Aesthetics Courses

Courses listed on this page do not require any screening, but some may be limited to a particular grade level.
 
Social Skills

0113: My BFF, Grades: 1st & 2nd, Duration: 1 cycle, 1 day/week
My BFF is a social skills aesthetic that promotes positive peer interaction, assertive communication, and peaceful conflict resolution. This course will focus specifically on friendship skills, listening, waiting your turn, understanding and expressing one's feelings, and handling frustrations with problem solving and conflict resolution. The children will work on these skills through the use of games, role-plays, and hands-on activities. The children will have fun while practicing skills that lead to social competence.

0114: Sunshine, Clouds, & Rainbows, Grades: 1st & 2nd, Duration: 1 cycle, 1 day/week
SCR is a social-emotional aesthetic that serves as a family support group for students. The primary aim of this group is to normalize the natural transitions and challenges that can occur in all families. This group is ideal for students who need support with a family-related transition. Children will learn about how to express their feelings and questions. In this course, children will feel supported and empowered as we explore the unique nature and strengths of our families. Ultimately we can accept that all families experience sunshine, clouds, and rainbows!

0115: Yes I Can, Grades: 1st & 2nd, Duration: 1 cycle, 1 day/week
This is a social-emotional aesthetic designed for students who struggle in the area of confidence, as it relates to their learning and schoolwork. The focus of this course is to boost the efficacy of the children. To increase confidence in their ability to learn and achieve, children will learn about: 1) the brain's capacity to learn, 2) positive self-talk, 3) when and how to ask for help, 4) how to persevere through a challenging lesson or task.

Performing Arts

1122: Piano Preparatory, Grades: 1st & 2nd, Duration: 1 cycle, 1 day/week
This course will provide a beginning piano experience. Reading music notes and rhythmic patterns, proper fingering and simple melodies will be introduced. Each student will use a Casio keyboard with full-size keys.  Students need to be able to distinguish left from right, and keep a steady beat.

Note: Students may take this course only once and should not be enrolled in piano lessons elsewhere.

1126: Puppetry and More, Grades: 1st & 2nd, Duration: 1 cycle, 1 day/week
Aspiring puppeteers will learn about different types of puppets and have a hands-on experience creating a "paper-bag puppet" which will be used in the students' final performance of a scene. Children will be encouraged to use creativity and imagination, as they bring their puppets to life.

Note: Students should be able to read a simple script.

1127: Lift Every Voice, Grades: 1st & 2nd, Duration: 1 cycle, 1 day/week
Lift your voice in song! Learn kid-friendly vocal warm-ups, and sing rock, jazz, musicals, classical, folk songs and more. This course culminates in an informal recital for parents and fellow students.

Visual Arts

1130: Absolutely Architecture, Grades: 1st & 2nd, Duration: 1 cycle, 1 day/week
Architectural forms are explored through building with a variety of common objects. We will use blocks, Legos, and recycled materials to build structures during class. Bridges, domes, and skyscrapers are among the forms to be created as the children learn to plan and develop their own "future cities."

1129: Playing with Paint, Grades: 1st & 2nd, Duration: 1 cycle, 1 day/week
The students will learn about primary and second colors as well as be introduced to painters such as Vincent Van Gogh, Claude Monet, and Picasso and their work. Students will create a painter's palette of fruit shapes as well as use sponge-painting techniques in order to learn about texture by experimenting with crackle patterns.

1134: Fashion Fun, Grades: 1st & 2nd, Duration: 1 cycle, 1 day/week
Students will learn the basics of fashion design and its various components (accessories, jewelry, hats, etc.) Students will create varied forms of wearable art (t-shirts, bracelets, socks, etc.) and discuss fashion demographics.

1135: Kaboom Cartoons, Grades: 1st & 2nd, Duration: 1 cycle, 1 day/week
Learn to draw from a cartoonist's model and create cartoon characters following a step-by-step approach. Students will engage in a gallery walk in each class and view the variations created by their fellow cartoonists.

Prerequisite: Interest in drawing and creativity.

1136: Super Sculptures, Grades: 1st & 2nd, Duration: 1 cycle, 1 day/week
Bring your two-dimensional artistic images to life with three-dimensional sculptures. Students will create sculptures using various materials (eg. clay, paper, and pipe cleaners).

