Section I Electives: 7th/8th Grade (Students Select One Elective From Section I)
DAWSON CHANGEMAKERS (Formerly Genius Hour):
Dawson Changemakers is a semester-long 7th-grade elective that provides students with an opportunity to develop their leadership abilities, work on projects that will improve our school and community, and prepare to serve as leaders within their 8th-grade Capstone groups. Through the use of the Dawson Design Process, students will identify areas for community improvement and personal growth. By working through this process, students will develop solutions that are grounded in research, iterative, and responsive to feedback from their peers and community members. This elective offers students agency over their learning and encourages them to take ownership of their projects. Working collaboratively in groups, students will develop initiatives that foster leadership skills, communication, and empathy. Through project-based learning, the design process, and a changemaker mindset, students will be empowered to create positive change in our school community.” This is a semester-long course only offered to 7th graders.
DIG IN: A GARDEN CLASS
In this elective, you will learn about what it takes for a garden to thrive in the desert. Plan on getting your hands dirty in The Ruffin Organic Garden. We will plant, prune, weed, water respond to pests, compost, and harvest plants. You will experience the joy of watching the plants that you care for grow from seeds to flowering plants. You will teach classes to lower school students about gardening techniques. We will plan and host a farmer’s market for the community. All proceeds will be donated to an organization dedicated to food insecurity of our choosing. Did you know that gardening has been shown to lighten your mood and lower levels of stress and anxiety?
This is a semester-long course.
MUSIC TECH: THEORY AND COMPOSITION
This course is designed to provide students with a survey of the musical field and modern music composition technology and will prepare students to compose and record original music by introducing music theory and production. They will use various music technologies, including music notation software, midi controllers, music workstations, and music production software. This class will focus on writing original works and learning the fundamentals of music. This is a semester-long course.
PHOTOJOURNALISM
Students will be immersed in the art of capturing life in motion while exploring the importance of visual imagery for communication and storytelling. They will learn to recognize quality photographs, both technically and aesthetically, and learn to make, manage, and edit photographs with digital cameras and Adobe Photoshop. The photojournalism team’s top priority is to document school events and daily student life for the annual yearbook publication. This is a semester-long course and is only offered during the fall semester.
TECH FOR GOOD
This STEAM-based elective allows students to join a global community of digital humanitarians attempting to change the world. Students will study examples of technology helping to make the world a better place and will find out what it means to become a “changemaker”. They will use the Dawson Design Process to find and solve authentic problems within our community. The main learning outcomes include developing an understanding of the principles of human-centered design, engineering, and other STEAM concepts – all while having fun! Students taking Tech for Good for the first time will e use 3D printing to solve problems, and students taking the course for a second time will deepen their understanding of CAD design and 3D printing to broaden their technology skills. This is a semester-long course.
THEATER-ACTING
Students will refine their dramatic skills to perform more sophisticated work. They will use various creative drama techniques to build an ensemble, stimulate imagination and movement, and role-play with an emphasis on focus and stage presence. Students are taught to direct their focus, intent, and motivation to create and sustain a character, command audience attention, and develop stage presence. The culminating event for this class is the public performance of a student-selected, one-act play at the end of the semester. This is a semester-long course and is only offered in the fall semester.
VISUAL ARTS
This course will help students explore different mediums, grow their artistic skill set, and navigate creative ideas. Prompts will be given in accordance with the “Teaching for Artistic Behavior” educational approach to investigate artists and artistic movements and learn about the seven elements of art. Further, in-class discussions will give students the skills needed to express the message behind their works of art. Self-reflection and developmental growth will be some of the key components of this class, right alongside fun. This is a semester-long course.
Section II Electives: 7th/8th Grade (Students Select One Elective From Section II)
ADVANCED ORCHESTRA
Students will advance their skills on their respective orchestral string instruments, study music at their appropriate skill level, and perform for an audience throughout the year. A quality orchestra program emphasizes musicianship at a high level of performance. This requires knowledge of rhythm and melody, as well as interpretive and technical skills. Students will concurrently develop listening skills and learn about music history and theory in relation to their playing style and execution of their musical pieces. Students will continue to learn increasingly complex pieces from the selected repertoire, showcasing their music comprehension. Audition required. This is a year-long course.
ADVANCED VOCAL ENSEMBLE
This class has a very different vibe compared to the fifth and sixth-grade choir classes! Students will dive even deeper into challenging and exciting songs to develop truly strong harmonies. They will explore four-part music, music for changed voices, and lots of acapella songs. Think Glee meets Pitch Perfect. Auditions are required, as the matching of pitch is essential for this deep dive work. This is a year-long course.
CREATING WITH CODE: APPS, ART, ROBOTS, AND GAMES
Coding is the language of the future. It is the magic behind every app you have run, website you have visited, video game you have played, and robot you have seen, and the time has come for Dawson students to unleash the power of coding to create, have fun, and make a difference. “Creating With Code” will focus on the use of block coding to make things happen, could allow students to extend their skills once they have mastered block coding, and is open to any 7th and 8th-grade student, regardless of skill level, experience, interest level and, of course, gender. Students will work individually and in teams and will possibly collaborate with people outside of their class. If you are a creative, collaborative, and curious student who wants to be ready for the future and who is interested in learning to build video games, create unique designs, program mini robots, build apps, and run Micro:bits, then “Creating with Code” is for you. This is a semester-long course.
DAWSON YEARBOOK PRODUCTION
Students will become a team of intrepid reporters who document the story of the year and gain experience in journalistic writing, photojournalism, thematic page design, and graphic design software. This class allows students to develop their scholastic journalism skills while producing a publication for the Dawson community. It is the ultimate Project-Based Learning course because student staffers control all aspects of the publication. This course sometimes requires students to meet outside of designated class time due to publishing deadlines. This is a year-long course.
DAWSON DE$IGN COMPANY
Do you know what it takes to run a business? Do you want to create and sell original designs? Would you like to help Dawson raise funds for worthwhile causes? Then The Dawson De$ign Company is for you. Digital fabrication tools such as laser cutters, vinyl printer/cutters, 3D printers, and CNC routers allow Dawson students to design and create professional-looking objects that can be sold for profit. Be part of the first group of students to work with Mr. D. Smith and Mr. Lehrer in our newly created Middle School Design Lab to launch this exciting new elective next year. Learn the principles of design, understand what it takes to become an entrepreneur, and make a difference…all while having fun. This is a semester-long course.
FORENSICS
Forensics is the study of crime, and students will fine-tune their observation, inference, and analysis skills to build an argument from evidence. This is a course rich in exploration and lab investigation, applying many disciplines of scientific study such as biology, anatomy, chemistry, and physics to solving crimes. They will conduct investigations of fictional, true crime scenarios and solve simulated virtual mysteries such as the “Murder at Old Fields” or “Diablo Highway”. Using scientific methods, students will collect and analyze evidence through case studies and simulated crime scenes to explore the art of fingerprint analysis, ballistics, DNA, and blood analysis. This is a semester-long course.
FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY 7/8
Seventh and eighth-grade fine art photography students will create dynamic imagery through digital photography and Adobe Photoshop. Students will learn how to communicate as visual artists, develop a personal style, reflect upon their work, and take strides toward discovering their own voice through photography. Each student will create a portfolio of traditional and manipulated art with an emphasis on visual impact and creative style. Students will further refine their technical skills involving camera operation and learn an efficient workflow within Adobe Photoshop that includes individualized advanced instruction. This is a semester-long course.