Middle School Electives

Career Exploration I Online: The Career Explorations 1 course is designed to give seventh and eighth grade students an opportunity to explore various Career and Technical Education subjects. Specifically, students will be able to learn about careers involving human-related services. Each unit introduces one particular field and explains its past, present, and future. The goal is to whet students’ appetites for these careers. Students can then explore that career in more detail as a high school student. The student will: examine work, lifestyle, and a career; evaluate the history of health care and the impact that science and technology has had on it; explain why travel and tourism is important to our economy; understand how geographic principles relate to traveler decisions; explain the history of human services and how it functions in society; and analyze careers in the consumer services industry.

Career Exploration II Online: The Career Explorations 2 course is designed to give seventh and eighth grade students an opportunity to explore various CTE subjects. Specifically, students will be able to learn about careers involving various technical fields from computers to agriculture. Each unit introduces one particular field and explains its past, present, and future. The goal is to whet students’ appetites for these careers. Students can then explore that career in more detail as a high school student. Each unit examines the past, present, and future of one specific career field, including information technology, information technology support and services, network systems, STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math), and agriculture, food, and natural resources. Exploring technology-related career options in middle school gives students the opportunity to gauge their interest toward specific topics and enroll in more advanced, career-specific courses in high school. Topics of study throughout the semester include computer systems and networks, the use of Internet and mobile technology in business and society, systems design and implementation, the advancement of agriculture to the present day, sustainable agriculture and its impact on society, and careers, concepts, theories, and practical applications related to the STEM field.

Health Quest Online: Health Quest is a health science elective course for upper elementary and middle school students. The curriculum introduces students to the concepts of what good health is, why good health is important, and what students should do in order to achieve good health. Units of study include the development of the body; good practices of health in mental, physical, emotional, and social areas; nutrition and fitness; health maintenance; and good health stewardship practices.

Keyboarding Online: Keyboarding and Applications is a semester-long elective that teaches students keyboarding skills, technical skills, effective communication skills, and productive work habits. In this 7th grade homeschool curriculum, students will learn about proper keyboarding techniques. Once students have been introduced to keyboarding skills, lessons will include daily practice of those skills. Students will gain an understanding of computer hardware, operating systems, file management, and the Internet. In addition, they will apply their keyboarding skills and create a variety of business documents, including word processing documents and electronic presentations. Students in 8th grade may request to take this elective if they are advanced in their computer skills. Taking the course in 8th grade will not count for elective credit toward graduation requirements