As your student moves into middle school, he or she will start to be more responsible for work outside of the classroom. He/she will begin to hone the skill of forming their own opinions and defending them. By asking questions, discussing instead of just reporting, and sharing what they have learned, jr. high students will learn how to come up with their own thoughts and theories by doing their own research, and bring them to the round table of the classroom to share and discuss. This paves the way for the mind to move fully from the grammar stage into the logic stage. We will accept 24 students into the middle school keeping a 12:1 ratio. Your student will progress onto the High School Lab Classes when they are ready to progress to the rhetoric stage and can successfully complete school work at a level to earn high school credits. For a student to move past the middle school, both parents and school administrators will discuss and take into account recommendations made by teachers and moving forward will be agreed upon by all.
We have two levels that are covered in middle school our lower level will cover:
Social Studies:The Modern World (1900 to 2000)
Where was the Crystal Palace? Who was the Sick Man of Europe? And how did cow fat start a revolution? Year four, the final year in our first cycle, covers the major historical events of the years 1850 to the late 1990s, from the reign of England’s Queen Victoria to the collapse of the Berlin Wall.
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Topics Include:
Britains Empire West Against East British Invasions Resurrections and Rebellion The American Civil War Two Tries for Freedom Two Empires, Three Republics, and One Empire Becoming Modern Two More Empires, Two Rebellions A Canal to the East and a Very Dry Desert The Far Parts of the World Unhappy Unions The Old Fashioned Emperor and the Red Sultan Two Czars and Two Emperors Small Countries with Large Invaders The Expanding United States China's Troubles Europe and the Countries Just East China, Vietnam - and France Revolution In the Americas A Revolution Begins, and the Great War Ends |
National Uprisings
'Peace' and a Man of War The King and Il Duce Armies In China The Great Crash, and What Came of It Civil War and Invasion The Second World War The End of World War II Partitioned Countries Western Bullies and American Money Africa and China After World War II Communism in Asia Dictators in South America and Africa The Cold War Struggles and Assassinations Two Short Wars and One Long One Two Ways of Fighting The 1980s in the East and the Mideast The 1980s in the USSR Communism Crumbles--but Survives The End of the Twentieth Century |
Language Arts and Grammar |
Some Books That May be Covered in Literature This Year*: |
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This year your student can confidently navigate through writing and grammar using a systematic approach that will build upon itself. Utilizing basic grammar review and various integrated writing assignments that are built into our literature curriculum, we believe your student will not only retain a thorough knowledge taught in our upper elementary, but will also develop excellent writing skills.
Some Topics Included:
The Paragraph Developing an Outline Brainstorming The Parts of a Complete Essay Self-Evaluation of Essays The Persuasive (Argument or Opinion) Essay The Expository (Informative) Essay The Personal Narrative The Descriptive Essay The Research Paper The Imaginative Story Writing in Response to Literature Writing in Response to Informational Text The Chapter Summary The Short Story Summary Writing a Traditional Poem Writing a Free-Verse Poem Diagraming Greeting and Closing of a Letter |
*Book lists are subject to change
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Frank Baum Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne A Separate Peace by John Knowles The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee A Short Story Unit and Poetry Study Hope Was Here by Joan Bauer Because of Win Dixie by Kate DiCamillo |
General Science
General Science:
General Science is specifically designed to walk with your middle school student transitioning them from elementary courses as her or she rises up to meet their greater abilities and developing maturity. This course is taken after sixth grade and offers a broad range of scientific principles stretching from its ancient beginnings to modern day scientists. Students will learn what science is and, in a detailed and engaging way, how to utilize the proper scientific method. This course has many hands-on science experiments showing how to build upon a solid foundation by thinking more methodically, recording scientific data, and looking beyond what is already known. Earth sciences, chemistry, physics, life sciences, and environmental sciences are among the topics covered.
General Science is specifically designed to walk with your middle school student transitioning them from elementary courses as her or she rises up to meet their greater abilities and developing maturity. This course is taken after sixth grade and offers a broad range of scientific principles stretching from its ancient beginnings to modern day scientists. Students will learn what science is and, in a detailed and engaging way, how to utilize the proper scientific method. This course has many hands-on science experiments showing how to build upon a solid foundation by thinking more methodically, recording scientific data, and looking beyond what is already known. Earth sciences, chemistry, physics, life sciences, and environmental sciences are among the topics covered.
Topics That Are Covered:
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The History of Science
Scientific Inquiry Documenting and Interpreting Experimental Results Scientific Analysis and History Earth Science--Astronomy Earth Science—Geology and Paleontology Earth Science—Meteorology and Oceanography |
General Chemistry
General Physics Life Science General Biology Marine Science Environmental Science Science and Creation |
Our Upper Level Will Cover Such Topics As:
Physical Science:
With Physical Science, we continue to build on teaching your student independence and responsibility for school work assigned. Your student will learn how to take thorough notes, answer questions with logical answers, and gain a solid foundation to build upon in high school.Throughout their academic school year, your students will conduct controlled experiments where they observe a problem, ask a question, formulate a testable hypothesis, and then conduct the experiment and analyze the data to see if their results support their hypothesis. This involves quantitative data that require measurements and the lab portion of this course guides students through the process.
