The middle school technology program is based on the concept that technology is the application of knowledge to satisfy human wants and needs and to extend human capabilities. It is taught by an activity oriented methodology termed problem-solving. The main purpose of technology education is to provide students with experiences that teach “how to think” not “what to think” in order that they may become technologically literate citizens who will innovate, assess, and apply present and future technologies.

6th/7th Grade Program

Technology offered at this level is exploratory in nature and offered in either the 6th grade or in 7th grade, but not in both. The course is 10 weeks (1 marking period) long. The main focus of the program is to reinforce measuring skills and to learn how to read, develop, and work from a set of plans. Understanding the need for and developing safe work habits is another important topic of the class. The students will complete a series of technical drawings before laying out and constructing a small sheet metal box. CAD drawing is also introduced at this level. Students will begin to develop work skills by designing, constructing, and testing a project following a specific set of guidelines.

8th Grade Program

The grade 8 technology program is a more advanced study of the exploratory course. It is an elective and is a full semester (20 weeks) in length. Having had technology in the 6th or 7th grade is helpful but not required.

An in-depth study of the following topics is included in this course: general safety, measurement, graphic communication, design and practical applications. The students will complete a series of technical drawings. They will then review the problem-solving system and the design process before designing and constructing a CO2 race car. The students will complete one additional project. They will study construction and complete a scale model of a house or apartment or study manufacturing and set up a company to mass-produce a product of their choosing.