Middle School Enrichment Courses at Barnstable

Do you struggle taking notes in class? Do you feel like you can’t keep up or aren’t sure what the most important items are? Then this class is for you! This class will focus on taking quality notes in class. There will be a variety of methods discussed as well as time to practice taking notes from a variety of sources (video, lecture, reading, etc.).

Learn strategy, planning, cooperation, and foresight through such strategy games as Warhammer, Warhammer 40k, Rail Raiders, and Super Dungeon Explorer! War Strats introduces new and experienced students to these and other tabletop strategy games.

This class aims to provide each student with the opportunity to participate in a comprehensive program consisting of skill development, lead up games, team sports, and physical fitness activities. The students will receive instruction in rules, skills, and strategies associated with the different sports as well as learning experiences involving physical conditioning activities. This class promotes the spirit of cooperation, leadership, fair play, and friendly competition.

This class is filled with activities and projects that will prepare Middle School students for a successful High School career and beyond. Students will work on practicing word processing, making presentations, creating eye-catching graphics, making videos, and learning about how the Internet works and how to protect themselves online.

Students taking this course will learn knitting techniques, including using a knitting loom to create hats and scarves to be donated to local hospitals, newborn units, and charities. Not only will they be helping others within the community, they will also be reaping the mental and physical health benefits of knitting. You don’t have to be in Community Service to join this group!

This course focuses on fostering a student’s appreciation for literature. Each month, students will select a novel from a chosen genre to discuss with their peers in order to identify common themes, analyze character development, and study an author’s purpose. Students will have the opportunity to discuss these elements in a relaxing environment.

Students will have the opportunity to utilize Barnstable Academy’s Occulus Go while exploring geography and the exciting virtual world. Students will be able to identify some of their specific areas of interest and program their individual device to engage and delve deeper into an academic area of choice.

Students will become familiar with the process of creating and editing video, from storyboarding to final edits. While editing and creating videos the students will use software such as Adobe Premier and After Effects.

This course introduces students to the language, culture, and history of the Roman Empire. Students will also explore the influence of Rome still prominent in our current language and culture. Other topics to be discussed will include word derivations, and common Latin phrases and their meanings.

In this class, students will study types of speeches (informative, persuasive, dramatic, and special occasion), read and listen to models of speeches, and prepare and present their own speeches to diverse audiences. Students will learn to choose speaking topics and adapt them for specific audiences, to research and support their ideas, and to benefit from listener feedback. They will also study how to incorporate well-designed visual and multimedia aids in presentations and how to maintain a credible presence in the digital world. Students will also learn about the ethics of public speaking and about techniques for managing communication anxiety.

This class will integrate science, technology, engineering, and math components into fun hands-on lessons and labs. This class is focused on improving the overall STEM skills of our students.

Let’s explore the development of our own cartoon characters and their stories, making them into graphic novels. We will keep a sketchbook for ideas and learn how to use different media and methods to make our characters come alive to tell our tales!

In this class students will create and design their own Escape Room. They will use puzzles, riddles, and hide clues to create an exciting adventure for their fellow classmates.

This course aims to explore regions and cultures of the world that are not covered in the core Foreign Language Culture lessons. We will look at places such as the Amazon rainforest in South America, sub-Saharan Africa, and daily life in East Asia, in countries like Japan and China. Looking at how other cultures live their lives gives us more of an international perspective and an in-depth understanding of our global neighbors. This course is a chance to enhance your interests in travel, politics, economics, geography, and much more.

This class will examine the historical and mythological role of the Samurai from the early middle ages to the early modern period. During the class we will examine the language, the geography and the social structure of Japan. It will focus extensively on the Senkoku Jidai period (the age of the country at war) and how it caused Japan to become an isolationist nation. (The class will also learn about the language, Bushido, the weapons, Japan’s relations with its neighbors and its eventual emergence from its medieval culture.)

Students will participate in problem solving and brain games to improve memory, attention, speed, flexibility, and focus. This class will help to challenge and improve the brain skills that matter the most while having fun!

This class will focus on studying and creating graphic novels. Students will understand how a graphic novel differs from a traditional comic book. Students will also create their own graphic novels, including the technique of binding books.