Exploratory Classes
Westfield Middle School operates on an 8 period day. Students attend core classes, such as Language Arts and Reading, Math, Science, and Social Studies, everyday, all year. Students also take courses called Exploratory classes. 6th and 7th grade students take seven week courses in Art, Communications, Writing Workshop, Drama and General Music. 8th grade students will rotate every 7 weeks to Art, Communications, Drama and General Music, followed by an Exploratory Showcase. All students will rotate classes on October 7, December 3, February 4 and April 5. 8th grade students will rotate at the end of each quarter on October 26, January 19 and March 22.

Exploratory Teachers
All exploratory teachers are available for phone contact during periods 4 and 5 (11:09—12:52). They will also alternate plan periods during periods 1 and 8 throughout the year. (Period 1 = 8:30—9:20 and Period 8 = 2:41—3:30). The best method of contact with any of the exploratory teachers is through e-mail. Please include your child’s name in the subject line of your e-mail. If you have any questions regarding the Exploratory classes, please e-mail any exploratory teacher.

Exploratory Behavior Plan
Students are expected to display appropriate behavior while in class. All Exploratory teachers will be following the same procedure when it comes to poor student behavior.

1. Teachers will follow the 1,2,3 Magic procedure for students who are behaving inappropriately during class. Once a student has received a "3", they will be removed from class and will be issued a checkmark in the teachers records.
2. Students will receive a checkmark for every time they are tardy to class.
3. Once a student has received 3 checkmarks, he or she will be assigned to serve a morning detention.
4. All students will start with a clean record when the Exploratory classes rotate.

Art
Ms. Deyanna Matt – dmatt@sd13.org
Art Website
The Content of Art
Ms. Matt's Art Blog
Artsonia Website

Art as we know it today is a natural part of the human experience and overall learning. Subsequently, Westfield Middle School’s art program is one which seeks to instill a significant insight of the visual arts into all of its’ students throughout their tenure at our school. More importantly, the art program at Westfield Middle School adheres to the belief that students can find pleasure and fulfillment both as a maker and a perceiver of art. To achieve this, all students must know that art is thoughtfully created and must be able to arrive at plausible meanings and resolve ambiguities in works of art, inquire into the relationships among art, history, and cultures, investigate the origins and traditions of art, inquire about the nature and functions of the art world and art institutions, engage in philosophical inquiry about the connections between art and human experiences, use works of art to reflect on personal beliefs and consider cultural values and human needs, as well as create works of art with a sense of purpose while continually improving technical skill. For more information, visit the art classroom website.

Westfield’s Cultural Arts Club
Westfield’s Cultural Art Club is an after school club where students are encouraged to express their creative sides through engaging in critical thinking activities that help instill qualities of creativity, self-expression, and communication. This club also facilitates for new and unique friendships to develop among grade levels while the students are discovering and promoting cultural awareness through the arts. Members of this club participate in movie nights, art activities, holiday feasts, and even after school field trips. Cultural Arts Club meets once a week after school in the art room with Ms. Matt; meeting days rotate in the order to meet as many students’ needs as possible. Students can join at anytime so stop by the art room if you are interested in sharing and supporting our culture!

Communications
Mr. Paul Taylor – ptaylor@sd13.org
Communications Website

Communications Class is designed to allow sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students to increase their efficiency using various computer software programs. Students will be working individually to create projects using digital media. Students will be using different formats for different types of products. They will be using different programs depending on the purpose of the information and types of graphics to be used.

• 6th grade: Students will create graphic stories while using ComicLife, Photo Story and the Internet to develop computer skills. In addition, the will use computer programs to study advertising literacy and Internet safety.
• 7th grade: Students create a variety of graphic and video displays by using programs such as ComicLife, Excel, Windows Movie Maker, and photo editing software such as Gimp, IrfanView, or Picasa. Students also study Internet safety.
• 8th grade: Students work on more advanced skills required to develop graphic and video displays. These students use IrfanView, Gimp, or Picasa to develop a graphic display of photographs. Video editing skills are further developed by shooting an original video and using Windows Movie Maker and to do a variety of edits. Video production is also used to do a problem solving problem.

Contact information and extra times to do work may also be found on the Communications Class Web Page.

Drama
Mrs. Cyndi Bringer – cbringer@sd13.org
Current Drama Website | Past Performances

To provide a framework for the lifelong skills of communication and interaction with your peers. Students who participate in Speech/Drama are less likely to have difficulty speaking in public: will be more persuasive in their communications, both written and oral; will be better able to put themselves into others’ shoes in order to empathize with them; and will have a more positive, confident self-image. Participation in Speech/Drama requires self-control and discipline that will serve the students well in all aspects of like. Students in Speech/Drama will learn to work together; to cooperate; to find the best way for each member of a group to contribute; and to listen to and accept the viewpoints and contributions of others. Speech/Drama provides training for communication so necessary in today’s increasingly information-centered society and prepares students to live and work in a world that is increasingly team-oriented rather than hierarchical.

