Middle School Curriculum

Social Studies – 5th grade

The focus of the year is American history from pre-colonial settlement until the Revolutionary War. More specifically, we will study major geographical features and regions of the US, indigenous cultures and civilizations unique to each geographical region, European exploration and settlement, colonial life, the Revolutionary War, and potentially the Constitutional Convention. To advance higher order thinking, we will take a multicultural and critical perspective towards these major historical eras and consider the implications of these events on various groups and cultures, and ultimately analyze how history has shaped and continues to shape current society. In other words, history is not a series of dates to memorize, but rather an inquiry into power and attempts to design and implement dis/utopic principles.

Science – 5th grade
Each quarter, we will dive into a different field of scientific inquiry: Forces and Motion (physical science), Our Universe (astronomy), Thinking Like a Scientist (scientific method and experimental design), and Energy in Ecosystems (ecology and biology). Science class will utilize a blended learning approach, which will include readings, demonstration, online learning, and experimentation. Much like social studies, our scientific studies will not center on the memorization of content; instead, success in science hinges upon a spirit of inquiry, and creative and logical thinking: science is more about how one thinks and responds to challenges than what one knows!

The fifth grade uses a novel based curriculum for literacy. Students read 4-6 novels throughout the year, and are taught critical thinking, analytical and writing skills as we read, discuss and write about each novel. Grammar and vocabulary are infused in lessons and assignments throughout the year.

The fifth grade math program focuses on building students’ fact fluency and conceptual understanding of the math content students learn in lower grades. In addition, the program puts a heavy focus on bringing students from concrete to abstract problem solving, challenging them to think deeper into reasoning, communicating, and connecting their skills to what they already understand and do well and need to discover. Responsibility begins to shift more onto the students encouraging them to focus on neatness, punctuality, quality of work, and organization.

The fifth grade math program uses well known resources such as Illustrative Math series, Engage NY, Math Expressions  while supplementing other technology and web-based programs such as Cuethink, Imagine Math, IXL, and NCTM’s Math Forum.

Our Middle School students tackle the Social Studies curriculum through rigorous examination of both primary and secondary sources. As an example, 6th Graders will study how an economy works as per the curriculum, but we’ll also spend time exploring the role of advertising and the issues created by the use of gender based stereotypes by ad agencies. To coincide with our Middle School Literacy Program, students get plenty of practice using Document and Evidence based writing techniques as part of Social Studies.

Overall the goal is to help our students become young adults who can both elegantly craft and defend their arguments and opinions.

6th grade ELA 1-2 novels/nonfiction texts are read per marking period.  Our fiction titles are all historical fiction and our nonfiction texts are based on an historical event in world history, and all books are read in the chronological order of their setting, building on previous topics.  Topics include The Great Depression, World War II, The Cold War, The Civil Rights Movement, and The Vietnam War.  Our reading skills, vocabulary study, grammar skills, and writing skills are embedded into the novels and nonfiction material we study all year. 

Math – 6th-8th Grades

The middle school math program uses a hybrid of curricular resources to support our student’s mathematical growth including Illustrative Math, Desmos, Engage New York, and many other sources. Students also utilize the TI-NSpire CX graphing calculators and accompanying educational materials from Texas Instrument to better visualize the mathematical concepts. The middle school math program is focused on helping students develop conceptual understanding as well as procedural fluency on topics in the math curriculum. Students also work at their own pace on differentiated online math programs (Imagine Math and Get More Math) that allow them to remediate or move ahead as appropriate.

At the end of 7th grade, students select between two math classes for 8th grade – either the traditional 8th grade math class or an accelerated class that combines the content of 8th grade math and Algebra 1 into one course. There are many similarities and some differences between this course and the traditional 8th grade math course. For both courses, students meet with the 8th grade math teacher for two class periods daily and they will take the Math PSSA at the end of the school year. The students in the traditional 8th grade math course will have one math class grade on their report card, whereas the students in the combined Algebra 1/8th grade math course will have two math class grades on their report card each marking period. In addition, the students who take Algebra 1/8th grade math will take the Keystone Algebra 1 exam at the end of the year, which is part of a high school graduation requirement.

