Middle School Career and Technical Education

This unit will expose students to computer science by computationally analyzing and developing solutions to authentic problems through mobile app development, and will convey the positive impact of the application of computer science to other disciplines and to society.

Students will customize their experience by choosing a problem that interests them from the areas of health, environment, emergency preparedness, education, community service, and school culture. Because problems in the real world involve more than one discipline, the unit will introduce students to biomedical science concepts as they work on solutions for the specific problems they choose to tackle.

Students are given the opportunity to combine mechanisms with input and output devices to automate the mechanisms. Construction and programming skills are layered, and projects and the problem provide students the opportunity to connect their learning throughout the lessons in the unit. Students take on the role of interns, and work in teams to identify design requirements and create prototypes to meet the needs of clients. They also explore different aspects of automation and robotics, and experience how solving real-life problems involves the teamwork of mechanical engineers, software developers, and electrical engineers.

This course helps students identify and demonstrate the workplace skills that employers desire in their future employees. Students analyze their personal assets, explore career clusters and career pathways, and draft an Academic and Career Plan based on their academic and career interests. Additional areas of focus include planning for academic courses, work-based learning opportunities, opportunities to earn industry certifications, and planning for postsecondary success.

This course is a VDOE required course for grade 7.

Students will deepen their understanding of computer science, exploring its impact and historical context along with analysis of its current developments. Students will examine the influence and impact of computing within Virginia and globally. Students will utilize programming as a tool to create programs, integrating concepts learned K-8, while exploring various programming representations and analyzing their advantages and disadvantages.

Students are introduced to digital devices and applications as problem-solving tools. Emphasis is placed on using basic touch keyboarding skills to complete a variety of projects incorporating word-processing, spreadsheet, database, and presentation applications. Basic Internet safety, security, and ethics are components of this course. Relevant instruction and student participation in co-curricular career and technical student organization (CTSO) activities will develop leadership, interpersonal, and career skills.

In this unit, students discover the design process and develop an understanding of the influence of creativity and innovation in their lives. They are then challenged and empowered to use and apply what they've learned throughout the unit to design a therapeutic toy for a child who has cerebral palsy.

This foundation course introduces the use of relevant and emerging technologies, tools, and applications to prepare students for current workplace practices and everyday life. Students will demonstrate information processing using a variety of hardware and software and Internet-based tools to produce and integrate data in various formats. This course is designed for students wishing to progress through more advanced business and information technology coursework. Contextual instruction and student participation in co-curricular career and technical student organization (CTSO) activities will develop leadership, interpersonal, and career skills.

Family and Consumer Sciences Exploratory 1 students will prepare to be life ready as they manage individual, family, career, and civic roles and responsibilities. Students explore human development, relationships, personal environments, nutrition and wellness, textile skills, personal financial skills, career opportunities, and leadership skills.

Family and Consumer Sciences Exploratory 2 helps students develop essential knowledge and skills to lead better lives, be career-ready, build strong families, and make meaningful contributions to their communities. Students explore human development, relationships, personal environments, nutrition and wellness, textile skills, personal financial skills, career opportunities, and leadership skills.

Family and Consumer Sciences Exploratory 3 students continue to build on knowledge and skills acquired in Family and Consumer Sciences Exploratory 1 and 2 to lead better lives, be career-ready, build strong families, and make meaningful contributions to their communities. Students explore human development, relationships, personal environments, nutrition and wellness, textile skills, personal financial skills, career opportunities, and leadership skills.

This course helps students identify and demonstrate the workplace skills that employers desire in their future employees. Students analyze their personal assets, explore career clusters and career pathways, and draft an Academic and Career Plan based on their academic and career interests. Additional areas of focus include planning for academic courses, work-based learning opportunities, opportunities to earn industry certifications, and planning for postsecondary success.

Students will deepen their understanding of computer science, exploring its impact and historical context along with analysis of its current developments. Students will examine the influence and impact of computing within Virginia and globally. Students will utilize programming as a tool to create programs, integrating concepts learned K-8, while exploring various programming representations and analyzing their advantages and disadvantages.

Students are introduced to digital devices and applications as problem-solving tools. Emphasis is placed on using basic touch keyboarding skills to complete a variety of projects incorporating word-processing, spreadsheet, database, and presentation applications. Basic Internet safety, security, and ethics are components of this course. Relevant instruction and student participation in co-curricular career and technical student organization (CTSO) activities will develop leadership, interpersonal, and career skills.

This foundation course introduces the use of relevant and emerging technologies, tools, and applications to prepare students for current workplace practices and everyday life. Students will demonstrate information processing using a variety of hardware and software and Internet-based tools to produce and integrate data in various formats. This course is designed for students wishing to progress through more advanced business and information technology coursework. Contextual instruction and student participation in co-curricular career and technical student organization (CTSO) activities will develop leadership, interpersonal, and career skills.

Family and Consumer Sciences Exploratory 1 students will prepare to be life ready as they manage individual, family, career, and civic roles and responsibilities. Students explore human development, relationships, personal environments, nutrition and wellness, textile skills, personal financial skills, career opportunities, and leadership skills.

Family and Consumer Sciences Exploratory 2 helps students develop essential knowledge and skills to lead better lives, be career-ready, build strong families, and make meaningful contributions to their communities. Students explore human development, relationships, personal environments, nutrition and wellness, textile skills, personal financial skills, career opportunities, and leadership skills.

Students use the engineering design process to guide them through various hands-on activities and projects, utilizing safe use of tools, materials, and techniques to solve problems. Students explore their relationship to technology and engineering, and how technology affects the world around them, as well as careers in the fields of technology and engineering.

Students apply the engineering design process to plan, build, and communicate inventions or innovations that address contemporary technological problems facing them, their community, and the world. This hands-on course allows students to apply creativity and innovation that emphasizes working in teams and the safe use of technological and engineering tools and equipment.

Students will experience the problems and opportunities of our increasingly technological society. The class will provide hands-on learning to explore technologies and the systems of which they are composed. They also explore technology-oriented careers and project-based learning to explore technological systems.

Students use the engineering design process to guide them through various hands-on activities and projects, utilizing safe use of tools, materials, and techniques to solve problems. Students explore their relationship to technology and engineering, and how technology affects the world around them, as well as careers in the fields of technology and engineering.

Students apply the engineering design process to plan, build, and communicate inventions or innovations that address contemporary technological problems facing them, their community, and the world. This hands-on course allows students to apply creativity and innovation that emphasizes working in teams and the safe use of technological and engineering tools and equipment.

Students play the role of real-life medical detectives as they collect and analyze medical data to diagnose diseases. They solve medical mysteries through hands-on projects and labs, measure and interpret vital signs, examine nervous system structure and function, and investigate disease outbreaks.

Students will experience the problems and opportunities of our increasingly technological society. The class will provide hands-on learning to explore technologies and the systems of which they are composed. They also explore technology-oriented careers and project-based learning to explore technological systems.