Course Catalog
Small class sizes and Harkness pedagogy — along with the support of incredible teachers — encourage Scholars to take an active role in their learning, developing a mindset of critical thinking and collaborative leadership while gaining subject-matter knowledge.
Selecting Courses for Summer 2023
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3D Animation
Learn the basics of 3D animation, character development, and nonverbal communication; explore building in virtual space; and discover new ways of telling stories by creating an avatar using 3D-modeling software. Scholars will use open-source software to build, render, and edit animation, empowering them to develop a range of skills like production planning, storytelling, file management, and problem solving in digital spaces.
- Arts
- Science & Technology
Advanced Robotics
Explore the use of robots in industry, space exploration, and even entertainment. Scholars will study design, electronic sensors, components, energy transfer, and machine automation made possible by computer program-driven control systems. This hands-on, interactive course will enable students to develop prototypes for their own robots and use them in various challenges. Prerequisite: Basic knowledge of robotics.
- Innovation & Entrepreneurship
- Science & Technology
Algebra Foundations
Designed for students who have finished a challenging seventh-grade curriculum and who want to improve their skills, this course will help students understand the basic structure of algebra and acquire proficiency in applying algebraic concepts and skills in authentic situations. The course focuses on the development of problem-solving skills and the acquisition of mathematical vocabulary and symbols.Topics include variables and expressions; solving equations and inequalities; linear functions; and graphing and writing linear equations.
- Mathematics
Art and Medicine
For centuries, artists captured signs of diseases in their portrait paintings sometimes before they were formally documented in the medical literature. After all, a cornerstone of a medical diagnosis is the ability of the physician to astutely observe the patient. What can art teach you about medicine and vice versa? Hone your observational skills by investigating paintings by Caravaggio, Rembrandt, Monet and others to hunt for goiters, rheumatological diseases, infectious diseases, neurological diseases, and other pathologies. Learn about the fields of medicine, anatomy, and art history to form the basis for interactive and fun discussions around the Harkness table.
- Arts
- History & Culture
- Science & Technology
Athletics Strategy and Leadership
Every term, Lawrenceville students are required to take part in a sport or activity, and Summer Scholars wants to introduce you to some options. So, hit the turf on Lawrenceville’s preeminent athletics facilities with members of our outstanding coaching staff. Students will become familiar with the rules and key strategies to several popular sports as they learn to think on their feet and react to changing situations. With classes that meet outside as often as possible, students will gain experience in solving problems through teamwork and taking a leadership role in overcoming obstacles. Students of all skill levels will have the opportunity to move their bodies, sharpen their minds, and build the skills that will make them a valuable teammate.
- Leadership & Teamwork
Bioengineering
Ever wonder how Velcro was invented? Or how a prosthetic limb might be designed for speed or stability? Bioengineering brings together aspects of biology with engineering to solve common and less common problems in the natural world. This course will allow students to understand the range and depth of bioengineering, as well as more recent advancements in subfields, such as biomimetics, biorobotics, and environmental engineering. In a final project, students will investigate the contributions of biology and engineering to a given innovation.
- Innovation & Entrepreneurship
- Science & Technology
Camp Crafts
Engage in a variety of craft activities such as paper mache, jewelry making, paper folding and other activities to improve their knowledge of color, design, and to enhance creativity. Scholars will learn how to re-use material to expand their minds and create a variety of "recycled projects" per the teacher's direction.
- Arts
Cartooning
Create your own cartoon people, animals, superheroes, or more! Scholars will learn to identify facial expressions and body shapes in cartoon form to bring their imaginations to life.
- Arts
Charcoal Drawing
Sketch and draw your way into the wonderful world of charcoal. Explore this unique medium as you complete daily projects that tie into a showcase of creativity at the end of the program.
- Arts
Commodities and Globalization
You may not realize it but the desire for the ingredients that can be found in your food pantry shaped the modern world. In this course, we will learn how certain commodities such as sugar, spices, salt, and coffee brought people from across the world into contact with each other, with both positive and negative consequences. Along with the exchange of these commodities in international ports was the exchange of ideas, religions, and languages. This course aims to show Scholars how we can more effectively study world history through the lens of commodities. Choose a commodity and create a "commodity map" that traces the journey and impact of their respective commodity on people across the world.
