Elective Choices

Art

Art 6, Art 7, and Art 8 provide students with an opportunity to explore their creativity through a wide range of artistic media, including drawing, painting, sculpture, ceramics, printmaking, and photography. As 6th graders, students explore themes of identity in art and build general art skills paired with content-specific vocabulary. Students who choose to take Art in 7th & 8th grade will explore a variety of cultures, historical art figures, and art careers, as they build skills to help advance their artwork and creative process to new levels. Art Meets alternating days, counts as .5 class when scheduling for grades 7 & 8

2-D Design (7th Grade only): Drawing and Painting – Take an in-depth look at the artist skills of drawing and painting.  Students will focus on refining drawing and painting skills learned in 6th and 7th-grade art courses.  This course includes exploration of media like watercolor, acrylic paints, colored pencil, oil pastel, chalk, graphite, printmaking, and photography.  Lessons will be enriched through technology and art history, while remaining primarily project-based.

3-D Design (8th Grade only): Sculpture and Ceramics – Take an in-depth look at the artist skills of sculpture and ceramics.  Students will focus on refining and expanding 3-D skills learned in 6th and 7th-grade art.  Students will explore multiple 3-D techniques, including additive sculpture, subtractive sculpture, hand building, and potter’s wheel throwing.  Learning will be enriched through art history and hands-on project-based learning.

Graphic Art and Design (7th/8th Grade): Students will explore how basic art elements and principles are used for persuasive purposes. This class will explore a variety of graphic imaging software and learn how current technology is being used in graphic art production and related careers. Students will have fun applying their knowledge and new information while creating original designs. Graphic Art and Design meets alternating days, counts as .5 class when scheduling. Grades 7 & 8

The course alternative for PE will emphasize dance in the context of group structure, including line, country, square, and Irish Dancing.

The fine arts elective dance course will explore dance technique (modern, ballet, jazz), emphasizing the training of individuals. 

Dance meets alternating days, counts as .5 class when scheduling. Grades 7 & 8

FCS Design 4 Life - 7th Grade
Can you spend hours exploring Pinterest? Love working with children? Want to find out what careers are available that relate to the passions and hobbies you already have? Students in FCS for life will experience what it’s like to have a career in the areas of design and human services.  Interior design, sewing projects, and child development will be our emphasis.     

Exploring the World of FCS/Culinary Exploration in FCS - 7th Grade
Students will experience what it’s like to have a career in the areas of Hospitality, Tourism, and Culinary Arts with a global cuisine emphasis.  Project-based, hands-on activities, combined with utilizing the culinary classroom, will make this an engaging class you don’t want to miss!  Join us to explore the world of food!

Intro to Business/Business Applications - 8th Grade
This course answers the question of: What does it take to be an entrepreneur and run a small business?  Students will explore various topics related to the world of business, including: Economics, Market Research, Accounting/Finance, Computer Applications (Google Sheets), Management/HR, and Sales/Marketing.  Students will follow the simulation of a business, the student organization “KA Kitchen,” and discover various business practices through the different explored topics throughout the year. This introductory business class will lay foundational learning for future high school-level classes, as well as 21st-century “real-world” applications.

Band
Students selecting band have had experience in sixth-grade band or have special permission from the middle school band teacher to select band. Band is a performing group requiring students to perform in public at school concerts during the year. Other band experiences may include: jazz band, WSMA Solo/Ensemble Festival, guest conductors, and clinicians. Students are expected to practice on their own outside of school.

Band meets alternating days, counts as .5 class when scheduling.  Grades – 6, 7, & 8

Band Plus
This class is for band students who want a daily band experience to grow their performance skills at an accelerated rate. It is a complement to the regular band, and students must also sign up for regular band in order to be in Band Plus.

Chorus 
Choir is an ensemble experience for all students. Music is a critical part of a middle school education for every adolescent, where they cultivate 21st century skills such as collaboration, creativity, and perseverance through singing. Chorus is a class requiring students to perform at after-school concerts during the year, as well as other collaborative performances with local high schools and in the community. As part of a musical team, choir students learn to make music together in a fun, positive, and encouraging learning environment.

Chorus meets on alternating days, counts as .5 class when scheduling. Grades 6, 7, & 8

Finesse - Auditioned Class
Finesse is an all-women auditioned a cappella choir for grades 6-8 that meets before school at 7:00 a.m., 2-3 times a week. Auditions are held at the beginning of the year, and then the fun begins! Students in Finesse have the opportunity to perform at concerts and various community events. Students interested in taking Finesse must be in a music class during the regular school day at KA. Students learn music from all eras and genres, although many of the songs are current pop songs that have been arranged for a cappella. The bond that forms between these dedicated women is incredibly strong. 7:00 a.m. may seem early, but when you get to do what you love with people who love singing as much as you do, 7:00 a.m. doesn’t seem so bad! This does not get scheduled when applying.

Creative Music 
Students will learn a variety of instruments, including guitar, keyboards, drums, and voice, throughout the year, while also learning music theory and music history. Students will also use music software and digital equipment to create meaningful sound through composition and improvisation while enhancing conceptual knowledge of the musical elements. 

