Discover the electives available at J.L. Simpson Middle School. Our Mustang community can learn more about each elective by clicking on the graphic and watching a short video.
Discover the electives available at J.L. Simpson Middle School. Our Mustang community can learn more about each elective by clicking on the graphic and watching a short video.
Art is a course that infuses art history, art criticism, and aesthetic critiques. Courses are designed to provide students with the opportunity to continue to develop a foundation of varied art skills, techniques, concepts and ideas connected to the real world, allowing students to understand how art relates to everything around us.
Band students will continue learning and developing the fundamental skills of playing a band instrument with an increased emphasis on ensemble performances. Instruments include: percussion, clarinet, trumpet, flute/oboe, low brass, and saxophone. (Prerequisite: Successful completion of Band 6 or equivalent study and experience)
This class is open to all students with a strong desire to sing and requires no audition. Students will apply the basics of proper singing techniques while performing a variety of styles of choral music with an emphasis on music reading skills.
Exploratory Dramatics will provide students with an introduction to the study of performance, theatre history, dramatic literature and theatrical production. Through research, planning, scripting, production and performance experiences, students will acquire skills in communicating ideas, critical thinking and collaborative problem solving.
Guitar is open to all students. The nylon-stringed classical guitar is used to introduce students to proper guitar technique, sitting position, standard music notation, tablature, chord charts, music theory and history, and solo and ensemble playing in a variety of musical styles.
This elective provides instruction for violin, viola, cello, or bass. Students enrolled in this class will continue to develop fundamental performance skills with an increased focus on ensemble playing. (Prerequisite: Successful completion of Strings 6 or equivalent study and experience)
Students develop the ability to communicate about themselves and their immediate environment, producing basic language structures in the French language. This communication is evidenced in all four language skills: listening; speaking; reading; and writing.
Students develop the ability to communicate about themselves and their immediate environment, producing basic language structures in the German language. This communication is evidenced in all four language skills: listening; speaking; reading; and writing.
This course explores basic Latin grammar and vocabulary and develops the skills necessary to read elementary Latin texts. The linguistic nature of the course is supplemented by a general overview of Greco-Roman civilization, including history, daily life and mythology. English derivatives are emphasized to show the influence of Latin upon the English language and to contribute to the growth of each student’s personal vocabulary.
Students develop the ability to communicate about themselves and their immediate environment, producing basic language structures in the Spanish language. This communication is evidenced in all four language skills: listening; speaking; reading; and writing. (Spanish for Fluent Speakers is designed to meet the needs of students whose primary language is Spanish and who have minimal or no formal instruction in the language.)
In Introduction to Computer Science, students will primarily utilize block-based programming to develop projects in order to think creatively, communicate clearly, use technologies fluently, and collaborate effectively. In Computer Science Foundations, students will be introduced to several text-based programming languages with an emphasis on computer programming within the context of broader concepts of computer science. Languages include but are not limited to HTML, Python, JavaScript, and Java.
Through a practical problem-solving approach, students learn to critically examine concerns, seek solutions, and solve problems in caring ways. The focus is on improving self-identity, sharpening communication and social skills, increasing academic achievement, managing resources, and becoming oriented to the world of work.
Students engage in the study of computers and microprocessors and their applications to manufacturing, transportation, and communication systems. Learning activities include robotics, computer-aided design, computer-aided manufacturing and design, and control of electromechanical devices.