- History & Culture
Crafting the Personal Essay
This course is perfect for students who are starting to think about representing themselves and their experiences in the secondary school or college admissions process. Students will read published personal essays in order to expand the techniques that may serve them well in their own writing. Students will also use tools to help prevent writer's block while developing their ability to craft compelling personal writing for a public audience. All Lawrenceville English classes feature reading and writing in conjunction with each other.
- Reading & Writing
Creative Writing for Academic Success
Students will enhance their writing skills using multiple creative genres including poetry, fiction, and nonfiction / memoir to develop a basic subject-focused vocabulary and gain experience in a workshop environment that will promote participation, build confidence, and celebrate the revision process. Activities will likely include daily freewriting, discussions of successful creative works, guided prompts ("firestarters"), and workshops during which students will receive guidance in how to constructively discuss each other’s drafts. Students will acquire skills that translate to academic disciplines beyond the English classroom. There will be instruction of syntax, structure, and argumentation.
- Reading & Writing
Current Events and Contemporary History
What's going on in the world today? Where is that happening and why? This course aims to lay the foundation for our students to become better global citizens by staying up to date with events that are of concern to many in our community. Learning where to start with sources and how to evaluate news media is an important step as we open up our exploration of the world through different news periodicals and the maps. Engage in shared topics for discussion and exploration, model how to approach news articles and how to pursue follow up questions to better understand the background issues, explore topics of interests, and focus on particular world regions through group work. Reading, summary writing, research skills, and Harkness pedagogy are active throughout the course and part of every day.
- History & Culture
Digital Media Production
Explore storytelling through digital media! Develop an understanding of how to build a story, how to produce video and supplementary digital content, and how to navigate historiography, ethics, and social issues by updating a canonical childhood story. Scholars will come away with the skills to create videos that are meaningful to them, work in a production team, and analyze contemporary media and historical accounts.
- Arts
- Science & Technology
Documentary Films
Learn how to digest a film through the lens of a Scholar. How do you determine the writer(s) and director(s) purpose and message in a film vs. in a book? Watch, discuss, and analyze long and short films and set yourself on the path to becoming the next great director or film critic!
- History & Culture
Entrepreneurship, Investments, and Financial Literacy
A collaborative atmosphere in class will cover topics such as management and business strategy, as well as financial terms, such as credit, interest, budgets, loans, and portfolios. Depending on the students' interests, businesses explored might include fashion, technology, and restaurants. Teamwork and leadership skills will be required and business theory will be explored. Students will learn the basics of what it takes to turn an idea into a profitable business, by answering questions such as "Who would buy this product?" and "How would I sell this product?"
- Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Fall of the Roman Republic: The Gracchi Brothers to Augustus
In this course, we will explore the final century of the Roman Republic as it gave way to the immense power growth of the Roman Empire. Students will examine the effects of figures like the Gracchi brothers, Marius, Sulla, Pompey, and Caesar, to name just a few on the republic. Furthermore, elements of archaeology will be tied into the discovery of the history of this time period. This course begins roughly in the 130's B.C. with the Gracchi brothers and will continue to the early empire with Augustus coming into power ending around the 20's B.C.
- History & Culture
Forensic Science: Criminal Minds
What goes on inside the mind of a criminal? How do crime solvers merge a knowledge of forensics with psychology? In this interdisciplinary, hands-on course, you’ll find out. You will lead the process while learning how to investigate a crime scene, uncover clues, use technology and deductive reasoning, and incorporate the practice of profiling — just like the professionals!
- Science & Technology
Forensic Science: Foundations
Take on the role of a crime scene investigator and use lab equipment to analyze samples and study evidence to help solve a crime. In this interdisciplinary, hands-on course students will learn how to apply knowledge of science and the scientific method to legal problems. Students will lead the process while learning how to investigate a crime scene, uncover clues, and use technology and deductive reasoning.
- Science & Technology
Game Board Mania
Play various board games and interactive games to hone deductive reasoning skills and teamwork abilities. Scholars will learn the importance of strategy during a game. Refine your deductive reasoning strategies and other important game tactics.
