Elective Course Offerings for Students in Grades 7-8

Advanced Art (7, 8)
Advanced Art will give students opportunities to complete projects and learning that Exploratory Art does not allow for due to its short 6 week length.  Projects will include painting, ceramics (clay), mixed media, and opportunities for students to propose art projects.

Band (7, 8)
This program offers fun, exciting, and educational ways to become a better musician all while playing alongside friends and peers. 7th grade band and 8th grade band meet every other day and will begin each year with a marching band experience culminating in a performance for the homecoming parade. 8th grade students will also have the chance to play alongside the Bluejay Pride Marching Band at a football game and various basketball games. Throughout the year, students will work to prepare 3 evening concerts and will participate in a solo/small group festival that will happen mid year. Additionally, students have the opportunity to participate in jazz band, honor bands across the Des Moines area, the chance to travel as a program to a professional performance, and other exciting events around the community. 

Industrial Tech (8)
This course will be a continuation of the 7th grade elective into industrial technology, but you can take this course even without having taken the 7th grade course. They will also do 1) Problem Solving Activities; 2) Emphasis on safety for using hand and power tools; 3) Review of forces of flight and building of rockets; 4) Understand how to draw 2 and 3 D multiview drawings; 5) The study of the 3 types of bridges and the building of a bridge and the testing for strength; 6) The building of a model house and the introduction to construction terms such as stud, cripple stud, headers, sole, top and cap plates The students will be able to build with their hands as well as with power tools in this class and will participate in projects ranging from bird houses, small storage crates, and cutting boards. 

Bluejay Digital (8)       
This course is available for 8th grade students who have mastered concepts from Video Production. Students will create/produce news segments for The Pulse that will be publicly viewable on the Bluejay Digital YouTube channel. Students will occasionally be asked to film events outside of school to support the show. In addition, students will also create game day ads for middle school athletics that will be displayed on school TVs. 

Ceramics (Must have previously taken advanced art) (8)
Do you enjoy working with your hands?  Do you love clay?  Sign up for ceramics!  We will go over various hand-building techniques including coiling and slab building, as well as touch on the history of ceramics and famous ceramic artists.  There will also be an introduction to the potter's wheel if time allows.  It will be hard work and messy at times, but also loads of fun!

Child Development (7)
This class will focus on basic concepts of child development with an emphasis on caring for and working with school-age children. We will discuss topics related to babysitting and keeping kids safe when they are in your care. Students will practice planning and implementing activities for elementary children. This course may include visits to the elementary buildings. We will also talk about a healthy environment for children in terms of nutrition and positive emotional and social development.  

Chinese (7, 8)
This exploratory class introduces students to basic Chinese language skills. Students will learn Chinese phonetics (pinyin) as well as major Chinese holidays. In this class, students will be actively introduced to the language structure and use it through role-play, songs, games and situational videos. This course is strongly recommended for any student interested in learning a second language.

Computer Programming (7, 8)
Students will be using a variety of coding platforms to practice their computer programming skills. Experience in coding is not necessary to take this course. Students will be using Scratch, Hummingbird Robotics Kits, Spheros, and more. Those that take this class will learn the basic coding skills and be able to apply those skills to real-life problems.

Design and Modeling 2.0 (8)
Design and Modeling 2.0 is a continuation of the Design and Modeling exploratory, applying advanced skills in 3-D Design. In this course, we will be solving real-world problems with designs that are created by students. This course also provides more opportunities to apply creativity in 3-D design.

Food and Nutrition (8)
This class will build on the basic concepts of nutrition and healthy meal preparation. Students will learn about developing healthy habits when cooking and eating and will practice meal preparation in the lab. We will discuss MyPlate, nutrients and how we can incorporate those concepts into meals. Students will also learn about basic skills related to food preparation such as measuring, kitchen equipment, cooking techniques and sanitation.  

Industrial Tech (7)
This course will be a hands-on overview of various aspects of Industrial Technology including:1) Problem-Solving Activities; 2) Emphasis on safety for using hand and power tools; 3) Learning to read a ruler correctly. 4) Basic understanding of 2D and 3D drawings;  5) The introduction to the forces of flight through the building of paper airplanes and a wooden boomerang.  Students participate in numerous activities in this class that will allow them to use their hands to build as well as operate power tools.  The students do not need to have experience with tools in order to take this course, and safety will be an emphasis in the course. 

Industrial Tech (8)
This course will be a continuation of the 7th grade elective into industrial technology, but you can take this course even without having taken the 7th grade course. They will also do 1) Problem Solving Activities; 2) Emphasis on safety for using hand and power tools; 3) Review of forces of flight and building of rockets; 4) Understand how to draw 2 and 3 D multiview drawings; 5) The study of the 3 types of bridges and the building of a bridge and the testing for strength; 6) The building of a model house and the introduction to construction terms such as stud, cripple stud, headers, sole, top and cap plates The students will be able to build with their hands as well as with power tools in this class and will participate in projects ranging from bird houses, small storage crates, and cutting boards. 

Interior and Fashion Design (7, 8)
In this course, students will dive deeper into the worlds of Interior Design and Fashion Design. Students will start by learning about the Principles of Design and will work throughout the course on applying these concepts to everyday life. We will explore and discuss the way design impacts our world and touch on design career opportunities. We will end the course with a design construction project to put these concepts into practice!

LEGO Robotics (7)
In this course, students will work together to build LEGO Robotics pieces in order to solve challenges. These challenges include using a variety of sensors, motors, and parts to complete tasks. The course will involve some computer programming skills, although no coding experience is necessary. There will be competitive challenges within the course to showcase students' building and coding abilities.

Medical Detectives (7, 8)
In the Medical Detectives class, students play the role of real-life medical detectives as they collect and analyze medical data to diagnose disease. They solve medical mysteries through hands-on projects and labs, measure and interpret vital signs, dissect a sheep's brain, investigate disease outbreaks, and explore how a breakdown within the human body can lead to dysfunction.  

Spanish (7, 8)
This course provides a basic introduction to the language and culture of the Spanish-speaking world. The student will attain an acceptable degree of proficiency in the four skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing, with an emphasis on listening and speaking. Students will learn the target language through songs, stories, relevant activities and videos. This course is strongly recommended for any student interested in learning a second language.

Spanish I (for high school credit) (8)
This course provides an introduction to the language and culture of the Spanish-speaking world. Emphasis will be placed on the student attaining an acceptable degree of proficiency in the four skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Culture is presented in conjunction with these four skills. This course is strongly recommended for the college-bound student and also for any student interested in learning a second language.  **Please note that since this class is offered for high school credit, those grades earned for this class will be part of the student’s high school transcript.