Rochester Scholars Jr.
Course Descriptions Summer Session 2008
- 2008 Summer Session: August 4 – August 8
- Offered to students in grades 6-8, running for one week, Monday - Friday. Students attend a full day of class from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., including a group lunch hour from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. Exciting lunchtime activities are planned for each day. Supervised early drop-off is available starting at 8 a.m. and supervised late pick-up is available until 5 p.m.
Course List
Astronomy: Planets, Stars, & NASA
Authors of Tomorrow: A Course in Creative Writing
Build a Mobile Robot
Ceramic Handbuilding
Ecology & Microbiology
Exploring Engineering Careers and Technological Innovations
May It Please the Court: A Mock Drama
Read It, Write It, SLAM IT! An Introduction to Poetry
Summer Science Explorers: Food Science
The World of Magic
This Just In: An Introduction to Journalism
Course Descriptions
- Astronomy: Planets, Stars, & NASA
- How does astronomy impact our daily life? Time, days, seasons, and weather revolve around astronomy - and that's just the beginning. In this course, students will learn about our solar system's inner and outer planets; comets and asteroids; our own star, the Sun; star birth, life, and death; NASA's manned/unmanned space missions; and recent events and spacecraft launches in the news such as the demotion of Pluto, the New Horizons spacecraft on its way to Pluto in 2015, the still-functioning Mars Rovers and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, and the Cassini spacecraft presently observing Saturn. Get ready to explore outer space and discover new worlds!
- Authors of Tomorrow: A Course in Creative Writing
- In this course, students are encouraged to use the environment around them to foster their creativity and unique writing ideas. Together, we'll develop strong characters and settings through the use of our senses. We'll go on field trips to the Memorial Art Gallery and Spot Coffee in order to observe real-life characters and to draw inspiration from our surroundings. Students will also learn to work with a realistic sense of writing and what it takes to share a compelling story with a reader – from pre-writing to a publishable piece. Throughout the course, students will participate in writing exercises and peer story sharing to produce great stories of their own as they become the authors of tomorrow.
- Build a Mobile Robot
- How would you like to build a robot that moves around and interacts with the environment? Now is your chance! Sensors, motors, computer programming, robot design, and construction come together in this hands-on workshop. First, students work in small groups using Lego Mindstorm kits to design, build, and program a robot that will accomplish an assigned task. Then students think of a problem, design a robot to solve it, and build that robot. Students learn how to program, how to work effectively in teams, how to solve engineering problems, and the start-to-finish design process for building a working system. (Maximum Enrollment of 15)
- Ceramic Handbuilding
- What can you build with your own two hands? In this course, students will apply the basic elements and principles of art with handbuilding techniques to create unique works of art. The course will give students a basic understanding of handbuilding, including focus on topics such as sgraffito vessels, dinnerware, and non-objective sculptures. Students will leave the course with their own handmade piece, and a better understanding of themselves as artists.
- Ecology & Microbiology
- The Rochester Scholars Jr. students have been asked to catalog the biodiversity at the University of Rochester’s River Campus! In this course, students will take out their magnifying glasses and field notebooks to do some sleuthing. Students will search for footprints, holes, fur, and nests to determine what organisms inhabit the field site. We will also take some samples back to the lab for further testing to see what microbes are out there. In the lab, we’ll prepare cultures of the microbes and watch them grow. Be prepared to get dirty and (maybe) even grossed out!
- Exploring Engineering Careers and Technological Innovations
- This course will prepare students for opportunities in the field of engineering, and provide a first hand introduction to elements of engineering, computer programming, and innovations in technology. Explore cutting edge technologies such as robotic surgeons, “intelligent” homes, biometrics, Moeller’s M400 Skycar, the Space Quest Casino, a human computer, water-powered vehicles, and many more technologies in development. Through hands-on experiences, students will create a video game using the latest computer programming software, explore 3D computer modeling, and take an in-depth look at the many fields of engineering. Students will also build a state of the art structure designed on a virtual reality program.
- May It Please the Court: A Mock Drama
- Imagine being a lawyer, assigned to your first big case – and it’s a homicide! Whether you’re the prosecutor or defense attorney, you’ve got a big job ahead of you. The defendant’s fate is, in many ways, in your hands. How will you prepare your case? Gather evidence from the crime scene? Interview witnesses? Are there specific procedures and exhibits you’ll need to use in the courtroom? What kind of life can the defendant expect to have if he or she is convicted and sent to a notorious maximum-security prison? Bring the answers to life in your dramatization of a homicide trial in this “Law & Order” inspired course.
- Read It, Write It, SLAM IT! An Introduction to Poetry
- Oh no, not poetry! Throw all your presumptions and hesitations to the wind. This class offers a modern and progressive look at the age-old art of poetry. In other words, it has funk! The class will determine a list of topic choices and learn how to focus on those ideas to create poetry. The course will include a poetry slam, and every student will have the opportunity to share an original piece of poetry created in the class. In addition, students will study contemporary and classic poets, and different styles and forms of poetry. Students will discover the writers within themselves, and come away from the week with a chapbook of poetry.
- Summer Science Explorers: Food Science
- Can you make a Mentos fountain that shoots 20 feet into the sky? Can you turn water into grape juice and back to water in 10 seconds? Have you ever wondered what in the world are the ingredients in those Twinkies? Can you make glue out of milk? Did you know that baking the perfect cake is all about chemistry? This is a rare research experience where you may be found eating your science experiments and playing with your food. Come join us as we look at food in a whole new way!
- The World of Magic
- Welcome to the world of magic! Have you ever been amazed by a magician performing incredible tricks or illusions? After completing this course, you will be performing these mind-blowing tricks yourself. Working with a real magician, you’ll learn everything from large-scale illusions, such as cutting people in half or making someone float, to close-up magic using cards, money, etc. You’ll learn not only the secrets behind an extensive collection of exciting magic tricks, but also how to successfully present your magic to an audience, whether that be your friends at school, or on stage! At the end of this fun course, you’ll have a deep knowledge of the essential principles that underlie the secrets of magic.
- This Just In: An Introduction to Journalism
- What makes a story “breaking news?” This course will cover the art of getting the story, writing your firsthand account, and reporting the news via broadcast, print, or online. Students will learn skills that every journalist needs to know, such as interviewing, note-taking, story preparation, editing, and reporting. Examine current stories that have made the news, and find out the elements that made them newsworthy. Break out your notebooks and microphones – it’s time to get the scoop!
