Electives at Washington

Visual Art

Ms. Jungblom

Visual Art at Washington Middle School is a project-based, semester long, studio class that is designed around Washington State Visual Art Standards. In this class students will learn vocabulary, practice skills, and refine techniques associated with drawing, painting, sculpture, and design. Students will manipulate the principles of design to create artistic works that communicate ideas, tell stories, or influence the mood of a viewer. Students will develop and refine their own creative process and learn to evaluate their own work.

Spanish and World Language

Ms. Rodriguez

Beginning Theater

Mr. Ritchie

Beginning Theater introduces students to the fundamentals of stage performance. Students learn that successful theater depends on individual preparation and working together as an ensemble. Throughout the course, students develop performance skills through hands-on activities, rehearsals, and full productions. The major area of study include:

• Ensemble Building and Stage Presence
• Voice: Projection, Diction, and Tone
• Movement, Facial Expression, and Physicality
• Improvisation and “Yes, And”
• Character Development
• Rehearsal, Performance, and Technical Theater

Project Presentation

Mr. Avelar

Welcome to Project Presentations! This project-based elective is designed to develop students’ communication, creativity, and presentation skills through hands-on learning experiences. Students will learn how to research topics, organize information, design visual aids, build physical models, and confidently present their ideas to an audience. Throughout the semester, students will create charts, maps, posters, collages, digital presentations, infographics, and three-dimensional models while participating in biweekly oral presentations that strengthen public speaking skills.

Leadership

Ms. Lewis

PE and Team Sports

Mr. Pharis and Mr. Hart

Welcome to Washington Middle School Physical Education! Our PE program is designed to help students build confidence, develop physical skills, stay active, and discover activities they can enjoy throughout their lives. Students participate in a combination of traditional PE games and sport-focused units, including basketball, volleyball, soccer, flag football, badminton, pickleball, rowing machines, and biking. Our goal is to provide a wide variety of activities so every student has opportunities to participate, learn new skills, work with others, and experience success.

Fitness is also an important part of our PE program. Throughout the year, students participate in State Fitness Testing, which includes the PACER Test for cardiovascular endurance, the Sit and Reach Test for flexibility, and the Plank Test for muscular endurance and core strength. Rather than focusing only on scores, we encourage students to understand their personal fitness, set goals, recognize improvement, and develop healthy habits that can support an active lifestyle well beyond middle school.

Design and Modeling

Ms. Jubb

Students discover the design process and develop an understanding of the influence of creativity and innovation in their lives. They are then challenged and empowered to use and apply what they’ve learned throughout the unit to design a therapeutic toy for a child who has cerebral palsy. Throughout the semester we will use physical models, computer animated design, and 3-D sketching. The course has three units and will have many smaller design challenges throughout the semester.

Unit 1: Introduction to Design: Students learn about the design process by completing a quick design challenge to make an ankle-foot brace. They will try different sketching styles to show their ideas.     

These include:

• thumbnail sketches (small, quick drawings),
• orthographic sketches (front, top, and side views),
• isometric sketches (3D-looking drawings made with equal angles), and
• perspective sketches (drawings that show depth).

Unit 2: Solid Modeling: Students will change a flat picture into a real 3-D model using a computer program. Students will learn how to use a CAD (computer-aided design) app to make solid models of different objects and ideas. During the project, they will utilize the design process to make a puzzle cube. They will build a solid model of your puzzle cube using the CAD app and then make (fabricate) design so they can test it.

Unit 3: Design Challenge: Students will use the complete design process to design, model, build and test a therapeutic toy for a child with cerebral palsy.