Middle School Courses of Academic Study

Maria Montessori described the middle school years as a period of vulnerability characterized by physical and emotional unrest. She also viewed it as a period of opportunity and growth during which students seek to discover both self and society in order to take their places in the adult world as contributing members.

Montessori called her program for adolescents Erdkinder, which translates as “land children,” emphasizing the interdependence of the natural world and human life. In addition to academics and the arts, a major component of Erdkinder would entail students working on a farm and running a store or hotel as a means for them to have a place in the social and economic life of a community.

Following ten years of research review, the Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development‘s findings reveal that Maria Montessori’s vision for adolescents is relevant for the twenty-first century. According to the Council, middle school students must:

In keeping with the best practices for programs serving adolescents, the MSC middle school includes a strong academic and arts component in conjunction with opportunities to interact with the natural environment and community in which they live. Small class size allows students to build positive relationships with peers and teachers, practice leadership skills, and develop effective problem solving skills in a supportive setting. .

MSC middle school students study mathematics, science, language arts, and social studies in accordance with Georgia Performance Standards. In addition, students go on a variety of curriculum-based and outdoor-education-oriented field trips, maintain a plot in the Clark’s Grove community garden, create and run multiple class businesses, facilitate community service projects, and participate in community internships.

Teachers at the middle school level are specialists in their academic fields. They work with students in groups as well as on an individual basis. A low teacher-student ratio allows teachers to know students as unique individuals and meet individual needs.

Students are placed in a math textbook based on their previous math experience along with the mastery of certain concepts as demonstrated by beginning, mid-year, and end-of-year assessments. The following textbooks are used:

A central component of the language arts program is writing workshop. Through writing workshop, students experience the writing process of studying literary models, brainstorming and collecting ideas, researching information, drafting, conferencing, revising, editing, and publishing. Students work in a variety of genres, including personal narrative, essay, research paper, photo essay, short story, and poetry.

Literature is another key component of the language arts program. In addition to examining literature as a model for their own writing, students read for enjoyment as well as to understand, discuss, and write about the universal themes found in literature. Much of the literature in the middle school program supports the social studies curriculum

Writing workshop and literature are supplemented with additional work in the areas of vocabulary, editing, and grammar.

With a strong background in world geography and cultures from their years in the early childhood and elementary programs, middle school students are well prepared for yearlong studies of the United States and Georgia.

The two-year social studies rotation includes close examination of American history and government as well as the study of Georgia history, government, and geography. Students learn through textbooks, primary source analysis, lectures, independent research, literature, and field trips.

Textbooks include A History of US 1-4, The Georgia Studies Book, and We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution. Field trips which supplement the social studies curriculum include overnight trips to Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown Battlefield, the Okefenokee Swamp, Cloudland Canyon, Moody Forest, and Savannah. Day trips include outings to the Etowah Indian Mounds, Atlanta History Center, Newton County Historic Courthouse, and Porterdale.

Like social studies, the science curriculum operates on a two-year rotation. Students spend a year studying life science and another studying chemistry and physical science in keeping with the Georgia Performance Standards for seventh and eighth grade.

The science curriculum introduces students to both the characteristics of science as well as specific content. Students learn that science is a way of thinking about and investigating the world around us as well as a growing body of knowledge. Hands-on, student-centered, and inquiry-based approaches are the emphasis of instruction. Also central is the relationship between science, our environment, and the everyday world.

Textbook resources include the Glencoe Science series for life science, chemistry and physical science.

Middle school students have weekly classes in art and music. In both classes, students have the opportunity to explore a variety of genres and materials. An annual art and music show highlights student work.

The middle school foreign language program is a continuation of the foreign language study students begin in the lower elementary classroom with expanded work in the areas of conversation, vocabulary, grammar, and cultural studies.

MSC has contracted with the Covington YMCA to provide a weekly physical education class for middle school students. The program emphasizes preparing students for a lifetime of physical fitness.

Opportunities to serve and work in the local community are essential in the development of confident adolescents who feel capable of making positive contributions to society.

Middle school students are required to facilitate a community service project each year. Students may choose to create a unique school or class project or include classmates in a local nonprofit’s service event. Past projects have included food and coat drives, designing and manning a table at Newton County’s annual literacy festival, participating in Rivers Alive, assisting at the Newton County Special Olympics, and organizing a Red Cross blood drive.

Involving adolescents in the work of the adult world is a strong component of Montessori middle school programs. One of the ways that MSC addresses this need is to have students participate in a 20-hour community internship during their eighth-grade year. With parent and teacher support, students are responsible for arranging the details of their internship in an area that interests them. Students maintain a journal reflecting on their experiences.