WIN/Enrichment Opportunity Descriptions

• 3D Art:  We will be making sculptures out of various items including cardboard tubes
• 6th grade Organization and Problem Solving:  This class will be designated for 6th grade students who want to receive extra help with organization at the start of their middle school career.  Students will learn various strategies and learner characteristics that will support their continued academic success.
• Art - Copper Tooling and Mosaics: We will make copper tooled pictures and mosaic picture.
• Art - Felt: We will be designing a picture for a wall hanging or Christmas Stocking.  Then, we will learn the basics of hand stitching so that we can stitch our pictures together
• Beading: We will learn how to make beaded loom designs.  Students will then make up a simple design or pattern to make a picture out of beads.
• Brain Training:  Students will learn about the research and strategies associated with increasing the abilities of the brain.  This class will focus on the concepts of “Mindfulness” and “Growth Mindset”, and utilize the MindUp (Scholastic) curriculum, Carol Dweck’s research and other research-based approaches to help students improve their focus, concentration and academic performance.
• Drama Skills:  Open to all 6th, 7th and 8th graders.  In this class we will build on skills that help students become more comfortable on stage.  Various games and improvisation techniques will be learned and discussed.
• Duolingo: Do you want to learn a new language, but don’t know where to start?  Try Duolingo!  This course teaches students how to use Duolingo, a free language-learning website, to improve their language skills in Spanish, French, Portuguese, German, Greek, and more!  Studies have shown that only 34 hours on Duolingo gives users a reading and writing ability similar to college students taking a first year beginning language course.  Try it out for yourself and by the end of the quarter, you may be well on your way to speaking a new language.  ¡Nos vemos!
• Engineering and Problem Solving: Students will work on hands on engineering problems involving design and problem solving. Students will have to critically think through hands-on problems in both group and individual settings. 
• Exploring Science: This will be offered to 6th, 7th, and 8th-grade students.  Students will have the opportunity to explore several areas of science based on their interest.  There will be hands-on activities, computer activities, and group activities that will cover Earth Science, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Engineering, Life Science and more.
• Geography Bee:  Students will prepare for and participate in a school-based geography bee in preparation for potential participation in the National Geographic Bee.
• Jazz Band: Performance based jazz ensemble.  Learn to play swing, Latin, rock, and other jazz styles with an emphasis on improvisation.  We will perform concerts.  Spring tour of elementary schools and community venue.  Open to 7th and 8th grade students currently in band.  Rhythm section positions (drums, piano, bass, keyboard bass, guitar) are limited and will be selected by audition.
• Jazz Choir: Open to all 7th and 8th graders that are in Choir only.  This class will explore various Jazz and POP music.  This class also will have the opportunity to collaborate with the JMS Jazz Band Ensemble on some combined music/performances.
• JMS A Capella: This group is open to all 7th and 8th graders in Choir only.  This vocal group will explore vocal music sung a capella (without accompaniment) using vocal percussion and various different vocal techniques.  Music will be selected from all styles and genres.
• Journalism - Students will learn how to structure a news story, take notes, conduct interviews, and write personality profiles. Articles might be used in the JMS News and the parent newsletter. Open to 7th and 8th grade students.
• Memory Book - Students will collaborate on the 2015-16 Memory Book. They will learn about theme development, selection of photos, page layout, headlines, captions and copy writing. Open to 7th and 8th grade students.
• Minecraft:  Economics and Government (MEG):           Students are immersed in a virtual world where they have to create a settlement (literally) from the ground up.  Economic concepts such as scarcity, surplus, opportunity cost, specialization of labor and entrepreneurship are a primary focus as students creatively build in their new world.  In addition, students think critically about the formation of government, writing laws and how best to protect private property.
• Psychology: Psychology is “the study of human behavior and mental processes.”  This WIN time is an overview of psychology as a science and as a profession, and approaches the field from several different perspectives: biological, cultural, cognitive, social, and behavioral. A special focus will be on applying psychology and thinking critically about it. Some of the specific activities we will be partaking include: Personality Traits; Learning Styles; Communication Characteristics; Handwriting Analysis; Ink Blot Interpretation
• Race Across Wisconsin - Students will work in small teams to race from Superior to Milwaukee.  Teams will roll dice and select travel cards to find out how many miles they can travel on a given day.  Each member of the team has a different area to keep track of such as mileage/route, travel expenses, and travel journal.  Every stop that a team makes, requires them to learn about the town they are staying in, as well as finding a place to stay, food to eat, gas prices, and entertainment.  As teams race to get to Milwaukee they must be sharp with their math skills, map skills, ability to find information travel information on the internet, and write about it in a journal.  Teams using the best teamwork will find themselves in Milwaukee in no time!
• Research Paper - Students will select a topic that they have an interest in learning more about.  Through the steps of the writing process, the students will gather facts and information about their topic from multiple sources.  They will then put together a paper to share what they have learned about the topic and present their topic to the class using multimedia such as power points, slide shows, or any other presentation method that will display the facts about their topic.
• Science Enrichment: Students will explore Chemistry, Earth History, and Biology.  They will spend several weeks on each unit and expand upon what they are learning in class.  There will be hands-on group activities and opportunities to use different pieces of science equipment.  There will also be several chances for students to use their imagination and critical thinking skills to work as a team to create different models to compete against each other in science-related events.
• Science Fair: Students will complete a science fair project and prepare to present at the Fort Atkinson Regional Science Fair
• Sociology:  Sociology focuses on the systematic understanding of social interaction, social organization, societal changes, social inequality, and the impact of all these on human behavior.  This WIN time class will examine the reasons people behave as they do in these different groups.  These influences can be through personal contacts or through the impersonal influences of the social institutions.  Major areas of study include groups and group behavior; roles; norms; prejudice; and conformity.  Students also study the methods sociologists use in their science and practice.  Some of the specific activities we will be partaking include: Group Conformity; Norms of Society; Surveys Analysis; Positive and Negative Sanctions; Changing Values of a Society; Advertising Analysis
• Solo/Ensemble and Voice Lessons: Open to all 7th and 8th graders that are in Choir only.  In this class, students that wish to take part in the WSMA Solo/Ensemble festival, will work on solos and ensembles that they wish to perform for the Festival in February 2016.  If student cannot fit this class into their WIN schedule and still wish to take part in the WSMA music festival, they still will have the opportunity to do so in class.
• Sports and Statistics: Using statistics and mathematics, students will analyze various sports and how statistics relate to game outcomes. Students will predict, analyze and develop conclusions base on match-ups, advantages and other variables. 
• STEM Careers: Students will research and present on STEM careers and topics
• Strength and Conditioning: This class will provide an opportunity for development of strength and conditioning for various fitness related activities. Students will gain the knowledge and skill needed to design and implement their own exercise routine to better their overall health. Free weights, exercise bands, medicine balls and various conditioning activities will be incorporated to promote improvement in fitness. Students will be taught key components to fitness program, proper technique, safety precautions and proper application of the FITT Principle of Training. The class will perform variety of different workouts and exercise routines in the Jefferson Middle School Gym.
• Woodworking:  Students will design, plan, and build a woodworking project using tools and equipment. Each students will build something that they can take home by using power and hand tools.