Course Offerings

Students will work in groups to create settings for adventures and explore and create their own role-playing games. We'll also go on field trips, explore fantasy and sci-fi literature, game design, ethics, world mythologies, and civics and history, and do some creative writing and mathematical modeling and probability, all to make the ultimate role-playing experiences! Students should bring their imagination and a thirst for adventure! Instructors: John Benner and Michelle Hermann

We will be using a wide range of different artistic media, including pencil, charcoal, acrylic and tempera paint, pen and ink, watercolor, decorative paste papers, plaster casting, paper cutting, collage, and more, to make a series of projects that explore the theme of the self. We will learn representational drawing skills including use of 1- and 2-point perspective, basic human anatomy and proportion, how to use negative space, texture, line, value, and color to realize our ideas more precisely on paper, and vocabulary for discussing figurative visual art. Students will finish the class with a beautiful portfolio of work demonstrating all the media and techniques learned. Instructor: Jessica Stanton

The goal of the course is to give interested students early exposure to the principles of algebra. Algebra 1 Overview is a fast-paced, academic course. Students will explore: the fundamentals of algebra, solving equations, solving inequalities, an introduction to functions, linear functions, systems of equations and inequalities, exponents and exponential functions, polynomials and factoring, quadratic functions and equations, radical expressions and equations, and data analysis and probability. Self-motivation, strong independent learning, and strong study habits are essential for success in this highly accelerated and individually paced program. Unlike other Challenge courses, students in Algebra 1 Overview can expect homework. Please note that not all students finish the entire curriculum.

Algebra 1 Overview is only open to current 6th graders and has additional admission requirements: You must submit either standardized test scores in the 80th percentile or above in math, OR a recommendation from a current math teacher.

Students will develop writing and performance skills by designing their own creative works within a group role-playing experience. As a class, we will look at literature (poetry, short stories, and personal essays) to explore our own writing styles through Dungeons and Dragons, 5th edition. We will also do activities like hand-binding personal journals and going on creatively stimulating field trips. By role-playing, which is an effective narrative teaching tool, we will delve into the writing process and develop new skills in a fun and exciting environment. No prior experience is necessary to participate and all materials will be provided. We offer a welcoming space to all young bards with stories to tell. Instructor: Brodie Willard

How can we make the challenge of writing a great story less daunting? This course will answer that question by examining key storytelling elements like voice, pacing, theme, setting, and conflict through the reading of classic short stories. Discussing what works and why will allow us to build a solid foundation of literary tools before launching into an in-depth analysis of plot structure. We will learn how the framework of a novel differs from that of a short story, and how to break this format into manageable pieces to craft compelling fiction. Students will finish the course by writing a short story of their own, ranging from 1,500 to 3,000 words long. Instructor: Megan Holman

We will view art together and creatively write about what we see. We will think about the various media in which art can be expressed and the various ways we can write about those forms of expression. Each week we will attend art galleries around campus (including the Burke, Henry, and Jacob Lawrence) to learn how to interact with tour guides, art books, and the art housed in the gallery. In our classroom, we will brainstorm ways to build a connection with the art pieces and learn how to write about that connection. This class will encourage creative and/or experimental writing. Instructor: BrittNEY Frantece

In this collaborative community we will explore philosophical questions about our relationship with the environment through group discussions, stories, observations, field trips, guest lectures, and creative writing. Students will practice the art of making reasoned and respectful arguments, active listening skills, and foundational knowledge in the timeless study of ethics. We will also bring these ideas to life through culturally informed storytelling traditions and perform them for family and community members at the end of the program. Instructors: Hollie Wagner and Hailey Karcher

In this course, we will learn to read and write creatively and develop a writing community. Each week we will examine a specific genre of writing, including fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, and graphic novels. During class we'll read and discuss sample pieces of writing and engage in creative writing exercises to better understand what stories we want to tell and how best to tell them. By course completion, each student will have developed a portfolio of their favorite pieces of writing to take home and proudly share with family and friends. Instructor: Avu Chaturvedi

As the popularity of comics and graphic novels continues to grow, more and more people are picking up pencils and telling their stories visually. In this class, an experienced graphic novelist will guide you in the basics of comics creation, including character design, facial expressions, character poses, creating a sense of place, story planning, generating dialogue, page composition, inking, shading, coloring, and more, with the ultimate goal of all students contributing their finished comics to in-class publications. Drawing ability is sometimes helpful, but not as important as a desire to communicate clearly with words and pictures. Instructor: David Lasky

Students will learn how to think together as a group about "big picture questions" on topics such as fairness, justice, friendship, identity, and more. This course will use picture books, art, films, and our own community to inspire philosophical discussion. We will engage in philosophical games, take field trips, and create artwork to explore these and many more areas of philosophy. Students will help shape the course as we discuss ideas and issues that are important to them. Towards the end of the course, students will design a community-based service project that allows them to engage with the philosophical topics in an applied way. Instructor: Natalie Janson

