Curriculum
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 
The middle school program meets the needs of children growing through
years of intellectual and personal transition, combining structure and
support with increasing academic challenge and independence.Students
gradually move from self-contained classrooms to a fully departmental
structure, in which they have different teachers for each subject. The
curriculum focuses on skills critical to later academic success and
reflects recent research on brain development. Children find many
opportunities to explore emerging interests, strengthening their sense
of individual identity and gaining experience in leadership roles.
ART: The program explores color theory, composition and
design,symmetry and balance, and perspective; it develops students’
skills through a sequence of varied projects. These projects encourage
experimentation with various media. In addition, students learn art
history by exploring how different artists have solved problems. This
required course meets once a week in grade 6, and four times a week for
half the year in grades 7 and 8.
CLASSICS: Latin I, an elective course, introduces students to the
world of classical language and history. It focuses on developing
student fluency in translation while grounding students in basic
grammar,forms, and syntax. Students may opt for Latin as their primary
language in 7th grade, which allows for more exposure to
history,culture, and English vocabulary development in a two-year Latin I
program, or choose a one-year intensive course in 8th grade as a two
language option.
COMPUTER: Students use computers as a tool to enhance their
learning in other subjects. 6th grade students have computer once a
week, which is coordinated with their English and history curricula;they
learn the basics of databases, work with spreadsheets and word
processing, designing web-page, use presentation software and learn to
create and manipulate images. 7th and 8th grade students continue to
master applications through their work in all the various disciplines.
Internet researching skills, for example, are taught through their
history research projects, spreadsheets and graphs during a math
project, digital imagery through art and English class, etc. READ MORE
ENGLISH: Students read, enjoy, and analyze short stories,
novels,plays, epic poetry, and other poetic styles; many works are
coordinated with their studies in history. From the spring of 6th grade
onward, English becomes a departmentalized major. In expository writing,
students begin with writing topic sentences, then paragraphs,and
finally the formal essay. Grammar moves from usage and parts of speech
through phrases, clauses and complex sentences. Each course also
includes creative writing assignments.
HISTORY: In 6th grade the course focuses on the meeting of
cultures. Studies begin with the European Renaissance, turn to
pre-Columbian America, and end with the European explorers. In the
spring the 6th grade becomes departmentalized. 7th and 8th grade
continues with a two-year American history course. The students develop
research skills for oral reports and papers, work with primary sources,
and develop their critical thinking. All courses coordinate with the
English curriculum.
INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES:The history and English curricula
intersect in each of the three years. Students in the 6th grade read The
Second Mrs. Giaconda in English, for example, while they study the
Italian Renaissance. Other trips and projects cross several
disciplines.The 7th grade, for example, takes a boat trip on the
Delaware River on which they have a math project, visit Ft. Mifflin, and
create a map for art. A Germantown research project serves as a
springboard for Quakerism, English, and History. The 8th grade year ends
with a media studies project, which also crosses disciplines.
MATHEMATICS: In 6th and 7th grades students consolidate their
skills with fractions, decimals, and percents; they work with
exponents,probability and ratios. 6th grade concludes with a
departmentalized unit in geometry. 7th graders also learn some
introductory algebra concepts, since the whole 8th grade takes Algebra
I. The algebra course is taught at two levels, regular, and accelerated.
MODERN LANGUAGE: Students may opt to take French or Spanish
beginning in 7th grade. The Spanish and French courses develop student
proficiency in speaking, listening, reading, and writing.Teachers
conduct classes in the target language, so that the student’s experience
simulates an immersion experience. The classes focus on the varied
cultures of the Hispanic and Francophone worlds.
MUSIC: Music emphasizes both performance and classroom learning.
At all levels, the students sing and perform for the rest of the school.
In 6th and in 7th grade they also work with hand bells,recorders,
xylophones, and percussion instruments. 7th grade has an additional
focus on the elements of music theory, and 8th grade focuses more on
music history and its context in various cultures.Student
instrumentalists can choose to participate in the orchestra or jazz
bands. In 8th grade students may also elect to sing in a choir.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION: In 6th and 7th grade students participate in a
wide variety of sport-related activities with emphasis on the
refinement of individual skills and an understanding of basic sport
strategies. In 7th grade, students also take part in various group
building, risk taking, and problem solving activities. 8th grade
physical education has three separate components: a sports and
activities class; sexuality education; and adventure education, which
includes belaying, high ropes and/or rock climbing.
SCIENCE:The 6th grade science program begins with environmental
science in correlation with a four-day camping trip. Studies then turn
to human biology and physiology. In 7th grade students focus on physical
science, exploring concepts of physical properties,chemical and
physical changes, and atomic and molecular theory.The year ends with a
unit on earth science. The 8th grade program is environmental science.
All courses are lab-based and focus on the methods of scientific inquiry
and experimentation.
ATHLETICS: In 6th grade, students may opt to play a sport in the
fall and spring. In 7th and 8th grade sports are required for all
children. They learn sportsmanship and teamwork and have fun in a
nonacademic setting with their classmates and peers. In every season
there is a non-competitive option available.
PROJECT TIME:Students in 7th and 8th grade also have Project Time
once a week. 7th graders take Quakerism for one trimester. For the other
two trimesters, they choose a community involvement project, such as
working with nursery children at the Boys and Girls Club, or learning
about deaf culture at the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf, and an
activity like drama, woodshop, or photography. The 8th grade prepares
and performs a musical review each winter; students may choose an
activity for fall and spring.
|
|
|
|
|
| |