mpa i-term 2016
DESCRIPTION
ÂTRANSCRIPT
MARCH 7–11, 2016
MPA MIDDLE SCHOOL i-TERMWeek of March 7–11, 2016
PURPOSE AND OVERVIEW:
Mounds Park Academy’s i-Term provides students in grades 5–8 with a unique
opportunity to embody MPA’s mission of thinking independently and learning
joyfully by participating in a one-week enrichment experience. I-Term courses are
designed to provide inquiry-based, experiential learning beyond the classroom.
The project-based, focused nature of i-Term offerings enables students to learn
new skills, do things that are not possible within a normal school setting, and
be exposed to things they would not be otherwise. Students will venture into the
community, work with experts in a particular field, and create new friendships
along the way during this signature experience.
STUDENT OWNERSHIP:
While students are required to participate in i-Term, they are empowered to select
a course that will either deepen their current understanding of a topic or introduce
them to a new area of interest.
REGISTRATION PROCEDURES:
Students will be asked to select three courses for i-Term. While class sizes are
purposefully kept small to ensure an intimate learning environment, every effort
will be made to match students with their first choice. Course preferences are due
in the MS Office by April 30, 2015. Once a student is registered and confirmed in a
course, no changes will be made.
FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS:
Several i-Term classes are covered by tuition; however, some courses require
additional fees to help offset travel expenses. Families are required to pay these
fees by the dates indicated on the registration forms.
USING THIS DOCUMENT
i-Term courses are divided into four categories —STEM, Global Leadership, Fine Arts
and Other Courses. They are color coded as indicated below. Use this document to
review course content and select your ideal i-Term course.
ITERM ONLINE:
moundsparkacademy.org/iterm
STEMCOURSES
GLOBALLEADERSHIP
COURSES
OTHERCOURSES
FINE ARTSCOURSES
ARCTIC ADVENTURES
COST: $400.00
This course invites students to embrace winter with outdoor activities and learning
about the Inuit culture. Participants will travel to Ely for 3 days to go dogsledding
and learn about wildlife and tracking, stopping at the Bear and Wolf Centers along
the way. Back in the Twin Cities, they will work with a naturalist as they take an
historical snowshoe tour at Fort Snelling State Park. Finally, students will create
Inuit art with clay and printmaking, and learn more about the culture through
cooking and games.
STEM COURSES
CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION MPA (C.S.I. MPA)
COST: NONE
The CSI franchise has taken over the airwaves and brought forensic science
to millions of homes in the U.S. Have you caught C.S.I. fever? If so, learn the
techniques that real detectives use in solving crimes: finger print analysis,
impression analysis, hair analysis, blood splatter analysis (fake blood of course!),
and more. Special guests from the field of forensic science will bring their
expertise to your learning experience. The highlight of the week occurs on Friday
when students, working in teams, use the knowledge and techniques they learned
throughout the week to solve a crime and help bring the suspect(s) to justice!
STEM COURSES
HEALTHCARE CAREERS AND BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING
COST: $25.00
This course is designed to expose students to a variety of areas within the
Healthcare field. Students will hear from physicians about their training, daily
life, and the range of specialties available, assess medical apps, and research,
diagnose, and prescribe treatment for some uncommon ailments. Participants
will also work with staff from local universities to learn about population health,
including global health disparities and infectious diseases. Finally, students
will explore biomedical engineering as they travel to the 3M Innovation Center
and the University of Minnesota’s Medical Device Center, learn about robotics
and tele-surgery, and use MPA’s 3D printers to collaboratively design their own
medical “device.”
STEM COURSES
PHONE AND TABLET APP DEVELOPMENT
COST: NONE
Students will learn to create and program phone and tablet applications.
They will use Javascript and Titanium SDK to create apps that can run on
mobile devices. The main focus of the class will be on the iPhone and
iPad. Along with learning to create native user interfaces, students
will learn to use the physics engine included with iOS to create simple games.
