At TX/RX Labs:

Woodworking: Create a small hardwood box using router, planer, bandsaw, handplane/jointer, table saw or miter saw (also known as the Tea Box Project)

In the School Classroom:

Computer Applications: CAD

In this course, students will create and build physical and digital representations of the world around them.  The act of drafting, whether on paper or computer, engages a student’s visual-spatial skills and connects intimately with their understanding of geometry.  Students will also engage in a semester long product development course which will support their mathematics course work.  Computer Assisted Design is the use of computers and specialized software to create digital objects whether animations, skyscrapers or the interiors of engines.

Computer Applications: Video Composition & Production

This class is an instructional, hands-on course in the art of production.  Students will learn industry concepts, the pre-production process of video production, camera angles, lighting, composition, how to film a documentary, and the post-production process to create a finished film.  Students will play with concepts such as stop motion animation as well as various effects and transitions used to sweeten the visuals of a film.  — This particular description actually written by my co-teacher in the course.  I’m the technical geek, she’s the production powerhouse —

Scientific Method: Environmental & Life Sciences

In this course students will journey from the microscopic to the macroscopic, examining and drawing comparisons between natural systems and their mechanical equivalents.  Students will begin in the single-cell and cellular processes and end the year discover the interplay between numerous global systems.  Projects will consist of research, modeling and experimenting with various biological and environmental systems, such as the circulatory system from electronics or the heating and cooling systems using solar water heaters.

This course will place a premium on utilizing the scientific method as a vehicle for learning.  Students will participate in numerous scientific labs and construction projects.  Students will learn proper laboratory and woodshop safety, formulate hypotheses, design experiments and communicate their results to the wider world via Web 2.0 publishing tools.

Middle School Mathematics & Technology

This course is designed to take students on a middle school journey through mathematics via minds-on, hands-on and computer-based projects.  Students will practice and improve their numerical fluency, create and measure geometric physical and computer models, interpret and manipulate graphs and equations and extend their knowledge of probability and statistics.

This course is designed for students to progress through specific math targets informed by the Core Curriculum Standards.  Students will utilize physical and computer manipulatives, construct learning aids and progress tracking software and tools to inform their learning.

Integral to this course will be a technology component.  Mathematics & Technology will be held in the “Steamworks”, Monarch’s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Lab – this allows students access to computer-modeling software,  blogging and other media creation software & basic productivity software access.