Millbrook Middle School

7th and 8th Grade Enrichment Course Descriptions

Band

Middle school band members perform several concerts throughout the year and gain mastery on their chosen instrument.  Members of the concert band ensembles meet every other day to rehearse as a group and are given a rotating lesson once every 6 days. Students also have the opportunity to participate in the Trills and Thrills festival competition at Lake Compounce!

Chorus

Middle school chorus members perform several concerts throughout the year and gain mastery in their vocal range.  Members of the concert chorus ensembles meet every other day to rehearse as a group. Students also have the opportunity to participate in the Trills and Thrills festival competition at Lake Compounce!

Enriched Studio in Art/Graphic Design: 

Enriched Art meets utilizes both the art room and the Mac lab. Students will be held to a higher standard than previous years in art, and will be expected to give 100% at all times in this class. Students will be learning not only new skills, but how to be an all around artist and work like a professional in the field. The students are given more freedom in choosing their methods of creating and have more time to reach new depths and understandings of art through a full year course. They will be completing projects and using traditional studio materials as well as the computer to create graphics and digital art using the Adobe Creative Cloud Suite. Students will create an online digital portfolio that is worked on and updated throughout the year.

Exploring Computer Science:

Exploring Computer Science consists of 6 units, approximately 6 weeks each.   The course was developed around a framework of both computer science content and computational practices.  The Exploring Computer Science course material is aligned to NYS Computer Science standards.  Assignments and instruction are contextualized to be socially relevant and meaningful for a diverse student population.  Student participation and feedback will help drive choices of the types of projects we engage in.

History Through Film: 

History Through Film is an elective course that follows the rich narrative of the American experience as presented through the medium of American motion pictures. Some of the themes we will explore as part of History through Film include: Is film a legitimate source of historical knowledge? Is film evidence ever better than traditional historical sources? Should films be used to teach history? How are films themselves historical documents of the times in which they were created?

Introduction to Culinary Arts: 

Students explore topics that pertain to culinary arts. Specifically, food sustainability, knife skills, culinary career paths, level two cooking skills and technological applications in culinary. Students explore these topics over 40 weeks to develop their independent skills through authentic situations that create a student with 21st century skills.  

STEM 7 / 8: 

Students will use the Engineering Design Process to investigate, test, and solve various problems and challenges.  Projects will consist of both independent and group work collaborations. The course is pass/fail and no homework outside of class. This class is project based and meets every other day throughout the year.

Physical Education Wellness Plus: 

Students will enhance their skills in team and individual sports as in the regular level PE class. In addition, they will have the opportunity to study and research all aspects of wellness, including fitness levels.  Additional activities will be developed by the instructor with input from 10 students, e.g., outdoor adventure courses.  Strong athletic talent is not a requirement; however, the ideal student has a real interest in wellness and is committed to full participation and engagement in the learning experiences that will be provided.

Press Room: 

Press Room is a student driven writing elective. Students will create, write, edit, and publish a finished product that will take the form of either a newspaper or magazine, with issues published every 4-6 weeks. Students will largely choose what they would like to report on but should consider the timeliness, proximity, and magnitude of topics. Students electing to participate in Press Room should be self-motivated and willing to work towards a collaborative and common goal.