- Leadership & Teamwork
Geometry Proofs
Wouldn't it be great to learn "how not to be wrong?" Employ your best Harkness skills to explore turning conjectures into valid conclusions through proofs and proof-writing. Develop strategies that will let each new idea build upon previous theorems or axioms to find the truth. Practice not only mathematical thinking, inductive/deductive reasoning, and problem solving, but also collaborative learning, presentation skills, and Harkness skills.
- Mathematics
Gods and Monsters
Ancient mythology is all around us—we just need to know where to look for it! Students will read about and discuss various gods, goddesses, and entertaining myths from various cultures and learn how people in the past explained things they didn't understand. In this interdisciplinary course, students will develop vocabulary, explore history, and closely read texts, as well as practice their writing skills.
- History & Culture
- Reading & Writing
Humanities
Each student in our summer scholars program will enroll in a Humanities class. Broken into grade specific sections — rising 6th and 7th graders, and rising 8th and 9th graders — you will engage in the Harkness method to understand, analyze, and create as you read short stories, poetry, vignettes, or other mediums and genres of texts. Each humanities class will explore a specific theme throughout the three weeks and ask you to compare and contrast different and engaging authors' works while improving your writing skills.
- Reading & Writing
Human Rights and Current Events
For 8th and 9th Graders
In 1948, following WW2, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which is regarded as a foundational text for the study and protection of basic human rights / dignity. In this course, students will explore the history of the declaration, examine all 30 of its articles, and apply this framework to an analysis of daily current events. As part of deepening an awareness of media literacy, students will consider the source of their news as well as come to understand how the perspective of both the writer and reader combine to shape an understanding of current events. Students conclude the course by focusing on a contemporary news story and presenting this story to the class with an emphasis on human rights.
- History & Culture
Immunology and Infectious Diseases
Microbes: friend or foe? Travel around campus, collect samples, and put your science and investigative skills to the test. Create and complete case studies, identify slides and substances under the microscope to frame your thinking about the world around us and enhance your knowledge of containing the spread.
- Science & Technology
Introduction to Robotics
In this course you will work in teams to solve engineering challenges and develop real world skills while using LEGO® EV3 Base Set and Software. Combining the versatility of the LEGO® building system and the intuitive, drag-and-drop EV3 software, this course will have you and your team engineering sleek robots and learning visual programming from day one! You will maintain an engineering journal in which you will capture your initial efforts at orthographic drawing. Once you have mastered a basic design process (test-reflect-redesign-reflect) and designed your robot, you will engage it in a variety of challenges such as Robotics Soccer and SumoBots.
- Science & Technology
Language and Linguistics
Mint-pear wonton sauce mango apple tongue? If you want to answer this question, then you need to learn FoodTongue! In this course, we will learn about linguistics, the study of languages. Using the International Phonetic Alphabet, we will write the sounds of English phonetically. By studying the internal composition of words, we will see how to understand "unlockable" as "able to be unlocked" and "not able to be locked." Scholars can choose a specific language that they wish to study and learn. And of course, we will get to try solving language puzzles and play some language games!
- History & Culture
- Reading & Writing
Literary Magazine!
For 8th and 9th Graders.
In this fun, hands-on course, we will use our creativity, imagination, awesome art supplies, and our individuality to create our own zines. What is a zine, you might wonder? A zine (rhymes with teen and tween) is a handmade mini-magazine that can take many forms. Zines can feature original drawings, photography, poetry, collages, comic and/or narrative storytelling, to name just a handful of possibilities. In other words, a zine allows you to focus on your passion projects in an inventive form that dates back to the 1930's, but became popular in the 1980s and 1990s. In this course, students will create several individual zines using different formats, such as the eight-page folding mini zines, the perfect bound zine, stitch-bound zine, tiny accordion matchbox zines, and standard booklets made from folded printer paper. Students will have the opportunity to reproduce (duplicate) at least one of their zines to share and/or swap with friends. As a culminating project, we will collaborate on a class-determined zine with contributions from everyone in the class. This class will provide students with new skills and new ways to creatively express and connect with others!
- Arts
- Reading & Writing
Logic Games
Let the games begin! For students who like puzzles, games, and riddles and who understand that those skills help everyone improve their thinking and perseverance! Understanding and using logic is a key to success in school and in life. Through games, puzzles, projects, and teamwork, students will learn the skills necessary to solve complex math problems and write convincing arguments. Students will have fun while developing critical thinking abilities.