Topics that are covered:
With Physical Science, we continue to build on teaching your student independence and responsibility for school work assigned. Your student will learn how to take thorough notes, answer questions with logical answers, and gain a solid foundation to build upon in high school.Throughout their academic school year, your students will conduct controlled experiments where they observe a problem, ask a question, formulate a testable hypothesis, and then conduct the experiment and analyze the data to see if their results support their hypothesis. This involves quantitative data that require measurements and the lab portion of this course guides students through the process.
Topics that are covered:
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Science – The Basics
Chemistry – Properties and States of Matter Chemistry – Atomic Structure and the Periodic Table Chemistry – Chemical Bonds Chemistry – Reactions and Energy Physics – Motion Physics – Forces |
Physics – Energy
Physics – Waves and Sound Physics – Light Physics – Electricity and Magnetism Earth Science – Our Earth Earth Science – Our Atmosphere and Beyond Chemistry and Physics in the Life Sciences Physical Science Research |
Revisiting the Ancients:
Discover the mysterious and fascinating Ancient world! This was a time when humankind was making leaps and bounds as the written word was established, the wheel invented, and ziggurats and pyramids arose amid societies typically thought of as rudimentary. Each section is built around engaging and historically accurate literature. From the beginnings of civilization in Mesopotamia and Sumer, on to ancient Egypt, through the wanderings of the Jews and the splitting of the Israelites into the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah, to the cradle of democracy, ancient Greece, and into the rising Roman Empire and the birth of Christianity. Hands-on activities add depth to the history while vocabulary lists, comprehension questions, research topics, make this both an academically strong study and one that will engage your student in stimulating discussions.
Topics Covered Include:
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Rise of Civilization
Mesopoptamia Sumer Babylon Israel Judea Egypt Ethiopia |
Greece
Rome Judaism Christianity Islam Geography: Middle East North Africa Europe |
Literature To Include (but not limited to)
Encyclopedia of the Ancient World
The Golden Bull: A Mesopotamian Adventure
Pharoahs of Ancient Egypt
The Golden Goblet
Adara
God King: A Story in the Days of King Hezekiah
The Children's Homer
D'Aulaire's Books of Greek Myths
Theras and his Town
Augustus Caesar's World
The Bronze Bow
City: A Story of Roman Planning and Contruction
The White Isle
The Golden Bull: A Mesopotamian Adventure
Pharoahs of Ancient Egypt
The Golden Goblet
Adara
God King: A Story in the Days of King Hezekiah
The Children's Homer
D'Aulaire's Books of Greek Myths
Theras and his Town
Augustus Caesar's World
The Bronze Bow
City: A Story of Roman Planning and Contruction
The White Isle
A word about Saxon's Math Scope and Sequence:
All students are placed in the math that is best for their own development. No child will be left behind or forced to move beyond their capabilities.
Saxon 8/7 and Alg 1/2 are both considered Pre-Algebra. Algebra 1/2 was written by John Saxon for students who hadn’t previously taken pre-algebra or who had scored poorly. It moves at a faster pace than 8/7, but the material is the same. Saxon 8/7 was written by Stephen Hake. Since our school follows Joh Saxon's teaching, we teach Algebra 1/2 and not Saxon 8/7.
***Saxon also offers Geometry. This is new and not part of the original sequence written by John Saxon. This is because geometry is covered adequately by Jon Saxon in the Algebra 1 and 2 books that we use. We teach all students as if they are college bound in the area of math or science. Therefore, we teach Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Advanced Math, and Calculus and your geometry is then covered by the content found in these texts.
All students are placed in the math that is best for their own development. No child will be left behind or forced to move beyond their capabilities.
Saxon 8/7 and Alg 1/2 are both considered Pre-Algebra. Algebra 1/2 was written by John Saxon for students who hadn’t previously taken pre-algebra or who had scored poorly. It moves at a faster pace than 8/7, but the material is the same. Saxon 8/7 was written by Stephen Hake. Since our school follows Joh Saxon's teaching, we teach Algebra 1/2 and not Saxon 8/7.
***Saxon also offers Geometry. This is new and not part of the original sequence written by John Saxon. This is because geometry is covered adequately by Jon Saxon in the Algebra 1 and 2 books that we use. We teach all students as if they are college bound in the area of math or science. Therefore, we teach Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Advanced Math, and Calculus and your geometry is then covered by the content found in these texts.
