middle school : academics

middle school academics

English

From the very first day of Middle School, students learn to view themselves as readers and writers, and to recognize and appreciate the strong connection between reading, writing, and speaking. Literacy skills and strategies are explicitly modeled and taught in the context of a workshop format that builds a sense of ritual and community around the written word. Due to their nature as “gateway” skills, opportunities for reading and writing are also integrated throughout the curriculum.

There are three main components to the English Program:

Reading

Students are given daily opportunities to read independently, with partners, and/or in small groups. During reading, teachers provide explicit instruction in decoding and comprehension strategies, and regularly assess student progress to inform instruction. In addition to learning reading fluency; students discuss and explore why we read and make important connections between literature and life. Students are encouraged to reflect upon their reading lives and to recognize the value and importance reading holds in helping us better understand ourselves and the world around us. Students learn and practice reading for different purposes.

Writing

In Writing Workshop, a strong emphasis is placed on the connection between reading and writing. Students learn to read like a writer and to write with the reader in mind. Writing skills, strategies, and conventions are embedded within units of study that help students explore a real world context for writing and examine the work of mentor authors.

Each student learns to write for different purposes and to develop a unique voice as a writer. In immersing themselves within a particular genre or style of writing, students are guided to identify the characteristics of that kind of writing, to appreciate the craft of mentor authors, and to try to incorporate what they have learned into their own work. Students learn to view writing as a means of sharing their thoughts, feelings, ideas, and experiences with others.

Vocabulary Study

Vocabulary Study acts as the contextual glue that binds reading and writing. In addition to the skills lessons embedded within the reading and writing programs, separate time is devoted at each grade level to Vocabulary Study opportunities which may include direct instruction in, mechanics and grammar, or vocabulary and morphology.

History

The goal of our Middle School History Program is to engage students in making connections to themes of justice, survival, and equality throughout history. Experiential learning and bringing history to life are critical to instilling a passion for our past. Students in our program attend various field trips including the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum & Planetarium, the San Francisco Asian Art Museum, the Legion of Honor, the immigration station on Angel Island, and a swearing-in citizenship ceremony in San Francisco.

Sixth-grade students focus their studies on ancient civilizations from Mesopotamia to Rome, Egypt, and Greece. Throughout, they are asked to look at these civilizations using a lens of justice. Lessons concentrate on understanding the development of ancient societies. Furthermore, the student-centered curriculum allows sixth-grade students to develop an expertise in an area of history that is of interest to them. They research, develop, and articulate their findings in a variety of ways—written works, individual and group verbal presentations, and creative projects.
In addition, students use the skills and concepts gained in examining the ancient societies to analyze current issues in the world. Recognizing both their role in history, and as historians, is also a crucial component of the sixth-grade year. Proper use of primary and secondary sources, library research, research analysis, and research-report writing are some of the critical skills taught at this level.

Seventh-grade students focus their studies on medieval societies from the fall of Rome to medieval China, Japan, and Europe. They also look at the Mayans, Aztecs, and Incas. Survival is the thematic focus in studying these civilizations. Intense study of world geography is embedded into this curriculum as are current events related to the different regions. As a continuation of the work they do in sixth grade, seventh graders develop an in-depth analysis of an aspect, including a cultural understanding, of a medieval society. They are asked to develop that analysis through the research process, project design, and oral presentation.

Eighth grade students examine the question “What does it mean to be an American?” Particular attention is paid to key historical moments that have defined American identity, including the American Revolution and the writing of the U.S. Constitution, Westward Expansion, Slavery and the Civil War, Immigration, and various suffrage movements.

Students use the tools of sociology, geography, history, and political science to examine issues of equality related to each of these periods. Historical context is built upon experiential learning when students travel, in the spring, to Washington DC, Jamestown and Williamsburg where the history they have studied is brought to life.

Mathematics

Benefiting from a combination of teacher-directed lessons, long-term projects, and group and independent work, students progress through appropriately challenging math classes, which cover pre-algebra, algebra, and math analysis. Students receive a solid foundation in algebraic concepts and functions. Teachers work from a cross-disciplinary perspective, helping students to understand the applications of mathematical principles in other subjects such as chemistry and physics. We realize that students often learn best by teaching others, and our middle school students not only are encouraged to teach lessons to their peers, but also visit some of our Lower School grades to teach the younger classes specific math lessons.

At the heart of the middle school math program is the math notebook. Students keep a notebook in which to track their thinking and progress through class lessons, homework, and their ability to make connections to mathematics in everyday life. This also allows parents and students to monitor their progress on an ongoing basis. Our graduates are well prepared for high school mathematics.

Science

Utilizing a combination of hands-on exploration, research, long-term projects, and classroom lecture/discussion, our science classes aim to nurture positive attitudes, appreciation and enthusiasm for science. Developing scientific literacy and writing skills, as well as implementing and recording the scientific method, are main focus points at all grade levels.

Students in sixth grade are introduced to the concept that science is not a body of information, but rather a way of finding information. Students learn about measurement, observation, and experimentation. We use these skills to explore topics in planetary science: meteorology, geology, and astronomy. Students learn about the atmospheric and geologic phenomena that affect their lives in the Bay Area and around the world. This knowledge provides a framework in which to think about the diversity of life on Earth, which they will then encounter in the seventh grade life-science curriculum.

