2012-2013 Middle School Course Descriptions
Electives
Art
1 semesterArt courses provide to students activities that foster creative expression, communication through artistic endeavor, and appreciation of culture and heritage. The art making and application learning plan may include lessons that enable students to refine their technique, increase their artistic vocabulary, express themselves and their world view, make connections to other content areas, develop their own aesthetic, and strengthen their critical abilities. Art course content conforms to Jeffco Visual Arts Curriculum as well as existing Colorado Visual Arts Academic Standards for grade 7 and 8. Although Art courses focus on creation, they may also include the study of major artists, art movements, and styles.
Career Exploration
1 semesterCareer Exploration courses help students identify and evaluate personal goals, priorities, aptitudes, and interests, with the goal of helping them make informed decisions about their careers. These courses expose students to various sources of information on career and training options and may also assist them in developing job search and employability skills.
Lifetime Fitness Education
1 semesterLifetime Fitness Education courses emphasize acquiring knowledge and skills regarding lifetime physical fitness; content may include topics such as nutrition, stress management, and consumer issues. Students may develop and implement a personal fitness plan.
Music/Songwriting
1 semesterThe Songwriting course prepares students to express themselves through creating music and is an introduction to basic songwriting. This course will use conventional and nonconventional notation and will include lyric and melody writing. Students will use online music software for creating their own songs. Professionally written songs and students' songs will be analyzed in class.
PE/Recreation Sports
1 semesterThis course provides the students the knowledge, experience, and opportunity to develop skills in more than one recreational sport or outdoor pursuit (such as adventure activities, croquet, Frisbee, wall climbing, bocce ball, fishing, hiking, cycling, and so on).
Video Game Design
1 semesterStudents learn how to design, write, and test software using object-oriented software development environments. Students are introduced to the concept of humane game design and explore how computer programs and games can be used to communicate values, ideas, and thoughts. Students explore the idea of game and how this transfers to computers. Students learn how to convert their ideas into visual, audio, and story assets for their game software. Topics covered include fundamental design processes, use of variables in programming, program control and flow features, iterative statements, and incorporating files and graphics into software.
Web Page Design
1 semesterWeb Page Design courses teach students how to design websites by introducing them to and refining their knowledge of site planning, page layout, graphic design, and the use of markup languages—such as Extensible Hypertext Markup, JavaScript, Dynamic HTML, and Document Object Model—to develop and maintain a web page. These courses may also cover security and privacy issues, copyright infringement, trademarks, and other legal issues relating to the use of the Internet. Advanced topics may include the use of forms and scripts for database access, transfer methods, and networking fundamentals.