8th Grade Electives

This course addresses the interest and energy of middle school students while incorporating national standards in mathematics, science, and technology. This activity-oriented, cutting-edge program shows students how technology is used in engineering to solve everyday problems. Students will gain the skills they need to develop, produce, and use products and services. This course provides project-based learning – a hands-on approach. The curriculum relates technology to students’ daily lives. It promotes communication and collaboration by emphasizing a teaming approach in the instructional units.

Students will develop skill in listening, reading and performing beginning level band music. During this development, students will gain understanding of the proper ways to hold their instruments, play basic level selections and arrangements that promote team-building skills (within ensemble playing), and promote the desire to continue with a higher level of mastery of skills and musical understanding. 

Students will develop skill in listening, reading and performing advanced level (for middle school) band music. During this development, students will continue mastering their understanding of the proper ways to hold their instruments, to play “advanced” level selections and arrangements that promote teambuilding skills (within ensemble playing), and promote the desire to continue with a higher level of mastery of skills and musical understanding (at the high school level and beyond). 

In this course students will participate in and learn about a variety of dance styles as they improve their flexibiility, strength and coordination. This class is open to students with no previous dance experience and provides a safe and positive learning environment.  Other benefits to this class are: improving their confidence, self-image, problem solving, collaboration, communication skills and responsibility.  Students will have the opportunity to perform as they represent BVM at school, district and community events. 

The major emphasis of this course is on advanced singing activities and vocal production. This standards based course further develops the skills necessary for ensemble singing of more challenging choral literature appropriately arranged for middle school voices, and in reading music notation. The course also provides opportunities for growth in the understanding of musical elements (rhythm, melody, form, harmony, expressive elements, and style) as applied to the music performed. Students will learn to enjoy participating in vocal music; work cooperatively with other students in the musical organization and serve the school by participating in selected performances. 

Have you ever thought about creating interactive animations or stories or computer games? How about a web page or web site to help out your community or for your own personal use? Learn about computer science in a FUN and engaging way with this class. Learn about programming basics and problem solving with computer and have fun doing it! Your family and friends will be amazed by the things you learn to do with a computer! 

Students will learn how to successfully produce a middle school yearbook. In this class students will gain skills in the following areas: page design, publishing techniques, copy writing, editing and photography while producing a creative, innovative yearbook which records school memories and events. There is an emphasis on writing & computer skills in this class. Participants gain useful, real world skills in time management, marketing, teamwork, and design principles. At times, deadlines require that staff members work after school, on weekends, and holidays. Students will learn good work habits and are responsible for all phases of yearbook publication. 

Students learn content and skills within the ranges of Novice Low-Novice High of the State of California Standards for World Languages. Course activities and assessments focus on effective communication in the interpretive, interpersonal and presentational modes as well as an awareness of the cultural products, practices, perspectives and social conventions of the Spanish culture, and connections with other cultures and subject areas. Instruction is primarily in the target language as emphasized in the State of California Foreign Language Framework. 

Students learn content and skills within the ranges of Intermediate Low-Intermediate High of the State of California Standards for World Languages. Course activities and assessments focus on effective communication in the interpretive, interpersonal and presentational modes as well as an awareness of the cultural products, practices, perspectives and social conventions of the Spanish culture, and connections with other cultures and subject areas. Instruction is primarily in the target language as emphasized in the State of California Foreign Language Frameworks. 

This course is intended for students who are still developing biliteracy in Spanish as a heritage language and who have had previous instruction or home exposure in the target language.  Students at this level have basic skills in reading and writing in Spanish, they are in the novice level.  The objective of this course it to support students to acquire and learn a second language as they are also learning the sociocultural perspective of the Spanish speaking countries.  Also, students at this level will be developing the needed skills in Spanish to be successful in the four language domains: listening, speaking, reading, and writing.  Course content also supports academic language through a variety of authentic print, audio and audio visual texts, as well as an understanding of the sociocultural products, practices and perspectives of native speakers' cultures.

This course is intended for students who are almost biliterate in Spanish as a heritage language and who have had previous instruction in the target language.  Students at this level can read and write in Spanish and are intermediate level in Spanish.  Students will continue to acquire more knowledge in the language as they enrich their Spanish skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Course content also emphasizes the transition from a collapsed to academic language through a variety of authentic print, audio and audiovisual texts, as well as an understanding of the products, practices and perspectives of Spanish speaking sociocultural diversities.

This course is intended for students who are biliterate in Spanish as a heritage language and who have had previous instruction in the target language.  Students at this level can read and write in Spanish, they are in the advanced level.  The objective of this course is to support students to continue acquiring more knowledge in the language and socioculutural perspectives of Spanish speaking countries. Also, students at this level will continue to develop Spanish competence and confidence through the four domains of language: listening, speaking, reading, and writing.  Course content also supports academic language through a variety of authentic print, audio and audiovisual texts, as well as an understanding of the sociocultural products, practices and perspectives of Spanish speaking countries. 

Students will work in a variety of media, giving them the opportunity to grasp a basic understanding of the art world and art making process. Students will explore projects that are designed to develop artistic ability, creativity, provide art awareness, understand aesthetics and instill appreciation for both art history and art making. Students will be taught basic artistic principles involving the elements and principles of art and they will learn how to apply these elements and principles through the development of two and/or three-dimensional projects. 

This course is a second year of Arts & Crafts. Students who take this course have previously taken Arts & Crafts.