STEM Programs at Heritage Christian School

STEM Specials

• Discovery Education STEM Connect is a curriculum that guides students to tackle real-world challenges through the development of 4C STEM skills: Communication, Collaboration, Creativity, and Critical Thinking. It features engaging hands-on activities, literacy-infused content, and career connections, helping students connect classroom skills to real-world applications.
   
• Discovery Education Coding is a curriculum that helps students develop a solid grasp of coding concepts like algorithms, sequences, and variables, while fostering computational thinking skills such as decomposition, logical reasoning, and problem-solving. The program inspires creativity with open-ended activities and engaging contexts, making complex coding concepts accessible and exciting for all students.

STEM Specials

VEX IQ Robotics

STEM Courses

• Introduction to Engineering Technologies (7th grade) introduces students to STEM concepts and career paths through hands-on activities and projects. Students are encouraged to consider the ethical implications of innovations and technology, both positive and negative, through a biblical worldview. They learn and utilize methods of communicating design ideas through sketches, solid models, and mathematical models. They also get to learn about 3D CAD modeling and 3D printing. Watch Video
   
• Computer Science Essentials (8th grade) introduces students to essential computer science skills in app development, cyber security basics, self driving vehicles, and Python text-based coding fundamentals such as variables, procedures, lists, and conditionals. This Project Lead the Way (PLTW) class engages students in collaborative projects that will help them develop in-demand computer science knowledge as well as transportable skills like creative thinking and communication.

Robotics

STEM Courses

• Introduction to Engineering Design (PLTW) is the foundational course in the PLTW (Project Lead the Way) Engineering Program, and immerses students in the engineering profession and design process.
   
• Principles of Engineering (PLTW) is a hands-on course where students apply engineering, technological, scientific, and mathematical principles to the design, production, and operation of products, structures, and systems.
   
• Computer Science Essentials (PLTW) introduces students to coding through a block-based programming language and progresses to text-based programming with Python, building computational thinking and collaboration skills. The course also highlights industry-standard tools and professional opportunities in computer science.
   
• Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science A introduces high school students to object-oriented programming using the Java language.
   
• Advanced Placement (AP) PLTW Computer Science Principles introduces students to fundamental computer science concepts and the impact of technology on the world, emphasizing data analysis, computational thinking, and creative problem-solving.

Robotics