Electives
ELECTIVE CURRICULUM
The Corte Madera Elective curriculum is developed based on California State Standards, in alignment with PVSD's goals and priorities. All of our students are provided a high-quality program that motivates, engages, and challenges them to be critical thinkers and problem solvers.
Songwriting 7
Songwriting is a way to help people harness the power of storytelling through music, enabling them to write meaningful lyrics, melodies, and harmonies that reflect their experiences, emotions, and imaginations.
In this course, students explore creating music by studying song forms, lyric writing, harmony, and arranging. We will focus on developing skills that songwriters need to be successful in performing and/or producing their own music.
Musical Theater 8
In this course, students will be introduced to the basics of, or continue their journey in theater. During this semester, we will focus on developing skills that actors and singers need to be successful. Students will select a play to perform at the end of the semester, and take on the many roles both on and off stage to make that happen.
Improvisation 7
Not everyone may grow up to be a famous actor, but the skills learned in the theater can help students grow in every aspect of their personal lives and future careers. Students will discover their voices as artists as well as improve the quality of all of their interactions with others. In this semester course, students will be introduced to the basics of improvisation. We will be using theater games, music and collaborative activities to build these skills.
Student Council 8
Students participate in an election at the end of their 7th Grade year in order to participate in this Leadership class, Students plan and run all school activities, maintain and vote on all spending and budgetary matters, and serve as role models for the student body.
Study Hall 7/8
Students may use this period to catch up on homework, get extra support, or do some silent reading.
Computer Science
Students will learn fundamental concepts of algorithmic thinking and basics programming in Python.
Yearbook
Open to 8th graders only. Yearbook is a year-long elective where students are responsible for producing this annual publication.
History of Sports
Students will discover the origins of multiple sports across the globe throughout history. Students will engage in various aspects of sports, from learning to stand up on a surfboard to playing basketball, soccer, or learning a new dance move. This course will focus on the impacts of sports on society and highlight individual stories within the sports world.