Badger Precollege Classes

Fantastic Beasts: Exploring Fantasy through Literature and Art will explore the wonderful world of magical creatures through literature, writing and the arts! We will read about fantastic beasts, write our own stories and poems, improv and perform pieces about these magical creatures and create art using our limitless imaginations.

This class will spark your curiosity about one of the world’s current driving factors: economics. Through critical reasoning, creative problem-solving and collaborative learning, you will play games to help you understand large economic concepts such as scarcity, supply, demand, opportunity costs and diminishing returns. Some of the "big" questions we will tackle throughout this course include: What is economics and why is it important to me? What does it mean to produce something? Why is the concept of supply significant? What does it mean to consume? How do our demand preferences shape our world? Students may be interested in becoming economists, financial analysts, financial advisors and game designers.

Virtual Jurassic Mythbusters: Exploring Paleontology will tackle the age-old question of "What happened to the dinosaurs?" and take that idea to the next level by exploring common perceptions (and misperceptions!) surrounding dinosaurs.

Are you interested in finding out more about how forensic science helps us solve mysteries? Intro to Forensic Science is an interdisciplinary class that builds upon the skills explored in our Secret Agents class. We introduce forensic science techniques used in the field.

We introduce students to the major systems of the body through interactive and engaging activities. They will not only learn how the inner body looks, but also how it works. We explore the muscular, skeletal, nervous, digestive, respiratory and immune systems through models and experiments.

A Walk Through History will transport students to a living history museum! Students will choose a historical figure, research them, and write a speech as if they were that person. During family visiting day, students will dress up and stay in character, give their speeches, and answer questions.

In this course we will explore the wonderful world of magical creatures through literature, writing, and the arts! We will read about fantastic beasts, write our own stories and poems, improv and perform pieces about these magical creatures, and create art using our limitless imaginations.

Inside Out/Upside Down will introduce students to the world of psychology using the movie Inside Out as a base for exploring emotions, actions, and memories. Students will be learning about the foundations of psychology through role play, hands-on activities and class discussions.

Students in this class will think deeply about the design elements necessary to create a livable city. They will become urban planners who consider how a city is shaped by its natural borders and what impact urban sprawl will have on the surrounding environment. They will consider the needs of their citizens and look for innovative solutions to meet them, in every area from public transportation, public space and cultural identity. Students will examine cities from around the world, as well as studying urban space in Madison, to think critically about what ultimately makes a city livable. By the end of the course, students will have used this knowledge to create a model city.

The Green Team: Introduction to Environmental Science offers a multi-disciplinary approach to learning about environmental issues by increasing knowledge and building critical-thinking skills that will help our students make informed and responsible decisions in an age-appropriate format.

Adventures in Coding will spark your curiosity about the connections between math, computer coding and programming. If you geek out about video games, computers, equations or even different mathematical languages, join us for this coding adventure!

Artful Architecture combines elements like drawing and mathematics to help students visualize and create their own dream buildings. Through hands-on and engaging activities, this class will go through the entire planning and designing process: site plan, floor plan, section and elevation. If you like looking at tall skyscrapers or cool-looking buildings in your neighborhood, this class is for you!

Game of Economics will spark your curiosity about one of the driving factors in the world today, economics. Through critical reasoning, creative problem solving, and hands-on learning, you will construct your own games to help you understand large economic concepts such as scarcity, supply, demand, opportunity costs and diminishing returns.

This course will tackle the age old question of 'What happened to the dinosaurs?' and take that idea to the next level by exploring common perceptions (and misperceptions!) surrounding dinosaurs.

This class will spark your curiosity about the objects in the world around you. Did you know that everything is basically made of the same three ingredients? Participate in hands-on experiments, make observations, and learn how to communicate your findings like a scientist.

During Exploring Engineering, each class will focus on a different discipline of engineering, with stations and hands on projects to foster exploration and discovery.

Creative Writing will explore many of the ways that words can express our imaginations and our ideas. Through exercises, reading, feedback from classmates and instructors, and other exploratory activities, we will grow as writers together in this class.