Middle School Curriculum Guide Year "A" Year "A" ABIQUA MIDDLE SCHOOL CURRICULUM GUIDE Abiqua Academy Middle School offers a unique instructional model guided by HEART designed to highlight the unique capabilities of adolescent aged students. Beginning on day one of a child’s Abiqua middle school experience, students are inducted into a guide group. Students will stay in their same guide group, characterized by one of eight well known animals; Buffalo, Elk, Eagle, Salmon, Otter, Orca, Wolf, Hawk, throughout their time as a middle school student. Guide groups emphasize HEART, focus on team building and the creation HEART Skills of a cohesive, safe middle school environment for every child, beginning Honor with the overnight trip at the beginning of the year and guide group Empathy discussion and challenges. Guide groups are typically between 6-8 Accountability students and allow students a safe zone for personal discussions in which Respect every voice can be heard. Teamwork Abiqua’s grade 5 – 8 middle school program is split between two groups of students, with grades 5 – 6 working together as they travel from class to class, known as the MAC (Mature Adolescent Class) group. Grades 7 – 8 are assembled together and work with each other in each of their core classes of science, social studies, and language arts – the seventh and eighth grade students are affectionately referred to as the YAC (Young Adolescent Class) group. Each day is broken into nine class periods. All middle school students begin each day with their guide group, discussing a myriad of issues from social behavior to appropriate technology use. At this point, students head to their next class, math. Program design allows for math to occur at the same time for each middle school student, therefore allowing us to level math by ability, rather than by age or grade. Your child will be in the math class that is the most appropriate based on your child’s ability. After the math class hour, students will move between their core classes (science, language arts, and social studies) as well as specialist classes (P.E., Music, Spanish, and Art) for the remainder of the school day (8:15 – 3:30 pm). All Classes will use RenWeb as our online Letter Percentage Letter Percentage Grade of Mastery Grade of Mastery gradebook and primary homework communication tool. You and your child will A 100-92% C+ 78-79% receive login credentials to access Abiqua’s A- 90-92% C 73-77% RenWeb portal. You may use this tool to view B+ 89-88% C- 70-72% upcoming assignments, current graded tasks, as B 83-87% D 60-69% well as an overview of your child’s academic B- 80-82% F <59% progress. At back to school curriculum night, each middle school teacher will distribute class specific syllabi which will detail the types of assignments in each class and how they will be graded, among other specifics. Middle School Students have a couple of elective classes from which to choose for their courses each Fall. Students may choose between three music classes; band, guitar, or choir. The six instruments Abiqua will offer in the band program are the clarinet, saxophone, flute, trumpet, trombone, and snare drum. Students in 5th grade will have the opportunity to take a 5th grade only seminar class which will focus on organization, digital literacy, and study skills. Students in grades 6-8 may choose between a STEM elective or a Creative Art option. These classes are ungraded, enrichment for middle school students. STEM Class (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) STEM class will meet twice a week during the school year. It will prepare students for competing in MATHCOUNTS and the regional Intel Science Fair. MATHCOUNTS is a middle school math competition which takes place in January for students throughout the Willamette Valley. Students will prepare a science fair project for the regional Intel Science Fair competition, which occurs in March/April. This requires a parent & child commitment to participating in the science fair on a Saturday and funding the costs of this project. Toward the end of the year, students will participate in an engineering class. This class will be taught by Mr. Dittman and Mr. French and will span the duration of the school year, occurring twice a week. Creative Art Classes Creative Art Classes will consist of two courses, each for one semester. The student spends one semester with Ms. Thomas in a Dramatic Storytelling class. In this course, students will explore the power of dramatic performance through the art of storytelling. Students will study the history of storytelling, the elements of stories, components of characterization, and methods for dramatizing stories. As a culminating activity, students will prepare and present a dramatic piece for an audience. The alternate semester is with Mrs. Moyano in a Mixed Media course. This class investigates a variety of art-making genres and technical applications that challenge form and content. Multi-media applications may range from mixed media assemblage and digital processes to alternative modes such as Collaboration or Installation Art. Students as individuals will adopt these ideas and methods for their own work, continuing the development of formal and technical skills in relation to a personal evolution. Historical and contemporary precedents will be introduced. Possibilities for collaboration with other disciplines will be encouraged throughout the course. The middle school master schedule and the curriculum for each of your child’s classes follows. Year "A" Year "A" Middle School Thematic Curriculum Year "A" Grades 5/6 – Mature Adolescent Class (MAC) Page 8 Theme: Heroes Through Time Year "A" Middle School Thematic Curriculum Year "A" Grades 7/8 – Young Adolescent Class (YAC) Theme: Power of Change Year "A" Middle School Team David Dittman – Middle School Science ([email protected]) Dan Gordon - 7/8th Grade Social Studies ([email protected]) Kristen Free - Middle School Spanish ([email protected]) Janice James - 5/6 Language Arts ([email protected]) Josh Hannah - 5/6 Social Studies ([email protected]) Madison Hall - Choir ([email protected]) Tara Heikila - Middle School Math ([email protected]) Coach Fraser - Middle School Physical Education ([email protected]) Monica Moyano - Middle School Art ([email protected]) Andrew Norman – Middle School Music: Band & Guitar ([email protected]) Olivia Thomas - 7/8th Grade Language Arts ([email protected]) Communication You can reach teachers via e-mail or phone before or after school or during prep hours. We are also available by appointment if the need arises. We appreciate all communication regarding anything that may affect your child’s abilities to learn in class. Your child's teachers will communicate with you through email and phone as needed throughout the year. Please keep in mind that emails sent over the weekend may not be received until the next school day. Year "A" Fifth and Sixth Grade Social Studies – Mr. Josh Hannah MAC Social Studies Standards for “Heroes Through Time” Fifth and sixth grade social studies at Abiqua is an inclusive study of culture; people, places and environments; individual development and identity; groups and institutions; power, authority and governance; production, distribution and consumption; science, technology and society; global connections and civic ideals and practices. As students explore the past through a variety of inquiry- and play-based activities, they come to understand and appreciate their current place in the world. Students will examine primary sources and unravel historic conspiracies, develop and create skits and board games, and participate in interactive writing and art projects that require a close examination of the past and foster the development of a multicultural, multiethnic world view. Essential Questions • How do geopolitical boundaries influence the development of culture? • How does religion influence cultural systems? • How do humans act upon and react to physical environments? • What contributions have different cultures provided to the world at large? • What is our place in the world today, and what can we do to make our world a better place? • Which, if any, persons across history demonstrate HEART? Global Studies • Ancient Greece: history, political organization, and relevant persons of note including lawgivers, philosophers, and mythological figures. • Rome: history, the Pax Romana, transition from democracy to empire, the collapse of Classical thought, and relevant persons of note including generals, emperors, and mythological figures. • Medieval Europe: history, the Christianization of Europe, papal authority, how countries were built, and relevant persons of note including conquerors, monarchs, and popes. • Renaissance Europe: history, humanism and individualism, the birth of the middle class, the rediscovery of Classical thought, and relevant persons of note including explorers, monarchs, and scientists. • New World: history of the Inca, Maya, and Aztec peoples, the Spanish invasion and its repercussions, and relevant persons of note including monarchs, conquistadors, and human rights activists. • Enlightenment Europe/Age of Piracy: history, imperialism and colonization, revolution and the rebirth of Western democracy, and relevant persons of note including revolutionaries, monarchs, philosophers, and explorers. Skills Students will be able to: