Quarter(s): 1,2

Day(s): Tue

Open Spots: 1

Humans have been obsessed with Mars since long before Galileo Galilei first saw it with a telescope in 1610. Ancient humans recognized the orangish planet as one of the brightest objects in the night sky, and long before the ancient Romans named the planet after their god of war, ancient Egyptian and Chinese astronomers recorded the motion of the planet. More than 350 years after Galileo, America’s Mariner 4 completed the first successful fly-by of Mars on 15 July 1965. Although half of all attempted missions to Mars have failed, the US has successfully gotten several orbiters, landers, probes, rovers, and even a small helicopter to the red planet. This semester, students will learn about scientists’ ambitious plans to reach the red planet in their lifetime! The class will review the planned US missions and overview the known challenges of a journey to Mars. While considering the exploration of the planet, the class will undertake a semester-long project to build a replica rover. Working in teams, students will hack a Power Wheels ride-on vehicle and reconfigure it into a model Mars rover chassis. They will rebuild and rewire the vehicles to be remote-controlled and add an equipment mounting platform. The class will learn about and install components like mini solar panels, LED lighting, drone launch pad, robotic arm, and camera mounts. During this project, students will learn to use a variety of small hand tools and perform simple electrical wiring and circuitry work. During the semester, the class will host a number of virtual and in-person guest speakers on the topic of Mars exploration. The group will also hold one session off-site at the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum education complex where a Smithsonian educator will lead the students through a Mars Mission workshop. In that workshop, student teams will design a mock mission to Mars using constraints such as budget, payload, fuel, power consumption, and scientific value of their planned Martian activities. Will they “return” from Mars, and what will they bring back? This a 14-week semester class that meets 1.5 hours per week. There is a supply fee of $75.00 due payable to the instructor on/before the first week of class.

Quarter(s): 1,2,3,4

Day(s): Tue

Open Spots: 3

This is a place-holder for the Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences lecture. Students should register for the Atmospheric & Oceanic Science Lab, which will automatically enroll them in both class sections.

Quarter(s): 2

Day(s): Tue

Open Spots: 0

More than 70% of the Earth's surface is water! Understanding the planet's oceans and freshwater systems is critical to understanding life on our planet- from beginnings in the seas to the water cycle that supports ongoing life. The study of aquatic and marine biology provides a basis for understanding much of the chemistry, physics, biology, and meteorology on our planet. Budding marine biologists will travel inland to learn about freshwater systems like lakes and ponds, rivers and streams before returning to the coast to study marshes and estuaries followed by extreme marine environments. The focus will be on hands-on, dynamic learning, and students will engage in several demonstrations and experiments in each class.

Second quarter, students will learn the basics of Riparian Biology, the study of aquatic life in rivers and streams. The class will discuss differences in water flow, sedimentation, and hydrodynamics that are used to classify riparian habitats and will learn about the characteristic assemblages of organisms that occur in different flow regimes. Students will compare various major river systems around the world and study the diversity of riverine biomes and organisms.

Topics in this Series: Lakes and Ponds (Quarter 1); Rivers and Streams (Quarter 2); Marshes and Estuaries (Quarter 3); and Extreme Marine (Quarter 4). Lab/Supply Fee: A class fee of $20.00 is due payable to the instructor on/before the first day of class.

Quarter(s): 2

Day(s): Tue

Open Spots: 0

Become a world-traveling eco adventurer and earth scientist without leaving Compass! Study the world's most exciting and diverse ecosystems and learn about the incredible biologic and geologic phenomena that shape them. Venture into caves and coasts, tundra and taiga, and forests and fjords. Each week, student scientists will begin by locating the fascinating features on a map before learning about these incredible habitats from the ground-up, starting with the geology of a place, then working their way through the climate, biome, flora, and fauna. Hands-on labs and in-class activities will reinforce regional and ecological diversity by examining rock types, classifying plants, observing insects, or modelling weather phenomena.

Bundle up! Second quarter, students will journey to the northern latitudes. The class begin in the frozen north of the Arctic Circle, then travel south through Greenland, Russia, and Europe. Students will see how some animal and human populations deal with environmental extremes through seasonal migrations. Along the way, the class will learn about cold weather phenomena, polar ice, tundra and taiga (coniferous forest) biomes, inland seas, and the seasonal effects of polar nights and midnight sun.

Topics in this Series: The Americas and Antarctica (Quarter 1); Northern Latitudes (Quarter 2); Africa and Asia (Quarter 3); and All About Islands (Quarter 4). Lab/Supply Fee: A class fee of $20.00 is due payable to the instructor on/before the first day of class.

Quarter(s): 2

Day(s): Tue

Open Spots: 0

A powerful hurricane season forecasted. Polar ice caps receding. Hydraulic fracking. Solar power. Everywhere we look, Environmental Science is in the news! Environmental science is an exciting interdisciplinary study that merges the fields of geology, biology, chemistry, and meteorology to explain the earth as an interconnected system with both natural and human-made influences. This year middle schoolers will sample Environmental Science topics in a hands-on, lab-based investigation.

