Summer Session Registration is now open! The Edina Center for Academic Excellence focuses on offering courses that are not available in schools. Classes are taught by instructors from all walks in life, but with a common passion for their subject matter, who delight in sparking the curiosity of young learners. Priority date for 2011 Summer Session registration is Monday 27 June 2011. Click here to register online.
- Level: Age 10-16
- Class Size: 5 -10 students
- Dates: five Saturdays 9:00 am – 11:00 am July 16, 23, 30 August 6, 13.
- Location: Edina Community Center, Room 348C
- Prerequisite: Basic Computer Skills
- Fee: $225
- Requirement: laptop or netbook preferred, otherwise a USB Flash Drive.
It’s the year 2011 and 10 students will launch their Axis Family of robots into space to land on the planet Geometria. The Axis dome is a remote colony being built by robots for future human inhabitation. In this 5 week course each student will be given a Google SketchUp file containing an individually numbered family of axis robots, and a 20’x40’ plot of land with a 1,000 cubic foot boundary for creating a dwelling for their Axis Family of Robots. Students will learn the primary functions of Google SketchUp. They will learn how to navigate and create objects in a 3D computer modeling environment. Students will be asked to design and create a 3D model of a home for their Axis Family of robots. The home must fit within 1000 cubic foot. In the process the students will learn geometric, spatial, and architectural concepts.
Our instructor, Phil Rader has been a licensed architect for 16 years, examples of his architecture work can be seen on his website www.philrader.com. His 3D visualization company called NVizeon has many examples of 3D computer Models which can be seen at www.nvizeon.com . Phil has been a beta tester for SketchUP for 8 years and has helped the developers find and eliminate several bugs in the software. Information about Google Sketchup can be found here: http://sketchup.google.com/
There are free versions available to download for both Mac’s and PC’s.
If you have any questions about this course please email Phil.
NEW ECAE Class
Social Language for Gifted Youth
Ages ten through twelve (group I) or twelve through fourteen (group II). Saturdays, 10:30am to 1:30pm, 16, 23, and 30 July 2011, and Monday afternoon 1:00pm to 4:00pm, 1 August 2011. Edina High School, room to be determined. Instructors: Jill Hyland, M.S., CCC-SLP, in collaboration with Kelly Bertenshaw, M.A., CF-SLP, B.F.A, M.F.A and Teresa Boatman, Teresa Boatman, Ph. D., Licensed Psychologist. FEE: $240.
When young people’s minds develop rapidly, sometimes they don’t have words to express their thoughts. Communication skill does not always come naturally or easily to gifted children. Their intense interests and mismatch between age and abilities must be taken into account as they learn to join the social world.
The ECAE Social Language for Gifted Youth course is taught by speech language pathologists with experience working every day with children struggling with social communication. Using an advanced, evidence-based curriculum, current research on the gifted population, and a supportive group approach, the course helps gifted children learn strategies to build effective social language skills and better relationships. Students will learn about self-awareness, self-monitoring, listening to verbal and nonverbal messages, matching the message to the occasion, and matching the message to other participants in a conversation.
Jill Hyland has been a speech pathologist for nine years. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2000 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communicative Sciences and Disorders, and from Rush University in 2002 with a Master’s of Science in Communicative Sciences and Disorders. She has worked in a variety of hospitals, clinics, schools, and home settings with both pediatric and adult populations. Currently, her main focus is working with adolescents with social communication deficits. For the past three years she has been working in a high school setting with groups of students helping to facilitate social language skills. Kelly Bertenshaw received her undergraduate degree in Communicative Disorders from Utah State University and her master’s degree in Speech Language Hearing Sciences from the University of Minnesota, specializing in pediatric therapies. In her position with Fridley Schools, she works with children from Early Childhood through High School age.
Introduction to Rocket Science
Level: age 12 and up Class Size: 5 -10 students Dates: August 8-13, Monday – Saturday, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon. Location: Edina High School, Room 333 (Community Room).
Prerequisite: The physics presented in this class requires pre-algebra level mathematics skills and some basic algebra. Students also need the fine motor skills and maturity to work safely with an X-acto knife.
