Ms Program Guide 2017-2018

2017 - 2018 PROGRAM GUIDE
TABLEOFCONTENTS
GraduationRequirements 3
CoreCourses 4
Mathematics 5
Science 9
History 13
English 17
Spanish 22
ComputerScience 24
PhysicalEducation 26
ElectiveCourses 27
Art 28
IntegratedCourses:Art+Drama 31
Drama 32
Music 35
Notes 37
ALTAVISTAMIDDLESCHOOLPROGRAMGUIDE2017-2018 2

DearReader:
AltaVistaMiddleSchoolisanacademicprogramandschoollikenoother,wherestudents
areinthedriversseatoftheirstudiesandtheirownpathwaytograduation.Theacademic
yearisbrokenintotwosemesters.Courselengthvariesbetweensemester-long(History,
Science,ComputerScience,andElectives)andyear-longcourses(Math,English,Spanish,
andPE).Studentsreceivenew,individualizedscheduleseachsemester.Pleaseenjoyalook
insideatthedozensofcoursesavailabletostudentsforthe2017-2018year.
GraduationRequirements
TheMiddleSchoolacademicyearisbrokenintotwosemesters.Pleaserefertotheminimum
graduationrequirementsbelow:
Math
Science
English
CoreCourses History 8semesters
Spanish
PhysicalEducation
ComputerScience 4semesters
Art
ElectiveCourses Drama 3semesters
Music

CORECOURSES
MATHEMATICS

Overview
Buildingflexibleandresourcefulproblemsolvers,adeptatconjecturingandverifying,
thinkinghypothetically,abstractingandgeneralizing,andsolvingmathematicalquestions
abouttheworldaroundthem,isthecornerstoneoftheMiddleSchoolMathprogram.
CombiningbenchmarksfromtheNationalCouncilofTeachersofMathematics(NCTM)with
CaliforniaStateStandards,eachcoursecombinesthecontentandprocessnecessaryto
developaholisticunderstandingofmathematicsinthemiddleschoolgrades.Thesecourses
willfocusonsolidifyingstudentsfluencywithnumberandoperations,algebraicthinking,
geometry,measurement,dataanalysisandprobability,whilehighlightingwaysofacquiring
andusingmathematicalknowledge.Whiledeeplyunderstandingandapplying
mathematicalskillsisourgoalforeachstudent,equallyimportantistheprocessbywhich
studentsarriveatanswers,recognizingthedeepinquiryinvolvedinproblemsolving,
reasoningandproving,andcommunicatingtheirthinking.Instructionwillfocusonhaving
studentsapproachproblemsfromdifferentmathematicalperspectivesandrepresentthe
mathematicsbehindsolutionsinamultitudeofways.Lessonswillbecraftedfromaplaceof
individualinquiryandleavestudentsfeelingempoweredtodrawupontheirownsuccessful
strategiesandconnections.
MathlevelsaredeterminedbyAVSMSMathPlacementTestresults,currentAVSMSMath
courseenrollment,classroomassessments,&teacherrecommendations.
AllMSMathcoursesareyearlong.

TheElementsofMathematics
TheElementsofMathematicsisanin-depth,introductorycoursetothefundamentalsof
middleschoolmathematics.Wedevelopgeneralproblemsolvingmethodsandalgorithms
forcomputationoverIntegersandRationalNumbers.Weintroducetheconceptsof
proportionalitythroughpercents,scalefactors,andunitconversions.Wedelvedeepinto
fractions,decimals,andpercentagesandhowtherelatetoeachother.Wedevelop
estimationskillsandnumbersenseusingdecimalsandfractions.
FeaturedMathematicians:Egyptians,GreeksandRomans,Babylonians,Chinese,Mayans,
Sumerians,Euclid
Logic,Sets,andSequences
InLogic,Sets,andSequences,studentswilllearnhowtoconstructdiagrams,identifyand
completesequences,andmostimportantlythinkcriticallyandthoroughly.Inthebeginningof
theyear,wewillexplorethedifferentnumbersystems,wherewewillobserveanddescribe
characteristicsanddistinguishdifferencesandsimilarities.Wewillfirstlookatthenatural
numbers,includingPeanosAxiomsofnaturalnumbersanditsapplications.Wewillthenlook
atintegers,includingitspropertiesofadditionandmultiplication.Next,wewilllookatrational
numbers,wherepercents,fractions,anddecimalswillbeheavilyapplied.Inthemiddleofthe
year,wewillexploresequences,includingthealgebraic,geometric,andFibonaccisequences
andwritealgebraicequationsthatrepresentthegivensequence.Finally,wewillendtheyear
withgeometrybyinvestigatingthelogicalfeaturesofpolygonalfamilies.Forexample,
studentswilluseinteractivesoftwareinordertounderstandquadrilateralandtriangular
propertiesandrelationships;furthermore,theywilllearnhowtointerpretsuchrelationshipsby
writingproofswithsymbolicnotations.Undereachunitofthecourse,studentswilllearnhow
toanalyzedataandthinkthroughproblemsallofwhichareessentialskillsforusinglogicand
abstractioninmathematics.
FeaturedMathematicians:Fibonacci,PinoorPeano,Pythagoras
AlgebraicThinking
AlgebraicThinkingisthefirstcourseinaPre-Algebrasequence.Inthiscoursewedevelopthe
fundamentaltoolsoneneedstobepreparedtostudyhighschoolAlgebra.Wefocusonfour
coreunderstandingsofanAlgebraicThinker:TheAxiomsofRealNumbers,Proportionality,
Linearity,andExponentiation.Aftermasteringorderofoperationsandproportionality,we
tacklesolvingone-stepandtwo-steplinearequations.Weexplorehowslope,rate,andslope
interrelate.Fromtherewedeveloptheslope-interceptformandpoint-slopeformsofaline.
Wethenusethattolookatalgebraicsequencesandtointroducetheconceptofafunction.
Thenweexploreseconddegreeequationsbyexaminingtheparabola(andotherconic
sections),bothasamathematicalobjectandasanaturalphenomena.Fromthereweexplore
Geometricsequencesandexponentialgrowthanddecaywithsuchapplicationsasfinance
andradiometricdating.Finally,weintroducetherulesofexponentsandgoindepthonthe
distributionsaswelookatoperationsonpolynomials.
FeaturedMathematicians:Descartes,Abel,Nother,Gauss,Euler,Babylonians,Diophantus,
Brahmagupta,Al-Khwarizmi,Leibniz,Egyptians,Greeks,Chinese(NineChapters),Indians
EqualityandEquivalenceRelations
EqualityandEquivalenceRelationsisacoursethatheavilyinvestigatestheconceptof
equalityinanalgebraicandgeometricfocus.Inthefirstsemester,studentswillstudythe
axiomsoftherealnumbersystem,includingoperational,identity,inverse,andorderaxioms.
Fromhere,studentswillconnecttheideaofequivalencetofunctionsbymodelingtheminthe
formofequationsandproportions.Withsuchknowledge,studentswillbeabletomanipulate
andsolve1-stepand2-stepequationsandinequalities,aswellasmodelandwritethemfrom
givenareal-worldsituation.Furthermore,theywillbeabletouseinverseoperationsinorder
tosolve1-variableproportionsandsystemsoflinearequations.Forexample,intheareaof
finance,studentswilllearnhowtosolvecertainoptimizationproblemsbygraphingthe
constraints.Intheareaofphysics,studentswilllearnhowtomanipulatecertainformulasby
performinginverseoperations.Inthesecondsemester,studentswillstudytheconceptof
congruenceandsimilarityintermsoftwo-dimensionalshapes.Furthermore,theywillapply
thelawoftransitivityandratioreasoningastheyworkthroughprovingthecongruenceor
similarityrelationbetweentwoshapes.Aswemoveforwardwithgeometry,studentswillalso
investigategeometrictransformationsandprojectionswiththeGeogebraSoftwareinterface.
Wewillendthegeometryunitwithanintroductiontotopology,wherestudentswillbeableto
seetheconnectionsandrelationshipsamongstdifferentshapeswhenweuseabstractionand
manipulation.Finally,asweendtheyear,wewillfocushowmathisusedincomputer
programming,wherestudentswilllearnhowtocalculatemodularandbinaryarithmeticand
applytheminsimplecodingexercises.
FeaturedMathematicians:Descartes,Euclid,DiophantusofAlexandria,AncientGreek
mathematicians
Forms,Functions,andEquations
Forms,Functions,andEquationsisthefinalcourseintheAlgebrasequence.Forms,Functions,
andEquationsisaninvestigationofthealgebraofvariousfamiliesoffunctionsincluding
linear,polynomial,andexponentialfunctions.First,wewillexplorelinearitymorein-depthas
wethinkmoreaboutthedifferentformsofalinearfunction.Studentswilllearnthataformof
alinearfunctionwillhelpthemextractspecificinformation,dependingonwhattheyaretrying
tofind.Forexample,thestandardformwillhelpstudentssolvea2x2systemoflinear
equations.Astheybecomemorefluentwithlinearequations,theywillalsobeabletoapply
thesamelogictolinearinequalities.Next,wewillexplorepolynomialfunctions,bothinits
writtenandgraphicalforms.Familiartopics,includingradicals,exponents,andorderof
operations,willbeappliedwhenlearningnewtopics,includingcompletingthesquare,the
quadraticformula,andfactoringapolynomialfunction.Inturn,studentswillbeableto
identifyrootsandoptimalpoints,whichwillpavethewaytographandtransformpolynomial
functions.Finally,wewillinvestigatetrigonometricfunctions,wherestudentswilllearnhow
algebraandgeometryintersect.Here,therewillbeanin-depthanalysisoftheunitcircleby
connectingitwithafamiliartopicthePythagoreantheorem.Studentswillbeintroducedto
radiansandhowitscoordinatesarerepresentedinagraph.Withineachfamilyoffunctions,
studentswillgainaricherunderstandingofreal-worldconcepts.Theywillanalyzedataby
usingtheirknowledgeaboutlinearityinordertomodelstatisticalproblemsvialinear
regression;furthermore,studentswillbeabletointerpolateasetofdatabydecidingwhich
familyoffunctionsthedatabelongsin.Intheareaoffinance,studentswillusetheir
knowledgeinquadraticsandinequalitiesinordertolearnthepowerofcompoundinterest
andtheoptimizationvaluesundercertainbudgetaryconstraints.Intheareaofphysics,they
willlearnhowtomodelprojectilesandfindtheratebetweentwopointsfromthoseprojectiles
byapplyingthedifferencequotient.Intheareaofbiology,theywilllearnthesignificanceof
exponentialgrowth.Studentswillcontinueusingvarioussoftware,includingExcelsheetsand
Geogebra,inordertorepresenttheirmodelsinathoroughmanner.
FeaturedMathematicians:Leibniz,Newton,Napier,Euler

