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Electives Classes

Teachers

Discovery Rotation (6th)

Early College Academy
Kristy Kimball
kimball@lvusd.org
ECA Rotation Website
 
Intro to Music
Daniel Pracher
dpracher@lvusd.org
Mr. Pracher's Website
 
 

Early College Academy

ECA 7
Lisa Hatfield
lhatfield@lvusd.org
 
ECA 8
Pam McDonnell
pmcdonnell@lvusd.org

Fine Arts

Milinda Jaffe
mjaffe@lvusd.org
Mrs. Jaffe's Website


Music

Daniel Pracher (Band, Orchestra, and Chorus)
dpracher@lvusd.org
 
Bob Hackett (Jazz Band)
rhackett@lvusd.org

Robotics


Spanish


Yearbook

 

Welcome to the Electives Department! 

At AE Wright Middle School, students have the opportunity to experience a variety of electives, including art, music, foreign language, and multimedia activities.

DISCOVERY ROTATION: (6th Grade only)

Discovery Rotation is a block of courses that will expose students to a variety of electives such as Early College Academy, Fine Arts, Guidance, Robotics, and Spanish.

EARLY COLLEGE ACADEMY: (7th & 8th Grades) 

The LVUSD Early College Academy was established in 2018 and provides students with access to a wide breadth of college coursework as high school students. The program expanded 3 years ago to middle school in grades 6-8. A cohort of students will be identified in 7th grade and will stay together as they move through the Early College Academy program. The middle school program includes college field trips and the use of the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) curriculum. This curriculum focuses on developing writing, inquiry, collaboration, organization, and reading skills necessary for students to be successful in their high school and college coursework. Classes focus attention on team-building, collaboration, relationships, goals, leadership, motivation, and study skills/organization. The ECA 8 program features a required Pierce College course taken during the spring semester. The course introduces 8th graders to the rigor and expectations of the college environment while adapting to 8th graders' needs and maturity levels. This college class is taught on the AEW campus during the regular ECA class period by a Pierce College professor. Students who complete this course with a C or better will earn one transferrable semester unit of college credit. [ECA 8 only]


FINE ARTS

The Artsonia Webpage is published HERE. There are over 190 beautiful art pieces published by AEW students!


Beginning Fine Arts (7th and 8th Grade only)

Have you ever wanted to learn to draw or paint? Use a potter’s wheel? Build a sculpture out of junk? Then you are in the right place! Come explore the world of art through the eyes of many different cultures and artists. Using different mediums such charcoal, pencil, watercolor, and acrylic paint, you will learn the arts of drawing, painting, color, printmaking, and design. Explore creating three dimensional works of art including mask making, papier mache, plaster carving, sculpting, fiber arts, and ceramics. Study the styles of famous artists such as Salvador Dali, Andy Warhol, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Michelangelo and create your own personal masterpieces. Get in touch with your inner artist and see your work displayed in the school art show for Open House! No previous art experience necessary. An advanced curriculum option is available for this class with instructor permission. Materials cost for take-home projects: $25. (Year Long Class)


Advanced Fine Arts (8th Grade only)

Did you take Beginning Fine Art as a seventh grader and loved it? Would you like to hone your skills and create a portfolio to take with you to high school? Then, this class is for you! Advanced Art consists of a small group of students who love art and want to take their skills to the next level. Students will have the opportunity to work independently on projects that pique their interest; all under the supervision of Ms. Jaffe. They will learn advanced shading and painting techniques that they can carry to the high school level.  Materials cost for take-home project is $25/year.
Prerequisite: Successful completion of Beginning Fine Art and/or instructor approval.

