Course Selection
ELA
FCS
• Students will recognize and analyze
the power of technology to enhance
communication and written art forms.
Projects, activities, etc.,
• Poetry, fiction, digital storytelling,
memoir, investigative journalism, drama,
online portfolio
Instructional Focus:
• Demonstrating how traditional genres
can be reinvented or transformed
through digital writing forms.
• Encouraging students to think about
traversing both the “private” sphere of
personal writing and the “public” sphere
of publication and collaboration.
Creative Writing III
[AMSA only]
[elective, every other day]
This course focuses on making the writing
experience relevant, independent and
real-world for eighth grade students.
Expanding on some of the digital mediums
explored in Creative Writing II, students
in Creative Writing III will apply these to
even more extensive and real-world writing
experiences.
Prerequisite/Selection Process: Students
must have passed Creative Writing II with
a C or higher.
Intended Audience: Grade 8
Major Outcomes:
• Develop independent writing goals
and process
• Experience career and real-world
writing opportunities
• Submit writing to many publication
opportunities
Projects, activities, etc.:
• Design and maintain a school blog
• Develop fan fiction pieces
• Write flash fiction
• Organize and perform original spoken
word in a school poetry slam
Dance I
[AMSA only]
[elective, every other day]
Dance I focuses on the elements of dance:
body, action, space, time and energy.
Students also learn the beginning stages
8
of the artistic process, which involve explor-
ing, creating, performing, and responding.
Intended Audience: Grades 6-8
Major Outcomes:
• Identify basic elements of body,
action, space, time, and energy
(elements of dance).
• Create movement based on the
elements of dance using the artistic
process.
• Respond to dance creations and
performances.
Projects, activities:
• Movement Studies based on body,
action, space, time, and energy.
• Movement Assessments based on a
variety of techniques and genres.
• Individual and group choreography
assignments.
• Performances and evaluation of
choreography.
Instructional Focus:
• Explore, Create, Perform, Respond
Dance II
[AMSA only]
[elective, every other day]
Dance II further explores the elements of
dance: Body, Action, Space, Time, and
Energy. Students will continue to explore
the artistic process with an emphasis on
choreography. Students will develop their
technique and skill in a variety of genres
and styles of dance.
Prerequisite/Selection Process: Dance I
Intended Audience: Grades 7-8
Major Outcomes:
• Identify basic elements of body,
action, space, time, and energy
(elements of dance).
• Create movement based on the
elements of dance using the artistic
process.
• Respond to dance creations and
performances.
• Demonstrate the concepts of Body,
Action, Space, Time, and Energy.
• Identify components of the choreo-
graphic process.
• Develop movement technique in a
variety of genres.
• Understand the cultural and social
contexts of dance.
Projects, activities, etc.:
• Movement Studies based on body,
action, space, time, and energy.
• Movement Assessments based on a
variety of techniques and genres.
• Individual and group choreography
assignments.
• Performances and evaluation of
choreography.
Instructional Focus:
• Explore, Create, Perform, Respond
Dance III
[AMSA only]
[elective, every other day]
Dance III will continue to use the artistic
process to create and perform dance based
on individual aesthetic criteria. Students
will further refine movement technique in a
variety of genres and styles. Students will
explore the social, cultural, and historical
contexts of dance.
Prerequisite/Selection Process: Dance I
and II, or permission from teacher
Intended Audience: Grade 8
Major Outcomes:
• Create aesthetic criteria that influences
choreographic choice and performance.
• Perform choreography in a variety of
contexts.
• Develop and refine movement technique
in a variety of genres and styles.
• Understand the historical, social, and
cultural connections in dance.
Projects, activities, etc.:
• Movement Studies based on body,
action, space, time, and energy.
• Movement Assessments based on a
variety of techniques and genres.
• Individual and group choreography
assignments.
• Performances and evaluation of
choreography.
Instructional Focus:
• Explore, Create, Perform, Respond
Middle School Registration Guide