STEM & COMPUTER SCIENCE PROGRAMS AT AMS
Putting Students on a Path to Prosperity
Like you, AMS wants the very best for your child, and we want to encourage our students to take concrete steps toward pursuing an amazing future. To move into high-paying, technology-focused jobs in science, computer science, and engineering, our middle school students must be well prepared for the challenging high school courses they will need to take. Our K-5 students need foundational skills to succeed at using digital tools for schoolwork, to become responsible digital citizens, and to design and create using robotics and computer programming.
AMS’s programs are designed to provide students a strong introduction to the world of STEM and Computer Science—a world in which students may lay the path to a prosperous future as early as kindergarten. AMS’s programs will ensure that your child becomes both a problem solver and an innovator and is aware of science and technology’s role in shaping our society. They will have ample opportunities to apply scientific and technical knowledge to solve interesting, relevant, and important problems.
Our STEM & CS programs truly support the AMS vision to transform our scholars into global visionaries: we aim to transform today’s students into the next generation of STEM innovators by helping each student develop a love of science, technology, engineering, and math.
Program Overview: AMS Science, Computer Science, and Engineering
AMS has adopted nationally recognized academic programs for math, science, computer science, and engineering to help ready our students for jobs of the future, many that have yet to be created. Our science programs tap into children’s natural fascination with and curiosity about the world, providing them with a scientific foundation to critically reason about their observations. The engineering program is closely allied with the science program, and helps students apply scientific knowledge in order to design solutions to relevant personal and societal problems. The computer science program provides years of instruction ranging from blocks-based programming of simple robots to web design and Python.
6th-8th Grade Engineering and Computer Science Track
Starting with the 2020-21school year, our 6th grade students will take one semester each of computer science and engineering to get exposure to these two important areas of study. In 7th and 8th grade, students will choose one track—either Engineering or Computer Science—based on their interests. Both tracks will give students hands-on experience with the engineering and software design process.
The computer science and engineering courses that AMS will offer in the 2020-21 school year are academically rigorous and open to all students; no prior experience is needed. AMS’s Computer Science curriculum is based on an internationally renowned program called Code.Org. Students learn about computer programming, web design, robotics, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence. AMS’s Engineering courses are from the International Technology and Engineering Educator’s Association, and students will learn about electronics and automation, invention and innovation, and technological systems. Topics in the courses overlap, for example, engineering students will program their automations, and computer science students will build wearables and simple microcontroller-based creations.
All campuses offer fully equipped facilities that are brand new, or recently updated to give your child access to authentic learning experiences. Science/engineering labs offer space for inquiry with experiments and design projects. Computer labs are equipped with desktop computers, programmable robots, and programmable microcontrollers. Laptops on carts are available for use in other classrooms.
Curriculum for Science, Technology, Math, Engineering, and Computer Science include:
- – Science K-5: Singapore’s My Pals Are Here International Edition
- – Science 6-8: Earth Science: It’s About Time, Earth Science Series Biology: CPO Life Science or Chemistry supplemented with AMS-created middle school curriculum
- – Physics: CPO Physical Science and CPO Physics a First
- – Mathematics: Saxon Math
- – Computer Science: Code.Org CS Fundamentals (K-5), Fundamentals Express, and CS Discoveries. Programming languages include versions of Scratch, Snap!, Blockly, Python, JavaScript, and web-markup. New for the 2020-21 school year.
- – Engineering: International Technology and Engineering Educator’s Association middle school curricula Engineering by Design: Our World and Me; Invention and Innovation; and Technological Systems. New for the 2020-21 school year.
- – Digital Citizenship: CommonSense Education’s K-8 Digital Citizenship Curriculum
- – Robotics: Edison Robots; Hummingbird Bit automation kits; micro:bit microcontroller; Circuit Playground; Lego Robotics. New for the 2020-21 school year.
- – Productivity and Digital Skills: Microsoft Office, Google Applied Digital Skills,
- – Supplemental Science and Math are provided through Study Island Online
Clubs and Extracurricular Activities
All students are provided regular opportunities to apply math and science principles in class and in extracurricular activities through academic competitions and clubs.
For example, all AMS schools have a robotics course so that students gain firsthand experience using their skills to create a product with real world results. Science Olympiad, a national program designed to bring science, technology, engineering, and math to all students, is also incorporated into the AMS middle school science curriculum and as an after-school club so that students may use their STEM & CS skills in school and in competition outside of the classroom.