 

MUSIC DEPARTMENT

Beginning Band (For ALL Grades)

Have you always wanted to learn how to play wind or percussion instrument? You will have the choice of learning the flute, oboe, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, French horn, trombone, tuba, or percussion in Beginning Band. Amaze your friends and family during a culminating performance at the end of the year. Beginning band covers the basic elements of tone production, instrument care, musicianship, and sight reading. The specific selection of instruments will be made by the instructor during the first few weeks of school. No previous music experience required. (Year Long Class)

Intermediate Band (For ALL Grades) (MUST AUDITION WITH MUSIC INSTRUCTOR IF 6th Grader)

Continue your musical journey in Concert Band. This group is for students who have played a band instrument (see above list) for at least one year. This group will perform several times throughout the year including festivals, concerts and a performance at Disneyland. Prerequisite: Successful completion of beginning band and/or instructor approval. (Year Long Class)

Concert/Advanced Band (Wind Ensemble) (For ALL Grades) (MUST AUDITION WITH MUSIC INSTRUCTOR IF 6th Grader)

Continue your musical journey in Wind Ensemble. This group is for students who have played a band instrument for at least 2 years. This group will perform several times throughout the year including festivals, concerts and a performance at Disneyland. Prerequisite: Successful completion of beginning band/concert band and/or instructor approval. (Year Long Class)

Beginning Strings (For ALL Grades)

If you want to learn to play the violin, viola, cello, or string bass, this class is for you! Students will learn about different musical styles and develop technical skills and musicality. After learning how to play an instrument you amaze your friends and family during a culminating performance at the end of the year. No previous music experience required. (Year Long Class)

Concert Orchestra (String Orchestra) (For ALL Grades) (MUST AUDITION WITH MUSIC INSTRUCTOR IF 6th Grader)

Continue your musical journey in advanced strings. This group is for students who have played a string instrument (violin, viola, cello or bass) for at least one year. Private lessons on your instrument are encouraged but not required. This group will perform several times throughout the year including festivals, concerts and a performance at Disneyland. Prerequisite: Successful completion of beginning strings and/or instructor approval. (Year Long Class)

Chorus (Choir) (For ALL Grades)

Do you like to sing or wish that you could sing better? Then this is the class for you! Choir is for students who want to learn how to sing or just love to sing. Students will learn and develop their musicianship including how to read and write music notation, how to sing in different genres of music including pop, jazz, classical, and musical theatre, and will also have opportunities to sing solos. This group will perform several times throughout the year including festivals, concerts and a performance at Disneyland. There is no audition required. (Year Long Class)


ROBOTICS (7th and 8th Grade only)

Are you interested in engineering, technology, or design? Do you want opportunities to express your creativity and problem solving skills? Then robotics is the course for you! Join us as we work in collaborative groups to learn the fundamentals of computer programing, 3D modeling, electronics, and engineering while designing and building robots! All robotics students will also participate in Full STEAM Ahead projects that allow them to pursue their personal interests through a yearlong public service, entrepreneurial, or self-improvement project. Students will have opportunities to work with equipment including Arduinos, VEX IQ robotics, 3D printers, and more. (Year Long Class)
This is a year long course with no prerequisites. Robotics A & B cover different content each year, but can be taken in any order. Students that pass two years of Robotics A/B qualify to start in Robotics 2 in high school.


SPANISH

Spanish 1 A (7th Grade only)

¡Hola y bienvenidos! This academic elective is designed for students who want to get a jump on their Spanish skills, and learn about the cultures of the Spanish-speaking world. It is the first year of a two-year program, which will result in one year of high school foreign language credit and the ability to start Spanish 2 in 9th grade. There is an emphasis on communication, vocabulary, and speaking, reading, and writing simple sentences. Prerequisite: “B” or better in Language Arts. (Year Long Class)

Spanish 1 B (8th Grade only)

This class is the second year of the two-year Spanish program. There is a continuing emphasis on communicative language skills and an increased focus on written skills and grammar. Prerequisite: “B” or better in Spanish 1 A or instructor permission. In order to receive high school credit and to move on to Spanish 2, a final semester grade of a “B” or better must be earned in the class. (Year Long Class)


YEARBOOK (7th and 8th Grade only)

Capture the school year at A.E. Wright by becoming a member of the Yearbook Production team. Students will learn basic graphic design, journalism skills, and basic photography skills to create the school’s yearbook. Students will use software that includes Online Design, Adobe Photoshop, Aurasma Studio, and Apple iMovie. Students must be independent and able to meet deadlines. Prerequisite: Teacher approval. (Year Long Class)