Middle School Courses

Math 6 (Math 1)

Students connect ratio and rate to whole number multiplication and division and also use the concepts of ratio and rate to solve problems. In addition, they expand their ability to divide fractions and to write, interpret, and apply expressions and equations. They also develop an understanding of statistical thinking.

Language Arts 6

In this full-year sixth-grade course, students develop a mastery of reading, writing, and language arts skills. Students grow as readers and writers as they read critically, analyze texts, and cite evidence through a vast range of engaging literary and informational reading selections. Students explore a full unit on Lewis Carroll’s classic novel Through the Looking Glass and read essential parts of other fictional texts including Holes, Esperanza Rising, and The Number Devil. Students also evaluate poetry and drama, such as a poem by Langston Hughes and an excerpt from Brighton Beach Memoirs. In order to help students comprehend text structure, author’s purpose, and argumentative claims, the course delves into nonfiction, from a biography of Frida Kahlo to a historic speech about the Brooklyn Bridge. Students sharpen their vocabulary, grammar, and listening skills through explicit modeling and ample practice. Students also engage in routine, responsive writing based on an examination of the variety of texts they have read. In more extensive process-based writing lessons, students write topical essays in narrative, informative, analytical, and argumentative formats.

Science 6

This media-rich science course enable students to engage actively in inquiry-based investigations and science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) projects, as well as cross-disciplinary and cross-curricular activities. Students are encouraged to make connections, collaborate, and reflect on their learning as they work through the content.

World Studies (Social Studies 6)

The World Studies course provides a unique balance of history, geography, and culture; it expands students’ understanding of each world region through a focus on its major countries. Additionally, students learn the foundations of geography. Regions covered include Africa, Asia and the Pacific, the United States and Canada, Europe and Russia, and Latin America. The history and geography of the ancient world and medieval times to present day are also included.

Math 7 (Math 2)

Students build on their knowledge of proportional relationships and operations with rational numbers. They solve real-world problems involving scale drawings, geometric constructions, area, surface area, and volume. Students also draw inferences about populations based on samples.

Language Arts 7

In this full-year seventh-grade course, students develop a mastery of reading, writing, and language arts skills. Engaging literary and informational reading selections prompt students to read critically, analyze texts, and cite evidence. Students explore fictional texts, including The Outsiders, Dragonwings, and a short story by Walter Dean Meyers. In the course, students explore the drama The Miracle Worker, paired with Helen Keller’s autobiography. They also read the poetry of Langston Hughes and William Butler Yeats. To help students comprehend text structure, author’s purpose, and argument, the course delves into nonfiction, from the informational text Exploring the Titanic to a speech by Cesar Chavez. Students sharpen their vocabulary, grammar, and listening skills through explicit modeling and ample practice. Students also take part in routine, responsive writing based on texts they have read. In more extensive, process-based writing lessons, students write topical essays in narrative, informative, analytical, and argumentative formats. Students sharpen their vocabulary, grammar, and listening skills through explicit modeling and ample practice. Students also engage in routine, responsive writing based on an examination of the variety of texts they have read. In more extensive process-based writing lessons, students write topical essays in narrative, informative, analytical, and argumentative formats.

Science 7

This media-rich science course enable students to engage actively in inquiry-based investigations and science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) projects, as well as cross-disciplinary and cross-curricular activities. Students are encouraged to make connections, collaborate, and reflect on their learning as they work through the content.

American History (Social Studies 7)

The American History course presents a chronological history of the American experience from the earliest times to the present. It covers topics such as, colonial America, the American Revolution, and issues faced by the early republic. It also covers westward expansion, the Civil War, industrialization, WWI, the Great Depression, WWII, the Cold War, Civil Rights, and the Vietnam War. Finally, students learn about the challenges faced by the United States in the 21st century.

Pre-Algebra (Math 3)

Students prepare for algebra as they expand their understanding of expressions and equations. They solve linear equations and systems of linear equations, use functions to describe quantitative relationships, and analyze two- and three-dimensional space and figures.

Language Arts 8

In this full-year eighth-grade course, students develop a mastery of reading, writing, and language arts skills. Engaging literary and informational reading selections inspire students to read critically, analyze texts, and cite evidence. Students explore units on Jack London’s classic novel The Call of the Wild and the contemporary novel The Land by Mildred Taylor. They also read essential parts of other fictional texts, including Monster, “Raymond’s Run,” and “The Lottery.” Students are exposed to a thoughtful look at the Anne Frank diary and play, and they venture into author’s purpose, text structure, and argumentative claims in informational texts such as The Great Fire, the narrative of Frederick Douglass, and a speech by Randy Pausch. Students sharpen their vocabulary, grammar, and listening skills through explicit modeling and ample practice. Students also take part in routine, responsive writing based on texts they have read. In more extensive, process-based writing lessons, students write topical essays in narrative, informative, analytical, and argumentative formats.

Science 8

This media-rich science course enable students to engage actively in inquiry-based investigations and science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) projects, as well as cross-disciplinary and cross-curricular activities. Students are encouraged to make connections, collaborate, and reflect on their learning as they work through the content. As students advance through the courses, they receive an internationally benchmarked science education that covers the topics listed below. Because each course is designed to meet state-based standards, the sequence of content will vary by state and may include the following:

• Structure of the cell

• Organism systems and information processing in the body

• Transfer of matter and energy in organisms and ecosystems

• Interdependent relationships in ecosystems

• Natural selection and adaptations

• Growth, development, and reproduction of organisms

• Earth and space systems

• Earth’s surface and interior processes

• Weather and climate

• Human impact on Earth

• Structure and properties of matter

• Chemical reactions

• Forces, energy, and motion

• Waves and electromagnetic radiation

Social Studies 8 (1st Semester)

In this course, students study the history of the North American continent. The course covers the early cultures that thrived in the Americas for thousands of years, the European exploration and colonization of the continent, and the subsequent rise of the United States. Students learn about the Civil War and the Reconstruction that followed. The course traces the advances made over the last century and a half and the role the United States has played in a changing world.

Washington State History (Social Studies 8 - 2nd semester)

In this course, the student will study the history and geography of Washington from prehistory through the modern period. The student will examine the relationship between native cultures and European settlers during the era of exploration and the territorial period; trace Washington's path to statehood, the establishment of the state's constitution, and the development of its major industries; and analyze ways the Great Depression, World War I, World War II, and the Cold War impacted the state’s culture and economy. The student will examine the struggles of Native Americans to secure treaty rights and reclaim tribal sovereignty; analyze the contributions of immigrants, minorities, and women to Washington’s development; and examine the challenges faced by each of these groups. Lastly, the student will connect Washington’s industries to its ongoing sustainability challenges, consider the role of labor unions in the state's economy, and explore the state’s emergence as a leader of high-tech industry in the early twenty-first century.