Online Registration Guide

Course Number: 7131
Grade: 7
Credits: 3
Type: Full year, everyday

This course is the study of United States history from the early 1800's up to the War on Terror. In this course students explore economic, political, and social events from multiple perspectives. This is accomplished through investigating many sources, including primary and secondary sources. Students will be involved in small and large group discussions as well as individual work. Students will explore current world events and integrate them into the curriculum and connect to historical content throughout the year.

Course Number: 7111
Grade: 7
Credits: 3
Type: Full year, every other day

This class builds on the concepts learned in Art 6, using different projects and art styles for more advanced learning. Students taking this class will learn how to analyze, design and create artworks in a variety of media; such as drawing, etching, painting, pastels, and clay. Students in this class are challenged to develop 21st century skills such as creativity & innovation, critical thinking & problem solving, communication (visual and verbal), and collaboration to help them be successful in their 21st century lives.

Course Number: 8011 
Grades: 8
Credits: 3
Type: Full year, every other day

Students taking Art 8 will continue to learn how to analyze, design and create artworks in a variety of media including, but not limited to drawing, painting, clay and other sculpture materials. Artistic themes are incorporated into most of the projects, so students really have a chance to be creative and personalize their artwork. Students in this class are challenged to develop 21st century skills such as creativity & innovation, critical thinking & problem solving, communication (visual and verbal) and collaboration to help them be successful in their 21st century lives.

Course Number: 7091 or 8091
Grade: 7 and 8
Credits: 6
Type: Full year, everyday

AVID Elective opens the door to your college dreams starting with one period a day, where students learn organizational and study skills, work on critical thinking and asking probing questions, get academic help from peers and college tutors, and participate in enrichment and motivational activities that make college seem attainable.  AVID places these students on the college track, requiring them to enroll in the most rigorous courses that are appropriate for them, such as Honors and Advanced Placement®. To support them in the rigorous coursework, AVID students learn organizational and study skills, develop critical thinking, learn to ask probing questions, receive academic help from peers and tutors, and participate in enrichment and motivational activities to make their college dreams reality.

Course Number: 7031 or 7032
Grade: 7
Credits: 3 or 6
Type: Full year, every other day or every day

7^th grade band is a continuation of sixth grade band experience. It is a yearlong commitment and bands perform twice per year. Students receive individual/small group lessons. Rhythmic skills include rhythms up to dotted quarter notes and syncopation and includes playing in keys of Bb, Eb and F concert.

Course Number: 8031 or 8032
Grade: 8
Credits: 3 or 6
Type: Full year, every other day or everyday

8^th grade band is a continuation of seventh grade band experience. It is a year long commitment and bands perform twice per year.  Students receive individual/small group lessons. Rhythmic skills include rhythms up to sixteenth note patterns and includes playing in keys Bb, Eb, F and Ab concert.

Course Number: 7041
Grade: 7
Credits: 3
Type: Full year, every other day

Come and join your friends, and make some new ones, in 7th grade choir! We welcome back continuing choir members and encourage students who are new to choir to join us. This course develops basic musical skills through activities in creating, listening to, performing and responding to music. You will gain confidence as you improve your ability to read music, increase your knowledge about music, become a stronger singer and contributor to the group. Learn about history and culture from the unique perspectives of those who communicate through music. We will work together to foster an environment that promotes risk taking, encouragement, persistence and teamwork. Choir members will get to perform together in at least two public performances during the year.

Course Number: 8041
Grade: 8
Credits: 3
Type: Full year, every other day

Join us for 8th Grade Choir! This course provides extended and more personalized opportunities in creating, listening to, performing and responding to music. Enjoy creating music with your friends in a setting that values teamwork as well as individuality. No previous choir experience is required. Sing exciting and challenging music in a variety of popular and traditional styles. Gain a broader understanding of history, art and culture through the music we experience. This course will help you to continuing your musical development and put you on your way to achieving your musical goals. Multiple public performance opportunities will be experienced throughout the year.