- Mathematics
- Reading & Writing
Math and Sports
Explore the applications of Advanced Algebra and Trigonometry readiness in a "hands-on" approach! Whether studying the parabolic arc of a basketball 3-pointer, the impact of the belaying angle on the force required on the ropes course, or discussing the length of the staggered start on the 400 meter track, you should be prepared to spend most of your time outside the classroom learning about math through real time practices. You might even have to break a (small) sweat!
- Mathematics
Mock Trial
Put your law skills to the test as you and your peers walk through each step of a trial and prepare BOTH sides of a case. Let research be your guide and sound ethics be your grounding point.
- Leadership & Teamwork
- Reading & Writing
Mural Painting
Murals are much more than works of art that happen to be painted on walls! Summer Scholars gain exposure to a fascinating range of murals from the caves of Lascaux to graffiti artist Banksy as they investigate the powerful messages that can be conveyed through public art. Students strengthen their skills by exploring the Elements of Art, Principles of Design and Color Theory, and make a sketchbook to take away for future use. Through a series of Harkness inquiry discussions, the class collectively decides how to create an unforgettable, large-scale final presentation. Experience fun, hands-on art making, and tap into your potential to design, propose and create impressive artworks for public spaces!
- Arts
National Identity and Nationalism
The idea of people organizing themselves into a nation is a relatively recent phenomenon. While we often call any sovereign state a nation, not everyone within that state may feel like a member of a cohesive national identity. In this course, we will use Benedict Anderson’s idea that nations are "imagined communities" to understand what it means for groups of people to call themselves a nation.
Through readings, images, and student research we will be learning about what constitutes a nation and how this idea has become the most common form of political organization. This course will challenge you to think about how creating a national identity can unite groups of people but also influence people to commit acts of violence against those who are different. Scholars will conclude the course with a research presentation about the formation of a particular nation of their choosing.
- History & Culture
Painting
Create works of art utilizing different styles of painting including impressionism, abstract painting, portrait painting, landscape painting and more.
- Arts
Physics and Engineering
Explore and build in this project based learning class! We examine laws of Physics and major concepts of engineering that help us to understand the world around us. Each week, you will work collaboratively with a group to tackle a different challenge that asks you to apply what you have learned and discovered.
- Mathematics
- Science & Technology
Psychology and Ethics
For 8th and 9th Graders.
What inspires people to do the right thing? What explains why people do the wrong thing? What is the difference between right and wrong? Drawing upon two contemporary psychological models (Dr. Lawrence Kohlberg's model of moral development and Dr. Marsha Linehan's Dialectical Behavioral Therapy) students will keep a daily journal focusing on their own emotional regulation, mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, and distress tolerance. Students will also focus on one ethical case study a week and apply Kohlberg and Linehan's theories to real life events. The course concludes with an independent research project and class presentations.
- History & Culture
- Science & Technology
Reading Deeper, Reading Smarter
Today's texts, both digital and print, require critical reading skills – the ability to not only understand a writer’s meaning but to also question the assumptions upon which a text is based. Comprehending texts below the surface level also requires that you understand the nuances of words — not just what the dictionary says they mean but also their many connotations. In this course students will read and write about a variety of "texts," from political cartoons to product advertisements to newspaper editorials and even poetry, to examine what's behind the saying, "the pen is mightier than the sword." Students will develop vocabulary and the kinds of critical reading skills deemed key not just to pass most standardized tests, but to boost college and career readiness. All Lawrenceville English classes feature reading and writing in conjunction with each other.
- Reading & Writing
RedX Talks: Lawrenceville Innovation
In this interdisciplinary course students learn all about the art of composing and performing "TED"-style Talks. From research methodologies that produce persuasive arguments to the stagecraft involved in producing an engaging lecture, students will dig deep into this popular genre for promoting innovative ideas. The course culminates in a capstone project wherein students write and perform a RedX Talk of their own. What provocative questions are you excited to explore?
