AFE Teacher-Led Enrichment Class Offerings
Fall Semester
Classes begin the week of 8/31-9/4
ELEMENTARY
K - 2nd Grade
Build it! Innovation and Engineering - Fall Semester - Online Mondays 9:00 - 10:00 and 10:15 - 11:15.
Crissy Hansen
Do you like building? This class will be full of hands-on engineering projects to solve real world problems. Each week will focus on a different kind of engineering or design. You'll practice building our own models with your family and share what you built when we come together on Zoom!
Sharing Songs and Poetry - Fall Semester - Online Wednesdays 9:00 - 10:00 and 10:30 - 11:30.
Elizabeth Lindsley
Let’s get together to sing songs and share poems! We will learn together and share our ideas as we sing, sign and illustrate songs and poems with our families! This song and poetry circle provides a space for us to explore joyful literacy with our friends, as we build a collection of community songs and poems. We will explore our love of language and community as we sing, sign, draw together and teach our families at home by reciting at the dinner table or on a walk in the woods! Families may choose to compile an artwork gallery or song and poetry book as we build our repertoire.
3rd - 5th Grade
Bicycles - Fall Semester - Online Mondays 11:15 - 12:15
Steve Salas
Every time I walk down the street and see someone on a bicycle, I can’t help but turn my head to see what they are riding and wish that I were on a bicycle too. In this class we’ll look at the science and engineering that goes into riding a bicycle, the positive impact riding a bicycle has on our community, and creatively share our unique riding experiences. Our class will be supportive of each other regardless of skill level and have the goal of fostering a love of riding a bicycle as often as possible!
Build It! Invention and Innovation - Fall Semester - Online Wednesdays 2:00 - 3:00
Amelia von Gerer
Do you like building? This class will be full of hands-on engineering projects to solve real world problems. We’ll be thinking about how engineers use design to solve problems and innovate. Each week will focus on a different kind of engineering or design, and we’ll practice building our own models! You will study the Design Thinking process, learn about engineers of the past and present, and try using design to create change in our world.
MIDDLE SCHOOL
Ecology and our Environment - Online Tuesdays 10:00-11:15 - Fall & Spring Semester
Peter Deutsch
We will address key topics and concepts in ecology and investigate these ideas in our local and global environment. The structures, interactions and functions in ecosystems will be the basis of our study. This will include natural resources, human impacts, various biomes and habitats, classification of living things, and the structure, function, and behavior of organisms. Our Zoom class will allow for a range of interactions in big and small groups and the instruction/content will set the stage for the active, hands-on based weekly homework and larger projects.
Brain Explorers - Online Tuesdays 11:00-12:15 - Fall & Spring Semesters
Nancy Aylsworth
Stretch your brain by exploring its different parts, strengthening your memory and practicing creative thinking. We will learn about different types of intelligences and learning styles. You’ll also study some psychology, learn about biases and perceptions, and how to keep your brain healthy. We will create a supportive and interactive class while we learn about ourselves and each other.
Dance Appreciation - Fall Semester (7 weeks 10/30-12/18) - Online Fridays 10am
Zari Lionudakis
Dance appreciation will be a dance survey course where students will take dance classes, watch dance performances and reflect on their experiences as participants and viewers. Ballet, Jazz and Modern dance classes will be taught on Zoom, and students will write about dance performances from selected ballets and concerts. This class will give students an opportunity to explore dance as a fine art, while incorporating critical thinking skills through writing about dance.
HIGH SCHOOL
Health - Fall Semester - Online Thursday mornings section #1 10:30-12:00 pm and section #2 1:30- 3:00 pm
Ayala Younger
This high school class is about YOU. We will explore topics related to physical, mental, and emotional well-being to help you develop skills for lifelong personal health. Students can earn up to 5 credits. Topics include: personal and community health; mental, emotional, and social health; nutrition and physical activity; alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs; and growth, development, and sexual health in a safe and supportive space.
The Craft of Fiction - Fall Semester - Online Thursday afternoons (section #1 2:00-3:30 pm & section #2 11:00-12:30)
Stacey Saady
In this online class you will discover and practice how fiction “works.” We will read published writers’ short stories and discuss the elements of fiction that make these stories successful: character, detail, setting, dialogue, plot, and voice. We’ll complete writing exercises to help develop your own craft as a writer, and the end product will be a short story you’ve drafted, revised, and polished. (Up to 5 English credits.)
Dance Appreciation - Fall Semester (8 weeks 9/4-10/23)- Online Fridays 10am
Zari Lionudakis
Dance appreciation will be a dance survey course where students will take dance classes, watch dance performances and reflect on their experiences as participants and viewers. Ballet, Jazz and Modern dance classes will be taught on Zoom, and students will write about dance performances from selected ballets and concerts. This class will give students an opportunity to explore dance as a fine art, while incorporating critical thinking skills through writing about dance.