MathematicalModelingNEW
Inthiscourse,studentswillapplytheirprioralgebraicskillsfromFormsandFunctionsto
continueexploringtherealmofalgebraicpatterns,relationships,andsequences.Themain
objectivesofthiscourseare:(1)togainexposureandknowledgeofdifferentsequenceof
numbers;(2)tocompareandcontrastvarioustypesoffunctions;(3)tomanipulatefunctions
graphicallyandalgebraicallybyperformingtransformations;(4)toapplygraphs,equations,
adatatablestomathematicallymodelingareal-lifesituation;(5)togeneralizenumeric
patternsinordertoexplainarealcontextualsituationandmakepredictionsaboutits
behavior.
Studentswillexplorerationalfunctionsandtheirapplications,includingtheharmonicmean
(physics),conditionalprobability(statistics),andpricetoearningsratio(finance).Students
willlearnaboutthepropertiesoflogarithmicfunctionsandtheirapplicationsingeology
(RichterScale),acoustics(Decibels),chemistry(ph),andstellarmagnitudescale(astronomy).
Furthermore,studentswillgainarichsetofskillsthatwillstrengthentheiralgebraicproblem
solving,includingfindingthecompositionoffunctions,calculatinginversefunctions,and
estimatingthevaluesofirrationalnumbers.
FeaturedMathematiciansandScientists:Pythagoras,LaPlace,Richter

SCIENCE

LIFESCIENCEOVERVIEW
TheLifeSciencecoursesemphasizeamorecomplexunderstandingofchange,cycles,
patterns,andrelationshipsinthelivingworld.Studentsbuildonbasicprinciplesrelatedto
theseconceptsbyexploringthecellularorganizationandclassificationoforganisms;the
dynamicrelationshipsamongorganisms,populations,communities,andecosystems;and
changeasaresultofthetransmissionofgeneticinformationfromgenerationtogeneration.
Thisscientificviewdefinestheideathatexplanationsofnaturearedevelopedandtested
usingobservation,experimentation,models,evidence,andsystematicprocessesbasedon
logicalthinking.Inquiryskillsatthislevelincludeorganizationandmathematicalanalysisof
data,manipulationofvariablesinexperiments,andidentificationofsourcesofexperimental
error.
Thecourseisdividedintotwosections,LifeScienceOneandLifeScienceTwo.Courseone
isrequiredbeforetakingcoursetwo.AllMSSciencecoursesareasemesterinlength.
ItsAWonderfulLife(LifeScienceI)
Theamazinganddiversecharacteristicsofalllivingorganismsandtheirinteractionswiththe
environmentisthefocusofthislevelonebiologycourse.Usinginteractiveandhands-on
strategies,studentswillcarryoutinvestigationstodevelopevidencethatlivingorganismsare
madeofcells.Frommodelingthestructureandfunctionofcellstoexaminingthebody
systemsofcomplexorganismsunderamicroscopeandthroughdissection,studentswill
understandtheinteractionsofsystemsincellsandorganismsandhowtheseorganisms
gatheranduseinformationfromtheenvironment.Thiscoursewillculminatewithstudents
usingtheirnewbiologicalknowledgetodesignaneworganismthatwilllive,grow,and
respondtothelocalCaliforniaenvironment.
OverarchingQuestions:
WhatcharacteristicsdistinguishlifeonEarth?
Howdoesmatterandenergymovethroughanecosystem?
Howdoorganismslive,grow,respondtotheirenvironmentandreproduce?
GreenGenes(LifeScienceII)
Studentsareintroducedtotheworldofgeneticsandwillexplorehowenvironmentaland
geneticfactorscontributetothebiodiversityofspeciesinecosystems.Startingatthecellular
level,studentsdevelopmodelsthatexplainhowgeneticmaterialisformedandsynthesized.
Learnhowthecharacteristicsofonegenerationrelatetoanddeterminethetraitsoffuture
generationsandhowgeneticvariationsandenvironmentalinfluencesdeterminethe
biodiversityofspeciesinecosystems.Throughproblem-basedlearning,studentswill
investigatehowgeneticvariancesandmutationsimpactthebiodiversityandthefuture
survivalofalocalCaliforniaspecies!
Prerequisite:ItsAWonderfulLife(LifeScience1)
Howaregeneticvariancesdeterminedwithgenerationsofaspecies?
Howdogeneticfactorsandvariationsinfluencegenerationsofspeciesovertimeand
maintainbiodiversity?
EARTHSCIENCEOVERVIEW
TheEarthSciencecoursewillfocusontheforcesthathaveshapedtheEarthshistoryand
geology.Introductoryprinciplesofastronomy,platetectonics,theEarthsspheres,and
naturalcycleswillbeexplored.Studentswillexaminethepowerofwater,air,androckand
examinetheirroleinshapingEarthscrust.Studentswilluseknowledgeoftherockcycle
andthefossil,aswellasevidence-basedtextsanddata,tomakepredictionsanddraw
conclusionsabouttheeventsthathaveshapedtheEarthsgeologicalandbiologicalhistory.
Thecourseisdividedintotwosections,EarthScienceOneandEarthScienceTwo.Course
oneisrequiredbeforetakingcoursetwo.AllMSSciencecoursesareasemesterinlength.
PlanetEarth(EarthScienceI)
Earthshistoryandplaceinrelationtothesolarsystem,theMilkyWaygalaxy,andthe
universeisthefocusofthisleveloneEarthsciencecourse.Thinkingandworkingas
geoscientists,studentswillexaminetheEarthsbeginningsasaterrestrialplanetandits
changingsystemsovertime.Thisclasswillemphasizeusingmodelstoexplainthecyclical
patternsofeclipses,tides,andseasonsandtheformationoflandformsandprocesses,
includingtherockcycle,hydrologicandatmosphericcycles,throughoutEarthshistory.This
coursewillculminatewithadesignchallengeinwhichstudentswillcomparetheunique
characteristicsofplanetEarthwithMarsandusetheirplanetaryknowledgetocreatehabitats
forfutureMartianexplorers!
WhatistheuniverseandwhatisEarthsplaceinit?
WhatpatternsandcycleshaveevolvedwiththechangingEarth?
HowhavedifferentsystemschangedthroughoutthehistoryoftheEarth?
DynamicEarth(EarthScienceII)
TheEarthscomplexanddynamicgeologicalfeaturesarethefocusofthiscourse.Students
willtakeastepbackintime4.6billionyearsagoinordertoexplorethevariousgeological
processesthathavechangedtheEarthssurfaceandthesourceoftheenergyofthose
changesoverthecourseofbillionsofyears.Thinkingandactinglikescientists,studentswill
analyzeandinterpretdatatounderstandandpredictgeologicalevents.Through
problem-basedlearning,studentswillstudytheuniquegeologicalfeaturesofCalifornia,in
particularearthquakesandfaultzones,anddesignsolutionstolocalgeologicalissues
affectingourcommunities.
Prerequisite:PlanetEarth(EarthScience1)
HowistheshapeoftheEarthssurfaceimpactedbyvariousgeologicalprocesses?
HowareEarthprocessesaretheresultofenergyflowingandmattercyclingwithin
andamongtheplanetssystems?
Howdogeologicalprocessesinfluencehumanactivities?
PHYSICALSCIENCEOVERVIEW
ThePhysicalSciencecoursesstressanin-depthunderstandingofthenatureandstructure
ofmatterandthecharacteristicofenergy.Thestandardsplaceconsiderableemphasison
thetechnologicalapplicationofPhysicalScienceprinciples.Majorareascoveredinclude:
compositionandstructureofmatter,physicalandchemicalchanges,energyconservation,
temperatureandheat,mechanicalandelectromagneticenergy.Principlesandlawsofwork,
force,andmotionwillbeexamined.Studentswillplanandconductresearchinvolvingboth
classroomexperimentationandliteraturereviewsfromwrittenandelectronicresources.
Thecourseisdividedintotwosections,PhysicalScienceOneandPhysicalScienceTwo.
Courseoneisrequiredbeforetakingcoursetwo.AllMSSciencecoursesareasemesterin
length.
MatterinMotion(PhysicalScienceI)
Thedynamiccharacteristicsofmatterthroughouttheuniversearethefocusofthislevelone
physicalsciencecourse.Throughinnovativeandcreativedesignchallenges,studentswill
modelwhysomeobjectswillkeepmovingandwhyobjectsfalltothegroundandapply
Newton'slawstorelatedforcesinordertoexplainthemotionofobjects.Studentswilldesign
demonstrationsthatillustratethetransformationofenergyasmatterinteractionsanditwill
bethisprincipleofconservationofenergyandthekinetictheoryofmatterwillconnectthe
chemistrycomponentofthiscourse.Studentswillcarryoutsomepop-fizz-bangtype
experimentsthatpredictanddescribechangesbetweenstatesofmatteranddemonstrate
howchemicalreactionsinvolveregroupingofatomstoformnewsubstanceswithnew
properties-maybeevensomethatareedible!
Howarematterandenergytransferredandconserved?
Howcanoneexplainthestructure,properties,andinteractionsofmatter?
EnergyinMotion(PhysicalScienceII)
Energythroughouttheuniverseisthefocusofthiscourse.Studentsdesigntheirown
experimentstodemonstrateandexplainthatobjectsthataremovinghavekineticenergy
andthatobjectsmayalsocontainstored(potential)energy,dependingontheirrelative
positions.Throughinteractivesimulations,studentswillcomparemechanicaland
electromagneticwavesanddevelopmodelsandrepresentationstoillustratethe
characteristicsandbehaviorofthesewavesastheyinteractwithmatter.Thinkingandacting
likescientistsandengineers,studentswillexplorehowpeopleapplytheirunderstandingof
wavesandwaveenergyasameansofsendinginformationtoenhancetheeveryday
experiencesofbeinghuman!
Prerequisite:MatterinMotion(PhysicalScience1)
Howisenergytransferredandconserved?
Howdowavesbehavewheninteractingwithdifferentformsofmatter?
Howdowavestransferenergyandinformation?