Explore the world of robotics in a hands-on, minds-on program that fosters collaborative problem-solving. Build, program, and test robots on competitive game boards. Think about (and discuss) what makes a machine a robot, what functions robots serve, what structures and components are required to accomplish those different functions, and what's next in robotics. Using VEX-IQ, students learn the fundamentals of sound building techniques and a graphical programming language while applying principles of the engineering design cycle. We incorporate field trips to robotics labs doing cutting-edge research and development, and students will engage in individual research to deepen their understanding of the possibilities and the challenges of these versatile machines. Instructors: Jindra Rosmann and Sarah Clayton

Media literacy teaches us how to decide if we can believe what we read or see around us. To be media literate, we need to understand, among other things, that all media are constructions and that media have social, political, and commercial consequences, even though we may be unaware of them. Besides learning how to become smarter consumers of media, we will explore the themes of books and knowledge, freedom and conformity, power and identity in dystopian fiction, current news events, and critical writing about the "inner" effects of the media. Ultimately, students will engage the topic of media by creating an interactive website for their peers--and adults--that promotes the need for greater awareness about how we all consume news, information, and entertainment. Instructor: Corey Olds

How can we learn to read the landscape? What clues can we uncover to understand the processes that shaped the hills, lakes, mountains, and city around us? How can we use those observation skills to better understand cities and how they evolve? Join Next City as we uncover hidden stories, sketch special sites, diagram how people and nature interact, become more careful and critical observers, and use what we learn to imagine future cities! We'll use Seattle as our outdoor classroom to learn about landscape architecture, urban design, habitat restoration, and other fields that impact our city. We will take field trips to explore the UW campus and the larger Seattle area as we imagine, design, build, and celebrate our own NEXT CITY! Instructors: Ariadne Brancato and Chelsea Ruede

We tend to learn about the sciences (chemistry, biology, astronomy) as if they were separate buckets of facts ... and then a teacher tells us that what fills the buckets is a simple thing called "the scientific method." But philosophers and historians of science agree that what makes science work isn't simple; it's complicated and puzzling. Even more puzzling, there seem to be questions about science and knowledge that can't be solved by doing science. So, does science have limits? We'll explore how real science gets done. We'll also ask what science can (or can't) tell us about some of the most head-scratching phenomena in the universe, including numbers, moral beliefs, and something strange that's inside your head right now: consciousness. Instructor: Richard Farr

Almost everyone loves riding a roller coaster. Amusement parks are building them higher, faster, longer, and much more thrilling. The physics underlying the design and building of a roller coaster are amazingly simple. In this course, we will be learning when potential and kinetic energy trade places, how forces work to move us around and keep us in our seats, what happens when we accelerate, why we feel weightless during the dips, plus a whole lot more. Each student will design, build, and test their own model roller coaster using engineering techniques pioneered by the coaster experts. The class will include a field trip to a nearby amusement park. Instructors: Jeffrey Armentrout and Burton Barrager

Section A and Section B have different instructors but cover the same course material. 

Almost everyone loves riding a roller coaster. Amusement parks are building them higher, faster, longer, and much more thrilling. The physics underlying the design and building of a roller coaster are amazingly simple. In this course, we will be learning when potential and kinetic energy trade places, how forces work to move us around and keep us in our seats, what happens when we accelerate, why we feel weightless during the dips, plus a whole lot more. Each student will design, build, and test their own model roller coaster using engineering techniques pioneered by the coaster experts. The class will include a field trip to a nearby amusement park.

Section A and Section B have different instructors but cover the same course material. 

This course will develop writing, reading, and speaking skills through storytelling. In doing so, we will explore components of stories, visions, and identities that can be elevated for social change. We will utilize the power of storytelling to understand ourselves and the pressing needs of our world. We will practice using the power of our voice for different audiences. Each week will be centered on a theme related to social change, such as climate justice. This class will involve a lot of hands-on activities, field trips, creativity, and group work! Students will experiment with poetry, storytelling, and visual mediums, which will culminate in a presentation of student work much like a "Moth" storytelling event. Instructor: Emily Roskey

Students will explore spinning planets, blazing meteors, exploding stars, distant galaxies, and the intriguing question, "Is there life beyond Earth?" We'll take a tour through the universe exploring all of these things and more. We will cover the properties and evolution of objects in our solar system and then move on to extra-solar planets, stars, galaxies, and the structure and fate of the universe. Along the way, you'll build knowledge of the tools of the astronomer including the physics of light, optics, rockets, and rovers. Using physics, math, chemistry, and geology we'll uncover the science of our universe! We will visit the planetarium, and have guest lectures by astronomers, hands-on lab activities, and an evening of observing with telescopes. Instructors: Kristie Bennett and H.B. Telling