Electives in APS middle school

[Anonymous]

My 6th grader wants to do everything, but there are only a couple of time blocks for electives in 6th grade. Do they get more time for electives when they get to 7th or 8th grade?

[Anonymous]

no

[Anonymous]

You get to do them by semester though. So you could do yearbook one semester and set another.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You get to do them by semester though. So you could do yearbook one semester and set another.

Only for certain ones. By the time you get to 8th grade, a bunch are full-year. If your kid is taking a foreign language (which is strongly recommended), you really only get one elective period. If your kid does music, that’s their elective.

Don’t even get me started on mandatory PE as an “elective.”

I have strong feelings about the limited opportunities for electives in middle school, but I will spare you that rant.

[Anonymous]

Yes, 6th graders had a reading class, so fewer elective options than 7th & 8th. Immersion kids only get one elective period throughout, though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You get to do them by semester though. So you could do yearbook one semester and set another.

Only for certain ones. By the time you get to 8th grade, a bunch are full-year. If your kid is taking a foreign language (which is strongly recommended), you really only get one elective period. If your kid does music, that’s their elective.

Don’t even get me started on mandatory PE as an “elective.”

I have strong feelings about the limited opportunities for electives in middle school, but I will spare you that rant.

If you are at TJMS, foreign language is required and there's an elective in addition to that.

[Anonymous]

My 8th grader is taking a year long film class as an elective. Also taking foreign language but no music/art.

[Anonymous]

OP, have your child sign up for the elective that is actually five or six mini classes. We are at Swanson and it's called the wheel, I think the generic name is Exploratory. DS has friends at other schools and the same concept has different names. Instead of taking just band or choir for a year, it's something like 4 or 5 mini courses in art, theater, technology, and one or two others. I got the impression that's the choice most 6th graders made.

[Anonymous]

Does the field open up a bit in high school at least?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, 6th graders had a reading class, so fewer elective options than 7th & 8th. Immersion kids only get one elective period throughout, though.

But 7th and 8th have to take a language so that fills up that slot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, 6th graders had a reading class, so fewer elective options than 7th & 8th. Immersion kids only get one elective period throughout, though.

But 7th and 8th have to take a language so that fills up that slot.

7th and 8th graders get another elective spot in addition to the one that most kids use for a foreign language.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, 6th graders had a reading class, so fewer elective options than 7th & 8th. Immersion kids only get one elective period throughout, though.

But 7th and 8th have to take a language so that fills up that slot.

7th and 8th graders get another elective spot in addition to the one that most kids use for a foreign language.

Oh wow - I hope this is true. If the reading period is converted to an elective in 7th, that does the trick.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, 6th graders had a reading class, so fewer elective options than 7th & 8th. Immersion kids only get one elective period throughout, though.

But 7th and 8th have to take a language so that fills up that slot.

No they dont HAVE to take a language in MS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, 6th graders had a reading class, so fewer elective options than 7th & 8th. Immersion kids only get one elective period throughout, though.

But 7th and 8th have to take a language so that fills up that slot.

7th and 8th graders get another elective spot in addition to the one that most kids use for a foreign language.

Oh wow - I hope this is true. If the reading period is converted to an elective in 7th, that does the trick.

This is true. My kid in 7th took Chorus (full year) and 2 semester long electives (like Art, Robotics, Yearbook).

[Anonymous]

Our school had an additional section of choir after school that counted as a class, so that was another option.