Middle School Courses of Academic Study

 

Middle School, Grades 7 and 8

Middle School Philosophy

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:

Find a valued place in a constructive group

Feel a sense of worth as a person

Know how to use the support systems available to them

Express constructive curiosity and exploratory behavior

Believe in a promising future with real opportunities

Find ways of being useful to others

Master social skills, including the ability to manage conflict peacefully

Cultivate the inquiring and problem-solving habits of mind for lifelong learning

Acquire the technical and analytic capabilities to participate in a world-class economy

Become ethical persons

Learn the requirements of responsible citizenship

Respect diversity in our pluralistic society

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. .

Middle School Course of Study

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.

Mathematics

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:

McDougall Littell Mathematics Course 2-The topics covered include algebra, integers and equation solving; algebra and rational numbers; similarity, geometry and measurement; and advanced algebra topics.

McDougall Littell Mathematics Course 3/PreAlgebra-The topics covered include integers, equations and inequalities; rational numbers and proportions; functions, geometry and measurement; and data analysis, polynomials and transformations.

McDougall Littell Algebra I-This course begins with a review of simple equations and properties of real numbers. Once this is completed, the following topics are covered: solving, graphing and writing linear equations and inequalities; systems of equations and inequalities; exponents and exponential functions; quadratic and rational equations and functions; polynomials and factoring; and radicals and connections to geometry.

Language Arts

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.

Social Studies

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.

Science

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.

The Arts

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.

Foreign Language: Spanish

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.

Physical Education

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.

Middle School Community Involvement

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.

Community Service

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.

Community Internships

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.