MIDDLE SCHOOL CLASSES SUMMER ACADEMY

SUMMER ACADEMIC SUCCESS

MATHEMATICS

Fractions, Decimals and Percents Learn the concepts of fractions, decimals, and percents, and how they all relate. This class is a solid foundation for 7th grade math and pre-algebra. Learn why and how math can be used in real life situations, , and activities. Sales, discounts, travel, etc. all include a mathematical basis.

Math Facts! A course aligned with the 6th grade math curriculum, this course is a helpful tool for students entering the 6th grade, or looking to review 6th grade math concepts. A variety of activities will be used to reach out, educate, and help students connect with math. Multiplication, division, addition, and subtraction are reviewed through drill practice and memorization. This class is essential for all middle school students.

Problem Solving Students in this adventurous exploration of problem solving will design experiments to test algorithms they create. Problem solving techniques will be used to identify extraneous information gathered during tests and experiments. Algebraic, geometric and arithmetic reasoning will be covered in this class as well as the use of fractional representations.

Sports Math Ever wonder what an E.R.A. is in , or how they figure it out? Wonder why managers make many of their decisions based on statistics at critical points in a ? Would you like to know how to score a game of bowling? Through fun interactive activities you will learn these answers and many more while using math in practical applications.

SCIENCE

Aviation & Aeronautics This class will allow students to design, construct, and launch their very own rocket! Students will be introduced to the history of rockets, Newton’s Laws of Motion and other basic principles of flight. They will learn hands-on activities such as building kites, paper rockets, balloon rockets, water bottle rockets, and model rockets and gliders.

CSI: Forensic Science Fingerprinting, footprints, and evidence samples will be some of the basics covered in this introduction to forensic science. Special guest speakers may also come into the class and discuss actual CSI techniques used in solving crimes. Students will learn some of these techniques and utilize them in trying to solve mock crime scenes set up in the classroom or out within the campus.

Cut it Up! Explore the insides of sharks, squids, worms, and more! See if you have what it takes to become a surgeon. This class will focus on learning the structure and anatomy of both vertebrates and invertebrates and will lead up to dissection once the students have learned about the specimen. Students will do live, as well as, virtual dissections.

Forces of Nature in History All through history there have been forces of nature such as floods, hurricanes, and earthquakes that have changed our world. Children will research them and conduct experiments as they learn about these events that have had an impact on our world and our very existence.

Junk Box Wars Students in Junk Box Wars use their imaginations, scientific knowledge, and a box of "junk" to create a variety of devices that perform an assortment of tasks. Challenge your classmates to see who builds the most efficient “junk machines!”

LANGUAGE ARTS

Ancient Mythologies If you ever encountered a snake-haired woman, would you know how to keep her away from you? What about a four-armed, blue-skinned man with three eyes? Do you know what a Minotaur looks like? Well you will after taking this fun course! Students will travel to ancient Greece, India and Egypt to hear stories, develop projects and participate in mythological re-enactments. This course is designed to enhance your understanding of mythology and its continuing influence on our world.

Beginning Spanish Have fun learning Spanish! Students in this class will learn the basics of the Spanish language and the exciting culture that surrounds it. They will learn useful expressions, introductions, and simple vocabulary and begin to feel comfortable speaking Spanish.

Conversational Spanish Learn to speak Spanish! Want to be able to visit a Spanish speaking country and talk with the natives? Students will engage in conversational learning that will build their everyday vocabulary. The emphasis in this class is on the spoken language.

Comic Book Writing Could your comic book be the next addition to the DC or Marvel universe? Maybe! You'll practice writing skills, build strong reading skills, develop artistic talent, expand your vocabulary, and practice creative thinking - all while having fun!

Creative Writing Come discover the joy of writing, the intrigue of language, and the confidence of authorship. Using the Six Traits of Writing, students will learn to write stories and personal narratives among other creative forms.

