Academics

Humanities

A Nation of Many Peoples: United States History and Geography

Fifth graders investigate our increasingly diverse world by exploring these essential questions:

• What happens when people who are different respect one another?
• What obstacles get in the way of mutual respect?
• What role do knowledge and empathy play in establishing mutual respect?

In their study of immigration, students connect world geography with significant migrations to the United States, and to fairy tales—the stories people bring with them when leaving their native lands. Students explore reasons different peoples have immigrated to America, the contribution of immigrants to American cultural life, and the challenges they have faced.

Students then follow the emergence and growth of a new nation. As they study the shift from colonies to country, they use a variety of texts, documents, and electronic media to consider the experiences and contributions of various racial, religious, and ethnic groups. Projects include interviews, informational posters, timelines, independent research, role-playing, and historical first-person journals and letters.

Reading

Class texts speak to major themes, augmenting our humanities studies. For example, students read and reflect on stories of cross-cultural experiences in order to further develop awareness of what it means to be a responsible global citizen. In addition, students are introduced to a wide range of literature in the classroom and school library. Activities include independent reading, partnered reading, and directed whole-class readings. Students participate in class discussions, reflection, and sharing, focusing on genre, main idea, vocabulary, setting, plot, characterization, point of view, theme, and literary devices.

Writing

Students write in several genres, including personal narrative, poetry, essay, and fiction, with an emphasis on fluency and clarity in form and expression. They are given writing assignments within and outside the context of studies in American history, including writing from research and in response to literature, and are challenged to develop a variety of writing skills.

Math

Fifth graders build on the solid foundation provided in the elementary grades and gain proficiency in essential arithmetic skills. Students develop their skill set, mastery, and comprehension of concepts, including:

• Factoring, exponents, fractions, decimals, percents, and exponents
• Measurement of angles
• Probability and measurement of central tendency
• Multiplication of fractions and mixed numbers
• Calculating percents, area and volume
• Multi-digit multiplication
• Addition and subtraction of fractions and decimals
• Division of whole numbers

Other topics covered during the year include logic, statistics, geometry, mental math and estimation, and consumer applications (discounts and tips). Fifth graders also learn about microfinance as we make two micro loans through the Kiva organization to entrepreneurs in developing nations. An emphasis is placed on reducing anxiety about math through fun, cooperative learning, building student confidence through continual practice of essential skills, and challenging students with rigorous content that meets all students’ instructional needs.

Science

Fifth graders learn Earth Science through a combination of hands-on activities and rigorous academic content. There is an introductory unit on metric measurement followed by our first Earth Science unit on the Earth’s interior. This course uses constructivist pedagogy which allows students to discover for themselves the theory of plate tectonics by investigating geologic activity and features. After learning about the lithosphere and its dynamic processes, we learn how the surface of Earth is continually changing through plate movements, erosion, and sediment transfer. We explore the concept of a watershed using an interactive environmental justice activity, recognizing the interconnectedness of Earth’s systems and its inhabitants. Fifth graders study the composition of the atmosphere, its properties, climate change, and human impacts on the atmosphere. We conclude the Earth Science curriculum with a unit on biomes and ecosystems, in which students learn about food webs, ecological niches, and adaptation. Each unit includes a place-based learning component, where we will apply what we learned to a local area.

Throughout the course, students continue to develop essential skills such as measurement, data collection, graphing, and analysis. The school year ends with a health unit designed to provide students with accurate information about their changing bodies, sex, and puberty, while opening an informed and respectful discussion surrounding the many questions that accompany adolescence. In addition to this science content and skill building, students learn 100 Greek and Latin roots and affixes throughout the year to help build their reading comprehension of scientific and expository texts.

Humanities

The sixth grade humanities program is a project-based exploration of sustainability in both historical and modern contexts. Our essential question is: What sustains a community? We start the year by examining this question in depth as a part of our orientation anti-bias unit. After defining sustainability, students explore sustainability in ancient cultures and sustainability in our food system.

Major projects include the sustainable world notebook, the Museum of Ancient Cultures, and the farm festival. Through the lens of sustainability, students acquire research, study, and critical thinking skills, including media literacy. Students also learn how to create and write thesis-driven paragraphs and essays supported by evidence from their research, and to present their work to the community.

