THE MIDDLE SCHOOL PROGRAM

SCIENCE

Life Science The curriculum for Life Science is designed to provide a foundation for high school biology, with brief journeys into the fields of cell biology, chemistry, genetics, evolution, taxonomy, zoology, and human anatomy. Students will begin by learning about life on the cellular level and proceed through the finer points of animal life, including human systems. Furthermore, we will focus on the interactions between human beings and how some decisions they make impact their surrounding environment as well as their own lives.

CPS is College Preparatory Science. The CPS curriculum is designed to prepare students for high school physical sciences. The content areas include scientific method of problem solving, international system of units of measurement, introduction to Newtonian physics, energy forms and interactions, and the structure and interactions of matter. Cooperative-learning techniques play an important role in all lab activities as well as specifically designed activities. Basic skills introduced in the Science 7 course are reinforced throughout the year in CPS. Computer technology is integrated in order to enhance the course.

MATHEMATICS

Math 7 This course is designed to provide a solid computational foundation for future mathematics courses. The topics include operations with decimals, fractions, percents and integers; geometry; probability and statistics; and an introduction to algebra and graphing linear functions. There is a focus throughout on problem-solving skills.

• Students will apply mathematical concepts to real-world situations in four projects. They will create a budget, a scale drawing and two tessellation designs.

• Students develop organizational skills and good study habits by using an agenda and a binder and by completing daily homework.

• Given the computational nature of the course, calculators are not used. Students begin to understand that the “why” and “how’ of procedures are more important than just an answer.

Pre-Algebra Pre-Algebra is the 8 th grade mathematics course before students begin their three required secondary-level courses. It is designed to build a solid foundation for students to succeed in these upper-level courses. The topics include solving algebraic problems; simplifying expressions with variables and integers, decimals, and rational numbers; graphing linear equations; polynomials; trigonometry; and surface area. Problem-solving is a focus throughout the course.

Enriched Algebra Enriched Algebra begins a three- to four-year sequential study of college preparatory mathematics. Students will develop the ability to solve a variety of problems logically and critically. Some of the topics that will be addressed include but are not limited to: introduction to algebra; working with real numbers and polynomials including factoring; solving equations and word problems; applications of fractions; introduction to functions; systems of linear equations; inequalities; rational and irrational numbers; quadratic functions; and graphing. (1 High School credit)

SOCIAL STUDIES

Social Studies in the middle school is a chronologically organized course that covers the history of North America and the United States. Seventh grade covers the Ice Age to the Civil War, and eighth grade covers the Civil War to the present. The course focuses on the political, economic, diplomatic and social development of the United States with an emphasis on the experience of the common person. One of the main objectives of the course is to enable the students to attain an understanding of where the country has been as a nation in order to create a vision of where it is headed in the future. “You can’t be sure of where you are going if you don’t know where you have been.”

The other major objectives of the course are to improve and to build the critical thinking and writing skills of the students. Many of the homework assignments and test questions will require the students to utilize their critical-thinking skills, in combination with their writing skills, in order to form sound arguments that are backed up with facts and information. Many of the in-class activities and projects are designed to promote critical-thinking skills as well as to accommodate the different learning styles of the students.

ENGLISH

English at McQuaid Jesuit is skills-based: reading, writing, speaking and critical thinking. Literature is the basis for building these skills.

Introducing students to literary analysis, sharpening critical-thinking skills, and practicing speaking and writing skills are our primary goals. We explore writing techniques and introduce and practice virtually all types of writing. Our work will take three general forms: literature, vocabulary and, to a lesser extent, grammar. The McQuaid tradition of extensive novel reading and intensive study of literary genres is initiated at this level. Our literary studies focus particularly on the short story, poetry, the novel, mythology and medieval literature.

The McQuaid 7th and 8th grades are a preparation for the high school. While the pace and quantity of work will be appropriate for this level, the focus is to prepare the student for the expectations and rigors of the high school.

RELIGIOUS STUDIES

The 7 th- and 8 th-grade Religious Studies program is a two-year curriculum that attempts to provide a solid foundation in the understanding of scripture and of the Catholic faith, and to introduce the major themes of religious study encountered during the four years of the high school program.

A thorough examination of the history, traditions and teachings of the Catholic faith centers on God revealed in Jesus and encountered in the Sacraments. Our faith is also seen within the context of the world's great religious traditions.

Contemporary issues of moral decision-making, adolescent development, social justice, faith and culture, and the Modern Church form additional areas of study and activity.

