ARTS AND COMMUNICATIONS PATHWAY MODULES

Careers in this cluster are related to humanities and to the performing, visual, literary, and media arts. These may include occupations in creative or technical writing, illustration, graphic design, publishing, theatre arts, journalism, languages, radio and television broadcasting, photography, advertising, and public relations.

Desktop Publishing: The world of desktop publishing and its hi-tech tools introduce students to a broad range of communication, design, layout, and organizational skills needed to create and produce their own publication. Through a multimedia system simulation, students explore the social and economic impacts of desktop publishing technologies.

Fashion and Design: In the fascinating field of fashion and design, where form meets function, students learn about fashion cycles, how fashion applies to the home furnishings industry, and how to operate a sewing machine. Using this skill, students construct a hanging organizer with pockets and then apply an original design to the project. Students also study body types and the visual effects of lines, pattern, and color in clothing.  Fee $5.00 

Graphic Design: Using graphic design software, students create and transfer designs onto T-shirts using a heat press. Multimedia presentations provide students with an understanding of graphic design principles including balance, contrast, color theory, proportion and rhythm. Students learn how to draw shapes, manipulate text, resize, rotate, duplicate, and outline objects. Fee $4.00 (and white T-shirt)

Housing, Interiors and Furnishings: Living spaces that are both functional and comfortable do not occur by accident-they result from good design solutions. Students explore different kinds of housing, the principles and elements of design and how CAD and 3-D modeling technology has impacted the building industry. Students remodel a virtual bedroom and identify ways to decorate their personal space on a limited budget. Students craft a cork message board using stencils and paints and receive advice on home maintenance, repairs, and cleaning tasks. Fee $3.50 

Internet Communications: Investigating the impact of modern communications technology on society, students use system simulation to design and evaluate a system to send and receive alphanumeric and video data, while comparing satellite types, carrier frequencies, and the type of station at the customer’s site. Students learn about web site design, home pages, and hypertext markup language and then create a web site using a design template, text, clip art and animation. 

Laser and Fiber Optics: Animations and full-motion video illustrate the science behind this technology, typical applications, and the astounding advances in communications. Students use a system simulation to design a communication system for a school district. A background study of light and its properties forms the basis for understanding lasers and their safe use. Students are led through hands-on applications such as transmitting human voices with laser light, quality control testing, and bar coding, which leads to building and testing these applications. 

Textiles and Apparel: As background to constructing a sewing project, students explore the process of how fabric is made and the advances in technology in the textile and apparel industry. Students study the different kinds of sewing equipment and how a sewing machine works. Students learn to identify clothing label and hangtag information and calculate and compare the cost per wearing of two different garments, determining which is the better buy. Fee $3.00 

Digital Video Production: Multimedia presentations helps students identify different types of shots and camera angles, framing a shot and adding special effects, creating a storyboard, and learning about lighting. All areas of video production are explored, from pre-production set-up to post-production editing while creating a documentary using a camcorder. Software allows students to capture video, trim clips, add transitions, record voice-overs, and insert titles. (8th Grade Only)

BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT PATHWAY MODULES

Accounting: Prefer to be self-employed or own your own business someday?  Assets, liabilities, equities, business operations, income statements and G.A.A.P. and the Accounting Equation are part of the unit, along with filling out a job application.  Students use Excel to prepare accounting documents and PowerPoint to develop a presentation on wage distribution in a company. 

Economics and Personal Finance: Exploring topics that range from world economic systems to personal buying decisions, students use Excel to create a spreadsheet to analyze the differences between saving for a purchase or buying on credit, prepare a simple budget, research budgeting and create a budget presentation with PowerPoint. Students also create and edit a resume using Word. 

