Electives
The British International School of New York offers an Elective programme to all MYP students. Designed to promote deeper intellectual understanding, students may choose new areas of interest or immerse themselves further in a particular area of study.
The program includes opportunities for interdisciplinary and in-depth work across a range of fields with the aim of giving students a chance to opt in to a variety of creative, scientific, literary and cultural courses within the school year.
The electives offered vary year on year. Please enjoy an overview of the electives currently on offer below:
Astrology
What would happen if the Moon disappeared? What is dark matter? How did we discover what’s inside the Sun? How do stars live and die? What happens when galaxies collide? What happened before time? If you’re interested in any of these questions, you might like to come along to Astronomy, and learn a little bit more about our place in the Universe…
• Structure and scale of the universe
• The Earth in Space
• The Solar System
• Starlight
• Life Cycle of Stars
• The Expanding Universe
• Space exploration
• Astronomical observation
Chinese language & culture
Discover your passion for Chinese, right here at BIS-NY!
Together we will learn the fundamentals of Mandarin Chinese, and gain insight into the vastness of Chinese culture. Students will achieve practical language skills, and will study the first 100 Chinese characters (汉字). Students will gain a strong foundational understanding of Chinese language, and explore the rich traditions, legends, and celebrations found in Chinese culture. Reading, listening, speaking and writing are key elements of this course. Students will also be able to add to the curriculum, by sharing topics that they wish to study in Chinese. Although some elements of Mandarin Chinese are certainly difficult, the language's logical sentence structure and simple basic grammatical rules make it a fun challenge, so don't be afraid! If you are willing to have fun, try your best, and approach a challenge with enthusiasm, then this course is right for you!
COBIS Science Festival
The COBIS Science Film Festival is a an exciting global competition that encourages students to be creative with science across multiple key stages. In this course, students will explore (solo or in pairs) a topic in science or through the interdisciplinary lens of STEAM that they are motivated by. Through documenting their methods and findings using technology, students create a short film for entry to the Film Festival in London in 2020 and may receive awards for best film of an experiment or best engineering.
Creative Writing
Ever wanted to write a novel of your own? Or do you have a passion for poetry? Then the creative writing elective is for you! These sessions will be about students learning the elements that create good stories and techniques to boost their written eloquence whilst giving them the freedom to explore different types of written expression. Together students will be considering everything from finding ideas for writing to exploring different forms and even playing with the fundamentals of language like word selection and sentence structure. Come along and see what you can create.
Sport Science
Ever wondered how your favourite athlete became so good, or how you could improve your own skills or how technology can enhance performance, or you just really like physical activities and want to do something new and interesting, then this is the course for you.
The Sports Science elective will study how the human body works during exercise, how sport and physical activity promote health and performance, how technology can be used to enhance performance, how mental performance can limit physical performance, how nutrition is key to elite performers and how your favorite athletes continue to succeed. We will explore all of these aspects through both theory based and practical activities, so get ready to compete in interesting challenges as we work through the sports science elective.
Percussion
The Percussion Class is designed to teach percussion to all ages at BISNY in a fun, collaborative and active setting. The younger years will learn through Call and Response games and activities and bridge the gap from their general music class to Percussion specific techniques.
The students will learn proper snare drum technique, reading and counting rhythms, music theory and rudiments.
As the years increase in age, we will dig deeper into rhythm counting, advanced rudiments, etudes and percussion ensemble pieces for all instruments including xylophone, auxiliary percussion and timpani. We will also prepare for the ABRSM exam by following the necessary requirements throughout the year.
Latin
This class will research, study, reflect upon, discuss and debate the idea of citizenship. (local/global) The goal being awareness of the role of a citizen.
Ancient Athenian and Roman Citizenship will be used as a source of inspiration and ideas which are timeless and useful in upgrading our democracy.
The Class will collectively create a document stating the rights and responsibilities of a modern democratic citizen.
Model UN
Do you want to be a world leader? Have you ever wondered how the U.N. responds to some of the world's most challenging situations? The Model United Nations (M.U.N) is a simulation of U.N. debates, in which you will role play as delegates from different countries around the world. In this elective you will learn various skills such as: public speaking, negotiating, diplomacy, researching, writing and you will even get to go to a M.U.N. conference. So join us in making the world a better place.
Textiles
In the textile elective, students will be learning to manipulate different textiles, using hand sewing and machine sewing techniques. Students will be working on projects suited to their level of experience and existing knowledge. Beginners will learn to thread a sewing machine, they will learn basic safety and will complete a pillow or a similar project-- from pattern creation to finishing touches. Students with more experience will be selecting patterns and sewing an article of clothing appropriate for their skill leaving. In the process, they will learn to read patterns and basic garment completion. In addition to sewing, students will learn how to select fabrics for different projects and depending on schedule, we may take a field trip to the fashion district.
Law and Order: Forensic Fundamentals
Problem solving at its peak. The importance of attention to detail in forensic science, including the application of the scientific process and how this is used as evidence in courtrooms. Through virtual and hands-on labs, and analysis of fictional crime scenarios, students learn about forensic tools, technical resources, forming and testing hypotheses, proper data collection, and responsible conclusions.
Ready to find out more about Middle School at BIS-NY?
ALTERNATIVELY
I'd like to thank all the teachers I've had throughout my time at BIS-NY. Not only have they been extremely supportive, but most importantly, I'd like to thank them for inspiring me. I find myself pursing paths that I probably wouldn't have had if I hadn't hat the chance to be their student. For this, I thank you.
BIS-NY STUDENT
