Quarter(s): 1

Day(s): Tue

Open Spots: 0

Take command of the battlefield as you design and deploy your own 3D military diorama. On December 7, 1941, Japan launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, crippling the U.S. Pacific Fleet and drawing the United States into World War II. In a single morning, battleships were sunk, aircraft destroyed, and thousands of lives lost, shocking a nation that had been on the sidelines. This class explores the rising tensions in the Pacific, Japan's rapid expansion, and the events that led to and unfolded during that pivotal day.

Using artistic model-making techniques, hand tools, and historical maps, students will each form a 10" X 14" shaped, foam diorama with landscape elements (hills, valleys, rivers, ridges, vegetation, airfields, etc) to represent a scene of a famous historical engagement. Students will each receive scale miniature naval ships to populate their scene. Once individual projects are constructed, students will combine their dioramas alongside those of their classmates to approximate the larger battlefield terrain. Students will spend the remainder of the quarter learning about the tactics and outcomes of the military engagement while playing a table-top strategy game. Student strategists will use a simplified version of the Axis and Allies gaming rule system for moving troops and equipment. Along with their classmates, students will see how this battle progressed and test different outcome scenarios that might have occurred with different battlefield choices.

The instructor will use maps and visual presentations to explain the historical background and circumstances leading up to the specific battle. Course documents, such as period maps, game rules and all other instructional media will be available via a Google Drive link which will be emailed to parents. There is a $25.00 materials fee payable to the instructor on the first day of class.

Topics in this year's series include: Pearl Harbor (Quarter 1), Guadalcanal (Quarter 2), D-Day (Quarter 3), and Battle of the Bulge (Quarter 4).

Quarter(s): 1

Day(s): Tue

Open Spots: 0

Who gets to make the rules? Why do we even have a Constitution? What would happen if we didn't?

Students will receive their own copy of the U.S. Constitution and engage in close reading, discussion, and analysis. They will explore different forms of government, from autocracy to republic, and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each. Students will also examine key figures and historical events that led to the founding of the United States.

As part of the class experience, students will participate in classroom mock government. Students will hold elections, practice parliamentary procedure, debate ideas, and draft a constitution together.