-ended challenges through the use of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and fine arts. Through team challenges designed by industry experts and educators, students experience the process from imagination to innovation. Students learn teamwork, communication, project management, perseverance, creative and critical thinking skills while building their self-confidence. Teams will have the opportunity to compete in the spring. Choir 7 th & 8 th Choir is a course offered for students who are interested in singing as a part of a group as well as improving their basic singing technique and musicianship through daily warmups, exercises, and music theory written work. Students will be expected to come to class prepared every day and be present at every concert that is given by the group. This class will be a mixture of 8 th and 9 th graders. **Potential fees for competition. Classes subject to change depending on interest and class sizes. Page 4 of 7
Theatre 7 th & 8 th Beginning Theatre is a course designed to introduce students to the basics of theatre and theatre as an art form. This course is intended for students who have not yet taken theatre. Students will learn about basic theatre terminology, stage directions, reading techniques, and writing techniques in regard to plays and musicals. Students will perform monologues, duet, and group scenes. Students will also be asked to write creatively and analyze plays and stories for basic elements of a plot. This class will be a mixture of 7 th and 8 th graders. Spanish Part One 7 th This course is an introduction to Spanish. Learners will begin to build language skills including reading, writing, listening, and speaking. We will explore cultural connections and comparisons and our role as global citizens. Grammatical structures will focus on the present tense. Students may earn high school credit if they take Spanish in both 7 th and 8 th grade. Aide 7 th & 8 th This is a semester long course that provides an opportunity for a student to work with a certified teacher, counselor or administrator or a school office employee. Aides must get approval for this class. Athletics 6 th 8 th Athletics is an opportunity to grow strong leaders. Character is the foundation of leadership, first and foremost, we must focus on the development of character in our student athletes. Our mission is to cultivate students into leaders by emphasizing good character, sportsmanship, integrity, responsibility, service to the community, and academic achievement, while preparing them to compete at a high level in a variety of individual and team athletic programs. Classes subject to change depending on interest and class sizes. Page 5 of 7
8 th Only Grade Electives Spanish I Part 2 8th The learners in this course will begin to build language skills through participating in real world projects designed to facilitate effective communication and crosscultural understanding. The communication skills included are reading, writing, listening, and speaking. This class will be a mixture of 8 th and 9 th graders. This class will be available for high school credit. Symphonic Band 8 th The High School Symphonic Band is the top performing group which is made up of mostly 9th and 10th grade students with a few select 8 th grade students. The students in this band must be proficient on their instrument and must be willing to commit to regular rehearsal and practice time. The Symphonic Band students will have at least one sectional per week. Students will also have to attend some extra full band rehearsals throughout the year. Students in this band are expected to participate in all of the scheduled rehearsals, concerts, contests, and pep rallies. In addition, each student is expected participate in the Solo & Ensemble contest. It is the responsibility of the student and the parent to check the band calendar and incorporate the scheduled events into your family calendar. In order to establish and maintain a high level of performance, Symphonic Band students will need to practice 30 to 60 minutes daily. Private lesson instruction is highly recommended as many of our students will begin thinking about participating college band soon. Students will be required to turn in a weekly practice journal to their director. Classes subject to change depending on interest and class sizes. Page 6 of 7
Career & Technical Education (CTE) 8 th grade students will receive high school credit for the following Principles of Arts, Audio Video Technology and Communications Prerequisite: None Level 2 course Full year 1 credit This course is an introductory course for careers in the Arts, Audio/Video Technology, and Communications career cluster. In addition, the course helps provide a creative aptitude, a background in computer and technology applications, an academic foundation, and a proficiency in oral and written communication. Within this context, students will be expected to develop an understanding of the various and multifaceted career opportunities in this cluster and the knowledge, skills, and educational requirements for those opportunities. Principles of Information Technology Prerequisite: None Level 2 course Full year 1 credit This course will help students develop literacy skills to adapt to emerging technologies used in the global marketplace. Students will also implement personal and interpersonal skills to prepare for a rapidly evolving workplace environment, as well as enhance their reading, writing, computing, communication, and reasoning skills to apply them to the information technology environment. Unit topics include: employability, ethics, file management, databases, and web design. Principles of Government and Public Administration Prerequisite: None Level 2 course Full year 1 credit This course introduces students to foundations of governmental functions and career opportunities with the U.S. while examining foundational documents like the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Students will explore major political ideas and forms of government in history, and they will understand how constitutional government has been influenced by people, ideas, and historical documents. Classes subject to change depending on interest and class sizes. Page 7 of 7