Course List

Week 2

What do Crime Scene Investigators, Zombie Apocalypses, and Data Analysis have in common? Math! CSI at CSI is a math course based in Crime Scene Investigations. In this course, expect to be a detective! Students will collect data, make hypotheses based on facts found, model data on technology, and solve mysteries! Each student will receive an iPad to use for the duration of the course. Students will practice data collecting skills, mathematical modeling skills, different types of regression, mathematical thinking and problem-solving skills, technological skills, and deductive reasoning skills during this class while also investigating crimes!

Week 1, 2 and 3

For those interested in mastering the art of negotiation, thinking strategically, and developing a greater grasp of geography, this class is for you. With rising tension throughout Europe at the turn of the century due to imperialism, nationalism and the thirst for supremacy on the continent, conflicts emerged among the seven European powers. Diplomacy, a game of alliances and promises kept and broken, attempts to recreate the diplomatic type-roping to solve, perhaps, the impending crisis through the art of negotiations. As one of the major powers – England, Germany Russia, Turkey, Italy, France and Austria-Hungary – a skilled diplomat will realize when help is needed from others and when not to trust “so called” allies. Remember, you are a diplomat first, a commander second. To fortify skills as a negotiator, students will study several texts that define artful negotiations and provide background information regarding previous European conflicts. Let the games begin.

Week 3

What do egg balancing, mugwort leaves, and painting eyes have to do with Chinese culture? Come learn how to celebrate the summertime Dragon Boat Festival while learning about its truly legendary history,and having hands-on fun with buoyancy and balance. Students will make their own Chinese dragon boat to take home, and class will be held predominantly outdoors, where even more learning can take place. Students with and without Chinese language background will benefit from the class, with optional Chinese vocabulary lists and a bilingual teacher.

Week 1, 2 and 3

Blending the fun of jamming in the band and the knowledge of songwriting and production, students will learn the basics of music theory all the way to writing and recording their own song! Beginning with piano, guitar, and drum lessons, students will then use this knowledge towards producing a multi-layered song using Apple’s Logic software. Students will then learn world-class mixing and mastering techniques to make their song sound like a radio hit, followed by training on how to get their tracks on iTunes, Spotify, SoundCloud and all major other platforms. By the end of the week, students will have their own song to take home, listen to, and share with friends and family!

Week 1

Welcome to Camp Demi-God! If you are reading this, you just found out that you are a half-blood. I’d like to say congrats, but your world just got a lot more complicated. First things first, you need to head over to camp headquarters at CSI (Cate School is on the West Coast and is protected by the Golden Ram’s Fleece). Once there, you will learn about the major Greek Gods and Goddesses and be claimed by your “God-parent.” Your knowledge of Greek Mythology will be tested in The Labyrinth, and your strength will be tested in The Olympics. This class will be a fun, hands-on exploration of Greek Mythology through the lens of Percy Jackson’s world.

Week 1

Set sail and learn science at Cate through sailing. The Science of Sailing course uses sailing as a medium to provide middle school students with hands-on integrated learning opportunities that inspire interest in physics, marine biology, robotics, technology, and more. In this week-long course, students explore scientific concepts in Cate’s science labs each morning and in the afternoon apply those concepts and learn to sail in partnership with Santa Barbara Sailing Center. Using the US Sailing Reach Curriculum — a national education initiative connecting youth to STEM education through the sport of sailing — Cate Summer Institute students will engage in hands-on learning opportunities in the classroom and on the water. While investigating principles of wind, weather, buoyancy, lift, load, power, and simple machines, students will learn the basics sailing terminology, maneuvers, knots, points of sail, navigation rules, and sailing safety and procedures. This week-long course capitalizes on Cate’s access to the Santa Barbara coast, its facilities, and faculty. Come sail with us!

*Due to the nature of the Science of Sailing curriculum, CSI students enrolled in Science of Sailing will be taking classes at Cate School in the morning and learning to sail in Santa Barbara in the afternoon. They will not be able to take a secondary class or be enrolled in our traditional outdoors program, but of course will get to enjoy all other aspects of CSI with their classmates!

Week 1 and 3

In this class, students will explore the film as story. Students will analyze what makes a good script great, practice the art of design thinking, and collaborate with peers on screenwriting an original short film. Bring your eagerness and positive energy to make the classes fun!

Week 1, 2 and 3

Have you ever wanted to learn the craft of spinning spellbinding tales for a live audience? In this class, we will study the craft of personal storytelling, including how to structure a beginning, middle, and end for maximum effect. We will also practice delivering these stories to peers, and possibly a larger audience, with a focus on voice, pacing, and body language. At the end of the week, participants may volunteer to tell their stories, without notes, to the wider CSI community in a ‘story slam’ format.

Week 1 and 2

Preventing injury, running faster, running longer, jumping higher and reacting quicker than your opponents are components of athletic performance that all athletes are interested in improving. But how? What is the science behind improving human performance? In Cate’s Sports Science class, students will learn the basic components of exercise science and how they relate to athletic performance both in the classroom and in Cate’s state of the art Harcourt Fitness Center.

