7th & 8th Grade Electives

7th Grade: DRAMA

Drama is the most collaborative of all the arts. You must work together to solve problems and create excellent work. Theater artists have been engaged with the components of "common core" before they were ever called that.

Drama I: This is introductory course designed to gently introduce students to drama and the performing arts. We incorporate group improvisations, script work, pantomime, film studies, theater history, and together build a vocabulary of performing arts terminology.

Drama II: This course is an introduction to the works of William Shakespeare. We focus on three plays: Macbeth, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Hamlet. We use active strategies pioneered by the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Folger Shakespeare Library.

8th Grade: HUMANITIES (Exploring Cultures)

The humanities are simply the arts and activities we do that are uniquely human. These include the visual arts, music, dance, theatre, literature, architecture, and more! The humanities express the ability of human beings to create.

Humanities I: We begin at the very beginning with the earliest humans and their creations. We continue the human story with a detailed look at the culture of Mesopotamia, Egypt, Ancient Israel, Greece, and Rome. We also examine the traditions of non-western cultures in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. We finish up with a survey of the Middle Ages and climax with the Italian Renaissance.

Humanities II: We pick up the story with the Renaissance of Northern Europe and continue into the 20th Century. In this class, there is a greater emphasis on music appreciation and European painting. We also take a week for a brief introduction to the French language.