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 West Lincoln – Broadwell Elementary School is
working to curb the negative and accentuate the positive by adding
elective classes for students in grades sixth through eighth.
Students get to select which elective they would like to take each
semester.
Superintendent and Principal, Mrs. Heather Baker said, “This is
something I have always wanted to implement to give students a taste
of high school and allow them to explore personal interests.”
For students and teachers alike, elective classes are just as vital
as core content classes. It is during this class of the student’s
choice that curiosity gets answered in a way that truly means
something to the student. According to education researcher Robert
Marzano, choice “has also been linked to increases in student
effort, task performance, and subsequent learning.”
According to Mrs. Baker, WLB elective classes are at the end of each
day. She and her staff realize that student choice is always a
positive, especially in a time where they may not feel like they
have many options. The elective classes offered reflect the
interests of the teachers and are based on the teacher availability
each semester. Classes that have been/are offered include:
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Mrs. Amy Naughton –
Agriculture
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Mrs. Erin Shiffer –
Creative Writing and Poetry
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Mr. Curtis Conrady –
Current Events
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Mrs. Jessica Gephart –
Number Crunching in the Real World
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Mrs. Kari Froebe –
Technology/
STEM/Yearbook Staff
Mrs. Naughton teaches Science as a core class and
chose to teach agriculture as an elective class.
Above and below:
WLB seventh grade ag class dissecting flowers
Mrs. Naughton taught High School Ag for many years and believes
“that getting the students introduced to Ag in Junior High is very
important. The hope is that the student learning about how
agriculture impacts their lives on a daily basis will make them a
better consumer and supporters of ag.”
Mrs. Baker is hoping to incorporate agriculture into the curriculum
since WLB serves a large rural community that depends highly on
agriculture.
WLB Ag class -
winter floral design
Mrs. Naughton is helping to educate the students about Future
Farmers of America and the benefits they would receive from being
part of the organization with the goal of starting a Junior High FFA
program in the future.
In addition to this elective class, Mrs. Naughton is teaching the
kindergarten through fifth grade once a month and introducing them
to agriculture. It is important for the young students “to know
where their food comes from and how they can be involved in
agriculture even if they do not live on an operating farm.”
Mr. Curtis Conrady is the sixth through eighth grade Social Studies
teacher. When asked what elective class he would like to teach, he
chose Current Events.
Mr. Conrady shared, “I taught Current Events at my last school and
the students there loved it. You would be surprised how many
students actually pay attention to the news on a daily basis. By
teaching Current Events students have a better understanding of what
is going on around them.” In this elective class, students talk
about local, national, and world news. One day a week is spent
learning about world geography. Mr. Conrady thinks it “is important
for students to know how to read a World Atlas Map and be able to
find different locations without using Google Maps.”
[to top of second column] |
 Mrs. Jessie Gephart teaches Junior High Math and
created Number Crunching in the Real World for her elective class.
In this class students discuss “real life” math: “how to balance a
checkbook, invest in 401Ks and the stock market.” They, also, learn
“the difference between different types of bank accounts, taxes, and
how to calculate all of those things.
"Students need elective classes that teach them life skills. In this
class “all of my students have "jobs," which gives them different
responsibilities within the classroom. I expect them to complete
their jobs independently every day and to practice skills which they
will be using within the workplace. They learn how to work together
and cooperate, as well as how to manage the money that they are
earning through their work. They have the opportunity to buy fun
things, but also must ensure their account has enough money to pay
monthly bills. As the year continues, we add more pieces to the
information that they know, and they have the opportunity to make
more money, but also incur more bills,” Mrs. Gephart said.
Mrs. Kari Froebe does not teach a core class, but does see students
in Junior High for 45 minutes each day for the newly formed
Science-Technology-Engineering-Mathematics (STEM/Technology) class.
Yearbook
Elective Class at WLB
Before teaching, Mrs. Froebe worked at Jostens as well as Herff
Jones in the yearbook division. It was during this time that she
developed a passion for yearbook design. Mrs. Froebe worked with
schools in Iowa and Illinois helping to get their school yearbook
completed and printed.
When approached about an elective class, it was quickly decided that
“allowing the students to create their own book, enhance their
photography skills, as well as produce a weekly online update on our
(WLB) YouTube channel would give students the opportunity to learn
many different skill sets.” This class “allows students to enhance
their skills in desktop publishing, journalism, photography,
broadcasting, and production. With this variety of productions
students also learn about time management, understanding the
importance of meeting deadlines, and how to better communicate
orally and in writing. One of the most important lessons the kids
learn daily is how to work in teams.”
https://www.youtube.com/channel/
UCsGuqWSR-PdNsUbClqiQ-xw
At WLB elective classes allow students to take a break from major
subjects and explore some different skills. All of these elective
classes tap into reading, writing, listening, and speaking – life
skills necessary for success.
A variety of students take these different classes with an interest
that core classes don’t always provide. Elective classes fill in the
gaps that core classes don’t teach. They allow the student to study
more about a subject they want to learn more about, discover new
things, and gain practical experience that can be used outside the
classroom. Elective classes help students prepare for their future
education and/or employment.
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