HISTORY

OVERVIEW
Teachingmiddleschoolisallabouttheskills!Thegoalisforstudentstohonetransferable
skills,whichtheywilltakewiththemintosecondaryeducationandbeyond.AltaVista
historycontentwilltakeathematicapproach,utilizingNationalStandardsandCalifornia
StateStandardstoguidebothcontentandskills.Eachofthefollowinghistoryofferingsis
designedtobuildonskillsstudentsneedinordertobecomesuccessful21stCentury
learners.
AllMSHistorycoursesareasemesterinlength.
OutofthePast
5th/6thGrade
Culturalecology:makingconnectionsbetweenpastcivilizationsandmodernsocieties.
Combiningarcheology,anthropologyandgeography,thiscoursewilllookathowsocieties
functionandchange.StudentsinthiscoursewillexploreancientculturesoftheAmericas,
Africa,EuropeandtheMiddleEasttodiscoverhowwhatwasleftbehindinfluencesthe
modernworld.Curriculumwillbepulledfrommultipleresourcesincluding:TheNational
EndowmentfortheHumanities,PBS,NationalGeographic,DiscoveryEducation,Global
OnenessProjectandMs.Parkerspersonalexperience.
Howdidtheearliestcivilizationsbeginanddevelop?
Howhastheirdevelopmentcontributedtotheworldweliveintoday?
Howdothegeographicfeaturesofaregionaffectthepeoplewholivethere?
Howcantheactivitiesofpeopleaffectthelocalenvironment?
Howdothestoriespeopletellreflectwheretheyarefrom?
Howcanstoriesbeusedtopersuadepeopletoactinaparticularway?

LikeaHistorian
5th-8thGrade
Studentsinthiscoursewilldiscovertheancient,medievalandmodernworldsthroughaseries
ofhistoricalinquiryunits.ThecoursestemsfrommultipleresourcesincludingStanfordHistory
EducationGroupsReadingLikeaHistorianprojectandThinkingLikeaHistorianbyNikki
MandellandBobbieMalone.Theseapproachesframehistoryasdetectiveworkandfocuses
onstepssuchasaskingquestions,usingmultiplesources,andsynthesizinginformationand
ideas.Lessonswilluseprimarysourcestodriveclassdiscussions,debates,andprojects.
MuseumcollectionsincludingtheLibraryofCongress,theLegionofHonor,andthedeYoung
willbeused.Studentswilldevelopstrongfoundationsforresearchandcriticalthinkingskills.
Whatisaprimarysource?
Howdohistoriansinvestigate?
Howdowesearchforthetruth?Whomdowebelieveandwhy?
Whatismuseumcuration?

AdventurersandExplorers
5th/6thGrade
WhatwasColumbusthinking?!Thiscoursewilllookatsomeoftheworldsmostnoted
explorersacrossmultipleeras:Magellan,Erikson,Vespucci,Columbus,LewisandClark,
Shackleton,Armstrong,tonameafew.Whilestudyingthetravelsanddiscoveriesofthese
individuals,studentswillconsidertheglobalshifts,globalgainsandgloballossesthatresulted
fromtheiradventures.Inquiry-basedlessonsandprojectswillemphasizediscoveryandworld
geography.Unitswillbedevelopedusingmultipleresources,including:TheNational
EndowmentfortheHumanities,ReadWriteThink,DiscoveryEducationandNational
Geographic.
Whydopeopleexplore(inanyage)?Whatarethegoalsofexploration?
Towhomareweresponsiblewhenweexplore?
Howdoesculturalcontactchangetheworld?
Whatispower?
Howispowergained,used,andjustified?
Revolutions:CausesandConsequences
5th/6thGrade
WhatwasgoingthroughthemindofThomasJeffersonashewaswritingtheDeclarationof
Independence?WhatwerethecitizensofTehranthinkingduringtheIranianRevolution?How
exactlydoesamovementbecomearevolution?Thiscoursetakesafirst-handlookathow
someoftheworld'smostimpactfulrevolutionshaveshapedourexistencewithafocuson
howtheseideasarestillprevalentinoursocietiestoday.Studentswill,research,debate,
collaborate,andexaminesomeofthemostinfluentialdocumentsfromtheAmerican,French,
Russian,andIranianRevolutionstogainabetterunderstandingoftheissuesthatpeopleof
thesetimeperiodswereseekingtochange.
Whatisarevolution?
Whatissocialjustice?
Howcanrevolutionsdifferintheirintendedoutcomes?
Howcanpolitical,religious,andeconomicideasandinterestsbringaboutrevolutions?
Howhavetheideasstemmingfromtheseeventsresonatedthroughtimeand
influencedothermoderndayevents?
FromFlorencetoHarlem:RenaissanceMeansRebirth
7th/8thGrade
Inthiscoursestudentswillexploretwoofthemostinfluentialculturalmovementsinhistory.
TheEuropeanRenaissancewasanexplosionofideas,education,andliteracy.Itproduced
someofthegreatestartistsandscholarsinhistory.TheHarlemRenaissancewasasignificant
socialandculturalmovementwhichtookplaceinthe1920sand30sfollowingtheGreat
MigrationduringwhichthousandsofAfricanAmericansleftthesouthandmovednorthand
west.Theresultwastheflourishingofart,musicandliteraturethatreflectedthehistoryand
experienceoftheAfrican-American.Theartistic,literaryandmusicalcontributionsofthese
historicalerascontinuetoserveasaninspirationfortodaysscholars.Studentswilllearnabout
thesocial,culturalandpoliticalcircumstanceswhichgaverisetothesetwotimeperiods.