In seventh grade science, students explore early life forms, multi-cellular life forms, the emergence of mammals, the arrival of humans, and issues of environmental science. Students participate in animal dissections of a frog and a worm. Particular attention is paid to scientific investigations and lab skills with the goal of producing a thoughtful and properly-presented science fair project.

During eighth grade, the goals of the program are to expand upon already developed laboratory and observational skills, develop new conceptual understandings in particular areas of science, and equip students with the tools to make sense of public debates involving scientific inquiry. Students begin their eighth grade year with units of chemical measure, matter, atomic structure, and the periodic table.

Using these core tools, students move on to the basic concepts in chemistry, developing skills in working with chemical equations and the reactions they represent. Lab work includes experiments involving basic reactions, acids and bases, changes of state, combustion, and additional selected topics as well as student-designed lab experiments. Students are also introduced to core principles of physics, including concepts of measurement and mass, mechanics and Newton’s Laws. A focus for eighth grade science is project-based learning, in which students create atomic models, invent cars that demonstrate Newton’s principles, and try to find ways to fight gravity.

Spanish

The Middle School Spanish Program strives to deepen interest in and appreciation of the Spanish language and culture. Our curricular focus is on developing students’ fluency. Students learn to produce questions, answers, commands, and target vocabulary with good pronunciation. Basic grammatical constructs through experiential learning and direct instruction is also a focus.

Through project-based and direct instruction, every student has the opportunity to develop listening, speaking, reading and writing abilities in Spanish. They are inspired to use their lifelong communication skills to form relationships with people of different backgrounds and to ultimately gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of different cultures. We hope to instill a sense of comfort among our students to cross language barriers and be able to communicate with native Spanish-speakers in our own community and abroad.

Our middle school program not only encourages students to approach the language on an academic level but also aims to connect our students to the Latino community around the world. Spanish television, radio, audio and video, and cultural celebrations are all part of the middle school program. We pride ourselves on promoting a safe, cooperative, and social environment in the classroom where learning a foreign language can be fun, engaging, and rewarding for any student.

Physical Education

All middle school students partake in physical education for 55 minutes four times per week. The Physical Education Program’s philosophy is that every student have the opportunity to learn and grow in their physical abilities, social skills, and emotional wellness. Students are encouraged to participate fully, with maximum effort, always doing their personal best. This begins with and leads to building a solid foundation of physical motor skills. It expands with a focus on specific sport skill development and an opportunity to learn how to compete positively. The experience culminates with the refinement of physical skills, mastery of social skills, and an introduction of non-mainstream sports and nutritional science that inspire lifelong participation in a physically healthy lifestyle. A final goal of our physical education program is to graduate students who have a full working understanding of the Sea Crest School Guiding Principles and how they apply to their lives.

Service Learning

Our program seeks to help students develop understanding and empathy for others, learn to respect and uphold the rights of their fellow human beings, and acquire the habits of globally aware individuals and productive citizens. We do this by embedding Service Learning throughout our curriculum.

Students in sixth grade focus on the topic of Global Sustainability. In history class, they examine how global issues impact the economic situation in various regions, as well as the historical background of its presence. In science, students explore the environmental impact that pollution, and other human byproducts have on our earth. Upon building context within the curriculum, students embark on various service projects, from coastal clean-ups, to managing the school composting and recylcing initiative, to leading an awareness campaign including organizing our Earth Day carnival. Students use their knowledge to attempt to solve the environmental problems facing our world.

Literacy is the focus of our seventh grade Service Learning. Students investigate the causes and impact of illiteracy locally and in various parts of the world in order to develop an awareness of the vital role literacy plays in their lives and the lives of others. This is done through discussions in social studies looking, historically, at how literacy has developed and evolved through the ages, for its implications in the present day. The students also gain an understanding of the impact literacy has on one’s opportunities for the future. In language arts, our seventh grade students become year-long pen pals with students from the Arusha Alliance School in Tanzania and lead a book and school supply drive to benefit our friends there. To understand that they can make a difference in affecting illiteracy locally, our seventh graders become involved with the Teen Leader Reader program as literacy mentors through the Half Moon Bay library.

Eighth grade students focus their Service Learning on the issues of hunger and poverty. The program strives to build an understanding of the historical causes of hunger and bring into action ways to reduce hunger and poverty in the Bay Area. Students connect their Service Learning curriculum content to action steps when they volunteer with the San Francisco Food Bank, serve meals at Glide Memorial, and help coordinate and organize various food drives which benefit local organizations.

Character Education

Character education is a foundation upon which our school is based. With the goal that all of our students live our Guiding Principles, we use a Responsive Classroom approach to teaching and learning that fosters safe, challenging and joyful classrooms, kindergarten through eighth grade. With daily community building routines like morning meetings, collaboratively created classroom rules, positive language, and logical consequences, we work to build a strong foundation in positive social skills that sets the stage for an excellent academic learning environment.

Our Guiding Principles

• I do nothing to harm myself or others.
  
• I am responsible for my behavior.
  
• I take pride in myself and in my work
  
• I leave it better than I found it.
  
• We are each other’s keepers.