Perfect Essay Develop your writing skills into the perfect essay. Students will learn the basic organization of the five paragraph essay. This will include how to develop a thesis statement, topic sentences, and supporting details. Organize them all together with some great ideas, a little voice and some sentence fluency and you have the format for the perfect essay.

Reading for Knowledge Reading for content and information is the basis for most reading. Can you scan material and pull out useful information? Do you know the best ways to do research? Gain amazing insights and useful tools to help yourself become the master of your reading. Save time, energy and effort with better results!

Sports Journalism Combine your love for writing and sports in this unique Sports Journalism course. Students will build writing, language and news literacy skills while following and reporting on their favorite Arizona sports teams.

Study Skills and Test Taking Tips The name says it all. Do you know the right way to study? Many students struggle with the correct way to prepare themselves for tests. This course is developed to show the student numerous ways to study and prepare for various tests. If you know the material but freeze up during the test, learn some focusing techniques and develop some strategies to make test taking a cinch. Enroll in this course to learn how to prepare and ace that next test!

Writing Strategies This course will help students with the basics. You will write a variety of sentence types from simple to complex. Transform your sentences into paragraphs and the introduction of a thesis statement. Word choice, sentence fluency, and ideas of the 6-traits will be the focus. Review some skills you may need to hone or learn something new! This class is a great way to develop and use the basic writing strategies.

SUMMER ENRICHMENT

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Archery Come learn the ancient art of archery. Develop your skills with the recurve and compound bow. Students can bring their own bows or one will be provided. Arrows will also be supplied. Who knows? After this course you could be on your way to the Olympics for archery.

Basketball/ Volleyball (This class is split into two sessions)

1.) Learn how to fly to the hoop! Students will be taught fundamental skills (shooting, dribbling, passing, footwork, etc.) along with offense and defense strategies (man-to-man and zone). Team skills will also be emphasized, as well as the difference between organized basketball and street game . Stretching, warm- up drills, safety, and fitness will also be emphasized.

2.) Come and get a workout while learning the ever-popular of volleyball. This sport continues to grow in popularity and is a favorite for guys and girls alike. Our class will be co-ed and you do not need any prior playing experience to come and have a good time! Skill will be developed and taught at a level appropriate for beginners to more experienced players.

Fitness Lab

In this class students will learn how to increase their fitness ability by using a variety of training methods to increase agility, flexibility, reaction time, and muscle memory. Students will learn some of the same training methods that are used by top athletes to keep them sharp all year round. This is an overall fitness class and will allow students to learn how to use some weight machines with minimal weight, work their core muscle groups, and strengthen the lower body as well through footwork drills.

Indoor Sports In this class, students will be able to learn some of the lesser known or played sports such as floor hockey, team handball, wiffleball, indoor soccer, badminton, indoor cricket, or even matball. Students will learn the skills associated with each game and play for a few days before moving on to the next game.

Lacrosse

Soccer/ Lacrosse (This class is split into two sessions)

1.) Get on the field and work on your soccer skills. Soccer players will work on all aspects of the game including dribbling, controlling passes, shooting and defense. All experience levels welcome! Small scrimmage games to practice what you learned will be played at the end of each week.

2.) Lacrosse is one of the fastest growing team sports in the United States. The sport of lacrosse is a combination of basketball, soccer and hockey. The game requires and rewards coordination and agility, not brawn. Quickness and speed are two highly prized qualities in lacrosse. An exhilarating sport, lacrosse is fast- paced and full of action.

Summer Learn how to play dodgeball! Different dodgeball games will be discussed and played. Some of the different types include regular dodgeball, challenge, medic, and gladiator ball. These games will teach students dodging, catching, and throwing skills that they will need to be successful in all physical education activities.

Yoga There are many benefits to learning and doing Yoga. Through different exercises, Yoga can improve relaxation, concentration, muscle tone, and it has been said to help the body heal itself. If you are interested, we’d love to have you learn and enjoy how to use this ancient practice to help stay fit.

