In this section:
Courses for students currently in grades K through 1
Courses for students currently in grades 2 & 3 |
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| Courses for students currently in
grades K & 1 |
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| PERIOD 1 |
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| The Write Stuff (DP10): |
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| Write a postcard from an exciting place, or a letter in the voice of a person you admire. Pretend you are an astronaut and write a journal from the space station. 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. |
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| NEW! Forces of Nature (DP15): |
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Explore the forces affecting earth, air and water. When the Earth releases underground energy, its crust shakes and moves, causing mountains to form and buildings to tumble. How are earthquakes and volcanoes related? Do meteorologists predict the weather? How do seismologists predict earthquakes?
How do you prepare for a tsunami or hurricane? Design experiments to test the forces of nature. Then, compare the energy of the Earth to your own forces and energy to discover your own strengths while exploring those of Earth. |
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| PERIOD 2 |
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| NEW! Different and the Same: Unique Cultures, Shared World (DP11): |
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| What do children in India eat for lunch? How long is the Chinese school day? What kind of songs do Spanish children sing? Choose a country that interests you and learn about its traditions, values, and lifestyles. Discover how learning these things can help you become a global world citizen. Create and share your plan for explaining your personal traditions to others in a special celebration. |
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| The Curious Chemist (DP14): |
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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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| PERIOD 3 |
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| Tutankhamen’s Treasures: Ancient Egypt Revealed (DP12): |
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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 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. Consider how a mummy can function as a time capsule. Or, learn more about what interests you the most about the fascinating world of ancient Egypt and share how that knowledge is useful to you today.
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| Game Strategy: Building Mental Muscles (DP13): |
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Opening play, mid-game, end-game - 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 a game that stumps your classmates. |
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| Courses for students currently in grades
2 & 3 |
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| PERIOD 1 |
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| Make Charge, Take Charge: An Energy Efficient World (DP22): |
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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 pros and cons of its use. Create a new idea for energy production. |
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| NEW! Staying Afloat: The Dynamics of Buoyancy (DP26): |
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| What does it take to stay afloat? How does a boat stay above water while a submarine can stay below water? How does a water bug walk on water? Why do some materials make better boats than others? Explore the concepts of floating, sinking, pressure, buoyancy, adhesion,
and cohesion. You’ll gain a greater appreciation for the role boats and ships have played in developing cultures and civilizations. Build your own model boat and participate in a mini class regatta. |
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| Musical Acoustics: The Math and Science of Music (DP27): |
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How do the sounds we hear as music actually function? How do our brains and ears work to enable us to hear music? How does a computer analyze melodies? If these questions interest you, join us for a study of how musical instruments work, how parts of the body help us to sing, and how sound waves and air pressure function. You will develop a deeper appreciation for music while creating your own music on original instruments. |
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| PERIOD 2 |
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| The Writer's Block (DP20): |
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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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| Rocks, Minerals, and Crystals: Earth's Treasures (DP25): |
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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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| NEW! The Hidden World: More Than Meets the Eye (DP28): |
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| How do we know things we cannot see actually exist? Can you see the wind, an x-ray, or an emotion? In this class you will learn about seeing evidence of the invisible on a microscopic, cellular level or even further beyond things you can experience directly. Develop a deeper appreciation for scientific methods and other ways of learning about the things we cannot detect with our senses of sight, touch, taste, smell, or hearing. |
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| PERIOD 3 |
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| The Detective’s Role (DP21): |
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| Are you interested in a crime-solving 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. |
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| Be a Pet Vet (DP23): |
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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 someday, come find out more information. |
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| NEW! Building Blocks of Engineering: The Way Things Work (DP24): |
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Are you a budding engineer or just want to know how to fix things? Do you stay awake at night wondering how things work? Then this is the course for you! Gain a greater understanding of the world around you. Learn about the mechanics involved in the workings of everyday gadgets. Apply creativity and scientific principles to improve a current machine or invent a new one that solves a problem. Learn basic engineering principles and delve into the inner workings of vital machines. |
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