Avon Local Schools

Avon Middle School strives to challenge students to reach their optimal potential in character building, social/emotional development, academic excellence, citizenship, and service. Opportunities provided through curricular studies and extracurricular activities support students through stretching their thinking and increasing their exposure to new ideas, experiences, and concepts for possible career-pathways and for being well-rounded adolescents.

With this in mind and in addition to the core academic courses, the school has developed several elective course opportunities to encourage students to expand their learning and explore various fields of study in eight academic departments. Availability of elective offerings is dependent upon sign-up for courses as well as class numbers and staffing during spring scheduling. Please note the following guidelines for course electives:

• Students in Grades Six, Seven, and Eight can schedule for Band, Choir or Orchestra courses.

• Students in Grades Seven and Eight can schedule for any available elective courses, except for...

• Students in Grade Eight, the only grade level permitted to schedule for Physical Education, Physical Science, and World Language courses.

MUSIC

These performance classes are treated as other course offering and are not considered extra-curricular in content or per scheduling. Typically, prior playing experience is required for the instrumental courses, while the choral classes may require auditioning. Performing at scheduled school concerts is a large portion of a student's musical experience and course grade / assessment. Grade-level music courses are listed below:

BAND (Brass, Woodwind, Percussion) Band 6; Band 7; Band 8 (each a year course)

ORCHESTRA (Violin, Viola, Cello, Bass) Orchestra 6; Orchestra 7; Orchestra 8 (each a year course)

CHOIR (Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass) Choir 6; Choir 7; Choir 8 (each a year course)

MUSIC WRITING (Grade 7 or 8) (semester course)

BEGINNER PIANO (Grade 7 or 8) (semester course)

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Introduction to functional movement is a high school-level courses assigned credit (0.25 each), with final grades appearing on the high school transcript but not factored into the high school cumulative GPA.

INTRODUCTION TO FUNCTIONAL MOVEMENT

Introduction to functional movement is an engaging 8th-grade course designed to empower students with the knowledge and skills necessary for optimal physical development. This course places a strong emphasis on understanding and mastering proper movement patterns that will not only enhance performance in various physical activities but also lay the groundwork for a lifetime of healthy living.

Throughout this course, students will explore fundamental movement patterns essential for effective and safe physical activity. From basic locomotor skills to advanced coordination exercises, students will develop a solid foundation in movement mechanics. The curriculum is carefully designed to cater to various fitness levels, ensuring that each student progresses at their own pace while gaining confidence in their abilities.

Course Highlights:

1. High School PE Credit
2. Functional Movement Training 3 days a week (includes lifting)
3. Interactive games 2 days a week that focus on spatial awareness, change of direction, and teamwork
4. Basic knowledge of nutritional needs to help fuel their days
5. Self confidence/Self Esteem
6. Developing lifelong fitness habits
7. Reduce risk of injuries

Click here for more information

TECHNOLOGY/VOCATIONAL

TECH ANIMATION: Relying upon imagination and creativity, students taking this course will design descriptive and engaging stories through the use of storyboard methods and techniques through collaborative teamwork. Students will learn the features, functions, and capabilities of the school's animation laboratory for the purpose of producing animation features that contain unique characters, motions, gestures, interactions, and scenery accompanied by synchronized voice overs for their audio-animated characters (semester course).

DIGITAL CREATIONS AND MARKETING: In this semester course, 7th and 8th graders will explore popular design tools like Canva, Procreate, and Adobe Illustrator to make digital artwork, logos, and promotional images. They'll also use equipment like a heat press and laser printer to bring their designs to life on real products. Students will also learn how to market products, build a brand, and use social media to reach customers. By the end of the course, students will have the skills to create their own digital art and even start a brand. Through fun hands-on projects and discussions, students will explore how technology, art, and communication come together in the digital age. This course feeds into Graphic Design and Digital Art and Photography at AHS. 

COOL TOOLS: Canva, Procreate, Adobe Illustrator, Cricut, Heat Press, Laser Printer, iPad with Apple Pencil.

COOL PROJECTS: Designing vision boards and movie posters and album covers in Canva, designing GIFs and clipart in Procreate, design a shoe in Adobe Illustrator, turn designs into t-shirts, mugs, etc.

Click here for more information.

PRE-ENGINEERING: In this course, 7th and 8th graders will explore solving and design thinking using Shero Bluprint Kits. Students will learn about the engineering design process, simple machines, and how to collaborate effectively. They'll identify real-world problems, brainstorm solutions, create prototypes, and present their final projects. The course will also introduce exciting careers in engineering through research and creating their own board games. This course is an excellent introduction to the PLTW program offered at AHS.

