7th and 8th Grade

List of 4 items.

• Language Arts

  The language arts program works in concert with social studies to allow students to reflect deeply on what it means to be human. Frequent seminar style discussions allow us to enrich this understanding through shared insight, and the overall goal is to help students shift their thinking from literal to analytical comprehension. The writing curriculum addresses both creative and expository expression. Speaking and listening skills are developed through a variety of public speaking opportunities, from book talks to immersive simulations and debates.

• Social Studies

  The 7th and 8th grade Social Studies curriculum is a two-year cycle that focuses on Asia and the United States. Throughout the two years, students are able to draw conclusions about the interlinking nature of culture, economy, society, geographical location, and government structures. Students develop their historical thinking skills like chronological reasoning, source analysis, and historical synthesis and argumentation. They apply these skills through project-based learning and authentic assessments like debates, Socratic Seminars, and research papers. Ultimately, students begin constructing a personal, intellectual framework on which to base an understanding of the major forces of human interaction.

• Science

  Students become literate in the "Big Ideas" of earth, environmental, physical and life sciences. Application of the scientific method is used to discover scientific concepts firsthand and solve real-world problems. Units are designed to integrate with the humanities and math programs. For example, when American History is the social studies focus, science classes highlight the spirit of American ingenuity and innovation by building complex Rube Goldberg machines and studying the physics concepts involved.

• Math

  Students build a strong mathematical foundation in the middle school, which includes the ability to successfully link computation skills, critical thinking and logic. Teachers provide differentiated math instruction, challenging students in pre-algebra, algebra, and statistics. Students are encouraged to seek out their peers in collaborative efforts to tackle challenging problems. We integrate math with other subjects when skills such as measuring, graphing, problem solving, or statistical analysis are useful, like measuring angles and distances when constructing catapults in science. Class time can also include hands-on mathematical games and puzzles that have been designed to revisit skills.