RGS ELECTIVES
School of the Year 2020-2021
R E I G AT E G R A M M A R S C H O O L
ELECTIVES
WHAT ARE ELECTIVES?
E
lectives are a chance for you to try something new, develop skills or gain new ones in an area in which you are already interested. It is an opportunity for you to broaden your horizons and to see what areas of interest you may develop over the course of the programme. Electives are taught in classes which will include both Third and Fourth Form students on a Wednesday afternoon. Each Elective will consist of five double lessons per half-term. Some electives have proved to be very popular in the past so in some instances we have tried to provide an opportunity for you to continue with a topic that you really enjoy, but to a higher standard. In order to make the selection process fair, courses will be allocated as you complete an online form. You will be able to select your electives for each half term as the year progresses. You will be notified when the elective selection form will go live and an email will be sent to you with your personal link to the form for access to the system. We make every effort to ensure that all courses listed go ahead, however, due to timetabling constraints, the courses on offer are subject to change. This will become clear as you select your options online. Please take time to read and consider the information in this booklet in order to help you decide which of the electives you would like to try or continue. If you have any additional questions please do ask me or any of staff involved.
Miss Morris
Head of Electives
R E I G AT E G R A M M A R S C H O O L
ACADEMIC PROJECT AWARD
Keen to discover and develop an interest in topics beyond the classroom and build a project around them? Then this Elective is for you! The Academic Project Award (APA) Elective is designed to support you in pursuing your academic curiosity and equip you with research, planning and independent study skills that will be enormously useful as you go forward with higher study. To participate, you are required to make a commitment of three electives blocks whilst in Third and Fourth Form, after which you will be invited to showcase your work at a presentation evening. In the initial stages of the program you will be guided in discovering new interests and exploring them further following which you will receive taught sessions in research, planning and essay writing. In the latter half of the award you will work more independently, continuing to research and put together your project with staff supervision during the sessions. Your final piece of work will reflect your journey of researching a question or idea that captivates you; this could be an essay, though we also welcome and support creative project ideas such as academically-researched models, artefacts, performances or even TED talk videos. Past projects have included the following ideas: the application of technology in medicine; how phobias are formed; and the development of photography. This is great opportunity to explore subjects that interest you, why not join in?
ELECTIVES
CLAY MODELLING
Are you passionate about 3D design work and do you enjoy working with your hands? Then come along to Mr Armstrong’s clay based elective. During the five week course you will design and complete either a bust or full body model. This could be a self-portrait, historic figure, personality, mythical character, animal or just a character you enjoy from a book or film. You will develop your clay working skills, and hopefully pick up some new techniques alongside completing a project that you can keep forever. All pieces of work will be fired when completed and can be collected after the course finishes.
CREST DISCOVERY
CREST Discovery offer a first introduction to STEM project work. You will complete either a single project or a series of linked challenges with a real-world context. You will be provided with a choice of challenges to choose from and work towards your discovery award over a period of five weeks. Your work will be submitted and you will receive a personalised certificate to recognise your achievements. This is an excellent opportunity to work collaboratively on the project or challenges, record and reflect on your work during the project using a CREST Discovery passport and communicate your findings through a group presentation.
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DISCOVER LOCAL PLACES THROUGH PHOTOGRAPHY
Think you know the local area? Like taking photos and editing them? Enjoy sharing what you have learned? Each week we will visit different local places and explore them through a new photographic theme. Your challenge will be to take photographs that capture the essence of the place relating to the theme. You will then select two photos to edit and share with others, building a portfolio of local discoveries. This is an all-weather activity and will involve walking, so you’ll need a coat plus a mobile phone with a camera.
ENTERPRISE
The Enterprise elective sees students working as a team to set up an imaginary coffee shop in Reigate. You take the shop from initial idea through market research to design and selection of products and finally to recruitment of staff and marketing. You present your ideas in a final pitch and vote on the best coffee shop. If you are interested in running your own business, then this is the elective for you!
ELECTIVES
FILM STUDIES
Explore the art of film. Become a film aficionado. See differently We will explore how meaning is made and image manipulated in film. You will learn about the semiotics, psychology, and politics of film. Most of all you’ll be better able to appreciate the beauty and importance of image in this modern art form. There will be a creative element to this Elective. Kurosawa. Lynch. Tarkovsky. Coen. Anderson. Coppola. Leone. Lang. Bigelow. Kubrick. What do these names have in common? Come along and find out.
