Learn how to strive for excellence.
Read, research, and write for real-world applications.
Explore business, engineering, and other sectors.
Learn how to give a presentation.
Learn how to develop good habits. 
Learn how to shoot and edit video.
Learn how to complete hands-on projects with excellence.
Compare the creative process, the engineering design process, and the writing process. 
Use pulleys to design a project.
Write a mini business plan.
Write marketing copy.
Learn Aristotle's Rhetoric.

Mrs. Lemons, who developed this course, has a B.A. in English Literature, a minor in Education, and a Master's in Education Administration. She has her teaching certificate and principal's license, and she is certified to teach English / Language Arts and History / Social Studies. She has many years of experience at the middle and high school levels. 

This particular class is a nod to when Mrs. Lemons was the English teacher at a STEM high school, where she saw the beauty of the STEM disciplines, held together by the language arts. As a business owner, she has an entrepreneurial spirit and thinks that teenagers have great ideas they can share with the world. 

Last, she is an adjunct faculty member at Colorado Christian University, supervising teacher candidates in their undergraduate and graduate programs. She is a teacher of teachers. All that being said, middle school is her jam! 

All teachers who teach this course also think middle school students are awesome! Further, they have English degrees and teaching certificates. They are qualified experts who love kids!

2 - 4 hours per week outside of class
Homework
Frequency: included
Feedback: included
Details: Students can expect to have a total of 3-4 hours of homework per week, which includes 1-2 hours of project work and 2 hours of reading.
Assessment
Frequency: 3-6 throughout the class
Details: All students receive specific feedback on their work through rubrics and traditional grades. Assessments (graded quizzes) are given on the books we read. 
Letter Grade
Frequency: 3-6 throughout the class
Details: We are intentional about putting a little pressure on students and teaching them how to handle that pressure. They will rise to the occasion with mental toughness and confidence because they will know what to do, how to do it, and can pull it off. We are building leaders who will take on the world as high achievers.

Students have rubrics with clear guidelines for quality work. Teachers give feedback on students' work using the rubric, which translates to a grade. We have tried various methods of assessment throughout the years (no grades, funny words for grades, etc.), and we found that authentic evaluations with attached letter grades that are also clearly defined increase students' understanding of their learning and skill compared to an understanding, competency, or standard. Basically, all parents and students should know the answers to these questions after receiving an assessment from a teacher: 
1. What is he supposed to know? 
2. Does he know it? 
3. How do we know? 
4. What's the next step?

Parents can opt out of letter grades, of course, because parents are the boss!