Reading

The literature and reading buddies program is designed to help students live a literate life. In addition to teaching reading and literature appreciation and analysis, it enhances the homeroom program because it is linked wherever possible to the themes being studied. Class texts, discussions, and literature responses serve as the training ground for independent reading and analysis in the reading buddies program. The literature programs incorporate the same writing elements as writer’s workshop.

Writing

Our writing program emphasizes personal expression, while teaching the skills necessary for academic writing. Students participate in a daily writers’ workshop, in which they learn to collect material, focus their ideas, write a draft, use revision and editing strategies, and ready their pieces for publication. Types of writing include personal narrative, personal essay, short fiction, and poetry. In addition to the integration of writing skills and mechanics in writer’s workshop, the students also practice grammar daily.

Math

In sixth grade, students are expected to become proactive in their own mathematical learning through exploration, cooperative activities, direct instruction, and concept reinforcement through games as they transition toward pre-algebra in the seventh grade. The curriculum includes the full mathematics spectrum, extending beyond basic arithmetic, with attention to mathematical reasoning and effective communication of thinking. Conceptual understanding is emphasized and basic skills are reinforced in order for each student to attain confident proficiency. Key mathematical themes include: algorithmic and procedural thinking, number sense and estimation skills, mental arithmetic, and problem solving. Topics of study include:

• Data collection, graphical display, and interpretation
• Arithmetic operations with whole numbers and decimals
• Variables, including expressions, introductory equations, and formulas
• Rational number uses and operations
• Geometry topics including: congruence, constructions and parallel lines, tessellations, symmetry, and topology
• Number systems and introductory algebra concepts
• Probability and discrete mathematics
• Rates and ratios

Science

Sixth grade science is a hands-on, integrated exploration of topics in sustainability, earth systems science, physics, nutrition, and human development. The course begins by considering humans’ basic needs for physical survival, followed by studying sustainability. Students assess their own water use in comparison with consumption in a water-scarce country. Our studies of sustainable energy focus on the concept of understanding our own carbon footprint. Projects include modeling solar houses and making solar ovens.

In the context of food as a basic need, students study the development of agriculture and differences among modern systems of farming. They also consider the consequences and constituents of a healthy diet. This prepares students for a weeklong trip to Live Power Farm taken with their homeroom. Our investigations of physics cover work and simple machines, and Newton’s Laws of Motion. At the close of the school year, students study human growth and development in the context of adolescents’ changing bodies.

Sixth grade students deepen their understanding of the scientific method in a cooperative learning environment. They apply quantitative and analytical skills to topics in physical, earth, and biological sciences. The course takes a constructivist approach to science and strives to develop scientific inquiry skills including observing; collecting, interpreting, and analyzing data; hypothesizing; classifying; and controlling variables.

Humanities

In seventh grade, we work from two essential questions: “How do cultures come into contact and what are the results?” and “Why and how do people act as changemakers?” Students examine the histories and beliefs of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and then trace the interactions between the practitioners of these religions during the Middle Ages. They follow the growth and spread of Islam into the Golden Age and investigate Christianity’s influence on the development of medieval European culture. As Christians and Muslims clash in the Crusades, students are able to see the positive and negative effects of cultures in contact. Students follow Arab traders across the Sahara to the West African Empire of Mali, studying the impact of Islam on that culture. Finally, the course returns to Europe to study the influence of that contact during Crusades in the High Middle Ages. We also examine individuals or groups of people who act as change makers in the context of their societies.

Reading

Class literature is selected both for its relevance to the historical framework of the humanities course and for its literary value and appeal to seventh graders. Guided reading and extensive class discussion encourage understanding, critical analysis, and the appreciation of story and language. Students also select books for independent reading projects, during which they write reflections and create a digital story in conjunction with the technology department.

Writing

The humanities curriculum emphasizes the development of academic writing skills, using textual evidence to defend a thesis. Students learn to develop a thesis idea, identify supporting evidence, and incorporate that evidence effectively into their writing. Seventh grade writing instruction also includes review and practice of proper citation of sources and the use of conventional writing mechanics and proper grammar. In addition to academic writing, students also have a variety of directed creative writing assignments, including stories, historical fiction, poetry, and personal vignettes. We also do a mini-unit on persuasive speech, for which students choose a topic of interest to research and write a short speech about it.

