HISD: New Electives Help 6th Graders

Humble ISD is providing new, leadingedge opportunities to enhance learning for sixth grade students through a new Career and Technical Education (CTE) Middle School Exploration Wheel. The goal is to provide students across the district with hands-on opportunities to discover their personal strengths while exploring multiple educational paths before reaching high school.

The wheel, new for the 2021-2022 school year, introduces sixth graders to eight exciting career modules that students rotate every four to five weeks into one of the following modules: Health Science; STEM Coding and Innovation; Animal Science, Wildlife, and Nature; Automotive and Architecture; Audio/Visual and Graphic Editing; Computer Technology and Accounting/Finance; Culinary and Service Industry; and JROTC and Criminal Justice. By the end of the school year, the sixth graders will have studied all eight modules.

Animal Science, “We strongly believe that, by introducing Wildlife, & students to career pathways at an earlier Nature age, this will increase their confidence in Health Science Career Automotive & Architecture choosing their preferred course of study in high school,” Larkin Le Sueur, Humble ISD Director of Career and Technical Exploration Education, said. JROTC & Criminal Justice 6th Culinary & Grade Computer Technology Audio/Visual & Graphic Editing & The CTE Middle School Exploration Wheel was developed through suggestions from the Superintendent’s Student Advisory Committee. Students advocated for new opportunities to Service Industry Accounting/ experience all that Humble ISD’s CTE Finance programs had to offer at an earlier age, while giving them greater knowledge of their interests. “The concept will also give students a chance to explore and counselors will be able to use that information in their individual meetings with students to help design each student’s personalized class schedule and post-high school plans,” Dr. Melissa Leigh, Humble ISD Senior Director of Personalized Student Success, said.

STEM Coding & Innovation

The Animal Science, Wildlife, and Nature module gives students the opportunity to learn about animal health and how animals adapt in wild and domesticated settings.

The Audio/Visual and Graphic Editing module of the Career and Technical Education Exploration Wheel teaches students about studio production both in front and behind the camera.

“Sixth graders will have the opportunity to explore all career paths through our new CTE Wheel. This wheel will offer 4.5 week hands-on experiences taught by experts. Students will learn to match their strengths and their loves to career options and fields. Middle school was always intended to be a time of exploration and we are making sure that is happening.”

- Dr. Elizabeth Fagen, Humble ISD Superintendent of Schools Follow Dr. Fagen on Twitter @ElizabethFagen

Students learn about criminal investigations and the fundamentals of law in the JROTC/Criminal Justice module of the Middle School Career and Technical Education Exploration Wheel.