To be clear, taking the combined Algebra 1/8th grade math course will NOT impact the high school application process. Once in high school, students who take this combined math class will take either Algebra 1 Honors, Algebra 2, or Geometry as their first high school math course. This course may be determined by a placement test, or their high school may place them in the next math course. By taking Algebra 1 in eighth grade, there is a greater chance that they will have an opportunity to take Calculus in high school, which may be helpful for college.

Regardless of the path that students choose, the whole middle school math team works together to make math engaging, meaningful, and fun to provide our students with a strong foundation as they transition to high school.

The Middle School Science program uses the resources of Greenfield’s Greening initiative and the surrounding neighborhood to make science relatable to a student’s everyday life.  Visits to Waterworks, the river, and Greenfield’s rain garden help bring what takes place in the classroom to life. Whether it is identifying migratory birds or classifying trees, students become familiar with the scientific method and use a variety of materials to develop an interest in science.

In 6th Grade: students learn earth sciences: minerals, rocks, impact of water on land and rock cycle as well as weather and climate. Students take trips to Waterworks and track weather via the National Oceanic Atmosphere Association.

In 7th Grade: students learn life sciences such as biology, dissection, genetics and adaptations. Much of the work is project-based.

In 8th Grade: Students have hand on experience with labs involving chemistry and physics and conduct high level calculations.

Middle School Science Teacher Mr. Bentz has been recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as an outstanding environmental educator and received a Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental Educators Honorable Mention for teaching environmental issues and green solutions that extends beyond his students to their families, community members and other teachers in the District.

Curriculum Overview:
In order to be prepared for success in high school, elementary students must develop a wide array of solid literacy skills. In Literacy class, students will be routinely engaged in in-depth analysis, comparisons and evaluations of both literary and nonfiction texts.

Course Description:
Students will engage in a novel-based curriculum. The overarching academic goal of this course is to improve student reading comprehension and writing. Instruction and practice will focus on the development of major literacy and language arts skills: vocabulary, grammar, writing composition and mechanics, reading and comprehension of literature, and reading comprehension of nonfiction/informational texts.

Instruction:
Every marking period, a novel is used as a vehicle to teach students specific learning objectives identified in at each grade level in the Common Core State Standards. (Novels are used as “anchor texts”–the centerpiece of each marking period’s curriculum–alongside other literary and informational texts). This is achieved through an instructional process known as Guided Comprehension. We begin with teacher-led, direct instruction of specific content, strategies and skills. Teachers then create opportunities for the students to practice the target skill or strategy individually, in small groups or in pairs–applying what has been learned to the analysis of the novel or supporting text. Over time, instruction gradually shifts from teacher-led guided practice into peer collaboration and on towards independence.

Core Strategies:
Close Reading. In Close Reading, students learn to read, reread, mark-up and annotate texts in order to analyze content for specific purposes.

Evidence Based Claims. Students must become adept at being able to support claims with evidence gleaned from the text, and then citing that evidence properly in his or her written responses.

Collaborative Discussions. Students interact with the text and one another in engaging discussions, sharing questions, predictions and interpretations within a structured, small-group activity.

Course Objectives:

• To create independent, strategic readers and writers who are capable of engaging in a
  variety of literary tasks and rigorous academic challenges.
• To help students develop the academic skills, habits and attitudes necessary to be a
  successful student in any subject.

Middle School History at Greenfield eschews the use of a traditional textbook to instead rely on a variety of primary and secondary sources including poetry, film, and novels. One of the main goals is for students to deepen their understanding of history in order to develop the skills to make connections between events of the past and the realities of life today both in the United States and around the world. In addition to the study of historical content, there is also a heavy focus on both text dependent essay writing and media literacy so students can properly navigate the digital environment to acquire reliable information to guide their decision making.