Middle School Course Offerings

This course meets and in many instances exceeds the standards set forth by national and state standards for the sixth-grade year. The sixth grade standards are arranged into units that will extend their knowledge and understanding of elementary topics into applicable skills as they transition into upper grades. The Standards for Mathematical Practice are a key component as they are applied in each course to equip students in making sense of problems and building a set of tools they can use in real-world situations. The elementary grades focused on concepts, skills, and problem solving related to addition and subtraction, multiplication and division of whole numbers, and fractions. In grade 6, the focus is on ratios and proportional relationships, and early algebraic expressions and equations.

Sixth Grade Reading is an interactive process that involves thinking, questioning, discussing, rereading, and responding to texts. In Making Meaning lessons, carefully selected nonfiction and fiction read-aloud texts provide a platform for rich discussions as students encounter increasingly complex texts and build vocabulary. Lessons intentionally integrate academics with social skill development, creating an environment where students learn to collaborate, agree, and disagree respectfully and take responsibility for their own learning.

Our 6th-grade writing curriculum follows Collaborative Classroom, a mentor text-based program that teaches the four main types of essays: personal narrative, fiction, informational, and argumentative.  The teacher acts as a facilitator of the Writing Community rather than a lecturer. Students meet together as a collaborative community, using peer editing and revising to enhance their own work, as well as the work of others.

In this course, students will learn about God’s incredible, life-changing love and understand how they can find rest in Him during their time in the “middle of the Middle.”  Students will be given topical lessons related to re-centering themselves on Christ.  These lessons will help them apply God’s Word to their lives, as well as learn about historical evidence that marries facts to faith. The main question students will look to answer is, "What does it look like to find rest in Christ, as well as take actions to practically grow in your faith?" Students will read the Bible every day, engage in small groups, respond to journal prompts, choose their own memory verses, and grow together in their faith as they examine how God’s Word can anchor a busy life.

Ancient world history provides students with a global perspective that evaluates connections and change over time. The course examines the cultural, political, and socio-economic connections among the peoples of the ancient world. Moreover, the course emphasizes critical thinking and analytical skill development as well as Biblical integration so that students will also understand a larger Christian worldview. The course begins with an emphasis upon skill development with a thematic, historical case study approach during the first nine weeks. During the second half of the course, the focus turns more intently upon examining historical information as students continue to develop and improve their critical thinking skills.

This year, we’ll be diving into the study of earth science. Science consists of a way of thinking and investigating, as well as a growing body of knowledge about the natural world. This course provides an engaging discovery experience as students explore the universe, bodies of water, weather, and geology. Students will be encouraged to consider all of this content in terms of the value beyond the classroom.

Algebra I is the first course in a sequence of three required courses designed to ensure career and college readiness. The fundamental purpose of Algebra I is to formalize and extend the mathematics that students learned in the earlier grades. Students will deepen and extend their understanding of functions and the relationships between quantities by comparing and contrasting linear and quadratic phenomena. The Mathematical Practice Standards apply throughout each unit and, together with the content standards, prescribe that students experience mathematics as a coherent, useful, and logical subject that makes use of their ability to make sense of problem situations.

This course combines reading and writing disciplines by emphasizing the importance of creating a community where students can learn and share. By reading units that include nonfiction and fiction texts, students learn comprehension and self-monitoring strategies that proficient readers use to make sense of texts. In the writing parts of each unit, the learning community is a space where students learn skills associated with the writing genre, revision, and grammar and where students have the opportunity to share their work. Students publish argumentative, narrative, and informative pieces throughout the year.

U.S. History is a required year-long survey course that focuses on major events in American History. Students will continue their study of United States history from the years past and grow as informed citizens.  Students will be able to locate, analyze, and synthesize information related to social studies topics.  They will apply information to solve problems and make decisions.  We will use primary and secondary sources to view multiple perspectives in order to fully understand the motivation of people and events that have shaped our nation.  Students will participate in a variety of research projects and will practice the writing skills necessary to write well-developed answers for constructed response-type questions.  Students will also learn how to use maps to retrieve information and use a variety of sources to answer questions. Thematically, students will analyze the growth of and challenges to freedom within the United States, the changing role of the United States in the world, and the evolution of American economic power.

This course meets and in many instances exceeds the standards set forth by national and state standards for the sixth-grade year. The sixth grade standards are arranged into units that will extend their knowledge and understanding of elementary topics into applicable skills as they transition into upper grades. The Standards for Mathematical Practice are a key component as they are applied in each course to equip students in making sense of problems and building a set of tools they can use in real-world situations. The elementary grades focused on concepts, skills, and problem solving related to addition and subtraction, multiplication and division of whole numbers, and fractions. In grade 6, the focus is on ratios and proportional relationships, and early algebraic expressions and equations.

This course begins with an introduction to the concept of “worldview” and a study of the Christian understanding of God.  Building on this foundation, the remainder of the course is structured as a survey of leadership traits that make up the kind of leader God calls us to be.  Students will study two traits at a time, using John Maxwell’s 21 Qualities of Leaders in the Bible to examine Biblical figures who displayed such traits, to discuss how those traits can be lived out in an ever-changing world, and to be challenged on how they can further develop their own leadership in those areas.  Students will learn about historical Christian leaders and watch films related to the leader or traits being studied.  Units will conclude with a project that analyzes the implementation of those traits in a real-life setting.  Throughout the course, students will build a portfolio of profile pages highlighting known or historical leaders.  The completed portfolio will serve as a culminating piece of what a well-rounded, godly leader looks like.