Students hone their research, argument, presentation and persuasive skills as they represent the international community of the United Nations in various crisis scenarios. We will learn parliamentary procedure, how to draft resolutions, and the art of the caucus as our students how to represent a given point of view and negotiate resolutions that meet the needs of their country. After initial scenarios are introduced, the bulk of position research will need to be completed at home, as class time is reserved for caucus and debate!

Highly interested students are invited to travel with us to the Model UN conferences in early 2017 – more information coming soon!

We are so excited to get started with Odyssey of the Mind again this year!

OM is a creative problem solving competition. The students choose from 5 long-term problems, and prepare their solution in advance, which they must present through a skit or similar performance. Additionally, teams compete together in a spontaneous problem solving challenge that is not announced beforehand. OM teams display out of this world creativity, pun perfection, and spendiferous crafting, costuming, and construction skills! Humor and outright hilarity are encouraged throughout the OM organization, from silly chants and rhymes to mirthful millenery.

IfSpace plans to host 5 Odyssey of the Mind teams this year. Students are sorted by age, with a maximum of 7 and a minimum of 5 students per team. One of our 5 teams will perform in the Primary division, which is non-competitive, expo-only. The other 5 teams will choose from the list of 5 long-terms problems after we have sorted our 2017 participants by age and schedule availability. The oldest participant on each team determines the level at which the whole team competes, so it’s important to try to keep the teams similar in age! Our 2016 teams scored very well at the Space Coast competition, and our Division III team advanced to state competition at UCF!

If you register for OM, please select the time that is most ideal for you, and include any additional information regarding your schedule preferences in the comments or send me an email at odyssey@ifspace.org.

More About Odyssey of the Mind Here

Read the 2017 Problem Synopses Here

Written and spoken Japanese for absolute beginners! Students will learn spoken and written Japanese (Hirugana) and Japanese culture. Class is organized into a series of monthly themes focused on different areas of life in Japan, and will include games, cooking activities, and lots of traditional writing, speaking, and grammar.

Interest in Japanese classes has been very high. We will be adding an additional class for younger students on Wednesday mornings, and would happily consider adding a second culture/study hour of class if there is enough interest!

The required textbook for this class is Genki : An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese I, Second Edition. You can find it on Amazon here. Please do not rent this textbook! If you decide to continue with Japanese in the second semester, you will need this book again!

The recommended workbook for this class is Genki: An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese I, Workbook, Second Edition. You can find it on Amazon here. This workbook is not absolutely required, but having access to additional practice will help build confidence and encourage greater fluency, which is important in learning to love a language. We strongly suggest making this investment!

Our High School core program seeks to prepare students for rigorous study in college through the same hands-on, discussion-based explorations used throughout the IfSpace curriculum. High School students meet twice per week for 2 hours each, and will study European literature including Shakespeare, Austen and Dickens, SAT writing and vocabulary, and American History. Our science focus this year is on Biology, and students will be offered differentiated instruction in mathematics, with a choice between supported home study or group instruction in Algebra II with trig.

Curriculum for High School includes The American Pageant, Math Without Borders Algebra II or Saxon 7/8 for home instruction support, and Campbell’s Biology. Students who keep up with assignments and approach IfSpace classes with academic rigor should expect to be prepared for the US History and Biology CLEP exams. A complete list of curricula, history and science spines, and living books, study guides and supplies will be supplied to families upon registration.

Our Elementary core program consists of 2 hours of classroom instruction per week, with a complete syllabus of activities and suggested assignments provided for 3.5 – 4 additional days of study at home. Elementary aged students focus on skill building in the areas of math and literacy. For the 2017-18 year, we will continue exploration- and observation-based science, and enjoy books together with our Socratic discussion-based literature program. For math, students will continue their home programs and use time at IfSpace to enjoy Math Circle activities, as well as begin pre-algebra with Hands-On Equations in the second semester. We will take a deep dive into Ancient History, spending each semester creating a living history museum at IfSpace complete with costumes, sets, props, and role plays.

2017-18 curriculum includes the The Story of the World Volume I, Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding, Hands-On Equations, and grammar and language arts concepts as introduced in the Royal Fireworks Press/MCT materials. A complete list of curricula, history and science spines, and living books and supplies will be supplied to families upon registration.