Fee: $380 (Includes $80 materials fee. Materials include a notebook, handouts, model rocket kit, launch pad, ignition system, rocket motors, igniters, and wadding for a kit flight; plus body tube, nose cone, balsa, and other materials needed to build a scratch rocket.)
Registration & Payment deadline: July 25
In this class we will use model rocketry to explore the following scientific concepts: kinematics, vectors, projectile motion, Newton’s laws of motion, chemistry of combustion reactions, aerodynamics and stability, and even some basic trigonometry. The physics presented in this class uses geometry to convey the fundamental ideas of calculus in order for the students to understand, not only the equations for motion, but also how they are derived. In addition, each student will build and fly a model rocket kit, and design their own model rocket from scratch. In the process they will also learn about the history of rocketry and rules to ensure a safe flight. Please note that Saturday, August 13 is a regularly-scheduled rocket launch sponsored by Tripoli Minnesota High Powered Rocket Club. Their launches are held on the second Saturday of each month near North Branch, MN. Specific directions will be given in class.
Instructor Background: Jolene Gleason has a M.S. degree in electrical engineering as well as B.S. degrees in electrical engineering and mathematics from Iowa State University. She was named ISU’s Outstanding Senior in Electrical Engineering in 1987. She worked as an electrical engineer for 15 years before becoming a full-time homeschool parent. Early in her career she also taught Power Systems Analysis and Technical Calculus at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois. Jolene’s appreciation of rocket science has been fostered by her son, Scott, who is an avid rocketeer. At age 16, Scott is the real expert in rocket design and construction. He received Junior Achievement awards from the Tripoli Minnesota High Powered Rocketry Club for 2008 and 2009.
Math for Young Competitors
Grades 3, 4, 5. Saturdays, 9:00am to 10:30am or 11:00am to 12:30pm, July module three weeks, 9 July to 23 July; August module three weeks, 6 August to 20 August. Register for one or both modules as fits your schedule.
Edina High School, Room #322. Instructor: Karl Bunday, 2007 Edyth May Sliffe award recipient for middle school mathematics teaching. FEE: $60 for July module, $60 for August module, $120 for both. $20 material fee ONLY for students who have never attended the Math for Young Competitors course before, including cumulative two-year syllabus and handouts.
Bright, mathematically precocious younger students now have an opportunity to investigate problem solving and topics beyond the school curriculum. A student who has picked up basic methods of calculation quickly and exhibits a good grounding in beginning prealgebra concepts will find this course a natural extension of personal talents and interests. Focus will be on approaches to problem solving, understanding mathematical algorithms, through preparation for algebra, and deep topics of interest to young learners. The summer program focuses especially on topics almost never covered in K-12 school math courses. The course will include both returning and new students. A bonus of the class is friendships with eager math-learners from six different counties.
SAT/ACT Mathematics Refinement
Grades 9, 10, 11. 5 weeks. (This course will be offered only if there is sufficient enrollment. Please register early! ) Instructor: Michel D’Sa, UC Berkeley Math graduate, former State of MN math champion and 800 SAT math scorer. Saturdays, July 30, August 6, 13, 20, 27 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. (Preps for the 9/11 ACT and 10/8 SAT), Edina High School Room TBD. FEE: $150.
This class will focus on the mathematical sections of both the ACT® and SAT® college entrance examinations. Students should already be strong in math, and this class will give them the edge to do their very best. Along with the more common types of problems, time will be spent on the more challenging ones, which often mean the difference between a good math score and a great one. Speed, and alternative problem solving approaches to arriving at the correct answer will be covered in detail. These five sessions will prepare students for turning in a top performance on the actual exam day. Students are required to purchase the McGraw Hill Conquering SAT and ACT Math workbooks. Register early to ensure class will be offered. Full refund will be issued if minimum enrollment is not reached. SAT is a registered trademark of the College Board, which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse, this course. ACT is a registered trademark of ACT, Inc. Neither of the trademark holders are affiliated with ECAE or this website.
