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Elective Classes
Band
Teacher:
The band program is a year long course that does not require previous musical experience. Students will learn to read, write, and play music on one of a variety of musical instruments. The band program offers multiple extra-curricular opportunities including the sports band, jazz band, and individual solo opportunities. The bands have a spring trip for 7th and 8th graders each year to various locations, including Carowinds or Kings Dominion. Students must begin band at the beginning of their 6th grade year. All students who are interested in learning new and exciting ways to express themselves through playing a musical instrument are encouraged to sign up for band!
8th Grade Business Computers
Teacher:
This one-semester course builds on the keyboarding skills of seventh grade. More emphasis is on computer hardware and the effect of computers on our society. Applications studied are Word Processing, Spreadsheets, Desktop Publishing, Databases, Multimedia, and Presentation software.
6th Grade Chorus
Teacher:
This quarter long class meets once per day for 9 weeks. Students are given the opportunity to perform at the end of the 9 weeks.
7th & 8th Grade Chorus
Teacher:
This semester long course gives students the option of staying on for Advanced Chorus. Choral opportunities available to Brogden students include:
- Quarterly concerts
- Hillandale/Brogden/Riverside Winter Concert
- Evening of Entertainment
- NC Honors Chorus
- NC Allstate Chorus
- DPS Honors Chorus
- District Choral Festival
- King's Dominion Trip
Careers
Teachers:
The Exploring Career Decisions course is designed to permit investigation of self and the world of work, which should lead to meaningful career planning. This course is designed to develop self-awareness and a broader understanding of today's workplace, explore a broad spectrum of careers, and formulate a tentative career development plan.
The Career Explorations course is an eighteen-week course rotated between four areas. Students will rotate on a four and one half weeks cycle during the semester. Mr. Wyche will cover Construction, Engineering, Industrial, and Transport System Technologies. Mr. Throop will cover Business Technologies and Keyboarding. Mr. Wilson will cover Agricultural and Natural Resources, Biological and Chemical Technologies, and Ms. Taylor will cover Arts and Sciences, Public Service, and Health Science Technologies.
Computer Literacy
The Computer Literacy class involves the development of technological skills over time. Skills taught include responsible and safe use of online resources, using copyright and Fair Use Guidelines, refining application skills, using formulas in a spreadsheet, using search strategy with two or more criteria in a database, increasing productivity and accuracy in keyboarding, using word processing, spreadsheet, database, and multimedia for assignments in all subject areas, locating and retrieving information using telecommunications.
Exploring Life Skills
Teacher:
The course is an eighteen week course designed for middle school students to explore and apply life management skill experiences to the essential tasks of day to day living. Students practice social etiquette, human relations, communication skills, basic hand and machine sewing for use in the home or workplace. They explore factors which influence the personality, self-concept, and personal image. Student plan snacks and meals for personal family and wellness. the productive uses of life management skills are a focus throughout this course.
Fine Arts
Teacher:
Students enrolled in art class explore different art materials, learn about important artists, and make beautiful art. Brogden offers many opportunities for students to display their artwork such as the North Carolina State Fair, the News and Observer, Durham’s Finest at North Carolina Central University, Durham Public Schools Channel 4, and the Spring Art Show at Northgate Mall. Student work is also featured in the Brogden Gallery and throughout the school.
Healthful Living
Teachers:
Gwen Pendergrass gwendolyn.pendergrass@dpsnc.net
Josh Gordon josh.gordon@dpsnc.net
Overview: Students will be exposed to a total education of their physical, mental, social and nutritional well-being. This will be achieved through a combination of Physical Education and Health Education classes throughout the entire semester.
Physical Education: The major focus of Physical Education is to instill the lesson of cooperation, participation, and good sportsmanship. Students will learn the basic skills and rules needed to participate in various teams and lifetime sports: Softball, Basketball, Soccer, Golf, Volleyball, Tennis, and Dance. There will be skills tests measuring the mastery of basic skills in each sport. Each student will also complete a personal Physical Fitness Test.