Second quarter, students will embark on the study of our atmosphere, including global weather patterns, climate studies, and air pollution. The group will learn about the methods scientists use to study these phenomena, including satellite monitoring, air sampling, and chemical analyses. Students will do in-class labs to make predictions, collect and graph data, draw conclusions, and develop models of key Environmental Science processes.

Topics in this series include: Geology and Soil Sciences (first quarter); Atmospheric Science (second quarter); Water Science (third quarter); and Current Issues in Environmental Science (fourth quarter). There is a $20.00 lab fee due payable to the instructor on/before the first day of class for consumable materials.

Quarter(s): 2

Day(s): Tue

Open Spots: -1

Geo-Detectives discover the many mysteries of Earth Science. From large-scale disasters that come from inside the planet to microscopic contaminants in the water and soil, Geo-Detectives look high and low to understand the forces, systems, and cycles that continue to shape the Earth, its climates and ecosystems. Geo-Detectives will explore concepts as diverse as fossils to fault lines, ozone to ocean trenches, and trade winds to tundra. Hands-on labs and in-class activities will reinforce geological phenomena such as examining fossils, classifying rocks, reading the seismographic charts, or modeling the water cycle.

Second quarter, students will learn the physics behind air and water circulation, and how they combine to form wacky weather phenomena such as hurricanes, tornados, hail, fog, and even regular old rain showers. The class will see how air and water systems on earth govern global climate systems as well as local and regional weather patterns. Kids will learn how meteorologists and climatologists examine data from a variety of sources, such as ice cores, sediment cores, the fossil record, and historic records to trace large-scale changes in climate and sea level over geologic time.

Topics in this Series: What a Disaster! Volcanoes, Tsunamis & Earthquakes
(Quarter 1); Wacky World Weather (Quarter 2); Sensational Cycles and Seasons (Quarter 3); and Exploring Ecosystems (Quarter 4). Lab/Supply Fee: A class fee of $20.00 is due payable to the instructor on/before the first day of class.

Quarter(s): 1,2,3,4

Day(s): Tue

Open Spots: 0

This is a place-holder for the Chemistry lecture. Students should register for the Chemistry Lab, which will automatically enroll them in both class sections.

Quarter(s): 2

Day(s): Tue

Open Spots: 0

Focus on the "E" in STEM- Engineering! Discover the everyday challenges we can solve through engineering in this hands-on, project-focused class! Students will tackle simulated challenges that span a variety of engineering disciplines and practice the three main steps of the engineering design process by asking, "What is the problem?", "What are possible solutions?" and, "How can I improve on the design?"

Second quarter, the class will learn about the careers of Electrical Engineers and their responsibility for designing, constructing, testing, and maintaining devices that use or produce electricity, from microchips and computers to satellites and power station generators. Students will model electrical engineering challenges with projects such as lemon battery, potato clock, electromagnet, and electroplating metals.

Students will work together to solve problems and brainstorm options given a variety of project materials. For each project, students will be challenged to adjust their designs, make modifications, re-design to optimize their creations, and retest performance. Basic building, measuring, data collection, and equations will be used to challenge all minds in engineering!

There is a $30.00 supply fee due payable to the instructor on/before the start of class. Topics in this Series include: Civil Lab (Quarter 1); Electrical Lab (Quarter 2); Mechanical Lab (Quarter 3); and Green (Sustainable) Lab (Quarter 4).

Quarter(s): 2

Day(s): Tue

Open Spots: 0

Students will use LEGO to design and build simple engineering projects out of everyone's favorite building toy! In this 90 minute class, students will explore concepts and vocabulary in physics, mechanical engineering, structural engineering, aerospace engineering, and architecture while playing with their creations.

Second quarter, junior engineers will get "wild" and build a zoo of articulated animals! Using mechanical concepts like rachet, linkage, and levers, and the fantastic diversity in the animal kingdom, our creators will build leaping dolphins, towering giraffes, swinging monkeys, jumping grasshoppers, and more!

Each class begins with 10-minutes of free build from tubs of LEGO components followed by a short discussion and demonstration of the day's project and concepts. Students build individually or in groups. Instructors will provide individual assistance, facilitate challenges, performance testing, competitions, and modifications to projects. Some projects may have been introduced in prior year's sessions, but each new build is unique, and student's building skills and understanding will have grown.

Notes:(1)Students must be minimum age 5 and able to separate from their parents for this class. (2) Projects are built from shared, Compass-owned components, so students will not bring completed projects home. Parents, however, can step into class 15 minutes before the end of each session to photograph their child's construction.

Topics in this Series: Fantastic Fliers & Space Racers (Quarter 1); Articulated Aniamls (Quarter 2); Winter Wonders (Quarter 3); Construct a Carnival (Quarter 4)