Pop-Up Course Catalogue (May 2020)
Please read through the following course descriptions to help you make your choices for independent work and pop-up courses during the weeks of May 11th through the 29th. You will complete a separate Google Form indicating your choices for pop-up courses.
Three-Week Offerings (These are classes that will run for all three weeks; you must take all three weeks unless otherwise indicated.) Course Name Teacher Course Description
Things Are Looking Up: Ms. Labieniec In this course students will explore some of the most fundamental aspects Astronomy and Your of astronomy with the goal of achieving a better understanding of our Backyard Sky place in the cosmos. Week 1: The scale of space, Week 2: The Scale of time, Week 3: We are stardust. Students will learn to recognize common objects in the night sky and will maintain a weekly observing journal. No telescope necessary!
Kia Ora: The Films of Ms. Hatcher In February 2020, Taika Waititi became the first person of indigenous Taika Waititi descent to win an Oscar for his screenplay of Jojo Rabbit. Before he became a fixture in Hollywood, Waititi made a name for himself by writing, directing, and acting in quirky independent films in his native New Zealand. This course will cover three of his first full-length films: The Hunt for the Wilderpeople (week 1), Boy (week 2), and Eagle vs. Shark (week 3). We will explore the ways that Waititi combines his Maori heritage, his Kiwi sense of humor, and his love of the natural beauty of New Zealand in his films. Students may take all three weeks or choose to study only one or two of the films.
Beginning Chess Mr. Wensink A crash course in chess! This course will start with how pieces move and proceed through basic endgames, opening theory, and some middle game tactics. Students will learn, and possibly use, fancy terminology such as 'fianchetto', 'en passant', and 'zugzwang'. Students will be expected to attend online meetings for discussions as well as solve puzzles and play games outside of class. There will be lots of puzzle solving and logical thinking involved over the three weeks.
Creative Writing (Prose) Ms. Pelmas Do you want to write short stories? Maybe a novel? In this class, we will work on the elements of good fiction-writing, while we also read a few classic examples of great stories. Students will write, read to each other, and workshop their pieces as well.
Book Club Ms. Stern Students will discuss books they have been reading for pleasure, come up with recommendations for other readers, create book lists and read-alike lists, and share their love of reading in whatever way the group would like.
Witchcraft and the Trial of Mr. Didier Few other events in American history have received as much popular and Salem academic attention as the Salem Witch Trials. In this course we will explore the phenomena of medieval and early-modern witchcraft and try to explain why so many people in Salem Village Massachusetts were prosecuted and executed over the false beliefs in witches.
The Art of a Sketchbook Ms. Harrison In this three-week course, students will explore the world and keep a Travel Journal travel sketchbook to record the sites, sights, and other sensory delights that they discover. From memories, photographs, the backyard or balcony, online research, and virtual tours (of museums, restaurants, neighborhoods, etc), students will write and sketch about places they've already been and/or those they have yet to see. Working with an array of different sketch and writing prompts and techniques, students will create a visual and written record of all the places they choose to visit and share some of their favorite discoveries with classmates.
Introduction to Sign Ms. DePalma This three-week course will introduce you to fingerspelling, a little bit of Language linguistics, the cinematography of sign language, basic conversation, idioms and interpretation.
Living History: Modern Ms. Zhao I will share my own experience living through the 10-year-Cultural China--My Story and Revolution, as I was sent down to the rural countryside living with Theirs peasants and doing hard labor, etc. What brought me here？Each student will interview a person that has similar experiences like me and write a story of that person. They will also watch a movie.
Creative Writing Poetry Ms. Vitow This three-week class will focus on students’ original poetry as a complete Workshop process. The course will include strategies for approaching first drafts, a structured workshop environment, and a rigorous framework for revision. Students will explore contemporary poetry, and experiment with different structures and techniques in their own work. Students will be expected to hone their skills through a daily writing practice throughout the duration of the class.
Pop-Up Italiano Indi Aufranc, Ms. Italophiles seek to create more Italophiles. Gangi, and Mr. This pop up course seeks to offer a fun and engaging introduction to Henningsen Italian language + culture. Students will get a crash course in essential Italian phrases, slang and the importance of hand gestures. Students will also get a window into the history and regional diversity of Italian culture, including a sense of authentic Italian cuisine. The teachers will draw on some of their own personal connections to Italy, and students are encouraged to share some research on their own Italy/Italian-related interests.
OK, Boomers! Mr. (Ringo) We heard this snarky slam, “OK, Boomers” leveled against the Baby Murdock Boom Generation recently, but just who are the Boomers? What were the events, historical and cultural, that influenced them? Were they great or horrible—or maybe both! The Baby Boom Generation ranged from those born in 1946, right after WWII, to 1964, the start of “The Sixties.” Are recent criticisms of their generation—that they wrecked the environment, stole later generations’ chances at prosperity, broke Social Security, and invented Rock ‘n Roll!— fair critiques, or ridiculous whining? Many of the cultural and historical happenings that affected this generation happened, of course, in their childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood, so we will look at the 50s, 60s, and 70s. The process will be collaborative. Students will do independent research and present to the group in ways that I hope will be fun and creative!
