Catalyst Studio Online
“If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change ... We need not wait to see what others do.”-Mahatmas Gandhi
Our Mission
Emboldening Independent Thinkers in a Diverse Learning Environment
Catalyst Studio strives to provide a comfortable studio approach with comprehensive, interdisciplinary material for inquiry, research, experimentation, and creation. We offer students training in critical thinking, independent work skills, and reflective analysis to embolden independent thinkers to become catalysts for globally-responsible and responsive change. Our online classes offer us an ability to learn with people from all over the country.
ONLINE Program Information
Individualized instruction for independent thinkers
Our online classes are offered at a synchronized time daily Monday through Friday for one hour each day or three times a week for 90 minutes each.
Students may also have independent work to complete between class sessions but the teacher is available every evening for questions and help.
Classes may be synchronized with an in-person class as well.
Classes use Google Meet and Classroom.
Our online classes are offered at a synchronized time daily Monday through Friday for one hour each day or three times a week for 90 minutes each.
Students may also have independent work to complete between class sessions but the teacher is available every evening for questions and help.
Classes may be synchronized with an in-person class as well.
Classes use Google Meet and Classroom.
ONLINE CLASS OFFERINGS THIS YEAR
Students gain skills and perspective through multi-platform learning environment
Social Studies
Social studies is the backbone of our curriculum focusing on learning about how people throughout time and different countries address problems and improve.
Students use case studies and the inquiry cycle to lead project-based learning units on relevant global issues. All of our students will address and investigate different aspects of these globally relevant issues in their interdisciplinary work.
All students study economic principles and their effects on people and problems. They work to analyze geographic traits of different regions and their impact on the people who live there, including learning how governments address people’s needs and wants.
Middle school students lead the way for our younger learners: 7th and 8th graders study world geography by investigating global economies, cultures, and resources finding commonalities to share with younger students to help our students notice the trends within our shared global struggles.
This is a very unique course that offers middle school students a chance to gain high school credit over two years. The course also prepares them to take an advanced tests and possibly get college credit.
Students meet every other day with their high school classmates learning prominent geography theories that can help students interpret global news and actions.
On the days that students are not meeting with their high school crew members, students have a chance to learn more about the theories in action learning about examples from different countries broadening their outlook and knowledge base of everything our amazing world has to offer.
Reading and Writing
Catalyst Studio utilizes EL Education’s (formerly Expeditionary Learning) reading and writing units of study that apply globally relevant materials to teach reading skills. Students learn different perspectives on contemporary issues, culminating in writing projects that provide students an opportunity to utilize their new learning to effectively communicate entertaining and creative information, opinions, and narratives.
Learners work to improve inferring skills and connection building. As readers, students justify answers with explanations and evidence. As writers, the modeling, conferencing, and critique process helps students produce work that effectively conveys their ideas about topics of interest to them. Our readers learn to analyze text to compile evidence, critique sources, and communicate their results in a convincing way.
6th-8th graders have all of their reading, writing, and language expectations incorporated into one daily 60-minute lesson. Below shows some of the units we have used in the past, but occasionally we shift units based on student interest and backgrounds.
- Summer quarter is spent focusing on what learners need to be creators while reading about American Indian Boarding Schools and the Bonus Army.
- Fall quarter sees students going onward and upward to learn about remarkable accomplishments in space science learning about the space race and the women who helped America reach the moon.
- Students study the oceans while learning what life needs studying overfishing ocean pollution and what we can do to improve our waters.
- Spring focuses on contributing to our world learning about the design process and how a young boy helped his community by designing a wind-powered pump.
- Summer quarter students learn about what learners need to become creators studying the lost children of Sudan.
- In fall quarter, we think onward and upward studying screen time and the developing brain.
- Winter quarter students look at what life needs while studying fictional and real refugees.
- Students contribute to our world in the spring quarter studying classical and modern identifiers.
- Summer quarter sees students studying what learners need to become creators by studying the Little Rock Nine an the Civil Rights Movement.
- Fall quarter sees students going onward and upward looking at journey texts and studying a modern retelling of the Odyssey told through folklore of Latin America.
- In winter the student address what life needs learning about voices of the holocaust.
- Students contribute to their community in spring quarter studying how one takes a stand reading Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird.
Mathematics
Our 6th-8th grade math program uses the Realistic Math Education’s Mathematics in Context curriculum. These curriculums utilize real world scenarios to teach mathematical skills. This curriculum helps students develop strong number sense and practice strategies to create procedural fluency and contextual understanding. These curriculums are supplemented with math fluency apps until students show fluency in all four operations as well as Dreambox contextual application app.
We focus on demonstrating math in a way students can and will use it in their lives. Students use their problem-solving skills to solve new problems while practicing skills to become more efficient in computation style while understanding the purpose of the different steps.
This course integrates algebra, geometry, and data using interesting topics that help students visualize the concepts and how they might use these skills in the future.
This course grows on students’ 6th grade knowledge and integrates algebra, geometry, and data using interesting topics that help students visualize the concepts and how they might use these skills in the future.
This course integrates the skills from the last two classes and skills from algebra, geometry, and data using interesting topics that help students visualize the concepts and how they might use these skills in the future.
This class is for students who need a firmer foundation partnered with C3P. This class can help supplement 8th grade math to help students feel confident in their high school courses. This class is still taught using contextual and work-based examples in line with our larger purpose.