Middle & High School Elective Classes at Fusion Academy

Heart valves, cars, cartoons, and buildings may not seem to have much in common, but they all share one spectacular attribute: all originated as a 3D model. 3D modeling has changed the way the world makes things, and in this course, you’ll learn the basics to begin creating in 3D! You’ll learn how different 3D models are built and how to practice using a variety of modeling methods. By the end of the course, you’ll walk away with a portfolio of your ingenious modeling ideas. 3D modeling is an essential part of the modern world and soon, you’ll be able to contribute yourself!

Throughout U.S. history, how have African Americans helped shaped American culture? This course answers that question by tracing African Americans’ accomplishments and obstacles, beginning with the slave trade on up to the modern Civil Rights movement. Learn about the political, economic, social, religious, and cultural factors that have influenced African American life, meet individuals who changed the course of history, and explore how the African American story still influences current events.

What makes us human? Is it our ability to use language, tools, or technology? Trace the history of homosapiens and explore our evolutionary trail through an anthropologic lens to observe our movement from cave dwellers to modern humans. Learn how we forged our way and developed all of the things that make us humans, such as our cultures, languages, and religions.

Biotechnology is a cutting-edge, high-demand field that encompasses everything from plant and animal breeding to genetics. Discover how biotechnology has changed the world around us, from food to genetics. Explore historical applications with modern discoveries. Understand how regulations and ethics govern the course of biotechnology and learn of its importance to the field of medicine.

This one semester course is accessible to all levels, from those just starting programming with block languages to more advanced programmers - the curriculum and projects are totally customizable to fit a student’s interests and abilities. Students start with an introduction to coding in the context of game building. Once gaining some basic fluency in a programming language, students apply this to learning and writing commands for robotics. The main goal is to learn the logic behind a programming language, as this type of logic can be applied to subjects beyond a tech lab, such as math and English. Finally, students apply these skills in Virtual Reality, where they can create art, design a game, or interact with others virtually. The sky is the limit, virtually and literally! This course can be taken before or after the Building Mechanics semester, or as a standalone.

No matter what career you’re planning to pursue, excellent professional communication will be key to your success. Upgrade your abilities in speaking, listening, writing, using and reading body language, and communicating in teams and groups. Discover how to plan, create, and deliver business presentations and communicate through graphics. In no time, you’ll be communicating with confidence, stand out from your peers, and impress your employer.

Starting a business is more than just having a good idea. Successful entrepreneurs know how to use and apply fundamental business concepts to turn their ideas into thriving businesses. Explore topics such as identifying the best business structure, business functions and operations, finance, business laws, regulations, and more! If you have ever dreamed of making a business idea a reality, take the time to establish a solid foundation of business skills to make your business dreams come true!

Whether you plan on starting your own business or being in charge of one, it is crucial you understand how to keep the company compliant. Explore what it means to run an ethical business, how to keep intellectual property, technology, and e-commerce safe and protected, understand insurance and taxes, and how to have a healthy workplace environment. Keep the business safe and growing by following the law.

Have you ever wondered what steps take place as people as they move through the court system? The criminal justice system is a very complex field that requires dedicated people willing to pursue equal justice for all. Explore different career choices and how the juvenile justice system, the correctional system, and the trial process all work together to maintain social order.

Have you ever wanted to create your own web page or wondered how your favorite websites were built? Explore the role technology plays in our lives as well as study the fundamentals of computer science, review hardware and software, and learn how the internet functions. Discover how to create and build your own website using HTML and CSS, and learn the basics of JavaScript and Python Programming. This course also covers data collection methods, access rights, protocols, and security. Have you ever wanted to create your own web page or wondered how your favorite websites were built? Explore the role technology plays in our lives as well as study the fundamentals of computer science, review hardware and software, and learn how the internet functions.

Students learn tangible skills for social interactions through interactive lesson plans, projects and integrations of skills and concepts in the Homework Cafe®. Students develop knowledge of social cues, how to navigate gray areas with various people, how to build and maintain friendships, and how to recognize the impact their behavior has on others around them. This course is graded as pass/fail.

Have you ever wondered how your favorite software is created? Explore the software development life cycle from start to finish while developing your own programming skills with Python. Explore the power of data and algorithms along with their influence on the world. Launch yourself into the endless possibilities a career as a programmer can bring you!

Congratulations; you’re speaking a different language! A programming language that is. But do you want to learn more? Discover the most popular programming languages and what they have to offer the software world. Explore data, algorithms, and objectives and how they are essential to language ‘speak’. Learn the software development life cycle and how it can be implemented so you can create projects, such as a prototype for an app you’ll code and a working to-do list website.