- Arts
- Innovation & Entrepreneurship
- Reading & Writing
Science as Entrepreneurship
Have you ever wondered how science projects become businesses? In this class you will learn how to take STEM to the next level, the global marketplace. We will discuss real cases where scientific research has been turned into products and companies. Then, in a collaborative environment, you will develop your own ideas into a business strategy and plan. Finally, staying true to the nature of seeking capital for a business venture, the class will culminate with a competition between classroom teams to see who has developed the most viable plan of action. You do not need to come to the class with developed ideas. You only need to come with a willingness to collaborate and engage in out-of-the-box thinking. Come learn how to leverage what you already know and think like an entrepreneur.
- Innovation & Entrepreneurship
- Science & Technology
Shark Tank
Combining innovation and business skills, students will learn how to develop their ideas into real plans of action and share those ideas with your peers. Scholars will engage in a collaborative environment and learn how to answer key questions, such as, Is this a product customers will buy? Are there companies that already sell this product successfully? True to the nature of seeking investors for an idea, the class will culminate with a competition between classroom teams to see who has developed the best plan of action. Students do not need to come to the class with a specific product idea, but they need to bring a willingness to collaborate and engage in out-of-the-box thinking.
- Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Sketching and Drawing
Utilize different artistic techniques to draw people, places, and depict events. Learn how to break a picture down to a variety of lines to understand the step-by-step process of creating a work of art.
- Arts
Speech & Debate
Students will begin by focusing on the theory of oral communication and the primary tenets of effective public speaking. Then, they will learn about debate theory, effective research, and debate strategies. Finally, of course, there will be debates.
- Reading & Writing
SSAT English
Students will prepare for every aspect of the verbal portion of the exam in a way that ensures students are not just learning how to pass the test but also how to be successful at school. Designed to enhance reading comprehension skills and verbal reasoning abilities, this course will "grow" vocabulary through creative, interactive activities. Students will also engage in reading and discussing a variety of texts — both fiction and non-fiction — developing close reading skills along the way. Although reading comprehension and vocabulary development are the core of this course, time will also be devoted to preparing for the un-scored essay that is part of the SSAT.
- Reading & Writing
SSAT Math
This class will prepare for every aspect of the Quantitative portions of the exam. Designed to enhance knowledge of computations, geometry / algebra, and mathematical concepts, this course will “grow” skills through creative, interactive activities. Students will also engage in studying and practicing a variety of approaches to computation — developing a deep understanding of fundamental math concepts and vocabulary along the way. Although math skill development is the core of this course and students will be taking practice tests throughout the three-weeks, some time will also be devoted to math and logic games, fun applications of the math concepts covered in the class.
- Mathematics
Wilderness Survival
What happens if you get lost in the woods? This course is designed to answer this question by teaching Scholars essential wilderness survival skills related to four basic elements of survival: shelter, water, fire, and food. Scholars build and strengthen their wilderness survival skills by learning a variety of skills from emergency shelter construction, water filtration, orienteering, planning, first aid, and more.
- Leadership & Teamwork
- Science & Technology
World Religions
For 6th and 7th Graders.
What are the basic teachings of Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam? What are the central practices in terms of holy days, rites of passage, and sacred rituals? Students in World Religions will draw upon the stories of young teens who practice the five religions listed above as a way to bring our study to life. Students will also explore their own faith traditions and/or secular philosophies in a concluding project that combines art, ritual, and music.
- History & Culture
WWI: A Clash of Empires
Learn about the causes of WWI, new technologies that made war more destructive, WWI as the first "total war," the worldwide implications of the war, and the peace treaty that historians often credit as a cause of WWII. By examining primary and secondary sources, Scholars will better understand the effects of the war on an individual and national level. Through class discussions, Scholars will have a chance to develop their speaking and reasoning skills, and have the opportunity to research and curate their own WWI exhibit as their summative course experience.
- History & Culture
WWII and the Holocaust
Gain an overview understanding of the causes of WWII, the concept and evolution of "total war" and Totalitarianism, the development of new technologies, the global nature of the conflict, and the immediate outcomes. Harkness pedagogy will bring us together to share and discuss the basics on each of our topics before Scholars pursue and pose their own questions for research. Scholars will create their own websites, which will act as their course portfolio. The use of primary sources, interviews, and live footage of the war will act as important course material and sources for our writing and debates. The history skills will come alive through Harkness, research, and writing!
- History & Culture