Food Production and Services: With more families eating on the go, students take a timely look at the different types of food services operations and the importance of providing good food and good service. From the “back of the house”, learning about safety, proper food handling and sanitation, to the “front of the house”, learning about proper table service, students become involved in all aspects of food production. Students have several opportunities to prepare food and work with menus, food costs, adjusting the yield of recipes, and entrepreneurship.  Fee $4.00 

Hospitality, Tourism, and Recreation: As the largest industry in the world, hospitality and tourism encompasses a wide variety of service-oriented businesses. Acting as a restaurant manager, students evaluate customer reply cards to improve service strategies and exceed customer expectations; assuming the role of a front desk clerk, they listen to a series of voice-mail messages and prioritizing tasks; and then they examine the responsibilities of a travel agent, including knowledge of customs and climates, and plan a brochure outlining the itinerary for a trip to a national park. While learning about event planning, they write and record a radio announcement promoting a themed event.

Marketing: The Marketing unit introduces students to the technical and creative sides of marketing a product. In addition to exploring topics such as product life cycles, price, promotion, and place, students try their hand at designing a prototype package using Word. Students then “sell” their package design with a presentation created in PowerPoint.

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY PATHWAY MODULES

Careers in this cluster are related to technologies necessary to design, develop, install, or maintain physical systems. These may include occupations in designing, engineering and science, service technicians, manufacturing technology, transportation, and construction.

Aerospace: Engaging multimedia presentations use video, animation, and narration to help students explore the history, development and technology of air and space travel. The positive and negative impacts of this technology are brought to life with learning about the effects on business travel, noise and air pollution, land use, personal comfort, and safety. Given the challenge of purchasing a plane, students compare how wing load, engine type, and plane size affect costs, runway length, cruise speed, and the maneuverability of a plane. Students then design and construct their own glider.  Fee $3.00 

Alternate Energy: Alternate energy sources and their potential for providing electricity and heating are explored. Students will understand the current use of solar, wind, hydro, and geothermal sources of energy and their potential. Using a system simulation, students select solar energy systems for varying locations and seasons and use high tech equipment to design and construct a flat panel solar collector.  

CAM/CNC (Computer-aided Manufacturing and Computer Numerical Control): Manufacturing, machining, coordinate systems, machine codes, safety procedures, and other vital services draw students into the exciting technology of CAM/CNC. Taking on the role of an industrial engineer, students use system simulation to decide how to implement CAD and CNC manufacturing systems at a metal parts manufacturing plant. Students will then use software to design a nameplate, including text and imported graphics and then manufacture the piece on the CNC milling machine.  Fee $3.00 

Construction and CAD: While learning how technology impacts design and construction of structures, students become acquainted with construction techniques, civil and residential construction, heating and cooling systems, framing, and insulation systems. Using the industry standard, AutoCAD LT, students use the drawing tools, symbol libraries, and dimensional drawings to design a floor plan to meet the needs of a profiled client. Floor plans are printed or plotted for final evaluation. 

Electronics and Control Systems: From computers to alarm clocks to jets, electronics are everywhere. Engaging activities allow students to investigate, experiment, and problem solve in the area of digital electronics and control systems. Set in a real-world context of petroleum manufacturing, students use digital electronics and sensors to implement, test, and provide feedback with manual and automatic control systems.  

Engineering Structures: Students are engaged in the science and technology of large structures, gaining an appreciation of structures, from bridge types to structural stress to computer design software. Becoming the architect, students design a new bridge, comparing the social, economic, and environmental effects of their design to other bridge designs and then use computer-aided design software to test and evaluate several designs. After building their design, students test their bridges using a device to test the bridge without destroying it and later use mathematical skills to repair the damage, modify their design, and retest.  Fee $2.00 

Manufacturing and Automation: From inventory control to final test, students explore all aspects of both custom manufacturing and mass production. Students assess how automation can increase product quality and using computer simulations develop alternate manufacturing solutions for a motor company. Students use the computer to control an Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) and apply what they have learned about flowcharts, computer programming, sensor control, feedback, and manufacturing systems to program the path of the AGV.  

