Required concert attire for music ensembles:
Uniform concert dress is required for all ensemble performances. Concert dress consists of solid white shirts with long sleeves and man-tailored collars (no ties) and black slacks or long skirts (legs must be covered). Shirts/blouses are to be tucked in. Dark dress shoes should be worn.
THREE BLOCKS PER CYCLE
YEAR COURSE
PREREQUISITE: BAND 6 or the equivalent; Instructor approval required. Band 7 is designed for students continuing their instrumental studies on a brass, woodwind, or percussion instrument. Private lessons are strongly recommended for all students. Band 7 performs music from the traditional band repertoire as well as popular music and show tunes. Attendance and participation at performances are a required part of this course. A limited number of advanced grade band 7th members have the opportunity to audition for the Eastern Massachusetts Junior District Festival Band in January. Continuous membership is strongly recommended for those planning to play in High School band ensembles.
THREE BLOCKS PER CYCLE
YEAR COURSE
Chorus is designed for male and female students who wish to refine their singing abilities while exploring a broad range of music ranging from traditional to popular genres. As they continue to develop their skills in the areas of tone production, breath support, phrasing, music reading, blend, and rhythmic accuracy, students also grow in confidence, pride, and group spirit. Students are challenged to learn music in two and three part harmony and to continue to develop skills in unison and round singing. Attendance and participation at performances are a required part of this course. A limited number of advanced grade chorus 8th members have the opportunity to audition for the Eastern Massachusetts Junior District Festival Choruses in January. Continuous membership is strongly recommended for those planning to sing in High School vocal ensembles.
(Admission by Audition only)
MEETS BEFORE SCHOOL
YEAR COURSE
The Jazz Band is designed to provide an opportunity for technically advanced wind, percussion, guitar, bass instrumentalists and pianists in grades 7 and 8. Students learn to perform jazz and contemporary music styles and are introduced to jazz improvisation. Members of the Jazz Band who play wind and percussion instruments are required to perform in their grade level Bands. Guitar, bass players, and pianists should be enrolled in orchestra or chorus. Jazz band students perform in concerts where their participation is required.
THREE BLOCKS PER CYCLE
YEAR COURSE
Seventh graders who play violin, viola, cello, and string bass participate in this orchestra. This ensemble is designed to provide string players with a substantive performance experience and to prepare them for advanced playing. Repertoire for the Orchestra is primarily drawn from the Baroque and Classical periods, as well as music from later stylistic periods. Orchestra students perform in regularly scheduled concerts throughout the year. Attendance and participation at performances are a required part of this course. Technically advanced orchestra members have the opportunity to audition for the Eastern Massachusetts Junior District Festival Orchestra. Private lessons are strongly recommended for all students. Continuous membership is strongly recommended for those planning to play in High School orchestral ensembles.
THREE BLOCKS PER CYCLE
SEMESTER COURSE (Can be taken twice for a full year)
Drama for 7th grade builds on existing theatre skills while adding new and challenging elements of improvisation. The highlights of the curriculum involve working with scripts to help with character development, stage business and scene study. In addition, students explore character backstories and perspective through monologue work. Blending improvisation with text work helps the students discover that the work of an actor involves being observant, perceptive and empathetic.
THREE BLOCKS PER CYCLE
SEMESTER COURSE
The grade 7 21st Century Digital Learning Elective is a new arm of our computer science program. This
course can be taken before, after, or at the same time as our grade 7 computer science 1 course. 21st Century Digital Learning is a course focused on digital citizenship and will study how to vet online information sources and critique digital media; methods for optimizing online searches; applications of artificial intelligence; and explore how to participate in our increasingly online world in a safe and ethical manner. This course will also explore the variety of ways that computer science can be parlayed into different career fields and invite guest speakers to teach students about how they use computer science in their chosen career.
While students receive some exposure to how to vet sources through the social studies curriculum, there is not a designated place in the curriculum to teach about online safety and ethics, the use of artificial intelligence, and how to conduct searches. Additionally, the current arm of computer science is only about programming, which is a segment of computer science and digital literacy. This course speaks to the digital literacy side of the computer science standards for middle school.
THREE BLOCKS PER CYCLE
SEMESTER COURSE
This semester-long, three-times-a-cycle course will be offered to 7th and 8th grade students. This course introduces the principles of computer science at a middle-school appropriate level and links these principles to algebraic thinking. In this course, students will complete a series of lessons designed to teach the basic syntax, structure, and process of writing programs in Python. These projects will tackle the following concepts: data types, variables, conditionals, loops, lists, algorithms, and debugging. Students create coding projects throughout the course and at course completion.
THREE BLOCKS PER CYCLE
SEMESTER COURSE
2D Art and Design is a studio-based elective for students who want to explore their creativity beyond the general Visual Arts class. This course focuses exclusively on two-dimensional media—drawing, painting,
photography, and digital art. Students will experiment with a variety of materials and techniques while developing their personal style and confidence as artists. Projects may include expressive drawing and painting, portraiture, cartooning and illustration, and an introduction to digital photography and digital art. Emphasis will be placed on creative problem solving, composition, craftsmanship, and visual storytelling. Students will maintain a sketchbook and build a mini-portfolio of finished work that reflects their growth and exploration throughout the semester. This course is ideal for students who enjoy making art, are curious about digital tools, or are considering taking art electives in 8th grade.
THREE OR SIX BLOCKS PER CYCLE
The grade 7 Reading courses target word recognition, vocabulary and comprehension skills and strategies for students with needs in those areas. Students have opportunities to build fluency through reading appropriately leveled texts. Placement in the Reading course is a result of recommendations from literacy specialists in consultations with school counselors.
THREE BLOCKS PER CYCLE
YEAR COURSE
The Grade 7 Math Workshop provides extra support to students who are enrolled in a regular (everyday) mathematics course. It targets computational skills and foundational concepts in math for students with significant needs in those areas. Students have opportunities to build skills proficiency and strong conceptual understanding of fundamental mathematical ideas through a variety of classroom and computer-based activities. The workshop teacher may also provide some support for the students' regular mathematics work, as time permits. Placement in this course is by recommendation of the classroom teacher in consultation with specialists, the school counselor, and parents.
Prerequisite: Department Director Approval
THREE BLOCKS PER CYCLE
YEAR COURSE
This course is for students who have demonstrated Developing and Expanding levels of English language proficiency. Students rapidly grow their academic vocabulary and skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Emphasis is on further developing academic language, interpreting and analyzing literature, and communicating using a variety of registers. Students learn to use multiple decoding strategies and apply information gleaned from content-based text. An English language proficiency assessment determines placement.
Prerequisite: Department Director Approval
SIX BLOCKS PER CYCLE
YEAR COURSE
This course is designed for students with Entering and Emerging levels of English language proficiency. Students learn middle school routines and expectations for class participation, homework, study skills, and assessments.
Discourse focuses on content-based topics, texts, and issues that are appropriate for the grade, age, and proficiency level. Learning activities will develop reading comprehension strategies, assist students in accessing some content-based texts, and develop communication skills to understand and use social and academic English. An English language proficiency assessment determines placement.