Program of Studies Program of Studies 2018-19 | Page 7

Middle School Programs
Grade 6 Academics
Writing
Students will undertake a wide
variety of writing, ranging from
journals to poetry and essays
crafted about unique experiences
in the classroom and beyond. The
Six Traits program will be used
to help all students continue to
improve their writing. Spelling,
vocabulary and grammar will be
integrated into daily writing work.
Reading
Students will explore a variety of
books as a class, both in literature
circles of four to six students
and independently. Students will
have the ability to read a large
selection of Newbery Award and
Honor books. Student activities will
include book projects, response
journals, reading notebooks,
guided reading and Reader’s
Theater. Students will also read
several short stories and learn the
elements of a short story.
Mathematics
Units of study include decimals,
fractions, algebra, geometry,
graphing, ratio and proportions.
Connections between the math
concepts being taught and their
real-world application will be
integrated into lessons through
mini labs and interdisciplinary
projects whenever possible.
Middle school teachers use the
flexible grouping model to organize
learning communities of students
based on mathematical aptitude.
Criteria for establishing these
groups include: fifth grade math
average, NWEA and NECAP scores,
entrance mastery assessment and
teacher observations.
Science
Students will perform hands-on
labs and create related projects
in a unit-based approach focusing
on energy, weather, astronomy,
and oceans. Whenever possible,
science will be integrated with
other areas of the curriculum,
including natural overlap with
studies in social studies and math.
Social Studies
Students will learn about the world
and its people with a focus on
Latin America, Asia and Africa. The
social studies program will also be
integrated with world art. Students
will become more aware of the
people of the world with a focus on
their economies, demographics,
geography and culture. Important
local, national and world current
events will be explored and
discussed.
throughout the year at the annual
Music Concert.
Visual Arts
Students will engage in hands-
on activities with a variety of art
media to explore the visual arts
through experiences integrated
with concurrent social studies
curriculum. Students will learn
about the traditional arts and
crafts of the world’s people and
create authentic works of art.
Students practice the language
and understanding of the elements
of art, and develop confidence in
the areas of drawing, painting and
sculpting.
Health/Wellness
Instruction is divided between
physical activity and health-
oriented classroom lessons.
Physical activities are often
integrated with core curriculum
in science and social studies.
Health units of study include:
mental, emotional, family, and
social health, growth and nutrition,
personal health and safety, drugs
and disease prevention, community
and environmental health, and
current events dealing with health. Grade 7 Academics
Music & Performing Arts English Language Arts (ELA)
Students will learn to read and
write music, sing a variety of songs
that support learning experiences
in their other subject areas,
play percussion to the classics
and complete a focus study on
listening to music. To help develop
songwriting skills, students use
laptops, specifically the Garage
Band program. Additionally,
dancing, choreography and drama
improvisation are an active part
of class. Students are invited
to demonstrate skills learned Seventh grade ELA curriculum will
focus on reading, writing, listening,
and speaking. Students will
become more effective thinkers
and active learners through
communication, reflection, and
understanding. Students will have
many opportunities to work with
various types of writing, including
narrative, descriptive, expository
and persuasive writing. Becoming
familiar with literary terms,
learning to read for detail, using
details to support interpretation of
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