Middle School Curriculum

This course is intended for students who have completed STEAM by Design, who have participated in FIRST LEGO League, or who have received the teacher’s permission. Students will explore the engineering design process through hands-on challenges with mechanical objects. These challenges will culminate in the creation of customized robots. Students will gain new skills in computer-aided design, 3D printing, basic machinery fabrication, and programming. Collaboration and teamwork are emphasized throughout the course. Each student will maintain an engineering portfolio with designs, ideas, and reflections on their learning. The course prepares students for further study in Upper School engineering, computer science and robotics. At the end of the year, students will present their robotic solutions to a panel of experts.

Students will design and build robots to address real-world problems drawn from the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The course projects will align with these SDGs: SDG 12—Sustainable Consumption and Production; SDG 14—Life Below Water; SDG 15—Life on Land; and SDG 11—Sustainable Cities and Communities.

Kevin Brookhouser best expresses the guiding mantra of all computer science courses: “Failure is an Option; Failure to Deliver is Not.”