Summer School

This course aims to prepare students entering 7th, 8th, or 9th grade to shift from reading for storyline to advanced reading for theme. Additionally, students will begin to write thesis-driven essays. Using high-interest short stories, students practice close reading, discussion, and interpretation of literature while learning the writing process and components of an effective essay. Students work independently and with peers, practicing mechanics, thesis creation, organization, and paragraph formatting while creating their own compositions.

Expanding on the writing and reading fundamentals, Advanced Composition and Literary Analysis is designed for students entering 9th, 10th, or 11th grade. Emphasis is placed on reading, discussing, and writing about literature and poetry at a thematic level, focusing on thesis development and using quotations as evidence. Mechanics, such as punctuation, verb tense consistency, and sentence and paragraph structure, will be evaluated and discussed via direct instruction and peer editing sessions. Students will read and discuss various pieces of literature and poetry at length, paying close attention to thematic development and the human experience literature brings to light.

Creative writing aims to use exemplars of creative texts to help students craft their own multi-draft writing pieces. After discussing and unpacking exemplars, students work on a first draft of each assignment and then take that writing piece through a revision process focusing on topic development, word choice, stylistic elements, and mechanics. In this course, students aim to complete multiple finished pieces, such as personal narratives, short stories, children’s stories, poetry, or others. Students also complete journal writing and practice activities.

As Brooks Summer School’s most rigorous English course, this class is geared for students who have a true interest in writing and/or a desire to get help with a specific writing project. Students in this class will choose an “anchor” writing project each week, such as a college essay, research paper, creative writing project, or other area of interest, and receive individualized feedback as the student works through the writing process. Lessons will focus on practical grammar, language, and style skills as well as advanced writing strategies. Emphasis will be placed on reading, writing, and research skills.

This course is for students in late middle school and high school looking to improve their writing ability on the SSAT, in all their classes, and as preparation for the SAT. Students will review the fundamental rules of grammar, parts of speech, and syntax (sentence structures) – all of which are directly tested in the Language section of the SAT. Students will also learn techniques to vary their sentence structures, improve transitions and fluency, and choose more accurate diction. Lessons may include exploration of purpose, audience, organization, tone, and style. Students will complete multiple essays and then learn self-editing skills to become stronger editors of their own writing as well as of others.

Students in this course will learn how to both create and consume balanced media. Students will learn to research credible sources; read, watch, and listen to the news; and write journalistic articles for both online and in print. Students will focus on journalistic style: researching, interviewing, writing, editing, and publishing, and will produce two to three finished writing pieces that may include articles, reviews, profiles, editorials, and/or multi-media features.

Students today are even more apprehensive about speaking in front of groups than in years past. However, there will be times when speaking publicly will be required,  and those who do so with skill and confidence stand apart. This course includes various speaking activities designed to help students become more comfortable with public speaking. Students will get a chance to write and participate in various formats, including speeches, mock trials, debates, Socratic seminars, “How to…” talks, and more.

This course explores the recent explosion of the utopian and dystopian genre, looking at the different directions humanity is speculated to take and the history and inspiration for this genre of literature. While referencing past works, this course will focus on popular fiction of interest for young adults, including but not limited to: the Divergent series, Sythe, Red Queen, Station Eleven, The Host, The Selection, Uglies, and others.

This is a first-year algebra course designed to introduce students to the algebraic properties that apply to solving equations and evaluating expressions. Topics include order of operations, fractions, factoring, word problems, graphing and solving linear functions, and quadratic functions. This course is well-suited. for students who have just taken pre-algebra and want to prepare for algebra 1, or for those who have completed algebra 1 and are interested in strengthening their basic skills for the next level of study.

This course is designed for students who have completed algebra 1 and want to prepare for the core topics introduced in algebra 2. This class will feature a short review of elements of algebra 1 and then dive into linear, quadratic, and radical functions, rational and exponential expressions, solving systems of equations, complex numbers, radicals, and logarithms. This class is also ideal for students interested in strengthening their basic algebra 2 skills in preparation for precalculus.

To develop a foundation for success, the goal of this course is to build on the concepts learned in Algebra II and Trigonometry to prepare students for the study of advanced mathematics and Calculus. The topics covered will range from coordinates, intervals, and graphs to finding and evaluating limits both graphically and numerically, differentiation rules, rates of changes, and integration. To foster problem-solving strategies, students are provided opportunities to work both independently as well as in groups. Students will also use graphing calculators to learn 21st Century approaches to analyzing and solving problems using contemporary technologies.

This course builds upon algebra skills and is designed for students in grades 8, 9, and 10 who are seeking unique opportunities to learn and practice applied mathematics. Additionally, those interested in the fields of engineering, architecture, or other technical careers will find this course valuable. Students will build two- and three-dimensional products to explore core mathematical concepts, design processes, technical illustrations, and the building process to apply geometric and trigonometric fundamentals and properties as they apply to the foundation of engineering concepts. Geometry concepts will include triangle congruency, similarity, and transformations. Engineering concepts will include truss, tension, and compression.

This course serves as an introduction to the engineering process
and the role of engineers in our complex world. Through collaborative project-based learning, students will engage in design thinking and develop their skills to question, generate ideas, design and create a prototype, as well as test solutions for a variety of. projects.

This unique course allows curious and aspiring engineers to delve in to the fundamental concepts of programming and robotics. Students will design, build and program their robot for various games, experiments, and team challenges. If you have never worked with robotics, come see what the buzz is all about. If you are an experienced robot builder, come strengthen your skills.

In Introduction to Programming and Media Design, students will learn fundamental programming concepts such as loops, conditionals, and Boolean logic with no prior coding experience required. Using Scratch, students will bring these concepts to life through a media lens by developing, creating, and modifying their own interactive games, animations, and stories. The course will challenge the students’ creativity, critical thinking, and problem solving skills while introducing them to the world of computer science.

This course introduces and develops essential high school science skills that are necessary for success in the foundational discipline of physics, chemistry, and biology. Through experimentation, students will work collaboratively to make predictions, collect data, analyze results, and communicate scientifically.

This course provides students the opportunity to improve their verbal, writing and reading comprehension abilities. Activities include direct instruction on reading comprehension approaches, essay construction and learning and reviewing vocabulary words that commonly appear on the SSAT. Students will discover how to use word match, context and foundations of vocabulary through roots, prefixes, suffixes and word construction as skills to approach the verbal sections.

The SSAT Math course prepares students for the math sections on the SSAT. Along with learning test taking skills, students will be provided direct instruction and review of concepts such as whole numbers, integers, fractions, decimals, percents, square roots, powers, algebraic expressions and equations, basic geometry and word problems. Also covered in the course are specific approaches to the math sections, including ‘quick checks’ and time-saving strategies.