Kelsey Peak Virtual Middle School Elective Courses
Below are all elective courses currently offered at Kelsey Peak. Courses marked in red may not carry due to enrollment and teacher availability.
Remember, you will be choosing more courses than you will actually take to get a second choice if the first does not work out.
ELECTIVE COURSES OFFERED
Art Foundations 1 (available to 7th/8th-grade students. 0.5 credit) This class is an exploratory course that will cover the basics of art. Students will participate in opportunities to make art and learn studio habits. Students will also develop skills in making compositions—looking at and talking about art and recognizing famous artists' works. There are no prerequisites for this class, but this class is a prerequisite to other art classes. $10 fee. This is a semester class.
Art Foundations 2 (available to 7th/8th-grade students. 0.5 credit)- Prerequisite: Art Foundation 1 or Instructor approval – This class reviews and builds on the concepts learned in Foundations 1. More advanced concepts in creating works of art will be taught with an emphasis on composition. Students get creative with how they make their art and build their own style within the art mediums. $10 fee. This is a semester class.
Drawing 1 (available to 8th-grade students. 0.5 credit) – Prerequisite: Art Foundations 2 or teacher approval. This class focuses on creative and realistic drawings: rendering from life, pictures, masterworks, and imagination. With an emphasis on studio production, this course is designed to develop higher-level thinking and art-related technology skills. $10 fee. This is a semester class.
Painting 1 (available to 8th grade students. 0.5 credit) – Prerequisite: Art Foundations 1 or teacher approval. Painting 1 is a beginning level 1 class learning studio habits and the basics of painting. This class focuses on the rendering of value, color theory, and craftsmanship. Acrylic, Watercolor and Tempera This is a semester class.
2-D Art 1 (Grade 7/8 .5 Credit) - Recommended Prerequisite for 7th grade: Art Foundations 1 This course is designed to provide an enhanced experience with the artistic issues of Foundations 1 through two-dimensional art that is not usually included with drawing, painting, and/or printmaking. These non-traditional art media would include (but not be limited to): photo, computer and digital art, collage, photo copy manipulations, and animations. This course is mainly directed towards the effective use of the elements and principles of design.
Guitar 1 (available to 7/8 grade students .5 credit) This course provides opportunities for students to develop their musical potential and aesthetic understanding through learning to play a guitar. Emphasis will be placed on: playing position, tone production, fundamental technique, simultaneous playing and singing, reading music, and composing songs/lyrics. Knowledge and skills will include experiences in singing, playing, listening, and connecting to cultures. An instrument is required for class time, as well as for practicing outside of class. (2nd semester only)
Spanish 1– (available to 7th/8th-grade 1.0 credit) This course is designed to teach elementary skills in listening, speaking, reading, and spelling. The curriculum covered in this course will give students the skills to communicate in culturally-appropriate ways in the target language. By the end of this course, student skill level should be at a novice-mid level according to the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language (ACTFL) standards. This is a year-long class.
Spanish 2 – (available to 8th-grade students. 1.0 credit) Prerequisite: Spanish 1 This course is designed to teach elementary skills in listening, speaking, reading, and spelling. The curriculum covered in this course will give students the skills to communicate in culturally-appropriate ways in the target language. By the end of this course, student skill level should be at a novice-high level according to the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language (ACTFL) standards. This is a full-year class.
Yoga (available to 7th/8th-grade students. 0.5 credit) – This class focuses on structural alignment, an increase of strength, and flexibility. It will deepen a student’s awareness of breath and the role it has in generating energy and stamina in one’s mind and body. The course will also incorporate techniques for stress relief, and enhance one’s physical performance by teaching students how to connect breath, organ systems, physiology and anatomy altogether. This is a semester class.
Intro to IT Design (available to 8th-grade students. 0.5 credit) – The Intro to IT Design course is for students interested in pursuing a career in the field of Information Technology with an emphasis in design. We will explore design principles in relation to digital media, business applications, web development, and software development. This includes hands-on instruction in graphic selection, layout, typography, color, and other creative design.
Digital Literacy/Keyboarding (available to 7th/8th-grade students. 0.5 credit) – This class is really two courses combined into one. The first half is Keyboarding, an unarguably necessary skill for all students. This skill is not taught in any other course and is not offered after the 8th grade. Students are taught proper techniques that will make them more efficient typists and help them continue to gain higher speeds even after the class is over. The second half is Digital Literacy, which focuses on understanding how computers are built, what they do, and how to use them properly in a home, work, and social setting. These are essential life skills that the state of Utah has recommended (but not required) all students to take by the end of 8th grade. This is a semester class.
Creative Coding 1 – (available to 7th/8th-grade students. 0.5 credit)This course is an intro to Python programming and suitable for students who are new to coding. Python is used by developers and hackers alike because of its versatility and flexibility. Python is a dominant coding language for major companies like Netflix, Amazon, Spotify, and Instagram. Students will create games, animations, and other interactive programs using Python. Students will master basic coding concepts common to all programming languages and be introduced to libraries, procedural graphics, and complex input. Students will develop coding-related skills such as decomposition, debugging, and analyzing code written by others. And fun fact, the Python language was named after the British comedy group Monty Python. This is a semester class.
Python 1 (available to 7th/8th/ students. 0.5 credit) Prerequisite: Creative Coding 1 This course introduces the Python programming language and is suitable for students who are new to coding. Python is widely used because of its versatility and flexibility. Students will create games, animations, and other interactive programs. Students will master basic coding concepts common to all programming languages and be introduced to libraries, procedural graphics, and complex input. Students will develop coding-related skills such as decomposition, debugging, and analyzing code written by others. Python is a dominant coding language for major companies like Netflix, Amazon, Spotify, and Instagram. And fun fact, the Python language was named after the British comedy group Monty Python.
Python 2 (available to 7th/8th/ students. 0.5 credit) Prerequisite: Python 1 This course builds on the basic concepts learned in Python 1: libraries, procedural graphics, complex input, decomposition, debugging, and analyzing code. Students will continue developing their skillset by creating graphical, sprite-based games using custom images. Expanding and mastering the use of Python opens up both personal coding platforms and career possibilities. Python is an open-source language that continues to evolve; in fact, Google created a unique Python style guide and several libraries. Big companies like Disney Animation, NASA, Uber, and Reddit use Python. Python coding skills are in high demand in industries like electronics, tech, media, and artificial intelligence, with developers averaging a salary over $100,000.
Exploring Technology (available to 8th-grade students. 0.5 credit) – Exploring Technology is an action-based course that introduces students to the technological systems of two or more of the following areas: energy-power technologies, information and communications technologies, transportation technologies, manufacturing technologies, and construction technologies. $10 Lab fee. This is a semester class.
Exploring Business and Marketing (available to 8th-grade students. 0.5 credit) – Students will be exposed to all the basic concepts in business, including the stock market, entrepreneurship, marketing, accounting, and human resources. Students will also do an in-class simulation where they will develop an actual product that they may sell to friends and family, which may result in real personal profit! This is a semester class.
FCS Exploration (available to 8th-grade students. 0.5 credit)
This course provides students the opportunity to develop essential skills in the various career pathways related to Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS). Students will explore and cultivate skills in food and nutrition sciences, childcare, interior design, clothing and textile construction, fashion design and merchandising, consumerism, entrepreneurship, family relationships, personal responsibility, and career and job-related tasks. This course will strengthen comprehension of concepts and standards outlined in Sciences, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education. Student leadership (FCCLA) may be an integral part of the course.