In this course, you are going to pull back the veil on what goes into some of the technology we use every day. You will investigate computer hardware and software and learn what goes into building a computer while exploring programs and applications, you’ll study the history of the internet and how to use its capabilities even more effectively, and you’ll also dive deep into email and some of today’s most powerful processing tools. Get ready to really know the technology you have at your fingertips so you can continue to make it work for you!

Controversies in American Politics provides an overview of historical and contemporary political, social, and economic issues within the United States. Students learn the background of the issue, as well as multiple perspectives to formulate their own opinions. Students are expected to write extensively using primary and secondary sources in independently-guided research.

Students tap into their own creativity and experience the joys of writing original text. Participants explore various forms of writing, such as short story, poetry, drama, narrative and biography, while delving into the common themes of humanity and various truths of human nature. Students experience the recursive nature of writing and painlessly build skills in the conventions and tools of traditional English grammar and sentence structure that will strengthen them in all their future writing tasks.

Students enrolled in Deaf Studies explore the history of deaf culture in the United States. By the conclusion of this course, students have developed an understanding of Deaf history and culture and are ready to be advocates for the Deaf community.

Students master fundamental economic concepts, applying the tools (graphs, statistics, and equations) from other subject areas to the understanding of operations and institutions of economic systems. Studied in a historic context are the basic economic principles of micro and macroeconomics, international economics, comparative economic systems, measurement, and methods.

Executive Skills is a two semester elective course that supports the development of key executive functioning skills that impact the daily lives of students. This course is individualized based on the unique strengths and areas of growth for the student determined by formal assessment, student and family surveys, and interviews. Based on a review of these points of information, 7-9 of the 11 skills are identified for focused development during the two semesters of this course. Executive Skills empowers students to take control of their experiences through knowledge, strategies, practice, and real-life application.

Does your love of video games motivate you to pursue a career in this field? Pursue your passion by learning about the principles of game design through the stages of development, iterative process, critiques, and game development tools. Put these new skills to work by designing your own game!

Are you ready to enter this multi-billion-dollar industry and start applying your technical skills into a compelling package that will catch the eye of an employer? Beginning with conceptualization and the design process, you’ll develop your game’s story elements, narrative, plot, characters, and assets. Using game design software, you’ll bring your game to life by applying lighting, audio, visual effects, player choice options, AI, and consider the type of controls to use for your game. Build a world players can get immersed in.

Global Perspectives is a two-semester journey into the systems that pervade our lives in the modern-day and how these systems both enable and disable growth. By looking into discrepancies at the global and local levels we can learn to analyze why global critical issues seem so intertwined and how each individual can make an impact.

This course takes students through the changing field of journalism, the place of the press in democracy and the difference journalists can make in the lives of others. Students read, participate in active discussions, and write and produce quality pieces.

This course develops a student’s ability to function in the three domains: Academic, Career, and Personal/Social. This curriculum builds character assets, which foster resiliency and personal growth, as well as prepares the student for their future success. Throughout the class, the student will gain a realistic portrayal of an autonomous lifestyle and the skills necessary to be independent and self-sufficient.

From the shift managers at small businesses to the CEOs of large companies, effective management is key to any organization’s success. Explore foundational management concepts such as leadership, managing teams, entrepreneurship, global business, finance, and technology and innovation. Engage in a capstone that pulls all of the concepts you’ve learned together, allowing you to see how management ideas can be applied to a business case study. Get started with learning the fundamentals of successful management.

Explore the fast-paced and exciting world of marketing! Learn about the role of marketing in business in addition to the basics of business management, customer service, and economics. Examine how to identify target markets, perform market research, and develop successful marketing strategies. Discover the legal and ethical considerations of business and marketing, along with the impact of government on business.

We all know money is essential in life, and the financial decisions you make today may have a lasting effect on your future. Explore how to spend and save your money wisely, and learn key financial concepts around taxes, credit, and money management. Discover how education, career choices, and financial planning can lead you in the right direction to making your life simpler, steadier, and more enjoyable.

This introductory course includes the major concerns of Western philosophy. Topics include: the question of ethics, metaphysics, the philosophy of religion, and the theory of knowledge. Through an examination of the evolution of key philosophical issues, students will also learn how arguments are formed, how new theories are developed from philosophical debate, and how through disagreement a greater understanding of complex topics can occur.

Students participate in close readings of selected poems from multiple genres. By examining the work of a diverse group of poets, students develop methods of critiquing while reinforcing understanding of poetic devices. Substantial time is spent analyzing poetry as well as using poetic devices in their own writing.

