Middle School Curriculum Guide

This course introduces students to the art and craft of woodworking and the creative process of design. Through guided, hands-on projects, students will explore the properties of wood, safe and precise tool use, and a range of woodworking techniques—including wood preparation, construction, joinery, assembly, and finishing. Emphasis is placed on accuracy, craftsmanship, and care in every stage of building.

In the first portion of the course, students complete the traditional wooden Trinket Box Project, gaining experience in planning, measuring, drafting, cutting, assembly, and surface finishing. They will experiment with traditional and full-color finishing methods, as well as optional decorative illustration transfer techniques to personalize their designs.

The second portion, Inventions with Intention, invites students to extend their technical skills into creative problem-solving. Using the Engineering Design Process, students will research, brainstorm, and prototype original inventions that address real-world challenges. Each student will document their iterative process through sketches, notes, and reflections in an Engineering Notebook.

Throughout the course, students develop hands-on skills working with precision, attention to detail, and pride in individual craftsmanship, while learning to transform an idea from concept to completed prototype.

This entry-level trimester course combines foundational shop training with a design thinking approach to create projects that serve a real need. Students learn to develop ideas through sketching, drafting, and planning, then translate those plans into physical builds through safe and appropriate tool use. Instruction emphasizes measurement accuracy, materials exploration, construction methods, joinery/assembly, and finishing, with a focus on craftsmanship and care. Students begin with a short skill-building sequence and tool safety check-offs to build confidence with essential hand and power tools. They then apply these skills to a purpose-driven design challenge connected to a community organization, school partner, or identified campus need. Following the Design Thinking process, students empathize with users, define constraints, brainstorm solutions, prototype, test, and revise. When appropriate, students may incorporate makerspace tools such as 2D/3D design and 3D printing to support their final build. By the end of the trimester, students will have strengthened technical skills, expanded creative problem-solving abilities, and produced a functional prototype or solution designed for a real audience. Counts as a Visual/Manual Arts elective. (T1, T2, & T3)

Students will explore design and engineering through hands-on projects guided by the Design Thinking process. They will learn to use 2D and 3D design tools for digital fabrication, including 3D printing, and will learn to program microcontrollers to bring their ideas to life. Using block-based coding in the MakeCode environment with the Circuit Playground, students will create interactive programs that incorporate sensors, lights, and sound into their physical computing projects. Through project-based engineering challenges, students will expand their understanding of the Makerspace's materials and equipment while developing creative and technical skills to design and build functional prototypes. Counts as a computer science elective. (T1, T2, & T3)