TECHNOLOGY

Computer Web Design & Animation Build your very own Web page! Students will use software to create a Web page based on a research topic of their choice. Explore the world of Web-design and learn to link, download, insert, crop, and more in this enriching class.

Lego Robotics Using LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Education Set and Software, students walk to the edge of the universe on a mission to make a distant planet habitable for humans. Videos and animations help students build robots, learn programming, tackle challenges, and hone their robotics and project-planning skills. Science factoids are interspersed throughout, accompanying engineering design activities tied into space exploration.

Digital Photography Ready, set, snap! This course will teach students the fundamentals of taking and editing pictures. Elements may include light, exposure, angles, contrast, and resolution. Students will have the opportunity to take their own pictures and download them onto the computer. They will then use programs to manipulate and create their own ads, scrapbooks, or journals.

Keyboarding Type to Learn is just the beginning of the amazing tools and techniques you will learn about in making yourself proficient on the computer keyboard. You will learn to improve your typing speed, accuracy, and shortcuts to make typing a bit easier. Ten key lessons will also help to improve students’ speed when writing or calculating numbers on the computer.

Movie Making Look out Hollywood! This class is for students looking to explore the art of film making. Students will work in production teams as they learn to write scripts, film, download, and edit commercials and movie shorts. Special effects, sound effects and camera techniques will be incorporated into this two hour class.

Fine Arts/ Performing Arts:

Dance This class is for anyone that just wants to DANCE! Students will learn different forms of dance, along with their historical relevance, and prepare weekly performances that may be performed for their friends and family. Most importantly, this class is designed to allow students an opportunity to exercise and express themselves through movement and many styles of dance.

Glee Club Do you ever find yourself singing to your CD’s or wishing you were part of a singing group? If so, get your voices ready as you become a member of the Glee Club. Children will learn how to harmonize and sing a variety of songs to perform for friends and family.

Critical Thinking:

Mental Math A complement to 8th Pre-Algebra instruction, this course will help students review and prepare for high school through exciting mental math activities. Develop strategies to work your math mind. Develop a keen eye for the mathematical in everything. Can you measure without a ruler? Can you estimate with common sense? If you can find math inside a box of cereal, this class is for you!

Mind Games Mind games, such as , backgammon, chess, checkers, mancala, Othello, plexers, sudoku, crossword, 6 differences, magic tricks, pentominoes, tangrams, and even tic-tac-toe stretch and exercise our brains in ways we might not do otherwise. Come have fun increasing your problem solving skills while learning the basics of several board games, word games, and brain teasers. The culminating activity in this class will be designing your own game.

CAREER PATHWAYS

Adventures in Babysitting This class is intended for students who wish to become prepared for babysitting work. Students will learn babysitting basics and how to cope with emergency situations. Have fun while learning a skill that could help you earn money.

Breakfast Club Start your day out right by learning to prepare a good, nutritious breakfast. This class will help students get their minds and bodies working for the rest of the day by putting delicious food in their stomachs. Students will learn to prepare such items as scrambled eggs, omelets, Belgian waffles, French toast, pancakes, etc. This class will teach students to prepare a breakfast menu, make a grocery list, set the table, and clean up after themselves. Measurement skills and a cookbook orientation will be included.

Brunch Bunch/Snack Attack Too late for breakfast, but too early for lunch? Brunch! This course will give students a break for brunch while teaching them a variety of nutritious no bake cooking recipes. Snacks may include fruit and cheese kabobs, no cook candy, fruit nut jamboree, purple cows, tripletreat loaf, and many more. They will learn how to find recipes, measure and mix. This class will keep your stomach from growling until lunch time.

Healthy Alternatives As our society begins to learn more about health and eating habits, students will learn to make snack and desserts that are healthy. Students will learn how to read ingredients, understand serving sizes, and how to gear themselves toward a more healthy eating style. Students will learn to make homemade salsa, fruit salad, and learn new ways to include fresh vegetables into their diets.