• 7th Grade Speech/Drama Curriculum: The 7th grade Speech/Drama rotation is performance oriented. Learning listening and evaluating, characterization, the stage, technical theatres, and producing a one-act play, are some of the tools used for instruction. Emphasis will be on Shakespeare’s works and history of theatre. Speech emphasis will be on speaking informally, speaking for practical and social purposes. Also included is how to practice and prepare to better help control stage fright.
• 8th Grade Speech/Drama Curriculum: The 8th grade Speech/Drama and Art rotations have absorbed the rotations of communications and music. The 8th grader will have 7 weeks of intense drama and speech. Emphasis will be placed on using a variety of speaking activities that model real life situations to prepare them for their future educational and work place speaking opportunities. They will be using technology to help them with their visual presentations. During their exploratory classes, we will be working along side with the Art teacher in activities that go from 1 to 5 days that incorporate ALL of the exploratory curriculums. During the showcase the 8th grade student will be able to delve deeper into graduation speeches, improvisation, stage combat, acting, Shakespeare, and reality TV
• Extra Credit Opportunities
  • Bring in any newspaper articles or cartoons that have to do with the theatre.
  • Go to a production and bring in the playbill from the show. Give a brief synopsis of the performance to the class.

Extra Credit Opportunities

• Bring in any newspaper articles or cartoons that have to do with the theatre.
• Go to a production and bring in the playbill from the show. Give a brief synopsis of the performance to the class.

Important Drama Dates for 2011-2012

• A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur’s Court – October 14 at 7:00 pm
• Talent Show try-outs Early December
• Talent Show performance January 27 at 7:00 pm
• The Revealer’s —April 19 and 20—7:00 pm

Music
Mrs. Karma Krzysiak – kkrzysiak@sd13.org
Music Class Website | Choir Website

I. Curriculum

6th Grade:

• Basic music theory—”Music Ace” computer program
• Read and perform rhythms in various meters
• Identify and perform notes on the grand staff
• Notation and basic composition using “Music Time Deluxe” software
• Piano—perform songs on piano with correct technique
• Music Appreciation—composers, history, Rock Concert Tour project
• Ensemble performances—rhythm instruments, Boomwhackers, Hand Chimes

7th Grade:

• Music Theory—”Music Ace” computer program
• Read and perform rhythms in various meters
• Group composition using “Music Time Deluxe” software
• Music vocabulary -identifying musical signs and symbols
• Identify and perform notes on the grand staff
• Piano—perform songs on piano with correct technique
• Music Appreciation—composers, history, styles
• Ensemble performances—rhythm instruments, Boomwhackers, Hand Chimes
• Group project using "Audacity" program

8th Grade:

• Music theory—continue to build on previous knowledge
• Music History—Composer research project
• Piano—continue to work on piano playing techniques
• Guitar—learn a number of songs for evaluation
• Composition – group project using “Audacity” program

II. Grading

• Test / Quiz / Assignments = 80% of final grade
• Participation / Effort / Attitude = 20% of final grade each student earns a daily participation grade on a 5 point scale

III. Bonus Points

• "Question of the Week" - the students have the opportunity to earn extra credit points each week by answering the “Question of the Week”. These questions must be answered during the week that they are assigned. A student may not wait until the last week and then turn in all of the responses at once.
• Students may also accumulate extra credit points with “Music in the News”. They may clip articles from newspapers or magazines that relate to music.

IV. Choir
Rehearsals are twice each week at 7:30 in the morning. All students are welcome to join. There is no audition process.

Performance Schedule for 2009-2010:

• Holiday Concert December 8—7:00 pm
• Holiday Tour (during school day) December 3
• Holiday Assembly @ 2:45 December 7
• Solo / Ensemble Contest February 20
• District Choral Contest March 13
• St. Louis trip April 30 – May 2
• Spring Assembly May 10
• Spring Concert May 12—7:00 pm
• 8th Grade Graduation June ??

Writer’s Workshop
Mr. Jon Perry - jperry@sd13.org
Spanish 1 Curriculum
Writing Workshop Curriculum

Writer’s workshop is designed to give students daily, in-depth guidance crafting a piece of writing. Continuous exposure to the writing process will help students build fluency in all aspects of writing. The majority of class time will be spent on the act of writing and encouraging creativity and inventiveness as a means of artistic expression.

In writer’s workshop students will begin writing on a topic of their own choosing. Over the succeeding weeks students will write and revise their stories or articles by applying strategies and techniques taught in daily mini-lessons. They will read their stories and learn how to give and receive suggestions on how to improve writing. Students will learn how writers talk about writing.

Students will use, and in some cases be introduced to, the 6+1 Traits of Writing. The traits reveal common characteristics of good writing. They give a common language that writers use to talk about writing. Writer’s workshop will stress the trait of voice. When the voice of the writer is present in a piece of writing the words come alive. A student whose voice is clear in a piece of writing tends to write better.

Students will learn to use basic aspects of Microsoft Word to write their stories. They will learn how to use Page Setup, Line Spacing, and Fonts to format a paper in the standard MLA style. A document of Instructions to format a paper is included on the Moodle page.

Moodle is a dynamic web-based course management system. I will use Moodle to post some class assignments and set up a place for students to submit their writing for editing. Students can access Moodle from school or home at www.sd13.org/moodle. Students log into Moodle using their Westfield network login. I will specifically inform students when I have added something to Moodle, and I will guide them and give them time in class in which to use Moodle. Moodle is new for me, and I will be testing different ways in which it may prove useful. Only students currently enrolled in writer’s workshop will have access to Moodle.