6th Grade Electives
McAULIFFE MIDDLE SCHOOL
6th Grade
ELECTIVE
Course Descriptions
EXPLORATORY WHEEL – (YEAR LONG COURSE) Students rotate each quarter from Leadership to Eagles Soar to Art to Drama to Exploring Tech (STEM) .
Leadership:
Students will develop essential skills in communication, teamwork, and problem-solving. One of the highlights of this class is the opportunity for 6th grade students to collaborate with the 7th and 8th grade Leadership classes. Through mentorship and joint activities, students will explore what it truly means to be a positive and impactful leader in their school and community. This course will foster confidence and a growth mindset, empowering students to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others and create a positive impact wherever they go.
Eagles Soar:
Students will develop essential study skills to help them succeed in middle school and beyond. SOAR stands for Strategies, Organization, Accountability, and Resilience—the key components of effective learning. Throughout the course, students will learn how to set goals, manage their time, stay organized, take effective notes, and prepare for tests. They will also explore strategies for staying focused, overcoming challenges, and building confidence in their academic abilities. By the end of the course, students will have the tools they need to SOAR to success in all their classes!
Art:
Artists are not born, they are taught! By drawing from the right side of your brain you will learn the two sides to art...the creative and the technical! Using this method, students learn to draw through careful, controlled observation while also drawing from their intuition. Drawing is a basic skill that is fundamental for critical thinking, that all students can acquire! Shading techniques, design and composition, and famous paintings will also be studied.
Drama:
The drama quarter is an introduction to theater and public speaking. Students participate in a variety of performances and audience experiences. Through ensemble and individual performance, students learn about effective communication, improvisation, public speaking/acting techniques, vocal expression and play production. Students develop life skills in addition to having fun! Students will perform a short in-class play with no outside audience, just the students in their class.
Exploring Tech (STEM):
In this class, (S)cience, (T)echnology, (E)ngineering and (M)ath or STEM principles all come together as we explore solutions to real life problems. Students will work in groups to learn the basics of engineering design to identify problems and construct solutions. Some of the possible topics we will cover are Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer, Solar Energy, Force and Motion, Circuits, Capacitors, Computer Aided Design, Electrical Generation and Transformations and Coding. We’ll also add the A for Arts in STEAM by learning how to use different types of computer programs and websites to creatively present our ideas and solutions.
6th Grade ELECTIVES - NO EXPLORATORY WHEEL - Year Long
STEM I - INTRODUCTION TO STEM: Welcome to STEM 1 at McAuliffe Middle School! We look forward to a very exciting and productive year. Our goal is to encourage students to become lifetime learners, risk takers in a safe classroom, be enthusiastic consumers and creators of knowledge, have a passion for invention, a commitment to personal excellence, a strong belief in one’s abilities, embrace mistakes and feedback as learning opportunities, and be persistent with setting goals and long-term thinking. I am pleased to have the time to work with each of you through our learning journey. This is an opportunity for us to learn together and encourage each other along the way. This year-long class will introduce students to digital literacy, graphic design, Design Thinking, website design, beginning engineering principles, robotics, coding for robotics, and coding for applications. In this class, students are able to apply their creativity and their imagination as problem solvers; a skill that will always be in high demand. This class will primarily focus on introductory skills.
6th Grade MUSIC ELECTIVES - NO EXPLORATORY WHEEL - Year Long
BEGINNING CHOIR: Everyone is welcome! Sixth Sense is a beginning choir aimed at familiarizing students with the McAuliffe choir program and to teach basic singing and music techniques for the treble voice that will help them move on to competitive groups. It is a great way for students to make new friends, grow musically, get to know the program, and just have fun making music. The choir participates in three McAuliffe concerts, District Choral Festival, and Knott’s Berry Farm. Outside of class rehearsals and events are minimal, but required. There is a suggested donation to cover the costs of performance and competition, however, scholarships and fundraisers are available to help.
SOUL MEN 6-8 Everyone is welcome! This course will focus on developing the Tenor and Bass voice, as well as assisting students through the voice change. Students will learn singing and performing techniques and work with clinicians to help develop their craft. This class is very active and is a great way to make new friends, while working the brain and body at the same time. The choir participates in 3 McAuliffe concerts, District Choral Festival, 2 show choir competitions, and Knott’s Berry Farm. Outside of class rehearsals and performances are a requirement of the class. There is a suggested donation to cover the costs of performance and competition, however, scholarships and fundraisers are available to help.
STRING ORCHESTRA 6-8 Everyone is welcome! Orchestra is a one-year course for string players and 1 piano player in grades 6-8. It is designed to give experience in rehearsing and performing music from many genres including classical, popular, and film music. Both individual technique and ensemble skills are developed throughout the year. This group attends Southern California Orchestra Festivals, performs in school and district concerts, as well as performs throughout our community. As an active performing ensemble, student participation in all performances is required. Rental of an instrument and reasonably priced performance attire are necessary. There is a suggested donation to cover the costs of performances, travel expenses, and competition. Scholarships and fundraisers are available. Private lessons are highly recommended in order to excel.
BEGINNING BAND 6th Grade ONLY: Everyone is welcome. No previous experience is necessary. Beginning band is open to all students. Rental of an instrument and reasonably priced performance attire are necessary. Students that commit to private lessons will likely play their “first choice” instrument (to avoid too many on one instrument). There is a small donation to cover the costs of performance and competition. Scholarships and fundraisers are always available. Private lessons are recommended in order to thrive.
INTERMEDIATE or ADVANCED BAND 6-8: Prerequisite: Auditions required. Concert Band is a one-year instrumental course where students learn woodwind, brass, and percussion instruments. Students will rehearse daily which will culminate with performances at our school and at district concerts. As part of our commitment, participation in all performances is required. Intermediate and Advanced Band are open to all students. Rental of an instrument and reasonably priced performance attire are necessary. Outside of class rehearsals and events are minimal, but required. There is a small donation to cover the costs of performance and competition. Scholarships and fundraisers are available. Private lessons are recommended in order to thrive.
JAZZ BAND 6-8 - ZERO PERIOD CLASS (7:45am) Auditions required. Students MUST take an additional instrumental music elective during the school day. This course is for students in grades 6-8 who are proficient on their instruments and are interested in performing jazz, big band music, rock, and other popular styles of music. Students in this performing ensemble must have the technical facility and range necessary to perform in a musically rigorous and competitive environment. Jazz band members are required to participate in afternoon rehearsals once per week (in Spring) as well as attend additional outside rehearsals, festivals, and performances as indicated on the schedule given out at the beginning of each semester. As an active performing ensemble, student participation in all performances is required. Rental of an instrument and reasonably priced performance attire are necessary. There is a suggested donation to cover the costs of performances, travel expenses, and competition. Scholarships and fundraisers are available. Private lessons are highly recommended in order to excel.