Theater that Raises Tough Ms. Jackson In this mini-course we will read two interconnected plays that explore Questions shifting demographics in urban neighborhoods and that raise important, difficult questions about race, class, community, and belonging. The classic, Tony-nominated play A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry is based on the playwright’s family’s experience as the first black family to move into an all-white neighborhood in Chicago in the 1950s. The second play, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Clybourne Park, written decades later by Bruce Norris, reimagines Hansberry’s 1959 story from different characters’ perspectives in Act 1 and then in Act 2 jumps ahead to 2009 and explores reactions to a white family’s effort to move into the same now predominantly black neighborhood. After reading and discussing both plays, we'll read and discuss a few articles about gentrification in contemporary Boston. (This course might complement some sort of independent research on urban planning and community building.)
Graduate with the Music Ms. Brady-Lopez Have you ever wished you learned some basic music skills at Winsor but Skills You’ve Always you didn't have time for it? This course is for seniors like you! After Wanted surveying the desires of the students, we will cover topics like note-reading, understanding rhythms, matching pitch, beginning singing skills, even guitar, ukulele, and piano, depending what you have. No instruments required though and know experience required! We can also look at making music online using collaborative software.
One-Week Offerings: May 11-15 TikTok Toes Ms. McKinley This is an opportunity to be creative, physical and social with your classmates. What we'll do is: 1) Put on your favorite dancing shoes or socks. 2) Point the camera at your feet. 3) Put on your favorite tunes. 4) Jump in, dance, jump out. We'll Zoom it, experiment in breakout rooms, and move on to video editing in WeVideo to make fun videos we can share. Citizen Who? Unraveling Ms. Caspar The American Film Institute’s 2007 “Top 100 Movies...One Hundred the Mysteries of One of Years” ranked Citizen Kane the top American movie of all time, yet few the Greatest Films Ever have actually seen the 1941 film by Orson Welles. In this one-week, Made pop-up class, we will explore the cinematic richness of the film and its place in history as one of the most technically innovative movies ever made. Kane’s influence on modern filmmaking has stood the test of time, but it is the narrative emphasis on the corruption of wealth and power that makes the film especially relevant today.
The Show Must Go On Ms. Ramos In this course, we will watch full-length performances that are being streamed and made available to the public during this time by companies like Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Ballet Hispanico, and the New York City Ballet. We will learn about the choreographers and companies, as well as the contexts in which the pieces were created and premiered. We will consider the lasting effects of these works, as contemporary dancers and audiences continue to look toward them for inspiration as well as reflection about the nature of human connection and our place in the world. (Students may opt to take the course both weeks.)
Cooking for Yourself and Ms. Burke We will discuss and prepare a handful of dishes that are easy enough to Your Friends make for yourself, but impressive enough to serve friends/bring to a party. I have a ton of stand-by dishes that I love, but I want to help you cook what YOU want to make. We will brainstorm at the beginning of the week and do some recipe research together, then discuss techniques and recipe substitutions while we prepare some fun dishes (and, of course, eat them!) Students can sign up for more than one week of this course.
Self-Defense with IMPACT Ms. Warlan & IMPACT Boston will return to Winsor to teach an interactive and Boston IMPACT Boston informative self defense preparedness course. Here, students will learn skills to assess vulnerable situations, identify threats, protect boundaries, and both verbally and physically defend themselves. You'll get to shout, kick, punch, and learn your way to safety! Sessions will be run by two highly trained IMPACT instructors. "Ghoti" = "Fish:" An Ms. Waring Why are English spellings so weird? Why do languages like Mandarin Introduction to the Weird have tones? Do languages with genders think about objects in gendered and Wonderful World of terms? Does every language count objects and describe colors in the Linguistics same way? Why are so many languages becoming endangered, and how can we save them? Does the language we first learn affect the way we see the world? These questions, and many more, will be addressed in this broad introduction to linguistics and the remarkable diversity of the world's languages.
One-Week Offerings: May 18-22 Views from the Farm Ms. Beebe This course will explore some of the basics about farming - the mysteries, joys, and challenges. We’ll meet and interview a local farmer, watch and discuss a documentary called “The Biggest Little Farm,” and make a carrot cake from scratch. Depending on student interest, we could read short essays about farming like Julia Alvarez’s “Briefly, a Gardener” or Wendell Berry’s “The Pleasure of Eating," watch a lamb being born, meet a beekeeper, plant a tree or garden vegetables, or learn from LA’s Ron Finley (a.k.a. the “Gangster Gardener”). There is no limit to all the topics we could cover if you’re interested in learning about farming.
