Middle School builds upon the students’ solid
foundation of knowledge of the fundamentals as the balanced and
sequential curriculum in the academics, arts, and athletics gives
them higher levels of comprehension and achievement. Middle School
students add U.S. history; Japanese,
Greek and Latin etymologies; and computer science to their continuing
studies of English, mathematics, science, history and geography,
Spanish, music, art, and physical education.
Curriculum Overview
ENGLISH: Teachers
emphasize writing, grammar and punctuation, and studying classical
literature and poetry. Students study Latin and Greek etymologies
to aid in their understanding of spelling and to increase vocabulary.
They learn precise word usage in writing and master all parts of
speech. Literature is discussed in a Socratic seminar format. Works are
analyzed by determining and discussing literary elements, including
plot, theme, characterization, and motivation of characters. Students
read R.L. Stevenson Treasure Island, Charles Dickens A
Christmas Carol, and Rudyard Kipling The Jungle Book among
other books. Students regularly practice reading aloud and public
speaking.
MATHEMATICS: Fifth grade mathematics uses
the Singapore national curriculum. Guided by their understanding
of place value, students practice whole number and decimal arithmetic.
Arithmetic with fractions includes addition and subtraction of
fractions of unlike denominators, the product of fractions, and
division of a fraction by a whole number. In reducing fractions
and computing their product, students learn to see a number as
a product of its factors. Students work with ratio, percentage,
average, rate, and line graphs. They apply the unique method
of Singapore bar diagrams to word problems that play an essential
role in each topic’s development. Students study the geometry
of angles, the triangle, parallelogram, rhombus, trapezoid, cubes,
and cuboids. They find the area of triangles and the volumes
of cuboids.
SCIENCE: Students design experiments,
paying special attention to dependent and independent variables.
Focus continues to be on laboratory experimentation. Students
keep written records of their experiments, learning to communicate
data through various types of graphs and tables. Topics of
study include germination of seeds, weather, animal reproduction
through breeding fish, levers, phases of the moon, the sun,
plate tectonics, and human reproduction. All units include
experiments that students help to design. Students also design,
conduct, and display their own experimental research for the
Middle School Science Fair.
HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY: World
History topics include the early civilizations of the Mayas,
Aztecs, and Incas; the European explorers; and the Italian Renaissance
and contemporaneous histories of Japan and Russia. American history
focuses on the Civil War, westward expansion and Native Americans.
SPANISH: The goal of the Spanish program
is communicative competence in speaking, listening, reading and
writing. Spanish students are divided into two groups: beginning-to-intermediate
and intermediate-to-advanced. Students of Spanish at the beginning-to-intermediate
level focus on speaking
and listening and basic reading and writing. Emphasis is placed
on building vocabulary using children’s poetry, songs,
role playing and puppetry. Topics include greetings, discussing
people and things in the classroom, numbers from one to 100,
colors and shapes, animals, days of the week, months of the year,
seasons and weather, places in the community, classes and school,
likes and dislikes, time, and the family.
The intermediate-to-advanced
class continues to build vocabulary and pay special attention
to grammatical accuracy and verb usage.
Topics include parts of thebody, clothing, descriptions of people,
making comparisons, rooms and objects in them, eating in a restaurant,
and daily
routines. Throughout the year, students are introduced to the
various cultures and regions of the Spanish-speaking world. In
addition, all grades participate in a special unit of cultural
study that
culminates in a school-wide event.
MUSIC: Students
receive weekly piano, violin or viola lessons in small groups
and study formal music theory. The students continue to analyze
more complex musical excerpts and practice aural and rhythmic
exercises. Students attend the annual Madison Symphony Orchestra
Fall Youth Concert. Theory and piano studies and master classes
prepare students for regular recitals, school concerts and musicals,
as well as the graded examinations of the Associated Board of
the Royal Schools of Music, London. Students also participate
in the Middle School choir, learning sight singing, proper singing
technique, blending with other voices, and part singing.
ART: Students create works independently. While reviewing elements of shape and drawing skills, they are encouraged to experiment with different media, including charcoal, conte crayons, chalk and oil pastels, various drawing and colored pencils, and watercolor. Non-drawing projects may include weavings, collage and Japanese woodblock printing. The year includes a section in art history.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION: The program is composed of six major areas: track and field, swimming, gymnastics and tumbling, water sports, martial arts, and team sports. Games and skill practices are used to build proficiency and teach strategy. Units include swimming, canoeing, tennis, cross-country, track and field (50- and 100-yard dashes, mile runs, discus, and javelin), volleyball, soccer, gymnastics, basketball, softball, sailing, tennis, and fitness conditioning. Students develop the confidence and motivation to participate in organized and individual physical activities. Leadership, teamwork, and good sportsmanship are taught. The program emphasizes lifelong fitness. School-sponsored competitive sports include soccer, touch football, girls volleyball, boys and girls basketball, and track and field.
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