WhatisaCulturalMovement?
Whatcontextsandfactors(political,cultural,economic)giverisetohistoricalchange?
WhatisHumanism?
HowdidwhathappenedaftertheCivilWarimpacttheAfricanAmericanpopulationin
theSouth?
Howcanartisticexpressionalsofunctionasapoliticalstatementorsocialcritique?
Immigrate,Emigrate,Migrate
7th/8thGrade
Goingsomewhere?Immigrateistocomeintoanothercountrytolivepermanently.Emigrate
meanstoleaveone'scountrytogoliveinanother.Migrateistomovearound,likebirdinthe
winter.Throughouthistory,peoplehavemovedaroundtosurvive,topersevere,andto
flourish.Thiscoursewilltakealookatseveralmovementshavemadethroughouttime.Most
closely,wewilllookattheearliestEuropeansettlersintheAmericasandthemajorwavesof
of19thcenturyimmigrationtotheU.S.Thecoursewillconnecttorecenteventsofthemodern
daythroughdiscussionofimmigrationissues,migrantworkers,andrefugees.WewilluseSan
FranciscoasourclassroomwhilelookingatimmigrationthroughAngelIslandandcompare
thattotheEuropeanmassescomingthroughEllisIslandinNewYork.Studentswillconsider
theirownhistoriesandidentitiesaswemovethroughthecourse.
Whydopeoplemove?
Whatisidentityandwheredoesitcomefrom?
Howdoplacesshapeonesidentity?
WhatisNativism?
WhatdoesitmeantobeAmerican?
GovernmentandPowerNEW
7th/8thGrade
Howdoexpansiveempirescomeintoexistence?Whatstructuresareplacedinanattemptto
enablemoregrowthandtopreventcollapse?Thiscoursewillexamineseveralsocieties
throughouthistory,includingtheRomanandBritishempires,whileservingasanintroduction
totheformalandinformalstructures,institutions,andprocessesofwhichtheAmerican
politicalsystemiscomprised.Studentswilllearnabouttheinnerworkingsofournation's
governmentanddiscoverhowitisevolvingovertime.
Howdoespoliticalpowergrow,evolve,anddecline?
WhatroledothedifferentbranchesoftheU.S.governmenthaveandhowdothey
preserveourdemocraticideals?
Whateventsandideashavetestedthestrengthofourgovernment?
Whatstructures,bothformalandinformal,arerequiredforaneffectivepolitical
system?
Howdocountriesresolveconflictsandcooperatewitheachother?
AmericaatArmsNEW
7th/8thGrade
Warisgenerallydescribedasextremeaggressionanddestructionbytheuseofmilitary
forcesthatvieforterritory,resources,andpowerbutsomuchelsefactorsintowinningawar
thanjusttheoutcomesofabattle.ThiscourseexploresAmericansociety,politics,
internationalrelations,andtheroleofcivilians.Wewillstudyhowwomenevolvedintoa
valuablewartimeasset,learnmoreaboutthetechnologicaladvancesthatmadewarfare
moredeadly,andgetafirsthandlookatwhatlifewaslikeforasoldieroverthecourseofthe
variousconflicts.Thisclassismuchmorethannames,dates,andbattles!
HowdidAmericagofromapolicyofisolationismtotheroleofworldpolice?
Howhasthedevelopmentoftechnologieschangedwarfare?
Howhastheroleofwomenevolvedoverthecourseofconflicts?
Whatarethecharacteristicsofawartimeeconomy?
Whatistotalwar?
ENGLISH

Overview
MiddleSchoolisallaboutopeningaworldofpossibilities,beingcreative,andbecomingan
agilethinker.ThegoalforourmiddleschoolEnglishstudentsistocontinuetogrowas
effective,thoughtful,andcapablecommunicatorswhowillunderstandawidevarietyof
textsofmultiplegenres,language,andliterature.AltaVistaEnglishcontentwillbecentered
aroundtheimportantrolelanguageplaysinliteratureandintheskillofexpressingones
selfinwrittenandspokenword.Eachofthecourseswillintegrateanddevelopstrategiesfor
activeandclearreading,writing,andlistening,whilehoningincriticalthinkingandanalytical
skills.Allcoursesaredesignedtobuildonliteraryskillsthatstudentswillneedto
successfullyparticipateintodayscomplexandchallenginginformation-basedsociety.
AllMSEnglishcoursesareyearlong.
BeaLiteraryAgent
5th/6thGrade
Doyouliketodreamincolorandconsiderpoetryapowerfulart?Haveyoueverhadto
discussadifficultsubjectwithafriend,teacher,orfamilymember?Whydoweconnectwith
charactersandfeellikewehavesharedanexperience?
Reading
Thiscoursesliteraturefocuswillstrivetocreateexperiencesformiddleschoolstudentsby
investigatingtone,themes,dramaticsituations,diversity,andperseverance.Studentswillread
andexplorethefollowinggenres:Essays,Poetry,NovelsinVerse,Plays,andRealisticFiction.
Thiscoursewillencouragestudentstoexamineandanalyzerelationshipsbetweenauthors
andtheirstories.Tocreateacontinuouslearningplatform,studentswillbeexpectedto
summarize,makeconnections,critique,analyze,andmakeinferencesthroughoutavarietyof
textsrelatedtothespecificgenrestudy.Studentswillbeencouragedtoparticipate,generate,
andleadliteraturediscussionsandSocraticseminars,aswellasreadanddiscusspoetry
withinasupportiveandartisticopenmicatmosphere.Thiscoursesnovelswillchallenge
studentstothinkcreativelyandcriticallytodevelopprojects,bookreports,andproduce
newscastsfromvaryingcharactersperspectives.
Writing
Inthiscourse,middleschoolstudentswillcomposeduelingessaysandpoetrytocompare
andcontrasteras,strengths,anddrawbacks.Studentswilluseandincorporatealotofvisual
wordsandfigurativelanguagetohelpcreatetheperson,place,events,andideastheyare
writingabout.Whetheritisrealorimagined,expressingideasandfeelingsshouldmake
readersfeelthattheycanactuallypictureitintheirmind.Withinthiscourse,studentswill
heavilyfocusondescriptive,expository,andnarrativewritingtocommunicateideasand
experiences,digitalliteracyconcepts(copyright/publishing),writingsummaryparagraphs,
anddevelopingmultimediapresentations.

