Curriculum

GRADE 6
The curriculum for the sixth grade is divided into two areas, reading and writing. The writing curriculum will include the following: mechanics, sentence and paragraph structure, research skills, grammar/conventions, and students will be able to successfully follow and complete the writing cycle. The reading curriculum will encompass reading for comprehension, main idea, inference, word recognition/context clues, identifying literacy devices for fiction and nonfiction text, drawing conclusions, and developing engagement, stamina and fluency. Both areas will cover strategies and skills for test taking. Students will read at least 40 books and practice test taking skills and strategies.

GRADE 7
The curriculum for seventh grade ELA is divided into two parts: writing and reading. The writing curriculum will include the following: paragraph and sentence structure, conventions, spelling, following the writing cycle and developing basic vocabulary skills and words. The reading curriculum will include test taking strategies, reading for comprehension, inference, authors’ purpose, main idea, character analysis and making text to self, world and text connections. Students will read at least 40 books and practice test taking skills and strategies.

GRADE 8
This course is divided into two parts: writing and reading. The writing curriculum includes strengthening basic grammar, vocabulary and writing skills of all students. Students will be taught to write short essays, fiction and nonfiction as well as complete research projects. The reading curriculum focuses on strengthening a variety of reading strategies that include inference, main idea, author’s purpose, sequencing, critical thinking and determining importance. Students will read at least 40 books and practice test taking skills and strategies.

FRENCH
In the sixth grade year, the major objective of this course is to introduce a basic and practical vocabulary, emphasize the differences between English and French pronunciation and expose the students to the language. Students will complete several projects and participate in three games as they strengthen their skills.

In the seventh grade year, the students will build on those skills learned in sixth grade with an emphasis on pronunciation. Major projects require the students to use their writing and speaking skills. In the eighth grade year, students will build a strong facility to conjugate verbs as they prepare for the French Proficiency Exam. A variety of sources will be used. 

LATIN
The sixth grade year provides students with an introduction to Roman and classical history, culture, politics, mythology and word roots and etymology with their first taste of morphology. During the seventh grade, students develop an understanding of morphology and the structure of English compared to the structure of Latin. The eighth grade course covers translation in addition to more complex conjugation and tenses. In addition to the text, a variety of translated letters and poems are used. 

SPANISH
The course of study in Spanish is designed to help students attain proficiency. Speaking, listening, reading and writing skills will be the focus of diverse activities and projects. An understanding of and fluency in the language will be developed through the use of visual materials focused on topics relevant to the students and their experiences. 

MANDARIN CHINESE
The 6th grade year introduces students to the structure of the language, understanding its tonal nature along with how Chinese characters are written and its form as a pictographic language with no alphabet. 6th graders learn to write Chinese, perform dialogues and poems, and learn about Chinese culture. 7th and 8th grade students build upon this base and begin to develop an
understanding of grammar and sentence patterns. Throughout the three years of Mandarin, students are building and increasing their vocabulary, with both 7th and 8th graders writing paragraphs and reading and translating short reading selections. A variety of written and performance based assessments are used to track progress of students in their reading, writing, speaking and listening skills.

GRADE 6
This course covers Early Humans and Ancient Civilizations through the Renaissance and Reformation, including Ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece and Rome, and China. Included in the curriculum is the history, arts, religion and literature of these civilizations. Students will sharpen their writing skills by writing five paragraph essays, research papers, memoirs, historic fiction, poetry and biographies. In addition, the course will focus on the development of research skills, literature analysis, reading comprehension, study skills, organization and time management. Romeo and Juliet, The Iliad and folktales and traditional mythology are among the literature read in this course.

GRADE 7
The seventh grade social studies course focuses on grammar, syntax and the writing process as students develop critical thing skills through the study of literature and American history (pre-Columbian-1865.) Students will analyze, interpret and evaluate information, ideas, and language from a variety of sources. Reading skills will be sharpened as the students read and interpret primary and secondary source documents, as well as books from each of the major genres. Students will write five paragraph essays, research papers, brochures, journals, stories, poems, literary essays and plays as they refine their ability to use standard English for formal presentation of information, selecting appropriate grammatical constructions and vocabulary, using a variety of sentences structures and observing the rules of punctuation, capitalization and spelling. Antigone, The Giver, The Crucible, Lord of the Flies, To Kill a Mockingbird, To Be a Slave, Across Five Aprils, The Once and Future King and The Tempest are among the texts used in this course.

GRADE 8
The eighth grade social studies course focuses on grammar, syntax and the writing process as students develop critical thing skills through the study of literature and American history (1865-present.) Students will analyze, interpret and evaluate information, ideas, and language from a variety of sources. Reading skills will be sharpened as the students read and interpret primary and secondary source documents, as well as books from each of the major genres. Students will write five paragraph essays, research papers, brochures, journals, stories, poems, literary essays and plays as they refine their ability to use standard English for formal presentation of information, selecting appropriate grammatical constructions and vocabulary, using a variety of sentences structures and observing the rules or punctuation, capitalization and spelling. Catcher in the Rye, My Antonia, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, The Jungle, Of Mice and Men, A Separate Peace, Night, Macbeth, A Raisin the Sun, The Bell Jar are among the texts used in this course.

GRADE 6
In this course students will gain a conceptual understanding and computational proficiency of real numbers in their most common representation: decimals, fractions and percents. Students will apply basic algebra skills using variables to problem solve using properties of numbers and operations. Students will build on their problem solving skills by learning to use appropriate tools and strategies to develop their understanding of patterns, numbers and operations, algebra, geometry, measurement and statistics. Through investigations and the use of manipulatives, students will gain a conceptual understanding of numbers, operations and the relationship between them. 

GRADE 7
Integrated Algebra (Part I)
The curriculum in this course includes number sense and operations, including the use of radical terms, scientific notation, factorials, absolute value and exponential expressions. Students will represent and analyze algebraically a wide variety of problem solving situations. Students will perform algebraic procedures involving variables and expressions, equations and inequalities, patterns, relations and functions, coordinate geometry and trigonometric functions. Students will organize, display and analyze data. 

Grade Seven Math
This 7th grade course builds on students’ understanding of algebra. It covers a wide range of topics, including: number operations in the real number system, variables and expressions, geometry, statistics and probability and measurement. Emphasis is placed on further developing students’ number sense and conceptual understanding. 

GRADE 8
Integrated Algebra (Part II)
This course completes the Integrated Algebra course the students began in seventh grade. Students will explore geometric relationships, coordinate geometry, algebraic concepts and operations with rational and irrational numbers. 

Grade Eight Math
This course focuses on algebraic functions, tables, graphs, transformational geometry, and operations of monomials, binomials and polynomials. In particular, students will be sharpening their skills to solve algebraic inequalities and equalities, find angle measures using algebra and graph functions. Students will use and create function tables, graphs and stories to show an understanding of linear and non-linear equations. Students will also design tile patterns using tessellations.