1137: "Say Cheese!" Photography 101, Grades: 1st, Duration: 1 cycle, 1 day/week
Do you like to take pictures? Would you like an opportunity to create a photo portfolio? If the answers to those questions are yes, then, how about joining the fun in photography? In this course we will be learning about how photography started, and capturing moments of time in many different styles: still life, nature, action, portrait.

1140: Digital Photography, Grades: 2nd, Duration: 1 cycle, 1 day/week
Students will learn about digital photography by taking pictures in different environments and in different styles. They will gain a basic understanding of photo composition. Students will also learn about photo editing on the laptop, using various filters and photo apps.

P.E., Movement & Health

2120: Gymnastics, Grades: 1st & 2nd, Duration: 1 cycle, 1 day/week
This course is designed for students who have developed the basics of tumbling skills. Balance, strength, gross motor coordination, flexibility, grace, poise, agility, self-confidence, and leadership are important components of this course.

2121: Soccer and Track/Field Skill Drills, Grades: 1st & 2nd, Duration: 1 cycle, 1 day/week
The students will spend half of the cycle on soccer and half on track and field.
The students will work on dribbling, passing, and goalie work for soccer and sprints, distance running, and the javelin for track.

2122: Hop, Skip, and  Jump, Grades: 1st & 2nd, Duration: 1 cycle, 1 day/week
In Hop, Skip, and Jump students will be introduced to many games both inside and outside. Games that can be played alone as well as with a partner or a group of students. They will be active throughout the class and learn to enjoy moving around while having fun doing so.

2124: Ballet/Jazz, Grades: 1st & 2nd, Duration: 1 cycle, 1 day/week
This course offers a beginning to intermediate experience in jazz dance and classical ballet, with an emphasis on flexibility, grace, poise, agility, and rhythmic activities.

2126: Mini Tai Chi, Grades: 1st & 2nd, Duration: 1 cycle, 1 day/week
Students will learn and practice basic Tai Chi - a slow moving exercise to train young students to focus and move with different body postures. Students will learn how to exercise with coordinated movements while learning how to balance their body dynamics through slow-breathing and relaxation exercises.

Prerequisite: Students should be able to demonstrate basic coordinated movements.

2128: Dancing with our Stars, Grades: 1st & 2nd, Duration: 1 cycle, 1 day/week
The students will learn about many different kinds of dance including, but not limited to: line dancing, hip-hop dancing, simplified ballroom dancing, freestyle and native dancing. We will be exploring the world of dance as well as discussing fads and trends in dance. We will also discuss choreography, rhythm, and how music influences dance.

Note: Students should wear sneakers and loose fitting clothing for class.

2129: Lacrosse/ Baseball Skill Drills, Grades: 1st & 2nd, Duration: 1 cycle, 1 day/week
The students will have lacrosse for 3½ weeks and baseball for 3½ weeks. During each of these weeks, the students will work on scooping and throwing for lacrosse and hitting, throwing, catching, and base running for baseball.

Language Arts

3123: Once Upon a Time, Grades: 1st & 2nd, Duration: 1 cycle, 1 day/week
Students will become familiar with classic fairy tales and fables written by such authors as Hans Christian Andersen, Tolstoy, Oscar Wilde, The Grimm Brothers, etc. An emphasis will be placed on vocabulary and concept development, imagination and beauty.

3124: Authors' Workshop, Grades: 1st & 2nd, Duration: 1 cycle, 1 day/week
Students will have ownership of their writings. Writing prompts will be generated from the children. Students will draft, share, revise, edit, and publish their writings. The workshop will culminate with an Authors Tea Party. This course allows students to create other writings above and beyond what they do in their regular classroom Writers' Workshop.

3125: Let's Meet the Author, Grades: 1st & 2nd, Duration: 1 cycle, 1 day/week
Read stories from some of the greatest children's authors and illustrators! Listen to a mini-biography about each author and then read his or her famous stories. Students will also participate in book talks and a variety of comprehension activities.

Note: It is recommended that students take this class only once as the authors studied are usually the same for each cycle.

3128: Reading Wizards 1, Grades: 1st, Duration: 1 cycle, 1 day/week
Sharpen your reading comprehension skills with other reading wizards. Students will use a variety of fun reading activities and games to reinforce important skills.

Note: This course is designed for students who may need additional support in basic reading skills.

3129: Reading Wizards 2, Grades: 2nd, Duration: 1 cycle, 1 day/week
Sharpen your reading comprehension skills with other reading wizards. Students will use a variety of fun reading activities and games to reinforce important skills.

