5th–8th Grade Courses

List of 9 items.

• Build Your Own Business: Learning about Entrepreneurship

  Grade: 7–12
  Instructor: Katie Trachtenberg
  Time: 9 AM–1 PM 

  Dates: 6/17–6/21
  Cost: 
  Register Here
  
  Are you interested in business? Do you like to be creative? Have you ever imagined starting your own company? During this class, you will partner up with other classmates to build your own business from the ground up! Using the Business Model Canvas, you will learn about the principles and best practices behind planning and pitching a new business venture. You will also learn about the concepts and strategies associated with creating a business plan, including research, analysis, marketing, finance, management, and how to successfully present and pitch new business to investors! On the last day of class, you will pitch your business to a small panel of distinguished judges who will rate your business pitch and give you live feedback competition similar to ABC's Shark Tank.

• Jump Start to 5th and 6th Grades

  Grade: Rising 5th–6th
  Instructor: Beth Colgan

  Days: Monday – Friday
  Time: 9 AM–12 PM

  Dates: June 17 to July 19 (Please note: Courses will not meet the week of July 4th)

  Cost: $425
  
  

  This four-week class will review concepts from the previous school year and reinforce the subjects of mathematics, reading, writing, and study skills in fun ways while also preparing students for their transition to the Middle School. As the class is small, individual attention is emphasized. Each student will create a portfolio of pieces and share them at the end of the summer.
  
  
  

• Jump Start to 7th and 8th Grade Math

  Grade: Rising 7th–8th
  Instructor:  Lizzy Lancellotti
  Times: 9 AM–1 PM
  Dates: 7/29–8/2
  Cost:  $300
  Register Here
  
  This course will cover mathematical concepts and problem-solving skills.
  
  

• Outdoor Adventures

  Grade: Rising 5th–8th
  Instructors:  Jim Barnaby
  Times: 9 AM–1 PM
  Dates: 6/24–6/28
  Cost:  $350
  Register Here
  
  The Outdoor Adventures summer program will combine nature exploration with interactive STEM enrichment opportunities as participants learn new skills and information about our local environment. Activities will include crafting “old school” bamboo fishing rods, finding bait, and catching fish in our pond, building shelter, making a raft, orienteering, and fire building. Field trips to Brandywine State Park and the DEEC (DuPont Environmental Education Center) will provide opportunities to learn about the Delaware Estuary.

• Philosophy Through Film

  Grade: 5–8
  Instructor: Max Schneider

  Time: 9 AM–1 PM

  Dates: 8/12 –8/16 

  Cost: $300
  Register Here
  
  Film through Philosophy is a course designed to give students a firm understanding of the foundations of philosophical thought through the art of film. By mixing films such as Pleasantville, The Matrix, and The Truman Show, students will consider essential questions about natural observation, free will, and morality. Meanwhile, core skills such as critical thinking, structured written analysis, and persuasive reasoning will all be bolstered through various in-class assignments. This course is designed to create a more manageable access point for understanding philosophy, practicing writing, and expanding students' thinking. 

• Songwriting

  Grade: 7-12
  Instructor: Jenna Knaster

  Time: 9 AM–12 PM

  Dates: 7/15–7/19

  Cost: $300
  Register Here
  
  Find your inner singer/songwriter voice! This course is designed to develop techniques of the working songwriter. Students will learn and apply elements of songwriting such as lyric writing, chord progressions, form, melody, hooks, collaborations, and point of view. Students may choose to song write using a piano, guitar, ukulele, or on computer-based software. From this course, students will create a portfolio of songs they may choose to record in the Music Technology Lab. 

• Sports in Society

  Grade: 7–12
  Instructor: Max Schneider

  Time: 9 AM–12 PM

  Dates: 7/15–7/19

  Cost: $300
  Register Here
  
  During Sports in Society, students will explore a number of issues that pertain to the intersectionality of sports, politics, and culture. Students will learn about athletic protests from Colin Kaepernick to John Carlos and Tommie Smith, consider current topical issues such as how to treat mental health for athletes and the possible gender biases society shows towards men’s and women’s sports, and explore the question of amateurism and big money college athletics. The overall objective is for students to practice their reading and writing skills by using the framework of sports to analyze much of what is topical and current in today’s societal landscape.

• Steel Drum

  Grade: 5–8
  Instructor: Jenna Knaster

  Time: 9 AM–12 PM

  Dates: 7/22– 7/26

  Cost: $300
  Register Here
  
  The steelpan, also known as the steel drum, is a musical Instrument from Trinidad and Tobago. In this course, students will be immersed in a different culture through music. They will play music through rote learning, reading, and improvisation. No prior musical knowledge is required. The week will culminate with an informal concert to showcase learned material to family and friends. 

• WaterBotics

  Grade: Rising 5th–Rising 9th

  Instructors:  Beth Whipple and Emily Egan
  Times: 9 AM–1 PM
  Dates: 7/22–7/26
  Cost:  $300
  Register Here
  
  

  How do we prepare students to be active participants in the creation of solutions for—and not merely a witness to—the great challenges our global neighborhood faces, from environmental cleanup to safe and efficient energy production, to improvements in healthcare?  The WaterBotics program can help answer this need! It has demonstrated increased student interest and understanding of science, engineering, and computer programming fields of study and careers among middle and high school students. 

  WaterBotics is an innovative, underwater robotics curriculum where teams of students work together to design, build, program, test and redesign underwater robots, made of LEGO^® and other components. Students engage in a series of design challenges or "missions" that gradually increase in complexity and ultimately leads to a fully functional underwater robot capable of maneuvering in a three-foot deep pool. This program introduces students to the concept of iterative design and demonstrates the value of testing and redesign.