STEM COURSES
CHINESE LANGUAGE AND CULTURE
COST: $25.00
This introductory Chinese language and culture class will give students a deep
dive into all things Chinese. Students will learn some basic Mandarin language,
including greetings, numbers, colors, body parts, characters, and more. They will
put their new skills to use when they travel to a Chinese grocery store, and then
return to school to create authentic specialties. Participants will explore traditional
Chinese music, art, and dance, and be introduced to elements of Chinese martial
arts. Finally, students will learn about Chinese history and geography, try their hand
at calligraphy, and hear from an expert at the Confucius Institute at the University of
Minnesota.
GLOBAL LEADERSHIP COURSES
FRENCH IMMERSION TRIP TO QUEBEC
COST: $1,995 - $2,195 (based on number of travelers)
This five-day excursion to Quebec City includes a variety of museum visits, a guided
tour of the National Assembly, a visit to a local school to meet bilingual peers,
and a cable car ride to the top of Montmorency Falls. Students will participate in
interactive games to learn about traditions at Huron-Wendat Village, see an historic
re-creation of the battle of the Plains of Abraham, and visit the famous pilgrimage
site of Cathédrale Ste-Anne de Beaupré. Students will also toboggan, ice-skate, and
visit the famous Hôtel de Glace. This course is open to all students; parents are
invited to travel as well.
GLOBAL LEADERSHIP COURSES
Spend the week immersed in the language, cultures, and histories of the German-
speaking world (including Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and the German diaspora
around the world). Students will learn some basic German language throughout the
week, and explore German food, music, art, literature (Grimm’s Fairy Tales), pop
culture, and current events. Participants will visit the Germanic-American Institute’s
mansion on Summit Avenue, the Minnesota History Center to learn about German
migrants to Minnesota, the historic Rathskeller in the Minnesota Capitol building,
and the Glockenspiel Restaurant. The capstone experience of the week will be an
overnight at Concordia Language Village Waldsee. During the overnight, students
will practice some of their German phrases, learn typical games and songs, and eat
authentic meals.
GLOBAL LEADERSHIP COURSES
GERMAN LANGUAGE AND CULTURE
COST: $200.00
GLOBAL LEADERSHIP COURSES
SPANISH IMMERSION TRIPTO PUERTO RICO
COST: $2,704.00
Practice your Spanish skills during this seven-day trip as you immerse yourself
in Puerto Rican life and culture. Students will learn Colonial history as they tour
the Capitol, El Morro Castle, and the plazas and museums of San Juan. They
will journey into the Caribbean national forest, creep through the caves of Rio
Camuy Cave Park, and visit Arecibo Observatory, home of the world’s largest radio
telescope. Participants will also meet local students during a visit to a Puerto
Rican School, learn Salsa dancing, explore Serralles Castle, and relax on Luquillo
Beach. This course is open to all students; parents are invited to travel as well.
FINE ARTS COURSES
ARCHITECTURE, ENGINEERING, AND DESIGN ODYSSEY
COST: $25.00
Have you ever looked up and wondered how buildings were designed and
constructed? Do you like to draw and build things? This course will expose
students to many aspects of the construction process, including drawing plans,
landscape architecture, interior design, engineering and contracting. Participants
will learn about some great structures in the world, study famous architects such
as Frank Lloyd Wright and Frank O. Gehry, and explore Green Design. Finally,
students will travel to local sites to get a firsthand look at both modern and
classical designs, and will use computer-aided design tools as they create their
own architectural plans.
GLOBAL LEADERSHIP COURSESFINE ARTS COURSES
CIRCUS ADVENTURE
COST: $50.00
Flip for fun. Jump for joy. Soar to new heights. Join Circus Juventas’ internationally
renowned troupe of coaches for a week of adventure, risk-taking, and fun.
Students will spend their mornings in warm-up activities, participating in team
games, and pushing themselves to try new things as they rotate through stations.