Math

Seventh grade math is a pre-algebra course that promotes cognitive development from concrete to abstract thinking. The process of the study is as important as the content. Students engage in group work that requires individual accountability and cooperative learning. Students learn which tools will serve them best, whether mental math, pencil, calculator, and/or spreadsheet. There is an emphasis on mastering the arithmetic of fractions and integers and on showing work. Curriculum themes and general topics include:

• Linear Algebra: table-graph-equation, single-variable, use of formula, coordinate graphing
• Geometry: Pythagorean theorem, circles and pi, 2D and 3D studies, coordinate graphing
• Number Theory: number patterns, base mathematics, irrational numbers, probability

All topics offer opportunity for study beyond mastery of the basics.

Science

In seventh grade science, we study physical science, emphasizing the kinetic particulate model of matter. The year is divided between studies of matter and energy, which become the foundation for understanding eighth grade life science. Throughout the K-8 science program, the underlying goal is “learning to think like a scientist.” Students investigate a wide range of natural phenomena and construct knowledge through direct experience in a laboratory setting.

Experimental and measurement skills introduced and developed in previous years continue to be refined with greater emphasis on accuracy, precision, and clarity of presentation. The scientific method thus continues to be taught through direct practice of fine tuning testable questions, careful experimentation, systematic observation, and careful measurement. In addition, students develop increasingly sophisticated test preparation and test-taking skills.

Humanities

Eighth graders begin with an examination of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights as the foundations of our nation. Primary areas of study include the major migrations at the start of the 20th century, World War II, the Cold War, the Civil Rights Movement, the Vietnam War, and other social justice movements. The aim of the course is to familiarize students with significant events from American history while investigating the concepts of integrity, courage, and right action. Students develop their research skills and practice using primary sources and technology in preparation for high school history classes.

Reading

Literature is selected both for its relevance to the theme of taking a stand and for its literary value and appeal to eighth grade students. Works are selected from a variety of genres, including short stories, traditional-styled novels, graphic novels, and poetry.

Writing

The writing program for eighth graders continues the development of academic writing skills. Students practice writing five paragraph essays in defense of a thesis on various literary and historical topics. Writing instruction and practice includes pre-writing (note taking, outlining, and mapping), drafting, revising, and editing. Elements of conventional grammar and vocabulary are also taught.

The eighth grade final project is the culminating activity of the humanities course. Students combine research of an event from recent American history with the oral history of a first-hand witness of that event into a formal written paper. The project requires students to use the research and writing skills they have developed over time. The project ends with students presenting their findings at Final Project Night with formal speeches and visuals.

Math

Algebra I is a stimulating and challenging course that uses traditional lecture, investigation, cooperative learning, graphing calculator technology, and discovery to develop abstract reasoning and problem-solving skills. This course provides students with the tools necessary to make the important algebraic connection between patterns, graphs, and equations, and enables students to justify their ideas while making sense of complex situations.

Students learn to work with algebraic expressions, how to solve equations, and how to construct algebraic equations that describe a relationship. Throughout the course, essential math skills are taught and reinforced, including: showing work in a thorough, systematic way; checking that solutions make sense; taking useful notes; studying for tests; and navigating through a textbook. The structure of the course prepares students for a variety of math programs and future challenges.

Science

Eighth grade science is a life science course. While continuing the underlying principle of “learning to think like a scientist,” greater emphasis is placed on mastering a particular body of knowledge. Biochemistry and the behavior of molecules is used as the unifying theme to tie together units including human reproduction, microscopy, biochemistry, cells, heredity, molecular genetics, and evolution. Biochemistry is chosen to prepare students for the most rigorous aspects of high school science.

Methods of study focus on taking notes from lectures and a variety of text sources, building models, experimenting, and presenting material. The topics are explored in unusual depth. For example, in the unit on human reproduction, students carry out primary research into the cost of raising a child and use computer technology to present the information as a spreadsheet. Test preparation and test-taking skills continue to be explicitly developed even more comprehensively than in previous years.