FOREIGN LANGUAGE

Most seventh-graders are required to take Latin 7, a special course designed to prepare them for the first year of a language. The course employs Latin as a learning tool with the following objectives in mind: 1) to increase understanding of the mechanics of all language; 2) to learn Latin vocabulary and its relationship to English vocabulary; 3) to become familiar with methods of learning language (e.g., conjugating, declining, language study skills); 4) to learn about and to enjoy the history and culture of the people who used the language being studied.

Eighth-graders begin the actual first year of the three-year sequence, selecting French I, German I, Italian 1, Latin I or Spanish I. (1 High School Credit)

ART

Important Note : It is recommended but not required that these two full-year middle school art courses be sequenced. While Art Elements is targeted for 7 th grade, it is not a prerequisite of Art Principles.

Art Elements: Through projects that study color, shape, value, form, line, space, and texture, students will be actively engaged in the creative art making process. Students will maintain a sketchbook to practice skills taught in class. Class discussions on traditional and contemporary art create connections and expand horizons. Media such as pencil, colored pencils, markers, paint, and collage will be explored, preparing students for the high school art curriculum. A creative atmosphere will encourage students to stretch beyond the ordinary.

Art Principles: Through the integration of movement, rhythm, proportion, unity, harmony, variety, emphasis, and balance, students will be encouraged to think like designers and detect patterns through creating and responding to works of historical, cultural, and contemporary art. Studying the principles is particularly useful in learning why works are successful. Students’ sketchbooks will also be used as journals about their creative art making processes. Communication and collaboration builds curiosities and encourages students to form visual narratives. A variety of media such as pencil, colored pencil, pastels, paint, and printmaking, will be explored, preparing students for the high school art curriculum.

DRAMA

“A culture is not to be judged by its material accomplishments alone, but also by the aspirations and ideals that motivate conduct.” Dramatists use a variety of theatrical means to hold a mirror up to a society for the purpose of illuminating the human condition.

The theatre is an imaginative process that blends together a variety of elements that enable a culture to see itself as it is or as it might like to be. In addition, by studying these various elements, successive generations are able to learn about that culture--its language, history, customs and beliefs--what issues were important and how people reacted to those issues. These elements include the play, its actions and language, and the method of staging--acting style, set, costumes, lighting, sound, makeup.

In addition to becoming familiar with the drama of several periods including Greek, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and the twentieth century, students will have an opportunity to engage in workshop-style classes involving relaxation exercises, theatre games, improvisations and some scene work. Trips to local theatre productions are encouraged and will provide opportunities for extra credit. The year-long course culminates with a unit on puppetry, for which students will make their own puppets and write and perform their own original scripts.

MUSIC

General Music This music class is being offered to 7 th and 8 th grade students who will be introduced to basic musical knowledge and skills. Aspects of the class will include history of music, multicultural music and hands-on experiences in studying, listening, discussing, composing, and performing music. This course is also an introduction to the courses that are offered at the high school level. (1/2 credit)

Middle School Chorus The Middle School Chorus is open to all students in grades 7 and 8 who wish to sing in a group setting. This course will cover wide arrangements of musical styles and genres that will be challenging to the level of the students. Piano players are highly desired and encouraged to join this course. Group voice lessons will be given once per cycle on a rotating schedule as part of the course. Students will perform frequently throughout the year in school and community settings. (1/2 credit)

Concert Band The Concert Band is open to all student musicians in grades 7 and 8 playing woodwind, brass, or percussion instruments only. Students playing guitar or piano maybe interested in General Music or Middle School Chorus. This course will cover wide arrangements of musical styles and genres that will be challenging to the level of the students. Instrumental lessons taken either at McQuaid Jesuit or privately are required for this course. Students will perform frequently throughout the year in school and community settings. (1/2 credit)

Chamber Orchestra This course meets every other day for a full year and is open to musicians in grades 7 through 12 playing string instruments only. Students playing guitar or piano may be interested in taking another music course. This course will cover a wide arrangement of musical styles and genres that will be challenging to the level of the students. Instrumental lessons taken either at McQuaid Jesuit or privately are required for this course. Students will perform frequently throughout the year in school and community settings. (1/2 credit)

COMPUTER LITERACY

This course includes provides a general introduction to using the school network and its resources as well as knowledge of selected computer programs. In the first part of the course, students will improve their skills in keyboarding and productivity software used to word process as well as create spreadsheets and presentations. Later, programming concepts will be studied, which will require that students examine how they organize their thoughts to solve problems. Students will also create web sites during a unit on the Internet so that they can develop basic level competencies in communicating using this technology. This course features a “hands-on” approach to learning with minimal unit testing and little home study requirements. For most students it is an enjoyable and useful component of the middle school program.

HEALTH EDUCATION