MARCH 7–11, 2016
MPA MIDDLE SCHOOL i-TERM Week of March 7–11, 2016 PURPOSE AND OVERVIEW: Mounds Park Academy’s i-Term provides students in grades 5–8 with a unique opportunity to embody MPA’s mission of thinking independently and learning joyfully by participating in a one-week enrichment experience. I-Term courses are designed to provide inquiry-based, experiential learning beyond the classroom. The project-based, focused nature of i-Term offerings enables students to learn new skills, do things that are not possible within a normal school setting, and be exposed to things they would not be otherwise. Students will venture into the community, work with experts in a particular field, and create new friendships along the way during this signature experience. STUDENT OWNERSHIP: While students are required to participate in i-Term, they are empowered to select a course that will either deepen their current understanding of a topic or introduce them to a new area of interest. REGISTRATION PROCEDURES: Students will be asked to select three courses for i-Term. While class sizes are purposefully kept small to ensure an intimate learning environment, every effort will be made to match students with their first choice. Course preferences are due in the MS Office by April 30, 2015. Once a student is registered and confirmed in a course, no changes will be made.
FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS: Several i-Term classes are covered by tuition; however, some courses require additional fees to help offset travel expenses. Families are required to pay these fees by the dates indicated on the registration forms. USING THIS DOCUMENT i-Term courses are divided into four categories —STEM, Global Leadership, Fine Arts and Other Courses. They are color coded as indicated below. Use this document to review course content and select your ideal i-Term course.
STEM COURSES
GLOBAL LEADERSHIP COURSES
FINE ARTS COURSES
OTHER COURSES
ITERM ONLINE:
moundsparkacademy.org/iterm
ARCTIC ADVENTURES COST: $400.00
This course invites students to embrace winter with outdoor activities and learning about the Inuit culture. Participants will travel to Ely for 3 days to go dogsledding and learn about wildlife and tracking, stopping at the Bear and Wolf Centers along the way. Back in the Twin Cities, they will work with a naturalist as they take an historical snowshoe tour at Fort Snelling State Park. Finally, students will create Inuit art with clay and printmaking, and learn more about the culture through cooking and games.
STEM COURSES
CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION MPA (C.S.I. MPA) COST: NONE
The CSI franchise has taken over the airwaves and brought forensic science to millions of homes in the U.S. Have you caught C.S.I. fever? If so, learn the techniques that real detectives use in solving crimes: finger print analysis, impression analysis, hair analysis, blood splatter analysis (fake blood of course!), and more. Special guests from the field of forensic science will bring their expertise to your learning experience. The highlight of the week occurs on Friday when students, working in teams, use the knowledge and techniques they learned throughout the week to solve a crime and help bring the suspect(s) to justice!
STEM COURSES
HEALTHCARE CAREERS AND BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING COST: $25.00
This course is designed to expose students to a variety of areas within the Healthcare field. Students will hear from physicians about their training, daily life, and the range of specialties available, assess medical apps, and research, diagnose, and prescribe treatment for some uncommon ailments. Participants will also work with staff from local universities to learn about population health, including global health disparities and infectious diseases. Finally, students will explore biomedical engineering as they travel to the 3M Innovation Center and the University of Minnesota’s Medical Device Center, learn about robotics and tele-surgery, and use MPA’s 3D printers to collaboratively design their own medical “device.”
STEM COURSES
PHONE AND TABLET APP DEVELOPMENT COST: NONE
Students will learn to create and program phone and tablet applications. They will use Javascript and Titanium SDK to create apps that can run on mobile devices. The main focus of the class will be on the iPhone and iPad. Along with learning to create native user interfaces, students will learn to use the physics engine included with iOS to create simple games.
STEM COURSES
CHINESE LANGUAGE AND CULTURE COST: $25.00
This introductory Chinese language and culture class will give students a deep dive into all things Chinese. Students will learn some basic Mandarin language, including greetings, numbers, colors, body parts, characters, and more. They will put their new skills to use when they travel to a Chinese grocery store, and then return to school to create authentic specialties. Participants will explore traditional Chinese music, art, and dance, and be introduced to elements of Chinese martial arts. Finally, students will learn about Chinese history and geography, try their hand at calligraphy, and hear from an expert at the Confucius Institute at the University of Minnesota.
GLOBAL LEADERSHIP COURSES
FRENCH IMMERSION TRIP TO QUEBEC COST: $1,995 - $2,195 (based on number of travelers)
This five-day excursion to Quebec City includes a variety of museum visits, a guided tour of the National Assembly, a visit to a local school to meet bilingual peers, and a cable car ride to the top of Montmorency Falls. Students will participate in interactive games to learn about traditions at Huron-Wendat Village, see an historic re-creation of the battle of the Plains of Abraham, and visit the famous pilgrimage site of Cathédrale Ste-Anne de Beaupré. Students will also toboggan, ice-skate, and visit the famous Hôtel de Glace. This course is open to all students; parents are invited to travel as well.
GLOBAL LEADERSHIP COURSES
GERMAN LANGUAGE AND CULTURE COST: $200.00
Spend the week immersed in the language, cultures, and histories of the Germanspeaking world (including Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and the German diaspora around the world). Students will learn some basic German language throughout the week, and explore German food, music, art, literature (Grimm’s Fairy Tales), pop culture, and current events. Participants will visit the Germanic-American Institute’s mansion on Summit Avenue, the Minnesota History Center to learn about German migrants to Minnesota, the historic Rathskeller in the Minnesota Capitol building, and the Glockenspiel Restaurant. The capstone experience of the week will be an overnight at Concordia Language Village Waldsee. During the overnight, students will practice some of their German phrases, learn typical games and songs, and eat authentic meals.