Scientific Literacy Journal Reethika This pop-up course will allow seniors to collaboratively learn from recent Digumarthy & Ms. scientific research papers on topics of interest. With two synchronous Ramos meetings each week the class is run, seniors can talk about interesting findings or methods from a research study, share thoughts on the topic, and discuss confusing parts of the paper together. The goal is for this pop-up class to be similar in style to a book club. Each week, the class will focus on a different topic. This week’s theme will be neuroscience, so all research papers and articles will be about developments in neuroscience. (Students may opt to take the course both weeks.) Let’s Make Healthy Ms. Baudis Together we will explore and begin to establish healthy habits! It is Habits Together! important to create healthy habits early in our lives in order to benefit our mental and emotional health. You are all about to start new adventures, whether it be going to college, traveling, working, internships or whatever you choose, this is a good time in your life to reflect on your overall wellness and start establishing new habits! In this active class we will explore and practice the following:
● Mindfulness ● Nutrition and healthy snacking ● Fitness ● Hydration ● Self-care
Plan to leave with a plan and lots of resources!
An Introduction to Ms. Waring International development in the 21st century brings enormous ethical Engineering and and practical challenges, but also the potential to have a International commensurately positive impact on communities throughout the world. Development This course will explore various engineering approaches to international development, following a model pioneered by the MIT D-Lab. The curriculum will draw from the instructor's own global development experiences, such as designing pit latrines in Ethiopia, interviewing female coffee farmers in Nicaragua, working with community health workers in India, and teaching engineering/innovation to high school students in Uganda.
Collaborative Music Ms. Brady-Lopez This course is for experienced musicians who would like to collaborate in Ensembles a small ensemble using SoundTrap to record music of your choice. In addition to learning recording skills, you will practice mixing skills and experiment with arrangement ideas. This will be a fun and meaningful way to make music with your peers.
TikTok Toes Ms. McKinley (see description in Week of May 11-15) The Show Must Go On Ms. Ramos (see description in Week of May 11-15) (Students may opt to take the course both weeks.)
Cooking for Yourself and Ms. Burke (see description in Week of May 11-15) Your Friends
Citizen Who? Unraveling Ms. Caspar (see description in Week of May 11-15) the Mysteries of One of the Greatest Films Ever Made
One-Week Offerings: May 25-29 Solitaire Ms. Allen Did you know there are many versions of solitaire? You will learn at least 5 different variations, including one that uses two decks of cards. It's a great way to keep your hands busy, your mind engaged, and your eyes away from a screen. You will need to have your own deck of cards.
“Holding Up The Mirror”: Ms. Martin & Evan "Holding Up the Mirror" is an evening seminar based on themes of Exploring Female Joy McLaurin ‘12 female sexuality, desire, pleasure, fears, relationships, anxiety, and Sexulaity celebratory aspects of being female sexual beings. The seminar will mainly consist of activities (small group and council) and discussion. In addition, students will be required to post journal entries once a week in reaction and response to what we're covering in class. (The course will have a maximum of 15 students. If there is enough interest, a second section can be added.)
Covering a Crisis: Mr. Braxton This pop-up course will explore media coverage and bias surrounding Exploring Media the global pandemic. Looking at an array of news outlets and headlines, Coverage and Bias students will investigate how journalists are covering issues of racial and economic disparities. Students will have an opportunity to speak to professional journalists and editors and critically examine how the 4th estate covers one of the most consequential news events in modern history. No Spain, No Gain Briggs Negrón and Since we spent our junior year together in Zaragoza, Spain (and we miss Winnie Wang it a lot!), we want to share our experience and what we learned during our year abroad! Each day will focus on a different theme exploring the Spanish culture, whether that is food, pop culture (TV shows like Elite and Money Heist, music, movies), the arts, and maybe even a flamenco lesson taught by Ms. Bravo! In the class, we’ll share different parts of Spanish culture through fun presentations, Kahoots, and Zoom calls with various people we met through our experiences such as SYA classmates, Spanish students our age, host families, and SYA teachers. Of course, having some background knowledge of Spanish is helpful, but we want everyone to be able to come to the workshop!
Scientific Literacy Journal Reethika (see description in Week of May 18-22) Digumarthy & Ms. The second week will focus on disease, specifically COVID-19. Ramos (Students may opt to take the course both weeks.)
TikTok Toes Ms. McKinley (see description in Week of May 11-15)
Cooking for Yourself and Ms. Burke (see description in Week of May 11-15) Your Friends
Citizen Who? Unraveling Ms. Caspar (see description in Week of May 11-15) the Mysteries of One of the Greatest Films Ever Made
"Ghoti" = "Fish:" An Ms. Waring (see description in Week of May 11-15) Introduction to the Weird and Wonderful World of Linguistics
OTHER: There WILL be a personal finance course; those details are being worked out with some alums who have volunteered.