Exploratory Curriculum and Content
Exploratory Courses for the 2024 - 2025 School Year
Tucker Creek's exploratory team works hard to ensure that through the classes we teach, we offer a variety of courses to enrich each student's global awareness and allow them to explore their interests and passions. Middle school is a time for students to explore their interests before they are required to start making hard decisions at the high school and college levels. We encourage students to take a variety of course offerings, and as a team, we work diligently to meet the needs of each individual student when assigning their classes. Students are placed in courses based on the order they choose classes when they fill out the registration forms and the course capacity for each classroom/content area.
As a general rule, all students are expected to take one semester of PE each year. Exceptions to this due to conflicting course registrations (such as year-long band and year-long chorus) will be made on a case-by-case basis.
Students take four exploratories each year. Students that choose band, year-long chorus, or yearbook use two of their exploratory offerings for the year. Those students will take two additional classes each year.
Health and Physical Education (offered 6, 7, 8):
Coach Guthrie and Coach White
In Tucker Creek Health and Physical Education, we always strive to make our mark by working each day to be better than we were yesterday!
We open the semester with some exciting strategic throwing and catching games such as Ultimate, Team Handball, and Wall Ball. Then we enter into our sport education model with basketball, net games, softball, and soccer. Tucker Creek Physical Education recently won a grant to provide our program with the introduction of Pickle Ball into our curriculum! In addition, we will mix in some introductions into the weight room, incorporate life skills and health instruction, and ensure you learn healthy habits for a successful life!
Multimedia Art Class (offered 6, 7, 8):
Ms. Jennifer Bowden
In Multimedia Art or Visual Art, students explore a variety of media as they build their skills in drawing, painting, graphics, sculpture, pottery, modeling, and more. Some themes that will be taught and discussed are artists, artwork, culture, history, vocabulary, and different techniques and applications of media. Students will learn about critique, art appreciation and art criticism; as well as problem-solving and critical thinking skills. With each grade level, students will build upon knowledge gained, develop art skills, and be able to better express themselves creatively.
Projects are tied into grade-level core content curriculum and the NC state art standards. Skills that are taught are progressive from sixth through eighth grade, however, students can usually jump in at any level and be successful.
CTE-Computer/Technology:
Mrs. April Mesa
6th Grade Keyboarding and Basic Word Processing
This course is composed of instructional modules designed to provide hands-on instruction in basic keyboarding skills, computer concepts, and software applications. Students will learn the proper finger position when typing using the alpha and numeric keyboard. This module is also designed to teach basic keying skills, consisting of fluent manipulation of all alphabetic letters and numbers.
7th and 8th grade- Exploring Careers and Employment
This course is designed to provide an orientation to the world of work. Experiences are designed to introduce students to the technical nature of today’s world and the role of productive workers. Activities enable students to increase self-awareness and make wise educational and occupational decisions as they plan for careers.
CTE-TED (Technology, Engineering and Design) aka STEM Class:
Mrs. Dina Thompson
Course Descriptions:
STEM - Exploring Technology - Sixth Grade
This course is an introductory course to technology and engineering. Using a combination of Pitsco Expeditions, classroom challenges based on current events, and introduction to coding and programming, students will learn problem-solving skills and build critical thinking skills. Some of the Pitsco Expeditions that we often use in class includes Making Waves (sound waves) where we make a new musical instrument and Design Time (marketing) where we construct a working “marketable” clock.
STEM - Exploring Engineering and Design - Seventh Grade
This course is an introductory course to technology and engineering. Using a combination of Pitsco Expeditions, classroom challenges based on current events, and introduction to coding and programming, students will learn problem-solving skills and build critical thinking skills. Some of the Pitsco Expeditions that we often use in class includes Building Bridges where students will design, construct, and test Balsa Wood bridges and Contraptions (Simple Machines) where students will create a contraption that will knock down a “castle” wall in a siege.
STEM - Exploring Technological System - Eighth Grade
This course is an introductory course to technology and engineering, with a greater emphasis on flight dynamics and the dependence upon various subsystems (electrical, mechanical, etc) within a larger system. Students will learn about aerodynamic principles as they explore the forces of flight in fixed wing, rockets, and rotary blade aircraft. Students will also explore programming as they learn to program drones to navigate through specified obstacles on a provided course.
CS - Computer Science Discoveries A - Using the top-notch Code.org CSD Curriculum, students will learn problem solving strategies through programming and idea development. Students will be exposed to website development using block coding and HTML/CSS and the basics of making animations and games using block coding and javascript. (Seventh and Eighth Grade)
CS - Computer Science Discoveries B - Continuing Code.org’s CSD Curriculum, students will learn about App development and create an app within App Lab on Code.org. The next unit is about the importance of data in solving problems and highlights how computers can help in this process. Finally, students will conclude the course utilizing Adafruit’s Circuit Playground microprocessors and learn to develop programs that utilize the same hardware inputs and outputs that you see in the smart devices, looking at how a simple rough prototype can lead to a finished product. (Eighth Grade)
Band
Ms. Jodi Campbell
6th Grade Band
7th Grade Band
8th Grade Band
Information about the band program at TCMS can be found by visiting the band website. https://sites.google.com/cravenk12.org/tcmsband
Choral Performance Classes:
Ms. Anna Knight
All chorus students are expected to participate in the concerts and events for the semester that they are enrolled in for their course.
Sixth Grade Chorus
In the 6th Grade, students will take chorus which will serve as an introduction to basic music theory, solfege (syllables that represent pitch), and focus on the developing voice of a middle school-aged student. Students will learn to sing in two to three-part harmony as well as master basic musicianship skills to foster independent musicianship and ensemble building. In the sixth grade students will take chorus as a single semester class (1/2 a year). Interested students can take year-long chorus upon approval. This class offers students the opportunity to experience singing in a choral ensemble as well as learning the fundamentals of music.
7th Grade Year Long Chorus:
This choral class will focus on students further developing musicianship skills with more advanced music theory and sight-singing skills. We will address the changing voice and meet each student at their individual vocal development. As an ensemble, we will work on preparing music for concerts, choral adjudications, and to share with the community. Each semester there will be at least one concert where students will showcase things learned in class. These students will work in different styles and genres of music across the globe. Students that would like to participate in a more advanced ensemble can choose to take this year-long course. Students enrolled in this class are expected to sing everyday as well as participate in the performances. This is an option for students that want to expand upon their previous choral experiences or a student who loves to sing!
7th Grade General Music:
In this class we’ll explore the purposes of music, various styles of music, musical time periods, music theory, musical instruments, sight reading elements and music of other cultures through PowerPoints, research, hands-on activities, and student presentations. In this class, there will not be a singing component.
8th Grade Year Long Chorus:
This choral class will focus on students further developing musicianship skills with more advanced music theory and sight-singing skills. We will address the changing voice and meet each student at their individual vocal development. As an ensemble, we will work on preparing music for concerts, choral adjudications, and to share with the community. Each semester there will be at least one concert where students will showcase things learned in class. These students will work in different styles and genres of music across the globe. Students that would like to participate in a more advanced ensemble can choose to take this year-long course. Students enrolled in this class are expected to sing everyday as well as participate in the performances. This is an option for students that want to expand upon their previous choral experiences or a student who loves to sing!
8th Grade General Music:
In this class we’ll explore the purposes of music, various styles of music, musical time periods, music theory, musical instruments, sight reading elements and music of other cultures through PowerPoints, research, hands-on activities, and student presentations. In this class, there will not be a singing component.
