SCPS Pre-IB Prep

6th Grade

SCPS Pre-IB Prep Language Arts I Advanced

1001020

The SCPS Pre-IB Prep language arts curriculum is advanced and accelerated. Sequential vocabulary development continues with emphasis on identifying those skills necessary for standardized tests. Poetry will be the focal genre. Students may be asked to create a portfolio that contains their own poems and their studies of poetry techniques and various poets’ artistry, as well as a collection of their own writing. Writing coherent, more detailed paragraphs will continue as the essay is introduced. Students concentrate on grammar, usage and mechanics while writing and editing their own work. Reading for pleasure and information is essential to all areas of the language arts skills development; therefore, extra reading outside class is a requirement for this subject.

SCPS Pre-IB Prep Mathematics I Advanced

1205020

Prerequisite: None

All topics in Mathematics I are included in Mathematics I, Advanced. In addition, students will: Develop an understanding of and apply proportionality to solve problems involving percents. Apply formulas to determine surface areas and volumes of three dimensional shapes including pyramids, prisms, cylinders and cones. Develop an understanding of operations involving integers and other rational numbers, as well as solving linear equations. Identify and plot ordered pairs in all four quadrants of the coordinate plane.

GEMS 1205020G Grade 6 Year

Prerequisite: 5th grade PRIMES is recommended

• This rigorous course combines content from 6th, 7th, and 8th grades in order to prepare students to be successful in Algebra I Honors in 7th grade.

• This course includes 4-6 chapters that students will learn independently on-line through a virtual component.

• Home internet access is needed.

SCPS Pre-IB Prep Comprehensive Science 1 Advanced

2002050 Grade 6 Year

Based on the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards for Science, this course will allow students to learn content across six interconnected units that will build throughout middle school. The major concepts covered during 6th grade Comprehensive Science will be: Atoms and Molecules, Classification of Organisms, Ecosystems, Plate Tectonics, The Geosphere and Cryosphere, and Our Solar System. The class will be supported by digital content as well as hands-on, cooperative, and literacy based activities. Students in advanced classes will be provided opportunities to dive deeper into the content and to make even more connections across science with other disciplines.

SCPS Pre- IB Prep World History Advanced

2109010 Grade 6 Year

The sixth grade social studies curriculum consists of the following content area strands: World History, Geography, Civics, and Economics. The primary content for this course pertains to the world’s earliest civilizations through the ancient and classical civilizations of Africa, Asia, and Europe. Students will be exposed to the multiple dynamics of world history including economics, geography, politics, and religion/philosophy. Students will study methods of historical inquiry and primary and secondary historical documents.

7th Grade

SCPS Pre- IB Prep Language Arts II Advanced

1001050

Seventh grade SCPS Pre-IB Prep Language Arts is a multi-faceted, academically rigorous course of instruction. The curriculum includes activities and instruction to improve reading comprehension, writing skills, communication skills, advanced grammar usage and vocabulary. Students’ writing portfolios include samples of creative, expository, narrative, poetry and drama formats. Genres studied are short story, drama, poetry, personal essay, biography and the novel. Novels selected for class study require literary analysis and application of critical thinking skills. Independent and group projects are assigned for each class novel study.

Requirements include multimedia presentations, easy formatted exams, extemporaneous speeches, technical research, and independent study. Reading for pleasure and information is essential to all areas of the language arts skills development; therefore, extra reading outside class is a requirement for this subject.

SCPS Pre-IB Prep Mathematics II Advanced

1205050

Prerequisite: 6th grade advanced math

Students will develop an understanding of and apply proportionality, similarity, and formulas to determine surface areas and volumes of three dimensional shapes including pyramids, prisms, cylinders and cones. Identify and plot ordered pairs in all four quadrants of the coordinate plane and will predict the results of transformations. Determine, compare and make predictions based on experimental and theoretical probability of independent and dependent events. Construct and analyze histograms, stem-and-leaf plots and circle graphs .Analyze and represent linear functions and solve linear equations and systems of equations. Analyze two and three dimensional figures by using distance and angle relationships. Analyze and summarize data sets including box and whisker plots, scatter plots and lines of best fit.

Algebra I Honors

1200320 Grades 7-8 Year

High School Credit: 1

Prerequisite:

• Grade 7 – successful completion of GEMS is recommended

• Grade 8 – successful completion of 7th grade Math Advanced is recommended

• This course includes a rigorous, in-depth study of all of the topics included in Algebra I, as well as absolute value equations and inequalities, operations with rational expressions, solving rational equations and characteristics of quadratic graphs.

• Students enrolled in this course must pass an End of Course Exam (EOC) to receive high school credit.