ChooseYourOwnAdventure
5th/6thGrade
Areyoucuriousaboutrobots,timetravel,andfuturisticmachines?Doyouwanttobea
detectivetoinvestigateandsolvepuzzling,suspensefulevents?Whatifyoucouldtakea
destinationanywherejustbyusingyourimagination?
Reading
Thiscoursesliteraturefocuswillincludeadventure,humor,andrichlanguage.Studentswill
readandexplorethefollowinggenres:Mystery,Fantasy,ScienceFiction,Myths,Folktales,and
FairyTales.Thiscoursewillencouragestudentstoexaminethefuturetobetterunderstand
ourworldtoday.Tocreateacontinuouslearningplatform,studentswillbeexpectedto
summarize,makeconnections,critique,analyze,andmakeinferencesthroughoutavarietyof
textsrelatedtothespecificgenrestudy.Studentswillbeencouragedtoparticipate,generate,
andleadliteraturediscussionsinSocraticseminarsusingbothnovelsandpicturebooks.This
coursesliteraturewillchallengestudentstothinkcreativelyandcriticallytodevelopprojects,
bookreports,andfictionalizedjournalentries.
Writing
Anythinginyourheadcanbeturnedintocreativewriting.Inthiscourse,middleschoolauthors
willwritetoprovoke,entertain,andinteresttheirreaders.Studentswillcomposetheirowntall
taleandbeencouragedtoputthemselvesintheircharactersshoes.Withinthiscourse,
studentswillheavilyfocusonpersuasive,argumentative,andopinionwriting.Becauseevery
storyhastwosides,studentswillwritetoclearlydescribetheissueandprovidepreciseand
currentevidencethatsupportstheirperspective.
Pictures,Places,andPeople
5th/6thGrade
Areyoucuriousabouttimeperiodsinhistory?Wanttotakeasnapshotintothelivesof
complexpeople?Doyoueverwonderhowdifferentpeopledealwithdifferentproblems?
Reading
Thiscoursewillfocusonthreethemes:history,heroism,andhonesty.Studentswillreadand
explorethefollowinggenres:HistoricalFiction,Biography,Autobiography,andMemoir.To
createacontinuouslearningplatform,studentswillbeexpectedtosummarize,make
connections,critique,analyze,andmakeinferencesthroughoutavarietyoftextsrelatedto
thespecificgenrestudy.Studentswillbeencouragedtoparticipate,generate,andlead
literaturediscussionsinSocraticseminars.Thiscoursesliteratureselectionwillchallenge
studentstothinkcreativelyandcriticallytodevelopprojects,bookreports,andmonologues.
Writing
Middleschoolauthorswillwriteaboutrealpeople,events,andideas.Inthiscourse,students
willexploreandwritepersonalnarratives,eyewitnessaccounts,reflectiveessays,biographical
essays,memoirs,poetry,shortstories,anddiary/journalentries.Studentswillheavilyfocuson
expositorywritingthatseekstocommunicateideas,information,andfacts.
WhatstheStory?(CreativeNonfiction)NEW
5th/6thGrade
Doyoueverwonderhowwritersexplorethemselvesandtheworld?Doyouenjoyhonest,
straightforward,andbrilliantstories?Whatmakesinformationandargumentsmemorable?
Reading
Whentruestoriesaretoldwell,itallowsreadersandwriterstojumpintoanewworldof
differentexperiences.Thiscreativenonfictioncourseisforthecuriousobservant.Inanopen
andsupportivecommunityofreadersandwriters,wewillexploreandanalyzespeeches,
newspapers,essays,journals,critiques,andnarratives.Readerswillexplorefactualcontent
thatattimescanbepersonal,descriptive,argumentative,technicalandentertaining.
Additionally,studentswillinvestigateendlesssubjectmatterthroughmemoirs,poetry,
biographies,autobiographies,andliteraryjournalism.Throughouttheentiretyofthecourse,
studentswillberequiredtoparticipate,generate,andleaddiscussionsrelatedtomaterial
beingreadinclass.
Writing
Inthiscourse,middleschoolstudentswillwriteoften,bothformallyandinformally.Authorswill
beexpectedtosharewrittenworkwithpeerswhileofferingconstructivecriticism.Whetheritis
travelingintoastory,awritingproject,oranarticlewithinterest,allstudentsmustusethe5Rs:
reallife,reflection,research,reading,and(w)Riting.Thewritinggoalforthiscourseistogain
morefamiliarityandconfidencetowriteinavivid,entertaining,andthought-provokingway.
TheHerosJourney
7th/8thGrade
Doyouconsideryourselfahero?Wouldyouliketobecomeone?Haveyoueverwondered
whatitwouldtaketobecalledheroic?
Reading
ThiscoursesliteraturewillfocusonwhatittakestobecomeaHero-thechallengesand
rewards.Studentswillreadseveralnovelsandshortstorieswhichshowcasedifferenttypesof
heroes.Sciencefiction,fantasy,nonfiction,andrealisticfictionarethefourmaingenres
studiedinthiscourse.Literatureischosentounderstandthefiveheroicattributes:courage,
empathy,patience,diligence,andadaptability.Studentswillbeexpectedtoanalyzedifferent
heroesandconsider,throughsocraticdiscussion,expositorywriting,andpersuasivewriting,
whataherohasbeenandistodayinthe21stCentury.
Writing
Throughoutthecourseasstudentsgainagreaterfamiliaritywiththedifferentattributesof
thehero,wewillcomposeargumentsandanalysisthatwillmethodicallyrevealwhattypeof
herowewishtobecome.Studentswillbechallengedtofindheroicelementswithinthemselves
andidentifyattributesthattheywishtocontinuallyseek.Attheendofthecourse,studentswill
createaheromapdisplayingtheirheroicqualitiesbyassociatingtheirattributeswiththose
ofthecharacterswehavestudiedineachtext.
IntotheFuture!
7th/8thGrade
Haveyoueverwonderedwhatourworldwillbelikeinhundredsorthousandsofyears?Will
wecolonizenewplanetsandtravelintodeepspace?Howwilloursocietieschange?
Reading
Studentsinthiscoursewillinitiallyreadnovelsthatsuggestwhatourfutureworldmaylook
likeandhowhumanshavechangedlawsandpracticestobettersuitourexistence.Wewill
thentraveloutfromourhomeworldintothevastlandscapeofthefinalfrontier,space.
Studentswillreadaboutmeansoftravelthatexistandarecurrentlybeingdeveloped,
imaginepossibilitiesfornewcoloniesandworldsthathumanbeingsmightinhabit,and
discusswhatsocietiesmayworkbestinthedistantworlds.
Writing
Inthisclass,studentswilloftenbeaskedtowritepersuasivepiecesarguingforandagainst
waysthathumanbeingschoosetogovernthemselves.Indoingso,studentswillnaturally
havetoconstructexpositorywritingsonthetextsthatwereadinordertodecidewhat
societiesandpracticeswillworkbestinthefuture.Studentswillalsobeaskedtowrite
narrativepieces,placingcharactersinthefuture.Fortheculminatingproject,studentswill
designtheirperfectutopiaandpresentwhytheybelievetheirsocietywillworkbestinthe
future.
TheWild
7th/8thGrade
Doyoulovetheoutdoors?Haveyoueverwonderedhowthenaturalworldcreatesitsown
order?
Reading
InTheWildstudentswilldiveintothenaturalworldthroughtheunderstandingofEmersons
transcendentalistphilosophy,encounteringmaincharacterswhofindthemselvesintheharsh
andserenewilderness.Wewillseektounderstandthechaosandorderthatexistsnaturally
andtrytoexplainhowthesetwoaspectsofnaturearepartofsocietyandourcommon
existence.Studentswillhavetheopportunitytodevelopanddiscusstheirunderstandingofthe
outdoors,andinturn,makedecisionsonhowtheyfeelabouttheorderthatmankindhas
placedonthewilderness.Wewillreadfictionandnonfictionthathavesettingsinthewild
environmentoftheworldbeyondurbanlife.
Writing
Thewritinginthiscoursewillcenteraroundanalysis.Studentswillponderwhatitmeansfora
placetobewild.Mostwritingwillbeexpository,seekingtoexposeaspectsofthewildinthe
textsthatweread,butstudentswillalsohavetoconstructpersuasiveessaysandspeechesto
defendtheirunderstandingofthethemesrevealedineachtext.Studentswillalsoventureout
intothewildernessandjournalabouttheirexperience,ultimatelyusingwhattheyhaveread
andthispersonalexperiencetoconstructafinalthesisstylepaperonwhatitmeanstobein
thewilderness.
AMeltingPot-EnglishLiteratureNEW
7th/8thGrade
HaveyoueverwonderedhowmanyculturesarerepresentedinEnglishandAmerican
literature?DidyouknowthatEnglishisthemainlanguageinoverthirtycountriesbesidesthe
UnitedKingdomandtheUnitedStates?Haveyoueverwonderedhowourculturalmelting
pothasinfluencedourliteratureandourlanguage?
Reading
InthiscoursestudentswilltakeahistoricalapproachtothedevelopmentoftheEnglish
literarynarrative,beginningwiththeUnitedKingdomandtheUnitedStatesandthenmoving
toothercountriesaroundtheworldwherenativepeopleshavebeenspeakingandwritingin
certainshadesofEnglishforcenturies.Wewillreadbiographicalaccounts,historical
narratives,andfictionfromplacesinandoutsideoftheUnitedStates,seekingtogainabetter
understandingofhowtheEnglishlanguagehasencapsulatedthestoriesofsomanydifferent
cultures.
Writing
Studentsinthisclasswillhaveachancetothinkandwritefromaminoritystandpoint.Wewill
mainlyconcentrateeffortsonexpositorywriting,seekingtoexposetheculturalandcolonial
influencesontheEnglishlanguageanditsliterature.Studentswillalsowritepersuasiveessays
andspeechestopersuadeandinvestigatetheculturalinfluencesonthisliterature.Wewill
alsopursueanunderstandingofshorterandmoreconciseformsoffictionbyusingmentor
textstoconstructpersonalnarrativesthatconnectstudentstotheirculturalroots.Thefinal
projectforthisclasswillbealongerexpositorypaperonanauthorcomesfromoutsidethe
UnitedStates.
SPANISH