In the afternoons, participants will experience more traditional circus arts. Finally,
the group will don professional costumes and makeup for a small culminating
performance at the end of the week. Come try your hand at acrobatics, juggling,
theater, aerial stunts, balancing acts, and more!
FINE ARTS COURSES
MUSIC COMPOSITION: THE ROAD FROM THEORY TO PRINT
COST: $25.00
Have you ever wanted to compose your own piece of music but have no idea
how to start? This class will introduce some of the knowledge necessary to
begin composing music, including how to create a melody and accompaniment.
You will learn basic music theory and work individually and in groups to create
compositions, which will evolve through improvisation on instruments or with
singing. GarageBand, Finale and Noteflight will be the focus of the music
technology portion of the compositions following the initial composition on staff
paper. A local composer will share insights with the class, and students will travel
to a recording studio to record their work. At the conclusion of the week, students
will have the opportunity to share their compositions with friends and family.
FINE ARTS COURSES
SPACE, THE FINAL FRONTIER…
COST: $25.00
This class will voyage into science fiction, old and new. Together we will travel back
through literature, film and television while exploring different themes of science
fiction, such as artificial intelligence, aliens, time travel, and utopia and dystopias.
Students will read and analyze classic and modern science fiction authors like
Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, Kurt Vonnegut, M.T. Anderson, Mary Pearson and
more. The use of popular television shows and films, like Star Trek, Twilight Zone,
and Dr. Who, will be shown to examine how science fiction themes are brought to
life. Finally, participants will take field trips to the Bakken Museum and Science
Museum, where they will focus on the blending of science fiction and science
reality. A few more surprises will be in store for those who choose to boldly go
where no one has gone before!
FINE ARTS COURSES
WITCHES, WOLVES AND STEPSISTERS
COST: NONE
Why is the witch so mean? What if the wolf is just hungry? And are the stepsisters
really as dumb as they seem? From movies to musicals, students will look at
fairy tales through the eyes of the villains to write their own play based on these
misunderstood characters. At the end of the week, participants will perform for
Lower School students, family and friends. This course will be directed by an artist
from the Children’s Theatre Company.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
COST: NONE
OTHER COURSES
Have you ever wondered what it takes to start your own business? This course will
expose students to all aspects of business development, including identifying a
product or service, analyzing government regulations, creating a budget, securing
start-up funding, and designing a marketing strategy. Students will talk to entre-
preneurs in a variety of fields to learn about the risks and rewards associated with
entrepreneurship, and will individually or collaboratively develop and present their
own preliminary business plan.
STRATEGY GAMING
COST: $25.00
How would you like to... Explore a new land in Settlers of Catan? Race across
Europe by train in Ticket to Ride? Build a great city in Citadels? Learn how to play
Dominion, Carcassonne, and Pandemic? Playing strategy games develops analysis
and problem solving skills and helps build communication and negotiation ability
through face-to-face competition and cooperation. Join us as we learn how to play,
analyze, and form winning tactics and strategies for several games and travel
to Fantasy Flight Games in Roseville to interact with game developers, see how
games are produced, and act as game testers. If you love games and strategy, this
is the class for you!
OTHER COURSES
OTHER COURSES
TASTE OF CAREERS
COST: $25.00
Does the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” make you ner-
vous? Do you find yourself wondering how you will actually use the skills you learn
in school each day? This course is designed to introduce students to a variety of
career options in the areas of “The Arts,” “Business,” “Law and Politics,” “Science,
Technology and Medicine,” and “Service, Education, and Non-Profit work.” Par-
ticipants will take personal inventories to highlight their strengths and interests,
create a resume, prepare for a mock interview, and learn a bit about the college
admissions process. Guest speakers will provide insights into training, daily life,
and other aspects of each field, and students will travel to local companies to get
an insider’s view.
2051 Larpenteur Avenue East
Maplewood, MN 55109
651-777-2555
moundsparkacademy.org