Creative Music meets alternating days, counts as .5 class when scheduling. Grades 6, 7 & 8

Orchestra
Orchestra is a performing group designed as a continuing experience for students who have already started lessons in their elementary school programs. Please contact Mr. Austin if you have questions about starting as an absolute beginner.

Orchestra focuses on refining students’ playing techniques, strengthening note reading and theory knowledge, learning the skills to work together towards a common goal, and further development of students’ passion, motivation, and discipline as musicians and 21st century learners.

Orchestra meets alternating days, counts as .5 class when scheduling. Grades 6, 7, & 8

Phy Ed
This class can be taken in addition to regular P.E, giving the students physical activity five days a week or in place of traditional P.E.

This fitness class will teach the kids the importance of personal well-being and the value of leading a healthy lifestyle. The five components of fitness (muscular strength, muscular endurance, cardiovascular endurance, flexibility, and body composition) will be emphasized.

In sixth grade, all students will take Physical Education and will have the option of 9 weeks of dance.

In seventh and eighth grade Physical Education is one of the three options that can be taken (students can take 2 or all 3).

Personal Fitness meets alternating days. Grades 7 & 8

Innovation Lab

The AASD Technology and Engineering curriculum encourages students to express their imagination and creativity through project-based learning and class competitions. This hands-on approach is exciting and fun for all students in 7th and 8th grades.

Concepts will include computer applications, video editing, digital graphics, woodworking, robotics, and modeling. Students will design, create, and produce their own projects. Additional information on the Project Lead the Way curriculum may be found at www.pltw.org.

Innovation Lab meets on alternating days. Grades 6, 7 & 8

Innovators and Makers

Class will introduce students to the fundamental principles of game design and computer animation. Students demonstrate basic programming, the design process, locating objects using rectangular coordinates, and unifying art and story.

Innovative Makers and App Creators meet on alternating days. Grades 7 & 8

Apps and Robotics

App Creators introduces students to the field of computer science and the concepts of computational thinking, through the creation of mobile apps. Students are challenged to be creative and innovative, as they collaboratively design and develop mobile solutions to engaging, authentic problems. Students experience the positive impact of the application of computer science to society. Robotics has students trace the history, development, and influence of automation and robotics as they learn about mechanical systems, energy transfer, machine automation, and computer control systems. Students use the VEX Robotics® platform to design, build, and program several mechanisms.

iLab 8

The KA Innovation Lab curriculum encourages students to express their imagination and creativity through project-based learning and class competitions.  In 8th Grade students will be able to expand on prior knowledge. Concepts will include problem solving, game design using variables, transportation with compound machines, digital graphics with vector images, personal woodworking projects, automation with sensors, and new modeling tools. Students will design, create, and produce their own projects.

INTRO TO THEATRE
Drama is a group art form that involves human interaction. The purpose and goal of drama is to develop effective communication skills through the use of Body, Voice, Mind, and Feeling. In 6th grade, students learn movement, pantomime, story dramatization, theatre games, and improvisation. Structured activities provide opportunities to develop skills in listening, following directions, cooperation, observation, body control, concentration, critical thinking, problem-solving, and imagination. The semester concludes with a Story Theatre unit.

ELEMENTS OF THEATRE
This class develops physical, vocal, and team-building skills for students interested in theater. Students gain a foundational understanding of theatrical conventions: interpretation, performance, and ensemble work. Students progress through pantomime, improvisation, and team-building activities, incorporating necessary theatrical practices and vocabulary in order to develop physical, social, thinking, and communicative skills: the whole child. Additional activities include script reading/writing (character, plot, dialogue) and technical design (set and lighting). Students will learn to give and receive positive, constructive critiques.

BEGINNING ACTING
This class introduces formal theater and acting tools (voice, body, and mind/spirit), using mask work, movement, vocal techniques, and improvisation. 8th graders begin to examine scripts, learning basic script markings and acting skills to create acting objectives and develop successful onstage interactions. Students will utilize dramatic subtext to develop rich, truthful, complex characterizations. Through research, creative thinking, problem-solving, critique, and improvisation, students develop self-discipline, which leads to goal accomplishment. The year culminates with the study of selected periods in theater history: Greek, Commedia Dell'Arte, Elizabethan, Restoration, Melodrama, Nineteenth Century, Twentieth Century, and Absurdism.

Acting courses meet on alternating days. Grades 7 & 8

All World Language choices are taught daily for the school year. Students should take a world language in 7th grade if they want to take a language in 8th grade. Students cannot start a language or change languages in 8th grade.

Exploring World Languages and Cultures
This course introduces students to the wonderful world of language learning and helps them develop an appreciation for the wide variety of cultures around the globe. We'll learn basic words and phrases in Spanish and French - an excellent advantage for students who will choose a language to study in 7th and 8th grades - and discuss the importance of being multilingual in today's global society. We'll also explore cultural aspects of the French- and Spanish-speaking worlds through inquiry-based projects, music, art, and more!

World Languages meet daily except for the Intro to World Language Class for 6th grade (meets every other day). Grades 6, 7, & 8