Mechanisms: Mechanical technology is used in myriad ways in the workplace. Students discover the principles of mechanisms and gears, using system simulation to design a basic material moving system. They alter the system’s ramp inclines, engine size, and simple gear transmission types to assess the cost, necessary space, and travel time before making a proposal. Students set up and experiment with various simple machines, such as inclined planes, levers, gears, and pulleys.  

Pneumatics: The principles of pneumatics and the application of pneumatic technology in our modern world is investigated. Students will understand the relationship between force and pressure. Directional control valves (DCV) and solenoid DCV’s, single-acting and double-acting cylinders, pressure gauges, needle valves, and check valves are among the components students learn about using in real-life contexts, such as in hovercrafts, conveyor belts, tire gauges, punch presses, and automatic door openers.       

Power and Energy: Harnessing energy to provide heat, light, transportation, communication, and other vital services are relevant topics in today’s world. Students explore many ways of generating energy with a special emphasis on electrical energy. Using a system simulation, students design three systems for a city to generate electricity, comparing coal, nuclear, and hydroelectric power sources. Students use a model power plant to test loads ranging from lighting to air conditioning and get first-hand experience with brown-outs.

FAMILY AND HUMAN SERVICES PATHWAY MODULES

Careers in this cluster are related to civil service, education, hospitality, and the social services. These may include occupations in law and legal studies, law enforcement, public administration, child and family services, and social services.

Consumer Education and Practices: In a consumer culture, it is never too early to study the science of shopping. Student not only learn to make smart buying decisions, they explore the practices of advertising and consider these influences on consumer buying. Armed with information about advertising media and appeals, students write and record two radio spots for the same product—one aimed at teenagers and one at adults. Using interactive multimedia, students read labels and comparison shop for food, clothing and other items in a virtual shopping center. 

Resource Management: Challenged to distinguish wants from needs, students consider how they can best use human, non-human, and environmental resources and after assessing their own qualities and skills, students develop an entrepreneurial business based on their skills. Students create a classified ad to promote their business, explore the value of time management and examine the benefits of good money management. Using spreadsheet software, students plan a budget and then practice all aspects of the banking and check-writing process. Recycling options are explored through converting magazines pages into envelopes. 

HEALTH SERVICES PATHWAY MODULES

Careers in this cluster are related to the promotion of health as well as the treatment of injuries, conditions, and disease. These may include occupations in medicine, dentistry, nursing, therapy and rehabilitation, nutrition, fitness and hygiene, public health, and veterinary science.

Nutrition and Wellness: Integrating healthy choices into their lifestyles, students discover nutrients, food groups, fitness and stress management. Using nutritional analysis software, students review the nutritional habits of “Junk Food Bob”, compare the data on after-school snacks, and prepare both an after-school snack and a nutritious main lunch dish. Students then investigate wellness by taking their blood pressure and pulse both at rest and during exercise and use energy analysis software.  Fee $4.00

 NATURAL RESOURCES AND AGRICULTURE PATHWAY MODULES

Careers in this cluster are related to natural resources, agriculture, and the environment. These may include occupations in agriculture, earth sciences, environmental sciences, fishery management, forestry, horticulture, wildlife management, and agribusiness.

Environmental Management: Technology can have both a positive and negative impact on our natural resources. Students use system simulation to see how a dam can influence or even reduce regional water supplies, how technology can aid in water conservation, and using 3-D software plan an environment-friendly landscape. Students select plants from a database based on sun levels, soil acidity, and planting zones. After analyzing how the landscape will change over the seasons, students “walk through” a 3-D view of their design. 

Weather Monitoring: Forces behind weather, the atmosphere, and how weather and climate patterns have an effect on our lives lead into hands-on activities to gather and plot local weather. Students use this information to create script for a local weather report. Temperature, barometric pressure, wind speed and direction, rainfall levels, wind chill, and fronts are put into a database and used for various activities. To direct an Emergency Management Team preparing for a hurricane, students compare the characteristics of hurricane levels to their data on barometric pressure, wind direction, and rain levels.