Course Number: 8142
Grade: 8 
Credits: 3 
Type: Full year, every other day 

Students will engage in performance-based activities to experience a wide and varied exposure to dance and fitness. (Examples: Traditional, Creative, Cultural, Hip Hop, Social Trends, etc.) This is a course that will teach students the fundamental techniques and vocabulary in many styles of dance throughout the year. Each trimester, students will experience dance as well as other areas of personal fitness such as strength and conditioning, and yoga. This course strives to promote a lifelong interest in both dance and physical fitness through personal fitness opportunities

Course Number: 7021
Grade: 7
Credits: 3
Type: Full year, every other day

In this course, students will be introduced to the Technology, Engineering and Design and Business and Entrepreneurship Pathways through the design, creation and launch of a digital game. Students will have the opportunity to pitch, program, promote, and play while building on their strengths and/or interests in areas such as digital art, coding, storytelling and problem solving. Students will take on specific roles, set goals and complete game projects with a team. 

Course Number: 8021 
Grade: 8 
Credits: 3 
Type: Full year, every other day 

In this course, we dive into beginner to intermediate programming concepts, as well as how we can use these to design interesting games using the Swift and Lua programming languages. We develop planning skills and utilize the design process to structure the process of creating a game. You will then explore the marketing side of game development, such as how to pitch your game and how to promote it to others.

Course Number: 8131
Grade: 8
Credits: 3
Type: Full year, everyday

Students in 8th grade Geography will be exploring the regions of the world using geographic information from a variety of sources. We will also analyze important trends in the modern world that will continue to impact our lives. In addition to the geography of our world we will also study historical events that have occurred in the last half century that have shaped the contemporary world.

Course Number: 8113
Grade: 8
Credits: 3 Middle School Credits and 3 High School Credits
Type: Full year, everyday
Prerequisite: Successful completion of Quadratic Algebra
Post-Secondary Connection: Students in 8^th grade are eligible for this class if they meet the criteria entering middle school. This is a high school level course, successful completion earns 3 High School Credits on the student's High School transcript through Spring Lake Park High School.

The course is structured around problems and investigations that build spatial visualization skills, conceptual understanding of geometry topics, and an awareness of connections between different ideas. It emphasizes several big ideas in an integrated algebra/geometry context. The key concepts addressed in this course are: inductive reasoning, deductive reasoning, construction, symmetry, transformations, congruence, similarity, Pythagorean Theorem, area, volume, and right triangle trigonometry.

Course Number: 8071
Grades: 8
Credits: 3 Middle School Credits and 3 High School Credits
Type: Full year, everyday
Post-Secondary Connection: This is a high school level course. Successful completion earns 3 High School Credits on the student’s high school transcript through Spring Lake Park High School. Students taking German in high school will have the option of earning up to 10 college credits through the University of Minnesota’s College in the Schools (CIS) program.

Sprichst du Deutsch? ¿Quieres hablar alemán? Do you want to speak German? Taking German 1 is an excellent way to get a head start on your language studies and try something different. This course is designed to be interactive, communicative, challenging and FUN! In German 1, we will explore the wonders and peculiarities of the German language and culture using engaging stories and personalized instruction! At the end of this course, you will be able to read, write, listen and speak in German using high-frequency vocabulary and phrases. You will also have the opportunity to participate in cultural activities and crafts, learn about German traditions and customs, and maybe even try some interesting German foods. In taking German 1, you will gain new perspectives, exciting opportunities, and advantages for high school and college studies (see Post-Secondary Connection). This is just the beginning of your adventures in learning German, so all students are welcome!

Course Number: 7132
Grade: 7
Credits: 6
Type: Full year, everyday

This course is the study of United States history from early 1800's up to the War on Terror. In American Studies Honors the students are expected to be motivated to work independently in and out of the classroom. The class will move at a faster pace, involve significant research, critical thinking, and students will be required to actively participate in rich classroom discussion. There will be more essay writing outside of the classroom and most reading materials will be above grade level.  Student product and assessments will be held to a higher standard.