Essential Questions Courses
Often, people have big questions on their minds. Questions like: What makes you step up to the plate and do something? Whose stories haven’t been heard in U.S. History? How can the design of living things be explained? Most courses in high school do not address such far-reaching questions. There is not enough time, there is too much material to cover, or it just doesn’t fit into one “subject area.” At Brown Summer High School, we focus on these big questions.
Brown Summer High School’s “Essential Questions” courses all begin with a big question that doesn’t necessarily have one right answer. You will have a chance to explore the question by studying it from a variety of perspectives. You will work individually, in small groups, and as a class. At the end of the course, you will have a chance to show others what you have learned, not by taking a test, but more creatively, in a way that you and your teachers design together.
2013 Summer Courses
BSHS students will participate in two of the following courses:
In situations of stress or turmoil, what do we rely on to maintain our humanity, our individuality, our families, and our beliefs? (English)
How does art enable people to express themselves, send messages to the world, and interpret the world? In Between Shades of Gray, a novel about a family taken from their comfortable home in Lithuania to a Siberian Prison camp, we follow the progression of teenage Lina. The novel chronicles the challenging aspects of daily life for the family and their community in Stalin’s work camps and includes flashbacks to their previous “normal” lives. Performance, writing, and creative projects will help us investigate the ideas of hope, family, love, and, ultimately, survival, as centerpieces to the novel.
What is the "American Dream?" (History/Social Studies)
People from all over the world travel to the United States with the hope of living the "American Dream." What values shape the “American Dream?” What do immigrants expect to find when coming to the United States? How is equal treatment--regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, and class--important to the “American Dream?” Through readings, discussions, role-plays, simulations, and multimedia exploration, we will see if we can define just what is the "American Dream."
How can observing nature generate new ideas in science and math? (Science and Math)
Nature has greatly influenced our understandings in science and math. Our observations and interactions with nature continue to influence art, music, literature, mathematics, and science. The guiding essential question this summer will allow you, as a student scientist or student mathematician to examine and understand the nature of how these observations lead to new discoveries. Sign-up offered in both science and math.
All course content is new, so feel free to sign up for any class - even if you've taken it at BSHS before!
College Pathways Advisory
The Future is Now
Whether you are beginning high school or going to be a senior, Brown Summer High School's advisory program will provide you with a chance to map your way toward college. You will have the chance to meet with an advisor and a small group of students to consider and plan your future while on the Brown University campus. Families will be invited to participate in a college preparation seminar. Brown Summer High School will help you set and achieve goals, both academically and personally, during high school so that you can achieve your dream of going to college.
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