COURSE:

Woodshop as Soulcraft

ABOUT:

Woodshop as Soulcraft is an exploration course where students do math with their hands, creating projects out of wood. Students explore topics such as: complementary and supplementary angles, right triangles, trigonometric ratios, similarity and congruence. Students also learn how to safely operate tools in a woodshop like: band saw, miter saw, table saw, drills, hammer and nails, wood glue, stains, polyurethane.

 

PROJECTS:

  • Picture Frames

  • Birdhouses

  • Wooden Boxes

  • End Tables

  • Culmination Piece

 

READINGS:

Shop Class as Soul Craft, by Matthew B. Crawford

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"In schools, we create artificial learning environments for our children that they know to be contrived and undeserving of their full attention and engagement. Without the opportunity to learn through the hands, the world remains abstract, and distant, and the passions for learning will not be engaged."

- Matthew Crawford, Author or Shop Class as Soul Craft

 
 

COURSE:

Justice by Mathematics

ABOUT:

Understanding unjust systems requires a mathematician’s mind building bridges between the reality of today and the vision for a more equitable future. Justice by Mathematics focuses on how numbers and equations can help us understand and formulate solutions to the various issues of justice, locally and globally. Students learn fundamental math skills, starting with a strong foundation of arithmetic and mental math skills and adding on introductory concepts from the fields of Algebra, Geometry, and Statistics.

Odyssey 9th grade student asks the question, “What is your carbon footprint?” in response to what she had learned in her Justice by Mathematics Exploration course.

Seventh grade OLA student creates a yarn map to show poverty and wealth in the different zip code areas of Oklahoma City, OK.

OLA 8th grade student constructed three different types of bridges to display the strength and weaknesses of each and the importance of engineering while building a city.

 
 
 
 
 

COURSE:

Financial Literacy

ABOUT:

In this Exploration course, students utilize the principles of mathematics and economics (including, but not limited to: algebra, graphing, probability, statistics, compound interest formula, multi-variable equations, fractions, decimals, and percentages) to better understand saving, investing, compound interest, supply and demand, goal setting, purchasing a car, paying for college, budgeting, the dangers of credit cards, taxes, loans, small business, the Fair Trade Act, fair wages, and more.

 

QUESTIONS WE ASK:  

  • Does money give you happiness?

  • How are money and divorce related? Is having debt a healthy thing?

  • Is anything in life really free?

  • How can I be content with what I have?

  • What am I supporting by spending my money at this store?

  • Is buying the cheapest product always best?

  • Will raising minimum wage help our economy?

Power, Profit, & Pleasure project created by OLA 8th grader and Junior

READINGS:

  • The Total Money Makeover

  • Rich Dad/Poor Dad

  • How to Have More Than Enough

  • Debt Free Living

Every Detail Matters by OLA Senior

Tenth Grade OLA student displays fun details about the dollar bill.