Requirements for Physical Education: Students are required to dress out daily for physical education classes. They must wear a white t-shirt, black or green shorts, sweat pants or wind pants, white socks and tennis shoes. Clothes worn to school may not be worn as your PE class clothes. Only you tennis shoes can be worn for both.
Health Education: Students will be educated in the areas of Adolescent Development, including the mental, physical, and social changes they are experiencing. Character development, the development of a positive self image, alcohol, drugs, tobacco resistance, communicable and non-communicable diseases, personal hygiene, abstinence, nutrition, and other current health issues will be discussed in this class.
The Durham Public Schools standard grading scale is used. Physical Education 60%, Health Education 40%
7th Grade Keyboarding
Teacher:
This one-semester course uses computer-based instruction to get students proficient at touch typing. Most students finish consistently typing at over 25 words per minute. In addition, students knowledge of computers and the proper formatting of common school and business documents such as letters, research papers, memos, tables, lists, and agendas.
Literacy
Teacher:
The literacy program at Brogden has been implemented as a way to approach special literacy needs of middle school students. It is designed to help students learn skills that proficient readers use to understand text, while also providing remediation in needed areas. Special help and practice are given to areas of study to enhance performance on the EOG.
Participating students utilize Academy of Reading (AOR), which is an individualized cmputer program. Students use the AOR program about 90% of class time. Accuracy and pacing are the main targets, while reinforcement of skills that may have been missed are also important. It is so crucial that students learn to focus while reading, and the AOR program provides a great deal of practice. The final part of the program includes using strategies for comprehension and vocabulary. Students try to master all skills in the program (100%) in one nine week period, one semester, or one school year.
Spanish
Teacher:
Spanish classes at Brogden are part of an exploratory program where students may be enrolled in 6th, 7th and/or 8th grades. It is designed so that any student can take Spanish. The emphasis of the program is on:
*Communication through learned words and phrases dealing with familiar topics.
*Pre-reading/writing activities through oral language.
*Connections to the grade level curriculum
*Comparison of culture and language to the students' own culture and language.
6th Grade:
6th graders are only enrolled in Spanish for nine weeks. During the nine weeks, we will be learning the following:
Geography of Spanish Speaking Countries, Alphabet, Sound System, Accents, Study Skills, Greetings and expressions of Courtesy, Classroom Objects and Commands, Numbers 0-100, Days, Months, Seasons, Weather, Time, Colors, Body and Health, and Family. Students will also learn about Hispanic Holidays and learn to appreciate Hispanic Culture and Music.
At least one song and one poem will be learned.
7th Grade:
7th graders are enrolled in Spanish for an entire semester. During the semester we will first review what was learned in 6th grade. Then we will continue learning the following: using subjects and verbs in sentences, using the verb ser with adjectives, written punctuation and accent marks, gender and adjective agreement, expressing likes and dislikes, question words, -ar verbs, -er verbs, -ir verbs, the verb tener and expressing what you have to do, classroom vocabulary, family vocabulary, house vocabulary, chore vocabulary, and stem-changing verbs. We will also focus a little more specifically on certain Spanish Speaking Countries. Students will also learn about Hispanic Holidays and learn to appreciate Hispanic Culture and Music.
At least one song and one poem will be learned.
8th Grade:
8th graders are enrolled in Spanish for an entire semester. During the semester we will review what was learned in 7th grade and then we will continue learning the following: food vocabulary and commenting on food, making polite requests, using ser and estar in sentences, using the verbs pedir, servir, preferir, poder, and probar, talking about meals, using affirmative and negative informal commands, reflexive verbs, talking about your daily routine, using the verbs costar and quedar, using estar, sentirse, and tener, shopping vocabulary, learning vocabulary to use when you visit the doctor's office, travel vocabulary, and if there is time left, we will begin learning the preterite of regular verbs.We will also focus a little more specifically on certain Spanish Speaking Countries. Students will also learn about Hispanic Holidays and learn to appreciate Hispanic Culture and Music.
At least one song and one poem will be learned. |
Elective Classes 