Overview
Studentswillfocusonstrategiesforcommunicatingandunderstandinglanguagebyputting
theirSpanishskillsintopractice.Throughoutthesecourses,studentswillfocusonthefour
keyareasofforeignlanguagestudy:listening,speaking,reading,andwriting.Thecourses
havebeencarefullyalignedtonationalstandardsassetforthbyACTFL(theAmerican
CouncilontheTeachingofForeignLanguages).Allclasseswillbeconductedprimarilyinthe
targetlanguagewithagoalofhelpingeachstudentbecomeacompetentcommunicator.
Acrossalllevels,studentswillstudythevocabularyandpatternsofthelanguageand
practicethemthroughengagingconversationsandreal-lifeexperiencesfromlocalfield
tripstoaninternationalimmersiontripandhomestayexperience.
SpanishlevelsaredeterminedbyAVSMSSpanishPlacementTestresults,currentAVS
MSSpanishcourseenrollment,classroomassessments,&teacherrecommendations.
AllMSSpanishcoursesareyearlong.

IntrotoSpanish
Createdforstudentswhoarenewtothelanguage.Thiscoursewillprepareandhelpstudents
becomemorecomfortableinaSpanishsetting.Studentswillsamplethebasicsofthe
languageandculture.Wewillfocusonthefundamentalsofpronunciationandgainabasic
understandingofthegrammar,practicalvocabulary,andusefulphrases.
SampleLiteraryWorks:ElmundodeFelipe,LasaventurasdeIsabella
Spanish1
Designedforbeginnerstudentswhohavehadsomeexposureand/orhaveageneral
knowledgeofSpanish.Inthiscourse,studentswillbeabletoidentifycommonvocabulary
termsandphrases,comprehendawiderangeofgrammarpatterns,participatein
conversationsandrespondappropriatelytoconversationalprompts.Studentswillbe
introducedtoSpanishdocumentsandliterature.
Testingisrequired.
SampleLiteraryWorks:DndeestEduardo?,PobreAna
Spanish2
Inthiscourse,studentswillcontinuetodeveloptheirproficiencyandfluencyofthelanguage
andwillfocusmoredeeplyoneachunitofstudy.Eachunitconsistsofnewvocabulary
themesandgrammarconcepts.StudentswillcommunicateinSpanishonday-to-day
activitiesbyprovidingandobtaininginformationandexchangingopinions.Studentswillread
andunderstandauthenticSpanishdocumentsandliterature.
Prerequisite:HastakenSpanish1oraSpanishCourseforayearormore.Testingisrequired.
SampleLiteraryWorks:PatriciavaaCalifornia,Elviajedesuvida
Spanish2Advanced
Designedfornative,heritageandbilingualspeakersofSpanish,thiscoursefocusesonthe
developmentofSpanishliteracyskillsandcommunicativecompetence.Thiscourseis
designedtohelpstudentswhospeakSpanish,buthavenothadtheopportunitytodevelop
theirreadingandwritingskills.
Prerequisite:Native,HeritageorbilingualSpeakerofSpanishorhavetaken2yearsofSpanish
courses.Testingisrequired.
SampleLiteraryWorks:CajasdeCartn,LacasaenMangoStreet
Spanish3
Thiscourseisgearedforstudentswhohavebeenengagedinvarioustypesofconversations,
digdeeperintoculturalprojects,andhavedevelopastrongunderstandingofSpanish
grammar.Inthisadvancedcourse,agreatdealofemphasisisplacedonSpanishliterature.
Thestudentwillacquireamoresophisticatedvocabularyanduseadvancedgrammarwhen
speakingandwriting.
Prerequisite:HastakenSpanish2oraSpanishCoursefor2yearsormore.Testingisrequired.
SampleLiteraryWorks:Elviajeperdido,LosojosdeCarmen
Spanish3Advanced
Designedfornative,heritageandbilingualspeakersofSpanish.Studentswillcontinueto
enhancetheirlanguageskillsinspeaking,readingandwriting.Thiscoursewillfocusonthe
studyofSpanishculture,exploringsuchaspectsasfilmandliterature.Studentswillincrease
theirabilitytounderstandcomplextextsandwriteeffectively.Thiscourseisdesignedtohelp
studentsmaintaintheirSpanishliteracyonthesamelevelastheirEnglishliteracy.
Prerequisite:HastakenSpanish2Advancedcourseor2yearsormoreofadvancedSpanish
courses.Testingisrequired.
SampleLiteraryWorks:ClassicalSpanishnovelLazarillo,ShortsstoriesfromGabrielGarca
Marquez
COMPUTERSCIENCE

HowtoBuildAComputer
5th-8thGrade
Whydocomputerslookandworkthewaytheydo?Wewillstudycryptography,calculating
machines,androbotsthroughhistory,aswellaslogicandbinaryarithmetic,toseehowthe
moderndigitalcomputercametobe.Thecourseconcludeswithstudentsconstructingbinary
addercircuitsandtakingcomputersapartwithelectronicsscrewdrivers.
OntheWeb
5th/6thGrade
Thiscourseisaboutnetworks,includingtradeandcommunicationintheancientworld,the
railroad,telegraph,andradio,thedevelopmentofthemodernInternet,andthemaththat
underliesitall.Studentsstudygraphandautomatontheory,setupworkingwirelessnetworks,
andlearnHTML.WewillvisitMonkeyIsland,buybananasfromacrankyrobot,colormaps,
andtrytohackstudents'homenetworks.
Code-Fu
7th/8thGrade
AcourseinintroductoryPythonthatcoversprogrammingfundamentals,includingdataand
controlstructures,searchandsortalgorithms,thestack,andscopeandenvironment.
Studentsexploreturtlegraphics,programtextadventuresandothergames,master
programmingjargon,andlearnasmanyMontyPythonreferencesaspossible.
TheSystemoftheWorld
6th/7th/8thGrade
Art,music,andlinguisticsareallmath.Welookattessellation,perspectiveandprojection,
ricercars,canons,andfugues,pixelartandvectorgraphics,geometriesandcoordinate
systems,loops,samples,andremixes,computationallinguistics,fractalsandillusions,glitch
art,andminimalistelectronica.Thisisthemostfunyou'lleverhavedoingtrigonometry,
calculus,andlinearalgebra!
DefenseAgainstTheDarkArtsNEW
7th/8thGrade
"Withgreatpowercomesgreatresponsibility."Thiscourseteachesstudentstounderstand
onlineriskandprotectthemselves.Courseworkcoversinformationsecurityandprivacy
issues,includingpasswordsafety,encryptionandVPNs,datamining,public/privatekey
cryptography,penetrationtesting,socialengineering,andresearchtechniques.