Positive Psychology is designed to explore a balanced, more complete view of human functioning by including both positive and negative views of reality. This course will delve into the growing field of positive psychology through many pioneering contributions, through reflections on current events and research, and through personal mini-experiments and life enhancement strategies.

In this course, students explore a vision for their life beyond Fusion. They define what success looks like, what motivates them, and how to present themselves to the world. Students learn about the various post-secondary options available and develop a roadmap to explore those options. They culminate the course with a plan for next steps to achieve their goals, and continued support from a Post-Secondary Counselor if appropriate. This course will be taught by a Fusion Post-Secondary Counselor.

Have you ever wondered why you do the things you do? Or how our behavior changes as we age? Psychology can give you the answers! Trace the development of personality and behavior from infancy through adulthood. Are you ready to explore the world of human behavior? Explore all that psychology can offer to help you to truly understand the human experience.

This course provides students the necessary knowledge and skills needed to compose and edit a variety of expository documents, including academic essays, research papers, and business documents. Students utilize technology and collaboration as tools in the writing process, and set and meet goals for their writing.

The Roadtrip Nation experience is about engaging students with their futures. Through the power of storytelling, students gain insight into career paths by watching (and eventually conducting) interviews. These interviews are of leaders in the world who are successful doing what they love and living passionate lives. Students learn about themselves, how they perceive themes such as success, failure, and risk, and explore their interests by connecting them to pathways.

Are you fascinated with how machines work? Robots are machines, and they are all around us, from helping doctors in surgeries to helping to keep our homes clean. Explore the physics, mechanics, motion, and the engineering design and construction aspects used to develop robots. Learn how models are created through both sketches and software. Discover STEM careers and the education needed to enter this high-demand field.

Screenwriting provides writers the opportunity to develop a short script or the first act of a feature length screenplay while increasing use and knowledge of individual voice, three-act structure, Hero’s Journey steps, and screenwriting technical skills. Students will focus on dialogue writing, tone, creating character, mood, and conflict, and creating a story arc that encompasses elements of a plot line.

Students learn how to create societal impact through Social Entrepreneurship. Social Entrepreneurship is described as the discovery and sustainable exploration of opportunities to create social change. Students are guided through the process of identifying an opportunity to address social problems through the uses of their newly developed business skills.

This course explores the many social justice issues facing the United States and the world today and empowers students to approach a social justice issue and create a sustainable action plan. A primary goal of the first semester is to offer the students an all-encompassing view of inequality in our society by examining major issues such as racism, privilege, and oppression across historical and cultural boundaries. The second semester of this course expands upon this foundation by providing a closer look at more micro social justice issues.

Human beings are complex creatures, and when we interact and begin to form relationships and societies, things become even more complicated. Are we more likely to act differently in a group than we will when we’re alone? How do we learn how to be “human”? Examine answers to these questions and many more as you explore culture, group behavior, and societal institutions and how they affect human behavior.

The bright lights. The roaring crowds. The chants and cheers and applause. If you are drawn to the electricity of large events and the challenge of making events successful, a career in sports and entertainment marketing may be for you! In this course, you will trace the development of these industries, dissect their dual nature, and discover what it takes to pitch, promote, and deliver on these services. You ‘ll also explore the necessary steps to chart your own career path from among the professional roles that these industries need to operate. Let’s get off the sidelines and hop into the primetime of the sporting and entertainment worlds!

Study Skills guides students through a series of units beginning with a self exploration of current study habits and culminating with the development of personal skills such as meta-cognition, mindfulness, stress management, and goal-setting. The majority of the course is focused on helping students build their toolbox of strategies for academic skills such as comprehension through reading and note-taking, memory-retention, test-taking, and planning and executing successful independent work completion. This course is graded as pass/fail.

The Science and Practice of Mindfulness teaches students how to practice mindfulness and the positive effects on the brain, parasympathetic nervous system, and neuroplasticity, which is the brain’s ability to transform and change.

The Fusion Wellness Program is dedicated to assisting our students develop an active process of becoming aware of, and making choices toward, a more successful existence. Using four key disciplines, Emotional Wellness, Physical Wellness, Art Expression, and Music Expression, Fusion students will develop a sense of well-being and will be capable of making healthier choices.

This course is designed for the student to explore and learn outside of the classroom through an unpaid/paid internship, community service, or formal work experience. Students who participate in this course are expected to use real world experience for personal and educational growth. Regular reflection on their experiences and goals are expected as is the recording of hours. At the conclusion of the course, the student will submit a final reflective paper that demonstrates use of Fusion’s Schoolwide Learner Outcomes as well as a final creative project of their choice. Students are required to complete 80 hours in their work position.