Electives
Visual Arts
Wheel - Intro to Studio Art (Grade 6)
Studio Art (Grades 7, 8)
Advanced Art/Ceramics/Intro to Sculpture (Grade 8)
Classes focus on skills that relate to understanding elements of art and design principles. Assessment is based on progressive theories of art education from Harvard University. In the department, we collaborate with and integrate science, history, math, and English content. There is an emphasis is on reflective, creative, and analytical writing.
The class integrates technology with the use of a state-of-the-art Promethean Board in the classroom. Art history is at the touch of a finger with Google Art Project. This gives the class access to museums and galleries all over the world. Art classes work in collaboration with the science/SLWRP class in celebrating Wood Middle School as an Ocean Guardian School. Artwork is featured on www.stopwaste.org.
Some fun projects the classes plan to work on are Mexican yarn painting, ekphrastic poetry, metal repousse masks with creative storytelling, ancient ceramic amulets, personal symbolic amulets, website business plan, multicultural functional pottery, linear perspective (reflection writing process).
In addition to the above projects, the classes will work on portraits for orphans. Students are linked with orphans from around the world and create a gift of a portrait. Students will also create sculptural teapots telling a story of students’ and their family’s journey to California.
Vibrant school mural projects are created by the Art department. Open studio hours after school are provided for students, and there are a number of opportunities to earn community service hours.
The Art department offers progressive theories based on traditional education. The future vision is to expand Arts Integration through Common Core.
Art teacher, Ms. Lindsey Shepard, currently has an Arts Integration Certificate program through the Alameda County Office of Education. She holds a teaching credential from Mills College and a BFA from California College of Arts & Crafts with a major in Ceramics and Glass.
Drama
The Wood Middle School drama program strives to instill knowledge and skills in students in two main areas:
- Acting: Principals of improvisation and mime, visualizing space and creating floor plans, developing characterization, voice projection and developing voice flexibility, principals of blocking, running an effective rehearsal, and overall rehearsal etiquette.
- Design & Technical Theatre: Understanding the world of the play, set design, costume design, basic stagecraft (painting and building), running light and sound equipment, vocal music, choreography, and dance.
Classes in the drama program prepare different plays throughout the school year. Our production for the 2017-2018 school year was "Alice in Wonderland" and "The Lion King" the 2018-2019 school year.
Collaboration with other arts programs includes original music for the play “Archangels Don’t Play” written by music instructor Julie Larson. The Art department is helping to make the set for the play “The Diviners”. In addition, a team-taught class is being planned by the art and drama instructors which will teach students about set design and stagecraft. Students of the drama program will have opportunities to attend various field trips with students from the art and music programs to locations such as the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco and the Shakespeare Festival in Ashland Oregon.
Wood Middle School offers a comprehensive theatre experience for students of all skill levels. The scope of activities and quality of productions has distinguished Wood Middle School from other middle school drama programs for many years. The Drama department is committed to tapping into students’ talents and providing an outlet to express their creativity, physicality, imagination, and voice. Drama also provides many opportunities for students to practice their teamwork and presentation skills.
Drama teacher, Mr. Moreno, has been working with youth in theatre for 21 years. He has done graduate work in Theatre & Film at Boston University, advanced work at the University College of Wales, holds a BA in directing from U.C. Santa Barbara, and an MA in Theatre from San Francisco State University.
Engineering
Wheel - Engineering (Grade 6)
Engineering (Grades 7, 8)
Technology and Design (TAD) is a middle school level course that is appropriate for 6th to 8th grade students who are interested in design and engineering. The major focus of the TAD course is to expose students to design process, research and analysis, teamwork, communication methods, global and human impacts, engineering standards, and technical documentation. TAD gives students the opportunity to develop skills and understanding of course concepts through activity-, project-, and problem-based (APPB) learning. Used in combination with a teaming approach, APPB-learning challenges students to continually hone their interpersonal skills, creative abilities, and understanding of the design process. It also allows students to develop strategies to enable and direct their own learning, which is the ultimate goal of education.
Mr. Nguyen is currently teaching math, Japanese, and engineering at Wood Middle School. With the help of co-teacher, Ms. Mercedes, they created a Maker Space, called the TAD (Technology and Design) Lab. He developed a comprehensive hands-on engineering curriculum for the TAD classes that uses technology, like TinkerCAD, Scratch, Turtle Arts and 3-D printing, to assist learners in designing and mak projects.
When he is not teaching, Mr. Nguyen can be seen jogging on Alameda beach, biking in the Oakland hills, swimming at the local pool, spending time with his wife and daughter, or walking around in geeky Star Wars outfits.
Harvard Project Zero and Agency By Design support our TAD curriculum.
Music
Beginning Band (Grades 6, 7, 8)
Concert Band (Grades 7, 8)
Beginning Guitar (Grades 7, 8)
Jazz Club - Wednesdays After School
String Orchestra (Grades 6,7,8)
All music classes utilize a sequential method of teaching to develop and nurture a lifelong love of the subject, as well as make connections to other disciplines and life experiences.
Music instructor, Ms. Larson, uses a variety of genres to teach students their instruments and incorporates student choice when selecting arrangements for performances. This continually evolving curriculum is used to teach music at Wood Middle School. In addition, she teaches students to read music and identify rhythms, articulations, and dynamics. These skills prepare students to learn new and challenging pieces for the spring concert.
Several events and projects are planned in collaboration with the 6th Grade team and Science Department. Currently, Concert Band is preparing several Jazz tunes for Astronomy Night in late April. Projects include improvisation at all levels, and writing and performing original music for a springtime class performance. Students also have a chance to volunteer for Community Service hours every year.
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