PHYSICALEDUCATION

OVERVIEW
ThemiddleschoolPhysicalEducationActivityProgramoffershealthandfitnessactivity
classestoeverystudentatAltaVista.Studentswillparticipateinavarietyofteambuilding
activities,individualactivitiesand,alsolearnabouthealth.Theprogramconsistsofaerobic
running,jumproping,dancing(linedancingandMerengue),soccer,gymnastics(tumbling),
teamhandball(fireball),volleyball,football,baseball,softball,fieldhockey,andbasketball.
Thegoalsofthisprogramarethefollowing:Tohelpstudentsdevelopalifetime
appreciationandcommitmenttophysicalactivitysothattheycanlivehealthylives,
improvetheirgrossmotorskills,learnabouttheimportanceofmaintaininggoodhealth,
andmostimportantly,havestudentsenjoythemselveswhilebeingengagedinphysical
activity.
CourseLength:Yearlong


ELECTIVECOURSES


ART

DesignfortheFuture
5th/6thGrade
Inthisinnovativeandhands-onclass,studentswillhavetheopportunitytodesignobjectsthat
enhanceourworld,makingitaneasierplaceforalltolivein.UsingDesignThinkingprinciples,
studentswillcreateobjectsthatemphasizefunction,accessibility,andmobility.Todothis,
studentswilllearnhowtoresearch,brainstorm,andproblemsolveinordertobuild.While
possibilitiesareendlessforwhatstudentscaninvent,formaldesignconceptswillbelearned
andstudentswillbecomemorefamiliarwithdrafting,prototyping,andbuildingtechniques.
Fromwoodtometaltoplastic,thisclasswillcovertheform,fit,andfunctionofthese
materials.Studentswillalsousetechnologyasatool,indoingsolearnpracticalapplications
ofcomputerprograming.Localmakersandinventorswillvisittheclasstosharetheirdesign
processandportfolio,andthentalkthroughin-processprojectswithstudents.Designforthe
Futureisaclassforstudentswhothinkbig!
ArtofScience
5th/6thGrade
Thisclassmeetsattheintersectionofscienceandvisualarttoinvestigatetherelationship
betweenhumanlifeandthenaturalworld.Studentsinthisclasswillactasbothartistsand
scientiststocoverthemessuchasecology,systems,andtransformation.Studentswill
discoverhowartistsusescientificprocessesofinvestigation,observation,andanalysisin
ordertoposeinterestingquestionsandaddressbigideas.Theconceptofalandscape,
specificallythatofCalifornia,willbethoroughlyexploredthroughdrawing,sculpture,video,
andinstallationart.Studentswilllearnaboutcontemporaryartistswhousescienceasatool
intheirartwork.Inturn,studentswillunderstandhowartcanbeusedasawayto
communicateaboutachangingplanet.TheArtofSciencewillgivestudentsauniqueand
creativelenstoviewscienceinitsmanyforms.
Artiststobediscussed:JohnJamesAudubon,GabrielOrozco,MarkDion
IsThisArt?
5th/6thGrade
Thisclassquestionsthedefinitionofwhatartisandcanbe.Whilebeautyandrealismwere
thoughttobethedefinitionofgoodartthroughouthistory,todaytherearefarfewerrules
definingwhatisandisnotart.Aesthetic,concept,andartistintentwillbeattheforefrontof
discussionandinquiryforthisclass-withagoalofgainingunderstandingofwhyartists
makeartandhowimportanttheaudienceis.Discussionanddebatewillbeanessential
componenttoIsThisArt?,asstudentsworkthroughideasrelatingtoartandtheory.Students
willalsobeactiveartistsandmakers,creatingartworkoverthecourseofthetermthatisboth
thoughtfulandconnectstothetopicweareexploring.Studentswillbeaskedtoengagewith
theiraudience,andwillalsochallengethemtodigdeeperintotheirowncreativepractice.This
classisforMiddleSchoolstudentsinterestedintakingtheirarttothenextlevel.

PatentThat!
7th/8thGrade
AltaVistaSchoolstudentsareinventorsandinnovators,thinkingdifferentlytosolveproblems
andhelpothers.Thisclassisdesignedwiththatspiritinmind-toencourageanddevelop
originalthought.Overthecourseofthesemester,studentsinPatentThat!willgothroughthe
step-by-stepprocessofpatentmaking.Asadesign-basedclass,studentswilllearnaboutthe
characteristicsandtypesofpatents,thehistoryofintellectualpropertyintheUnitedStates,as
wellastechnicaldrawingandprototypingskills.Studentswillbeaskedtoworkindividually
andasagroupondifferenthands-onprototypingactivities,buildingmockupsoftheirproduct
togainabetterunderstandingofformandfunction.ThisclasswillwelcomeinBayArea
innovatorstoserveasresourcesandinspirationtoourstudentswhiletheyworkthroughthis
excitingandchallengingprocess.Thisclassisforstudentswhohavebigideasandwantto
seewherethoseideastakethem!
FromSelf-PortraitstoSelfies:PortraitureintheModernDay
7th/8thGrade
Asimpleimageofapersoncanrevealmuchmorethantheirlooks-itcandocumentatime
andplace,conveymoodandemotion,andmakecommentsoncultureandsociety.This
coursewillexplorethemessuchasidentity,history,andstoriesallthroughthecreationof
varioustypesofportraitsandself-portraits.FromSelf-PortraitstoSelfieswilltakeacloselook
throughoutarthistoryasawayofprovidingunderstandingforthewaysinwhichweportray
apersoneventoday.Studentswillhavetheopportunitytoexploreavarietyofmediumsin
thiscourse-fromexpectedportraituremediumssuchaspaintingandphotographytothe
morealternativeonessuchassculpture.Studentsinthiscoursewillbeaskedtobeboth
self-reflectiveandinquisitiveaboutothersaroundthem,inturntakingawayabetter
understandingofourplaceincontemporarytimes.
Artiststobediscussed:JohannesVermeer,JosephCornell,AndyWarhol,CindySherman,and
LaToyaRubyFraizer
CommunityasClassroom
7th/8thGrade
Ourneighborhoodbecomestheclassroominthiscommunityarts-basedclass,whichwill
havestudentsinvestigateandexplorethemessuchasplace,history,andchange.Students
willuseartmakingasameansofcreatingaconversationwithinthecommunity,connecting
AltaVistaSchooltoitsneighborhood.Learningwilltakeplacebyimmersinginthelocal
culture,makingobservations,andconductingresearchontheMissionneighborhood.Students
willbeencouragedtorespondtotheseideaswithinteractiveprojectsthatusemediumssuch
assite-specificinstallation,drawing,photography,andperformance.Localartistswillvisitthis
classtodiscusscommunityartprojectstakingplaceinSanFrancisco,aswellasstudentsown
Mission-basedprojects.Byparticipatingandcollaboratingonprojectsinacommunitysetting,
studentswillgainagreatersenseoftheirplaceintheworldaroundthem.

INTEGRATEDCOURSES:ART+DRAMA

StorytellingThroughFilmNEW
5th/6thGrade
DirectorStanleyKubrickoncesaid,Ifitcanbewrittenorthought,itcanbefilmed.Withthat
spirit,theMiddleSchoolTheatreandArtprogramsintroduceStorytellingthroughFilm,an
integratedcoursethatwillhavestudentsworkingasfilmmakersfrominitialideatofilm
screening!Studentsinthisclasswilltrytheirhandsatallaspectsofthefilmmakingprocess-
fromscreenwritingtodirectingtoediting-allwhileencouragedtomakecreativedecisions
thatwillaidinthetellingoftheirfictionalstory.Learninghowtoactforthecamerawillalsobe
taught,givingstudentsanopportunitytoseewhatitslikeinfrontofthelens.Thisclasswill
takealookatmoviesthroughoutfilmhistoryasawayofidentifyingandlearningabouthow
shotsaresetupaswellashowthecamerasperspectivecantellastory.Studentsinterested
inlearninghowtoexpressthemselvesandtheirideasthroughthisexcitingmediumshould
takealookatthisclass!
InstallationTheatre
7th/8thGrade
Likemanyfieldsinthetwentyfirstcentury,theTheatreisevolvingtoengagetheiraudiencein
newandprovocativeways.Inthiscourse,studentswillbreakdownthewallstostageand
performapieceoftheatreinanunconventionalspace.ThiscombinedDramaandArtcourse
willpullfrombothdisciplines,withstudentshavingcreativefreedomtodesignandbuilda
pieceofinstallationartthatbothperformersandaudiencemembersareabletoengagewith.
Studentswillmakechoicesabouthowtheatmosphereandsettingcantransformthetheatre
fromatraditionalexperiencetoanunexpectedexperience.Throughoutthecourse,students
willdesignapieceofinstallationartaroundachosentext,andthenperformaroundit.Theart
piecewillhavestudentsdraftingupblueprints,learningtoproperlyusevarioustools,and
installingthree-dimensionalartwork.FortheTheatrefocusofthiscourse,studentswill
practiceholdingcharacterwhileengagingwithanaudienceandlookintotheimpactof
physicalspaceonacharacter.InstallationTheatrewilldigdeeperintostorytellingwhile
exploringthepossibilitiesofcombiningbothTheatreandArt.
DRAMA