Note: This course is designed for students who may need additional support in basic reading skills.

 

Mathematics - Aesthetics

4120: Math Games, Grades: 1st & 2nd, Duration: 1 cycle, 1 day/week
Deal out better results with this course! This course offers the opportunity for students to learn and apply their basic fact skills in a fun way. Students will play card and dice games to learn addition, subtraction and multiplication facts. Strategies will be taught through discussions before and after playing the games.

4131: Mad, Mad Money, Grades: 1st & 2nd, Duration: 1 cycle, 1 day/week
Open a lemonade stand, start a coffee shop, run a farm - all while learning about money! In this interactive course students will learn about the value of money and develop their own small businesses! Students will make decisions as to when to shop, save, and spend their money to keep their businesses alive! Join the fun, do the math, and improve your math skills!

Science

5120: Scientists in Training, Grades: 1st & 2nd, Duration: 1 cycle, 1 day/week
Slimy, noisy, zany and fun science experiments! Start thinking about science in a whole different way. Students will be introduced to the scientific method of questioning, hypothesis, experiment, collecting data, and drawing conclusions. Students will conduct easy to do hands-on experiments that explain interesting scientific facts.

Note: Students must be able to follow directions.

5122: It IS Easy Being Green, Grades: 1st & 2nd, Duration: 1 cycle, 1 day/week
Students will explore and learn a variety of ways we can work together to better the Earth and our environment. Students will participate in hands-on activities that they can apply in their everyday lives at school and at home.

5123: Underwater Adventure, Grades: 1st & 2nd, Duration: 1 cycle, 1 day/week
Come travel the ocean and other bodies of water where magnificent creatures from electric eels to fresh water seals, from giant squids to humongous blue whales and where even amazing sponges live. First and second grade students will develop an awareness and appreciation for our underwater world.

5125: Cosmic Explorers, Grades: 1st & 2nd, Duration: 1 cycle, 1 day/week
This course is an introduction to our Solar System. Students will explore characteristics and the uniqueness of Earth, its moon, and the solar system

5127: Kitchen Chemistry, Grades: 1st & 2nd, Duration: 1 cycle, 1 day/week
How many pennies can you drop into a full glass of water before it overflows? How did people store ice before electric or gas freezers were invented? Digesting and ingesting knowledge about our physical and chemical environment through experimentation, while using common household substances, is the aim of this course.

5128: Paws 'N' Claws, Grades: 1st & 2nd, Duration: 1 cycle, 1 day/week
Paws 'N' Claws is Nishuane's littlest pet shop. It is a course especially for children who have a pet, want a pet or simply just love animals. We will explore all the responsibilities of pet owners and the love and care that each animal needs. We will also have "pet days" where children will meet and interact with REAL pets as they meet their classmate’s pets.

Note: Students should be comfortable around different types of animals. Students may only take this course once.

Social Studies

6121: Wonderful Wonders of the World, Grades: 1st & 2nd, Duration: 1 cycle, 1 day/week
First and second graders will be given the opportunity to explore some of the many wonders of the World. Some of the amazing places around the world we will learn about are the Eiffel Tower, the great Pyramids, the Great Wall of China, the Grand Canyon, the Coliseum in Rome, and the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

6122: World Class Travelers, Grades: 1st & 2nd, Duration: 1 cycle, 1 day/week
This class is designed for first and second grade students who want to learn more about the world around them. We will be exploring the 7 continents and will be studying in depth one or two countries from each continent. When we will focus on a country, we will learn about its culture (eg. food, clothing, and music).  We will explore each of the continents through literature, geography, video, culture study, and craft. Students will “travel” to one continent each class, with their passports!

6125: African Folktales, Grades: 1st & 2nd, Duration: 1 cycle, 1 day/week
Students will learn about various aspects of African culture through songs, dances, languages, and stories from the great continent. The storyteller will guide first and second grade students on an imaginary trip across the continent of Africa.

Technology/21st Century Learning

8120: 3-D Design/Coding, Grades: 1st & 2nd, Duration: 1 cycle, 1 day/week
Students will explore computer coding and 3D design and printing, using a blockly/javascript language to create algorithms, loops, and conditionals. They will explore how to program a robotic finch to perform some basic tasks. Students will also explore the world of 3D design to create various projects that will then be printed on our MakerBot Replicators.

Note: Students interested in this course need to be able to read independently and have a good grasp of basic computer skills.

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