GLOBAL LEADERSHIP COURSES
SPANISH IMMERSION TRIP TO PUERTO RICO COST: $2,704.00
Practice your Spanish skills during this seven-day trip as you immerse yourself in Puerto Rican life and culture. Students will learn Colonial history as they tour the Capitol, El Morro Castle, and the plazas and museums of San Juan. They will journey into the Caribbean national forest, creep through the caves of Rio Camuy Cave Park, and visit Arecibo Observatory, home of the world’s largest radio telescope. Participants will also meet local students during a visit to a Puerto Rican School, learn Salsa dancing, explore Serralles Castle, and relax on Luquillo Beach. This course is open to all students; parents are invited to travel as well.
GLOBAL LEADERSHIP COURSES
ARCHITECTURE, ENGINEERING, AND DESIGN ODYSSEY COST: $25.00
Have you ever looked up and wondered how buildings were designed and constructed? Do you like to draw and build things? This course will expose students to many aspects of the construction process, including drawing plans, landscape architecture, interior design, engineering and contracting. Participants will learn about some great structures in the world, study famous architects such as Frank Lloyd Wright and Frank O. Gehry, and explore Green Design. Finally, students will travel to local sites to get a firsthand look at both modern and classical designs, and will use computer-aided design tools as they create their own architectural plans.
FINE ARTS COURSES
CIRCUS ADVENTURE COST: $50.00
Flip for fun. Jump for joy. Soar to new heights. Join Circus Juventas’ internationally renowned troupe of coaches for a week of adventure, risk-taking, and fun. Students will spend their mornings in warm-up activities, participating in team games, and pushing themselves to try new things as they rotate through stations. In the afternoons, participants will experience more traditional circus arts. Finally, the group will don professional costumes and makeup for a small culminating performance at the end of the week. Come try your hand at acrobatics, juggling, theater, aerial stunts, balancing acts, and more!
FINE ARTS COURSES COURSES GLOBAL LEADERSHIP
MUSIC COMPOSITION: THE ROAD FROM THEORY TO PRINT COST: $25.00
Have you ever wanted to compose your own piece of music but have no idea how to start? This class will introduce some of the knowledge necessary to begin composing music, including how to create a melody and accompaniment. You will learn basic music theory and work individually and in groups to create compositions, which will evolve through improvisation on instruments or with singing. GarageBand, Finale and Noteflight will be the focus of the music technology portion of the compositions following the initial composition on staff paper. A local composer will share insights with the class, and students will travel to a recording studio to record their work. At the conclusion of the week, students will have the opportunity to share their compositions with friends and family.
FINE ARTS COURSES
SPACE, THE FINAL FRONTIER‌ COST: $25.00
This class will voyage into science fiction, old and new. Together we will travel back through literature, film and television while exploring different themes of science fiction, such as artificial intelligence, aliens, time travel, and utopia and dystopias. Students will read and analyze classic and modern science fiction authors like Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, Kurt Vonnegut, M.T. Anderson, Mary Pearson and more. The use of popular television shows and films, like Star Trek, Twilight Zone, and Dr. Who, will be shown to examine how science fiction themes are brought to life. Finally, participants will take field trips to the Bakken Museum and Science Museum, where they will focus on the blending of science fiction and science reality. A few more surprises will be in store for those who choose to boldly go where no one has gone before!
FINE ARTS COURSES
WITCHES, WOLVES AND STEPSISTERS COST: NONE
Why is the witch so mean? What if the wolf is just hungry? And are the stepsisters really as dumb as they seem? From movies to musicals, students will look at fairy tales through the eyes of the villains to write their own play based on these misunderstood characters. At the end of the week, participants will perform for Lower School students, family and friends. This course will be directed by an artist from the Children’s Theatre Company.
FINE ARTS COURSES
ENTREPRENEURSHIP COST: NONE
Have you ever wondered what it takes to start your own business? This course will expose students to all aspects of business development, including identifying a product or service, analyzing government regulations, creating a budget, securing start-up funding, and designing a marketing strategy. Students will talk to entrepreneurs in a variety of fields to learn about the risks and rewards associated with entrepreneurship, and will individually or collaboratively develop and present their own preliminary business plan.
OTHER COURSES
STRATEGY GAMING COST: $25.00
How would you like to... Explore a new land in Settlers of Catan? Race across Europe by train in Ticket to Ride? Build a great city in Citadels? Learn how to play Dominion, Carcassonne, and Pandemic? Playing strategy games develops analysis and problem solving skills and helps build communication and negotiation ability through face-to-face competition and cooperation. Join us as we learn how to play, analyze, and form winning tactics and strategies for several games and travel to Fantasy Flight Games in Roseville to interact with game developers, see how games are produced, and act as game testers. If you love games and strategy, this is the class for you!
OTHER COURSES
TASTE OF CAREERS COST: $25.00
Does the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” make you nervous? Do you find yourself wondering how you will actually use the skills you learn in school each day? This course is designed to introduce students to a variety of career options in the areas of “The Arts,” “Business,” “Law and Politics,” “Science, Technology and Medicine,” and “Service, Education, and Non-Profit work.” Participants will take personal inventories to highlight their strengths and interests, create a resume, prepare for a mock interview, and learn a bit about the college admissions process. Guest speakers will provide insights into training, daily life, and other aspects of each field, and students will travel to local companies to get an insider’s view.
OTHER COURSES
2051 Larpenteur Avenue East Maplewood, MN 55109 651-777-2555 moundsparkacademy.org