6th Grade Electives
All 6th grade electives, with the exception of Band 6, fall into “the wheel” (a different elective course each trimester, totaling 3 for the year) category. Incoming 6th grade students select THREE elective courses and ONE alternate course OR Band 6 and no alternate.
Art 6
How does the creation of art improve creativity, memory, perseverance, and grit? This course introduces students to the basic elements of art and principles of design. All instruction is aligned with the California Content Standards for Visual Arts and the National Core Arts Standards. During this course, students will explore the many possible applications of such media as pencil, paint, ink, ceramics, collage, and other various 2-D and 3-D materials. Assignments are designed to build skills and techniques step by step, from simple to more complex. Students will also explore art as a means of expressing their own creative ideas from realistic to imagination based content. Career opportunities in the visual arts field are introduced and the importance of maintaining a portfolio is emphasized.
Band 6 (Yearlong)
This course is designed to give the student an enriching and diverse instrumental music education. This class provides a number of performance opportunities for the student both on and off campus. The daily objective of the course is to foster and promote musical growth through the playing of an instrument by the student. As a member of the band program, group effort and cooperation are necessary to a successful program. Band is a skilled effort in which each student is expected to show technical and musical growth throughout this course. Band instruments include flute, clarinet, alto sax, trumpet, trombone, euphonium, tuba, and percussion. No prior experience necessary, so be a part of the band!
Digital Literacy and Citizenship 6
In Digital Literacy, students will have the opportunity to learn how to use information and communication technologies to find, evaluate, create, and communicate information, requiring both cognitive and technical skills. Students will also learn the importance of being good digital citizens and leaving a positive digital footprint for themselves.
Drama 6
Our world is greatly shaped by the art of performance through a story. The roots of performance began thousands of years ago with the Greeks and continues to be popular all throughout modern society. The purpose of this class will be to study a wide variety of dramatic presentation formats, from basic story archetypes, to the history of theater and Shakespeare, opera, ballet, the American musical, and much more. Assignments will include lectures, acting skits, multimedia projects, class presentations, and research collaborations. Come learn about the history of the world and yourself through performance and story.
STEAM Engineering Design Challenges 6
How does trial and error influence solutions? What is the best method to solve a problem/challenge given design requirements for an activity? This hands-on course is designed for students to come up with creative solutions to solve different challenges related to science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM). Students will work individually and within a group to follow the engineering design process and test out prototypes/procedures. Using everyday items and manipulatives (spaghetti, marshmallows, tape, rubber bands, popsicle sticks, cups…), students will plan and sketch their designs before building and competing with other groups in the class. Can you build the tallest freestanding marshmallow tower? Can you design a catapult that is more accurate than any other groups? Can your bucket tower hold the most marbles? These questions will be answered during the competition at the end of each unit. Some possible activities to look forward to include: 3D printing a fidget spinner, writing JavaScript code to create animations, building a marshmallow tower and marshmallow catapult, making a ping pong launcher, creating an egg drop device, and producing a product/filming a commercial!
Video Production 6
How can students use technology to create original projects by incorporating coding/programming, photography, and video editing? Students will utilize creativity and problem-solving skills to complete projects integrating science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM). They will develop knowledge of photography/editing, videography, app programming, and more! Most of the exploratory units will be completed between 1-3 weeks and will encourage total student creativity. Some example projects may include app development, filming/editing a music video, creating a music montage video, digital photography slideshow photos/edits, filming/editing a commercial dub voiceover.
Yearbook/Digital Photo 6
How does collaboration expand the creative process? How can we use photography to tell a story about our community and values? Students will focus on digital photography, composition, photo editing, page design, editing, group collaboration, and improving social skills. This trimester-long course will introduce our yearbook program and other digital platforms. Students will explore the elements of art and principles of design through the photography medium. All instruction is aligned with the California Content Standards for Visual Arts and the National Core Arts Standards.
Art 6
How does the creation of art improve creativity, memory, perseverance, and grit? This course introduces students to the basic elements of art and principles of design. All instruction is aligned with the California Content Standards for Visual Arts and the National Core Arts Standards. During this course, students will explore the many possible applications of such media as pencil, paint, ink, ceramics, collage, and other various 2-D and 3-D materials. Assignments are designed to build skills and techniques step by step, from simple to more complex. Students will also explore art as a means of expressing their own creative ideas from realistic to imagination based content. Career opportunities in the visual arts field are introduced and the importance of maintaining a portfolio is emphasized.
Band 6 (Yearlong)
This course is designed to give the student an enriching and diverse instrumental music education. This class provides a number of performance opportunities for the student both on and off campus. The daily objective of the course is to foster and promote musical growth through the playing of an instrument by the student. As a member of the band program, group effort and cooperation are necessary to a successful program. Band is a skilled effort in which each student is expected to show technical and musical growth throughout this course. Band instruments include flute, clarinet, alto sax, trumpet, trombone, euphonium, tuba, and percussion. No prior experience necessary, so be a part of the band!
Digital Literacy and Citizenship 6
In Digital Literacy, students will have the opportunity to learn how to use information and communication technologies to find, evaluate, create, and communicate information, requiring both cognitive and technical skills. Students will also learn the importance of being good digital citizens and leaving a positive digital footprint for themselves.
Drama 6
Our world is greatly shaped by the art of performance through a story. The roots of performance began thousands of years ago with the Greeks and continues to be popular all throughout modern society. The purpose of this class will be to study a wide variety of dramatic presentation formats, from basic story archetypes, to the history of theater and Shakespeare, opera, ballet, the American musical, and much more. Assignments will include lectures, acting skits, multimedia projects, class presentations, and research collaborations. Come learn about the history of the world and yourself through performance and story.
STEAM Engineering Design Challenges 6
How does trial and error influence solutions? What is the best method to solve a problem/challenge given design requirements for an activity? This hands-on course is designed for students to come up with creative solutions to solve different challenges related to science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM). Students will work individually and within a group to follow the engineering design process and test out prototypes/procedures. Using everyday items and manipulatives (spaghetti, marshmallows, tape, rubber bands, popsicle sticks, cups…), students will plan and sketch their designs before building and competing with other groups in the class. Can you build the tallest freestanding marshmallow tower? Can you design a catapult that is more accurate than any other groups? Can your bucket tower hold the most marbles? These questions will be answered during the competition at the end of each unit. Some possible activities to look forward to include: 3D printing a fidget spinner, writing JavaScript code to create animations, building a marshmallow tower and marshmallow catapult, making a ping pong launcher, creating an egg drop device, and producing a product/filming a commercial!
Video Production 6
How can students use technology to create original projects by incorporating coding/programming, photography, and video editing? Students will utilize creativity and problem-solving skills to complete projects integrating science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM). They will develop knowledge of photography/editing, videography, app programming, and more! Most of the exploratory units will be completed between 1-3 weeks and will encourage total student creativity. Some example projects may include app development, filming/editing a music video, creating a music montage video, digital photography slideshow photos/edits, filming/editing a commercial dub voiceover.
Yearbook/Digital Photo 6
How does collaboration expand the creative process? How can we use photography to tell a story about our community and values? Students will focus on digital photography, composition, photo editing, page design, editing, group collaboration, and improving social skills. This trimester-long course will introduce our yearbook program and other digital platforms. Students will explore the elements of art and principles of design through the photography medium. All instruction is aligned with the California Content Standards for Visual Arts and the National Core Arts Standards.