Allendale Columbia School Middle School Curriculum Guide 2018-19
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ALLENDALE COLUMBIA SCHOOL MIDDLE SCHOOL CURRICULUM GUIDE 2018-19 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 2 Course Requirements 2 SIXTH GRADE COURSES 4 SIXTH GRADE ELECTIVES 6 SEVENTH GRADE 7 EIGHTH GRADE 10 SEVENTH AND EIGHTH GRADE ELECTIVES 16 HAC ATHLETICS – GRADES 7 AND 8 21 Allendale Columbia School 1 INTRODUCTION The Middle School, grades six through eight, challenges students to expand their worldview and begins the process of preparing students for Upper School. Curriculum at the middle level is specifically tailored to students aged 11-14 with a focus on critical thinking, making connections, creativity, and forming the group collaboration skills necessary to work with a variety of people on different types of projects and assignments. At Allendale Columbia, we have four areas of curriculum that are interdisciplinary and have overlap with each other. Foundational Literacies address the core competencies that all students will need now and in the future. Invent Center courses provide a chance to create and learn the skills it will take to design the world around us. Entrepreneurship is both a set of skills in basic business and also a mindset that Allendale Columbia is working to help develop in its students. Finally, Global Engagement courses and experiences help to shape Middle School students’ way of perceiving the world, and they help our students expand their global IQ. While these separate areas are taught in specific courses and experiences, much of this work is overlapping and interdisciplinary throughout the Middle School curriculum. Middle School is a chance to try out new things, and get a taste of different experiences. Middle School students take both required courses as well as electives throughout sixth through eighth grade. Beyond coursework, Middle School students will participate in a yearly May Term course, have access to a robust club program, and participate in numerous experiences curated specifically for them. Course Requirements Middle School students are required to be enrolled in seven courses at all times. This includes English, History, Math, Science, Language, and elective courses. Visual Art Requirement: Students are required to take three semesters of visual art during their Middle School career. All students will take foundational visual art in the sixth grade. This course counts as one of the three required semesters. Music Requirement: Students are required to take three semesters of music during their Middle School career. All students take Foundational Music in the sixth grade, and this course does count for one of the three required semesters. All band and chorus courses also count toward this requirement. There are several music electives, beyond band and chorus, for students who need to fulfill this requirement. Taking a full year of chorus or band will count for one semester of music credit, since the course meets less than the other electives. Health Requirement: All Middle School students need to take Health in their seventh or eighth grade year. Health is a semester course open to all seventh and eighth graders and is offered each semester during one of the elective blocks. Digital Literacy Requirement: All sixth grade students are required to take a course called Digital Literacy. This course is one semester long and happens in the fall. If a student transfers into Allendale Columbia as a seventh or eighth grader, and they have not taken Digital Literacy, this requirement is met on a case-by-case basis or through demonstrating proficiency through their normal coursework. Allendale Columbia School 2 Students New to Allendale Columbia: For students who transfer to Allendale Columbia from another school, each situation regarding course scheduling is handled on a case-by-case basis with the Head of Middle School. Some courses that students have taken at other schools may count toward their required courses. Additional Requirements: Beyond what is listed above, all Middle School students are required to do the following items: ● May Term: Each student must participate in a full May Term experience each year. ● Clubs: Students are required to join at least one club during the club block. ● Physical Education: All sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students take P.E. each year. ● Middle School Musical: Participation is not required in the Middle School Musical, however, it is recommended that all students get involved. ● Advisory: All students are required to attend and participate in the Middle School Advisory Program. Allendale Columbia School 3 SIXTH GRADE COURSES English 6 Students are introduced to a new level of reading and writing in English 6 when they enter Middle School. During the year they practice both expository and creative expression using the 6+1 Traits of Writing. They learn how to examine texts in greater depth and respond analytically. Classes consist of discussions, games to reinforce understanding, and workshop sessions where students receive individualized instruction. Rubrics are used to evaluate student work and illustrate their growth over time. English 6 and English 7 complement each other as a two-part course. Curricular materials: Students will read a variety of texts throughout the year. History 6: International Investigations History 6 focuses on local, national, and global current events with an eye toward how historical issues and figures affect our world today. We also emphasize and integrate geography into our classes so that place is never separate from the people, the history, and the issues our students are studying. We frequently “dig deeper” into regions of current interest, exploring the ancient cultures and world religions that formed the foundations of modern societies. We continually ask what connections can be made between today’s current events and the major events of the past. In this class, students work on projects that promote research, writing, organization, collaboration, and presentation skills. They also create songs, skits, and videos; listen to experts; and participate in projects with outside organizations. Curricular materials: Junior Scholastic Magazine and supplemental readings Math 6: The Literacy of Numbers The mathematics program in grade six is designed to build students’ self-confidence and nurture their natural curiosity by challenging them with a wide variety of problems and enrichment activities. Students are encouraged to take active roles as investigators, explorers, risk takers, and reporters in a nurturing and supportive environment. Students master the process of learning as they make connections between topics in mathematics, concrete and abstract ideas, concepts and skills, real world applications, and other areas of the curriculum. Operations of whole numbers, decimals, and fractions are studied in depth as students develop their understanding of number theory. Students apply these skills to the study of ratios, proportions, and percentages. Fundamental concepts of algebra are introduced as students learn the basic algorithms of variable representation and manipulation. Some topics are communicated through the manipulation of objects, the preparation of graphs and charts, and written expression. Prerequisite: Math 5 Curricular materials: Students will use Mathematics: Applications and Connections, Course 2, Glencoe, 2004, as well as various online support materials throughout the year. Allendale Columbia School 4 Science 6: Energy of the Earth Earth is a dynamic planet, and the energy that drives the forces is both unrelenting, dangerous, and fortunately, able to harnessed. In this S.T.E.M. course, students will learn about the many processes of the Earth’s energy machine, from weather to water. Earth’s natural resources will be investigated, and students will tackle questions and problems that challenge today’s engineers and scientists. Using their mathematical and analytical skills, students will research, design, and build their way to a better understanding of the power of our home planet. Curricular materials: Students will use various texts as support materials throughout the year. Spanish 6 Sixth grade is the first year of full-time language study, and students will have the opportunity to use Spanish for authentic communication almost every school day. Students will gain exposure to basic regular verb structures as well as some frequently occurring irregular verbs. They will also develop a working knowledge of expressions related to the calendar, basic adjectives, the family, occupations, telling time, the weather, clothing, parts of the body, and numbers from 0 to 1000. In addition, students will design, complete, and present at least one in-depth exploration of an aspect of Spanish-speaking culture. Curricular materials: Students will use various texts as support materials throughout the year. Physical Education Students in grades six, seven, and eight are required to participate in physical education class. The curriculum includes a variety of team and individual sports, recreational activities, and opportunities for elective activities, and it is presented with a focus on cooperative games and fitness. We want our students to be physically active while learning to be cooperative with their peers and to improve their fitness level. Students will gain knowledge on how to be lifelong learners when it comes to physical activity while learning appropriate communication and cooperation. Allendale Columbia School 5 SIXTH GRADE ELECTIVES Digital