COOL TOOLS: 3D printer, laser printer

COOL PROJECTS: Design an arcade game, build a theme park ride, build simple machines out of Sphero Blueprint Kits, create a board game.

Click here for more information.

ROBOTICS AND GAME DESIGN: In this semester course, 7th and 8th graders will learn the basics of robotics and programming using Lego SPIKE Prime Kits and Scratch block coding software. Students will build and program Lego robots to complete specific tasks and relate them to real-world robots. They'll tackle fun challenges with pseudocode, motor movements, and sensors while collaborating and developing problem-solving skills. Students will also develop a game with animations with the JavaScript coding language.  This course can feed into Introduction to Computer Programming and Robotics I at AHS.

COOL TOOLS: Spike Prime Robots and Software, code.org

COOL PROJECTS: Program the robot to simulate moon missions and how to respond in disaster scenarios, build a Hopperbot, build a SumoBot and participate in a sumo wrestling bracket with the class, develop a game using characters, obstacles and working scoring system.

Click here for more information.

STUDENT TECH LEADERSHIP: In this course, 7th and 8th graders will gain hands-on experience in configuring, troubleshooting, and repairing network hardware, devices, and peripherals. They'll learn to install and update operating systems, and enhance computer and network security. The course also focuses on developing leadership, teamwork, and customer service skills, helping students communicate effectively and work collaboratively. By the end, they'll be equipped with both technical expertise and interpersonal skills for success in any field. This course offers a leadership credential recognized by the state.

COOL TOOLS: Special toolkit to take apart and fix Chromebooks and CPUs

COOL PROJECTS: Take apart CPUs and Chromebooks, learn how networking and cybersecurity work, run a student helpdesk and troubleshoot and repair Chromebooks.

Click here for more information.

VIDEO/MEDIA PRODUCTIONS: Students will have the opportunity to help design and create the pages for the school yearbook. Students will work together to select yearbook covers to designing the pages of picture layouts. Along with the work on the yearbook, students will work on how to produce videos by creating our daily announcements for the entire student body to view (semester course).

VOCATIONAL CAREER EXPLORATIONS: Life skills with real world applications and hands on experiences will be offered to provide students an opportunity to discover interests to guide their career choices in the future. Units / projects may include: Culinary and Baking skills, Woodworking skills, Wiring skills, Building skills, Gardening skills

VISUAL ART

Visual art courses encompass a wide variety of foundational artistic styles and types, ranging from two-dimensional design to mixed media and three-dimensional forms. Creativity, expression, and technique development are encouraged and stressed.

Advanced Art 8:  The purpose of this 18 week Art course is to introduce students to many forms of artmaking. Students will be drawing, painting, sculpting, printing and designing. They will experience two and three-dimensional problem solving through both fine art and crafts. Students will use and identify the elements and principles of design by participating in various enrichment lessons. The approach to learning in this course is based on lessons framed around the Ohio Virtual Arts standard for grade 8.

Upon completion of this course with an earned semester grade of A, demonstrating mastery; students become eligible to bypass the Intro to Art course at Avon High School and begin studies in higher level art courses.

* Completion of Advance Art 8 does not earn high school credit.

WORLD LANGUAGE

World Language courses are designed for qualifying students in Grade Eight (see HONORS COURSES tab). French, Mandarin, and Spanish are high school-level courses assigned credit (1.00 each), with final grades appearing on the high school transcript but not factored into the high school cumulative GPA. In Grades 9 through 12, students can continue taking French, Mandarin, or Spanish up to level five (years), or elect to take another world language.

World Languages are aligned with the Ohio Department of Education's World Language Standards and meet NCAA eligibility requirements. A fee and workbook may be required.

FRENCH 1: This course introduces students to the basics of the French language through the four skill areas: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The early stages of study are spent exclusively in developing pronunciation, building vocabulary, and learning the basics of French language structure and culture. This class strives to help students recognize cross-cultural similarities and differences and to understand how other cultures influence their own. The focus of French 1 is to provide students with the skills they need to create language for communication (year course).

SPANISH 1: This course stresses the beginning development of the following language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing in the language within the context of the culture. The class has an emphasis on listening and speaking skills integrated with reading and writing. Vocabulary and grammar are not studied in isolation, but are incorporated into the development of all the communication skills. Spanish 1 strives to help students recognize cross-cultural similarities and differences as well as to understand how other cultures influence their own (year course).