Curriculum Overview

Through music, drama, studio art, woodshop, and digital media Middle School students learn to express themselves creatively. They gain confidence in presenting their work and develop a framework for making informed creative choices. By the end of eighth grade, students have the concepts, tools, and vocabulary to conceive original works and execute them across all disciplines.

Throughout middle school, students grow as readers, writers, speakers, and listeners, developing their critical thinking and habits of mind. Students learn and practice their skills each year, refining them to higher levels of sophistication. Students read short stories, poetry, essays, plays, novels, graphic novels, and non-fiction, with an emphasis on comprehension developing into analysis and argumentation. Students sharpen their creative and formal writing skills while expanding their vocabulary and understanding of mechanics. Alongside this, students formulate individual and group presentations, honing their skills in speaking, listening, and collaboration.

In Middle School, students begin to explore the origins of power in our contemporary world. Through research, students evaluate diverse sources of information and evaluate their own biases so that they can widen their circles of concern. They work toward developing proficiency in persuasive writing, analytic reasoning, and sustained discourse by the end of 8th grade.

Students establish skills that support safe and healthy decision-making practices. Units of study include healthy relationships, digital citizenship, mental health, and more. When they leave Middle School, students are better able to assess situations, identify coping strategies, and employ these skills as needed. Life skills also include robotics, tinkering, leadership, executive functioning, and library.

Beyond a foundational 6th grade math course, Middle School math is subject-based, not grade-level based. The other two courses taken are Pre-Algebra and Algebra I. Students learn to reflect on, assess, and revise their work. By the end of eighth grade, students can apply the concepts they’ve learned to problem solving and projects, use the language of mathematics in reading, writing, and discussion, and they can reach beyond memorized rules or strategies to fully comprehend mathematical reasoning. View Middle School Math Pathways.

At the beginning of 6th grade, every student chooses one of three languages to study: French, Mandarin, or Spanish. Students develop their language proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing with ACTFL proficiency levels as a guide. All languages include cultural studies, geography, and history. Students often have the opportunity to practice their skills through global travel. By the end of eighth grade, many students will be able to understand and answer questions related to every-day life, infer meanings from readings, and explain primary cultural perspectives.

The Middle School Science Department is aligned with Next Generation Science Standards, incorporating cross-cutting concepts, skills, and practices. All three grade levels use an integrated approach, which means that students will learn earth and space science, biology, physics, and chemistry every year. Students ask questions and define problems, and they gain proficiency in the development and use of models. By the end of eighth grade, they can apply mathematics and computational thinking, analyze and interpret data, and use evidence and reasoning in their scientific arguments.

The Middle School wellness program focuses on developing students' knowledge, skills, and confidence to enjoy a lifetime of healthy physical activity. Students participate in a wide array of sport-specific and general activities that support lifelong fitness habits, strategies for positive teamwork, and good sportsmanship. Units and activities follow a gradual progression that matches the developmental stages of adolescence.