Home

Through The Science Leadership Academy's partnership with The Franklin Institute, our 9th grade class will have a unique opportunity to further their project-based, interdisciplinary studies during a weekly workshop at The Franklin Institute. Facilitated by the Franklin Institute Youth Programs Staff and centered around the rich resources and exhibits housed at the museum, these weekly enrichment sessions will provide our students with an unparalleled exposure to and exploration of multiple facets of scientific inquiry. Our students will get a "behind the scenes" view of The Franklin Institute, as well as access the museum's archives and exhibits—making this world-renowned museum into an extension of our campus.

Working closely with their Advisory Groups, students will participate in Wednesdays @ The Franklin through a revolving program of interdisciplinary "strands." Each strand will have an opportunity to explore its topics from a variety of angles, complete a number of hands-on activities and projects, and infuse digital media arts and communication technology at every turn. Wednesdays @ The Franklin will be a prime example to our students in their first year at SLA of the potential real-world application of our school's core values of inquiry, research, collaboration, presentation, and reflection.

• PACTS 2 - an extension of the PACTS (Partnerships for Achieving Careers in Technology and Science) program of student science exploration and research, with focus areas in environmental science, robotics crime scene investigation and exhibit design. This program has an enrollment limited to 25 students and is led by Youth Programs staff.

• The Museum Experience - an extension of the school group "Experiential Packages" which offer a theme-based mix of exhibit explorations, hands-on workshops; IMAX and Planetarium shows; and live demonstrations/shows. This is an open enrollment program for students, coordinated by Youth Programs, with support from the Science Center.

• Mini-Courses - Four-week explorations of "behind-the-scenes" museum expertise, such as exhibit design, educational technology, and theatres; which introduces students to an area and some of its primary functions. Mini-courses have an enrollment limited to 5-15 students and are led by Institute staff who volunteer to develop a mini-course and serve as instructors.