ComedyandImprovisation
5th/6thGrade
Whatdoesittaketobefunny?Morethanyouthink!Learnaboutcomedicfundamentals,what
itmeanstobefunny,whyitisimportant,andwhereitcomesfrom.Studentswilllearnabout
theoriginsofcomedyandwillexploreavarietyofcomedicgenres.Attheendoftheterm,
studentswillperforminacomedyshowcase.
Playwriting:ConstructingaTinyUniverse
5th/6thGrade
Howmighttheuniverselivinginyourimaginationbecomearealityforotherstoexperience?
Thisplaywritingcoursewillchallengestudentstostrengthentheirleadership,communication,
andwritingskills.Participantswilltinkerwithdramaticplot,investigatescriptformat,practice
self-revision,anddabblewithdirectingforthetheatre.Theywillalsohavetheopportunityto
collaboratewithlocalprofessionalactorsduringthewritingandrehearsalprocess.The
culminationofthecoursewillresultinaneveningofstagedreadingsperformedby
professionalactors,showcasingstudentsoriginalplays.
PlaywrightswillExplore:DanielJudahSklarsPlaymakingTechniques
PodcastingNEW
5th/6thGrade
Howmightonetellanengagingstorywithonlysound?InPodcasting,studentswillexplore
thisquestionandcreatetheirownoriginalpodcastseries.Throughoutthesemester,students
willlearntowriteandperformradiovoiceovers,designsoundeffectstoenhanceastory,and
editaudiofiles.Inaddition,studentpodcasterswillhavetheopportunitytoexploretheartof
foley;whichisthecreationofsoundeffectsusingeverydayobjects.
Shakespeare-imentsNEW
5th/6thGrade
Afterreadingthetitleofthiscourse,youmightaskyourself,whatonearthisa
Shakespeare-iment?Well,itisatheatricalexperimentinwhichactorsperformShakespeare
inauniqueandsurprisingway!InthiscoursestudentswillexploretheworksofShakespeare
throughavarietyofuniqueShakespeare-imentteamchallenges.Forinstance,studentswill
performShakespeareanscenesandsettheminunexpectedlocations.Inadditionstudents,
willlearntoanalyzeandperformShakespeareantextandaboutthemysteriesof
Shakespeareslife.
TheActorsToolbox
7th/8thGrade
Whatisgoingoninsidethatcharactersmind?Whatoutcomeisthischaractertryingto
invoke?Inthisactingcourse,studentswilllearnhowtoanswertothesequestionsbyexploring
avarietyofscriptsandperformancetechniques.Thesetechniqueswillequipstudentsto
independentlyanalyseavarietyofdramatictexts,connecttheirphysicalrealitiestoarange
ofcharacters,andexpresssubtextualcontentusingclearperformancechoices.Throughout,
studentswillinquirehowthesedramatictoolscanbeappliedtotheirlivesoutsideofthe
theatre.
ActorswillExplore:MichaelChekhovsPsychologicalGestureandImaginaryBody,Uta
HagensRespectforActing,ViolaSpolinsImprovisationfortheTheater,MeisnerTechnique,
LabanMovement,andVerbing
StagecraftNEW
7th/8thGrade
Haveyoueverwonderedwhatgoesonbehindthescenesataliveperformance?Wellhereis
yourchance!Stagecraftstudentswilltakeastepbehindthecurtaintolearnthefundamentals
oftechnicaltheatredesignandimplementation.Inthiscourse,studentswillexploreavariety
ofwaystotellorenhanceastorywithlighting,sound,set,andpropdesign.Forinstance,they
willexplorehowlightingandsounddesignimpactthetoneofamodernplay.Studentswill
alsolearntodesignsetsandpropsforhistoricalplaysthroughtextualcluesandresearch.
BroadcastingNEW
7th/8thGrade
Weinterruptthiscoursecataloguetobringyousomepressingnews:nextyearAltaVista
MiddleSchoolstudentswillberunningtheirveryownbroadcastingcompany-KMS-AVS!In
thiscourse,studentswillworktogethertoorganizeandruntheirownbroadcastingcompany.
Whileworkingonstrengtheningtheircommunicationandcollaborationskills,theywillselect
andreportonnewsstoriesrelevanttotheircommunityaudiencebase.Throughoutthe
semestertheywilltakeonavarietyofrolessuchasjournalist,newsanchor,editor,and
newsroommanager.
PerformanceinPopCultureNEW
7th/8thGrade
Whatisthemessagebehindyourfavoritepopularsongontheradio?Whoisyourfavorite
YouTubepersonalityandwhatisityouadmireaboutthem?Inthiscourse,studentswill
investigateperformancewithinpopculture,itsinfluence,andwhyitisrelevantinoursociety.
Attheendofthecourse,studentswillcreatetheirownpoppersonastoexpresstheimpact
theywouldliketohaveontheircommunity.

MUSIC

CorsairBand(5th/6thGrade)
TheAVSCorsairBandiswhereastudentfirstlearnstoplayabandororchestrainstrument.
Theclassisforabsolutebeginnersorforstudentswithlimitedexperienceplayingtheirchosen
instrument.Westudycorrectfundamentalsforstrings,woodwinds,brassandpercussion.We
learntoreadnotes.Mostimportant-weplaymusic!Aswegaincontrolandskillinour
playing,ourgoalistocreatebeautifulandcontrastingworldsofmusicalstyle.TheCorsair
Bandperformstwoorthreetimeseachyear,sometimesincollaborationwithotherAVSMusic
Ensembles.OneconcerteachyearwillemphasizeClassicalRepertoire,andanotherwill
emphasizeJazz,RockandPopMusic.

SkyraiderBand(7th/8thGrade)
TheSkyraiderBandisformusicianswhoalreadyhaveskillsontheirinstrumentandareable
toreadandplaymorecomplicatedwrittenmusic.Constantpracticeandreviewof
fundamentalshelpsthisensembletoproducearicher,morematuremusicalsound.Wewill
learntoplayfourpartchoralesandmusicwithcontrastinglinesofmusicalcounterpoint.The
SkyraiderBandwillperformtwoorthreetimeseachyear,sometimesincollaborationwith
otherAVSMusicEnsembles.OneconcerteachyearwillemphasizeClassicalRepertoire,and
anotherwillemphasizeJazz,RockandPopMusic.Ifwehaveskilledenoughplayers,wewill
usearhythmsectionofpiano,bassanddrums.
AviatorChoir
TheAviatorChoirisforpeoplewholovetosing!Wewillsingafunmixofmusicalrepertoire
fromRenaissanceChansonstoJazzandCurrentPopHits.ForthelearningaspectofChoir
wediscoverhowtosellthesongusingcorrectvocaltechnique,excellentdictionand
appropriatestyle.Evenifyouhaveneversungbeforebutsimplylovemusic,jointheAviator
Choirtoimproveyourvoiceandtoexpandyourknowledge.Thereisatleastone
performanceeachsemester.
CourseLength:SemesterorYearlong
NutsandBoltsofSongwritingNEW
FromLyricsandFormtoFinishedProduct
Discoverhowtocomposeyourownsongorinstrumentalmusic!Webeginwithlyricsand
musicalmotivethenmoveontoharmonyandform.Wewilluncoverthelayersofdesignin
CallandResponse,Blues,AABASongForm,VerseChorusSongFormandThrough
Composedsongs.Forinstrumentalmusicwewilldissectmelody,harmony,developmentand
form.Aswebroadenourcomposingskillswewillcomposegraduallymoresophisticated
music.Knowledgeofmusicalnotationisusefulforthisclass,butnotrequired.Therewillbe
performancesthroughouttheyearofmusiccomposedbystudents.
CourseLength:Semester
StarPowerinPopMusicNEW
GreatPopMusiciansoftheNearPast
Listentoandlearnaboutsomegreatmusiciansofthepastseventyyears.Elvisandhisroad
tofame,fortuneanddisaster.MahaliaJackson:herexcellenceinGospelMusic.TheBeatles:
howtheychangedtheworld.ArethaFranklin:herworldofSoulMusic.MichaelJackson:his
spectacularcareerofdancingandsinging.FreddieMercuryandhisbandQueen.Whitney
Houston:hermagneticstyleandbrilliantvoice.Prince,whowasarealmusicaloriginalfor25
years!Wewillinvestigatetheseinterestingpersonalities:howtheyreactedtoandeven
changedourmusic,societyandculture.Finalprojectwillbeawritten,visualandmusical
reportaboutafamousPopMusicStar.
CourseLength:Semester
StudentNotesonCourses:

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2017 - 2018 PROGRAM GUIDE

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