FIRST AID
Would you know what to do in a life-threatening emergency? Learning Emergency Life Support skills can help you keep someone alive until professional help arrives. This is a fantastic opportunity to learn how to deal with people who may be choking, having a heart attack, seriously bleeding or not breathing. Come along to this First Aid Elective and learn what to do in an emergency – simple skills that save lives.
HISTORY FILM
There are very few things that bring me joy. However, two rare examples are films and History. In this Elective we combine these joys to make the imaginatively titled History Film Elective. In this Elective we will focus on some highly acclaimed films such as Schindler’s List, Gandhi, Sophie Scholl. We will watch excerpts from the films and will discuss the Historical context. A number of these films will be foreign and we will see how History has been depicted differently in these various countries.
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LINGUISTIC CHALLENGES
You will take part in activities that combine analytic reasoning and cultural awareness. You will learn about the richness, diversity and systematicity of language, while exercising natural logic and reasoning skills. Many of the puzzles will have unique cultural features expressed by the languages represented. You will be able to extend yourself beyond your usual thought patterns to discover ways in which speakers of different languages approach reality. This Elective lends itself to preparing oneself to take part in the Linguistics Olympiads later on in the year. You do not need to be studying any language to take part, be successful and enjoy this elective.
LOVEWORKS COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP
Believe it or not there are people in our local area who are struggling to feed their family each day. In this elective you will spend some time trying to understand the causes and issues around food poverty and why this problem exists today. However, this elective is not just about theory! A lot of the time you will be working with one of our local charity partners called Loveworks who try to help those facing food poverty. You will be visiting Loveworks in their base in Merstham and helping out practically with getting food ready for distribution from their food bank. There may also be opportunities to help the charity in other ways such as making publicity materials for them. So, if you want to make a real, practical difference for those in need, then this elective could be for you.
ELECTIVES
MINDFULNESS
The aim of Mindfulness is to learn some simple yet effective practices that may help you to deal with worry and stress. We will be following the Mindfulness in Schools Project programme which aims to give students mindfulness as a life skill. You might then use it to help you feel happier, calmer and more fulfilled. It may also help with concentration, help you cope with stress and anxiety and increase performance in music or sport. If you are interested in finding out more for yourself then sign up for this Elective.
MUSIC TECHNOLOGY
An introduction to Music Technology looking at sound engineering, synthesis, sequencing and studio effects. Students will look at the theory and practice of using the Recording Studio, as well as how to use advanced features of Logic. This Elective is ideally suited to students with musical experience; however, all areas will be taught from scratch, so previous knowledge is not essential.
PHOTOGRAPHY
The Photographic elective will introduce you to a range of photographic processes spanning over two centuries. Starting with early camera-less, pin-hole and analogue cameras to the modern digital SLR cameras You will learn the essential skills required for photography to create a well exposed image as well as darkroom craftsmanship. You will have the opportunity to practice a range of exciting and creative photo-manipulation methods, traditionally with photomontage and digitally with Photoshop.
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POP VIDEO PRODUCTION
Fancy directing your own music video? Join this elective and get creative with filming, editing, listening to music and analysing lyrics. You will learn to consider imagery and symbolism, meet deadlines and make decisions. If you love team work, being creative and have a love of chart/ pop music then this is the club for you!
SALSA AND JIVE DANCING
Tone your muscles and get moving with style and fun learning 21st century Latin beginner and intermediate levels. Solo and partnered students learn tried and tested sequences before choreographing their own routines. We will use demonstrations and user-friendly video examples to help even the most selfconscious students learn enough to feel more confident and coordinated, whether they want to audition for a Drama production, or strut their stuff at a party.
SCRABBLE
Do you enjoy using a myriad of words to describe things? Do you relish the chance to learn new words? Have you got a competitive streak? Engage in this timeless classic board game to not only learn new words but also develop your communication, thinking and reasoning skills. You will have the pportunity to compete against teachers and your peers to see who has the widest vocabulary and is a true wordsmith. Select this elective to have fun and learn through play!
ELECTIVES
SFX PROSTHETICS & CASUALTY MAKE-UP EFFECTS If you’re passionate about SFX prosthetics or just want to try something creative, fun and unusual, this elective is for you!
This fun, hands-on elective gives you an insight into the fascinating world of prosthetics and make-up effects. We will begin with applying colour casualty effects and then move on to sculpting, moulding and casting your own silicone appliance such as a wound or your own design, just like those you see on TV and in movies.
Reigate Grammar School, Reigate Road, Reigate, Surrey RH2 0QS 01737 222231 info@reigategrammar.org reigategrammar.org