SCPS Pre- IB Prep Comprehensive Science 2 Advanced

2002080

Based on the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards for Science, this course will allow students to learn content across six interconnected units that will build from the content covered in 6th grade and will be developed further in 8th grade. The major concepts covered during 7th Grade Comprehensive Science will be: Cell Structure and Function, Homeostasis in Cells, Heredity, Weathering and Erosion, the Hydrosphere and Atmosphere, and Stars and Galaxies. The class will be supported by digital content as well as hands-on, cooperative, and literacy-based activities.

SCPS Pre-IB Prep Civics Advanced

2106010

The seventh grade SCPS Pre-IB Prep geography course is an intense, in-depth study of: Civics, Geography, and Economics. The primary content for the course pertains to the principles, functions, and organization of government; the origins of the American political system; the roles, rights, responsibilities of United States citizens; and methods of active participation in our political system. The course is embedded with strong geographic and economic components to support civic education instruction.

8th Grade

SCPS Pre-IB Prep Language Arts III Advanced

1001080 Grade 8 Year

Eighth grade SCPS Pre-IB Prep Language Arts emphasizes critical thinking and theme-based activities which include work in reading, listening, speaking, and writing. Emphasis is placed on interpretation and critical analysis. In literature and viewing, students consider the writer’s or speaker’s background including possible biases as part of their own growing ability to understand and interpret the written and spoken word. In writing, students move beyond formulaic models as they advance their writing skills. Students participate in formative assessments, both individually and as group members. Students will also complete an extended essay on a topic of their choice.

Algebra I Honors

1200320 Grades 7-8 Year

High School Credit: 1

Prerequisite:

• Grade 7 – successful completion of GEMS is recommended

• Grade 8 – successful completion of 7th grade Math Advanced is recommended

• This course includes a rigorous, in-depth study of all of the topics included in Algebra I, as well as absolute value equations and inequalities, operations with rational expressions, solving rational equations and characteristics of quadratic graphs.

• Students enrolled in this course must pass an End of Course Exam (EOC) to receive high school credit.

Geometry Honors

1206320 Year 1

Grade 8 High School Credit: 1

Prerequisite: Algebra I or Algebra I Honors

• This course includes a rigorous, in-depth study of all of the practical applications of geometric skills and concepts in the real world, as well as, but not limited to, truth tables, vectors, Fibonacci sequence, coordinate geometry proofs, proofs involving circles and problems involving cross sections of solids.

• Students enrolled in this course must pass an End of Course Exam (EOC) to receive high school credit.

SCPS Pre-IB Prep Environmental Science Honors

2001341

High School Credit: 1

In this course students will explore the relationship Between organisms and their environments, and between their individual cells and systems. The processes of life will be approached from the viewpoints of cellular structure and function, genetics and molecular biology, classification of organisms, physiology, biochemistry, and biological changes through time. This course expects students be capable of comprehending scientific concepts presented at an advanced level. Laboratory activities are a significant component in the course and offer students an opportunity to become familiar with scientific instruments and experimental methods. Laboratory activities and safe laboratory techniques are an essential component of this class and offer students an opportunity to become familiar with scientific instruments and methods.

SCPS Pre-IB Prep American History Advanced

2100020

This course is designed for the highly motivated student who wishes to pursue the International Baccalaureate Program or Advanced Placement courses in high school. Students will explore the events of U.S. history using documents, images, cartoons and other primary sources along with secondary text. With a more rigorous focus on document based inquiry, the students will examine and analyze the political, economic, technological and social developments of the United States from the period of colonial settlement through Reconstruction. Florida’s role in our nation’s history will also be emphasized. Instruction will focus on students developing an understanding of themes in U.S. History including the impact of expansion, the development of conflicts, the influence of diverse groups on American culture and the impact of world events on American thinking. Instructional strategies that support the rigor, reading and writing of IB and Advanced Placement course work will be emphasized. These include:

• College Board reading strategies (APPARTS, OPTIC, SOAPSTone, etc.)

• Structured note-taking, including Cornell notes.

• The DBQ Project, and analysis of significant historical documents, along with historical writing.

• Extended research based project (e.g. History Fair project, Mock Trial, etc.)

This course is specifically aimed at preparing students for International Baccalaureate or Advanced Placement Social Studies courses in High School.

SCPS PRE-INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE PREPARATORY PROGRAM STANDARDS POLICY

A. ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Students participating in the SCPS Pre-International Baccalaureate-Preparatory Program are expected to maintain a 3.0 G.P.A. for each nine-week grading period. If a student earns less than a 3.0 average on a nine-week grade report, a conference will be convened with parents, counselor, and the student’s teachers to find ways to implement strategies to assist the student with his/her studies. Every effort will be made to support students in the successful completion of the program.

B. ATTENDANCE

Due to the high correlation between attendance and school success, the accelerated demands of the SCPS Pre-IB Preparatory Program make regular attendance vital.

C. APPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR

SCPS Pre-IB Preparatory students are required to follow middle school policies and rules as stated in the Seminole County Public Schools Student Conduct and Discipline Code.