Week 2

Experience the magic of Hogwarts, a class devoted to alchemy. “The day before Harry’s first Quidditch match the three of them were out in the freezing courtyard during break, and [Hermione] had conjured them up a bright blue fire that could be carried around in a jam jar.” So of course, in this class, students will make both fire and cool light in a jam jar. Team taught by our chemistry teacher and performing arts teacher, this class is truly interdisciplinary! Students enrolled in this class must have either read one of the Harry Potter books or have watched the movies. Because this class has two teachers, it occurs during both the primary and elective class periods.

Week 1 and 2

This is a writing workshop with a twist. Through games and engaging activities, students will exercise their creative writing abilities and build their vocabulary, all while having fun. We will explore poetry and prose, first by reading model texts, and then by crafting and drafting our own. From prompts and ideas to polished drafts, we will dabble in both classic and non-traditional forms, including black-out poetry, sentence composition, spoken-word poetry, flash fiction, editorial blogs, and even Tweets. In addition to our writing workshops, we will play tournaments of word games, from classics like Scrabble, Boggle, and crossword puzzles, to new favorites such as Bananagrams, Quiddler, and Balderdash.

Week 1 and 2

A hands-on exploration of engineering, building and creativity. In this session, students will compete to build a tabletop catapult that flings the farthest, test their archery skills after making a personal longbow, and learn the mathematical formula to determine whose hydro-rocket ascends the highest. Using basic power tools and household materials students will learn ballistic physics, how to read building plans and workshop safety.

Week 1, 2 and 3

Do you want to bring your stories, imagination and ideas to life on a computer? In this class, students will use colorful coding blocks that fit together like puzzle pieces and digital paint tools to create a story (make your own cartoon) using Scratch programming. Next, students will learn how to create a math game with +, -, x, or /. Then, we will learn how to make our own video game! Students will all get to code their own stories and games while sharing ideas with friends as they go!

Week 1 and 2

This class is all about reading, writing, playing, and building a writing community. We’ll read short stories and talk about how they’re structured, then use what we learn to build our own stories. Part of our writing process will be playing writing games to get your creative energy flowing and to create together. We’ll also use writing prompts to generate story ideas. At the end of the class, students will have one polished short story of their own!

Week 1 and 2

Being entrepreneurial isn’t just about starting companies. It is about having a vision and making it a reality. It is a way of thinking that can be learned and practiced. With an entrepreneurial mindset, you’re halfway there to bringing your innovative ideas to life. All that’s left is learning the practical tools, or skills, that successful entrepreneurs have in their toolbox. For this session, we will be growing our entrepreneurial minds by engaging in creative brainstorming activities, collaborative exercises, and completing business model design methodology. In this class, students will create a business and marketing plan, a small-scale prototype, and a business pitch. Think Shark Tank – CATE style!

Week 1, 2 and 3

This class draws upon the curriculum from Cate School’s leadership program and the teachings of Stanford University’s d.school. Through the model of service-leadership, students explore their own values and styles of being a leader, all while developing greater empathy for others. Through the creation of greater group and self-awareness, students engage in leadership as a deliberate practice. With these tools, students also start to explore the world of design thinking, a process which draws on methods from engineering and design, and combines them with ideas from the arts, tools from the social sciences, and insights from the business world to solve challenges and problems in an empathetic and creative way.

Week 3

In this course, we will practice our critical thinking, detective sleuthing, and creative writing skills as we explore the many messages—sometimes obvious, sometimes hidden—around us. We will examine how historical propaganda, print advertisements, and commercials communicate messages: What do we see, hear, and feel when we encounter media? What stories do they attempt to tell? We will turn from consumers, to critics, to creators as we design ads and slogans. With everything we know, can we convince our other CSI members to “buy” our ideas?

Week 1 and 2

Join together with new friends from all around the world to select, explore, and discuss issues meaningful and impactful to you. Students will generate and explore these issues each day through the use of varied social discourse and academic debate methods. While students ultimately hold the power and responsibility to direct the curriculum, some topics for study in the past have included: climate change, the existence of zoos, social media usage, global politics, dress codes, and ocean protection. Social discourse will assist with building literacy, reading comprehension, critical thinking, problem-solving, and oral expression while also encouraging students to form close bonds and supportive relationships with their classmates. For our culminating project, we will be creating a newspaper which will be distributed at the concluding ceremony.

Week 1 and 2

Have you ever dreamed of being the ruler of your own country? Would you be a benevolent president, working to ensure peace and democracy for your citizens, or perhaps a powerful emperor/empress regnant looking to expand your nation’s reach around the globe? Find out if you have what it takes to be a successful leader on the new planet of You-topia. Start a country from the very beginning and help it grow into a success. Learn how to use a government’s power to solve problems and give citizens what they need to be happy, healthy and prosperous. Alas, you are not the only eager new leader on this planet, so you will also need to navigate trade, the environment, conflict, crises and unexpected situations with other countries trying to share the planet. You-topia needs you!