Dinosaurs Revealed: Clues, Creatures, and Classification

Step into the deep past and explore a world ruled by giants. This class invites students to investigate how dinosaurs lived, evolved, and ultimately disappeared—using the powerful tools of phylogeny to trace the connections between ancient creatures and the animals we see today. We’ll focus on what makes a dinosaur a dinosaur, comparing and analyzing fossils, and using behaviors to classify major groups. As the journey continues, they learn how scientists use evidence—from bones to biomechanical clues—to piece together evolutionary relationships and build the family tree of life.

Monday - What Makes a Dinosaur?
Tuesday - Building the Dinosaur Family Trees
Wednesday - Adaptations and Survival
Thursday - The End of the Age of Dinosaurs
Friday - Dinosaurs Today?

Farm Forward: Cultivating Tomorrow’s Innovators

In this journey of food learning the travels from farm to table, students will participate in an exciting, hands-on exploration of food. This course will trace the fascinating path food takes from its origins on the farm to the final meal on our tables. Students will learn about food sourcing, processing methods like canning, and food preparation techniques, with the opportunity to see these processes in action. Throughout the semester, students will partner with Red Haven Restaurant in East Lansing to experience firsthand how local ingredients are transformed into delicious dishes, providing a real-world connection to the food system.

By the end of this course, students will have a deeper understanding of where food comes from, how it is processed, and how it gets prepared, all while fostering an appreciation for sustainable practices, local sourcing, and the culinary arts.

Career Quest

Welcome to Career Quest—an engaging and interactive course designed for students eager to learn about the wide range of career opportunities that await them in the future. This course will introduce students to various exciting and dynamic professions, from technology and engineering to arts, medicine, and more. Through hands-on activities, discussions, and real-world experiences, students will not only explore what these careers entail, but also gain insights into the education and skills required to succeed in each field.

In this class, students will take part in activities that simulate real-world jobs, hear from professionals in various fields, and learn what it takes to pursue different career paths. By the end of the course, students will have a deeper understanding of the professional world and how their unique talents and interests can lead them to success in a variety of exciting careers.

Short Scenes, Strong Stories: Writing Flash Fiction

Flash fiction is short-form fiction (usually 350-750 words) that is usually focused on one short scene. What makes flash fiction interesting is the way we get sucked into a story in the middle of it, yet we’re invested for the time we have. When creating flash fiction, the first challenge is to keep it short—this means characters need to be few but robust, words need to be precise, and the action needs to have purpose. This can be more challenging than a longer short story (typically 3,000-5,000 words) and teaches students the core, critical elements of storytelling. Throughout this class, students will read flash fiction and craft their own, with lots of revisions, refining, and feedback. We will conclude the class with a showcase of work and celebration. 

Monday - Pre-writing; reading and discussing flash fiction
Tuesday - Developing characters, writing the pre-story
Wednesday - Plot structure and drafting stories
Thursday - Drafting and workshop
Friday - Revisions and showcase