MIDDLE SCHOOL
MIDDLE SCHOOL (Logic stage and beginnings of Rhetoric)
Middle School instructors strive to maintain a comprehensive college preparatory academic program. Middle school classes are taught by fully certified / highly qualified content area teachers.
Reading and comprehension are essential to meet the academic and spiritual challenges of the 21st Century. To demonstrate proficient reading skills we cover a variety of genre, historical fiction, classics, poetry, folktales and biographies. Middle School students also reading analyze and discuss a variety of playwrights including Shakespeare. Each piece literature is systematically analyzed and discussed to help increase comprehension and vocabulary. Reading journals, quizzes and papers are all a part of the student’s assessment. Oral presentations are incorporated as an alternative assessment providing students the opportunity to develop their speaking and presentation skills.
At St. Therese Catholic School, writing is a way of learning about one’s self and about the world. It is one of the most effective tools for learning in all subject areas. Students are provided the opportunity to see themselves as writers. They need to know that what they have to say is significant. They also need ample opportunities for authentic writing -- writing that is useful and has meaning for them.
To accomplish this, the middle school writing program instills confidence in the students’ ability to write through encouragement and positive feedback. Instruction in specific skills of grammar and usage integrated into the writing process. However, these mechanical skills are not allowed to overwhelm the students to the point of stifling their desire to write. The mechanics of writing are integrated with vocabulary and spelling. Students are encouraged to express themselves through short stories and poetry. Middle school students use technology available to engage in research, conduct web based literature searches, and create whole class unit presentations.
Middle school math curriculum culminates in a formal study of Algebra 1 in preparation for work in high school. Content at the sixth and seventh grade integrates all strands of math; number relationships and operations, algebraic thinking, geometry, data analysis & probability, and measurement. The instructional program is supported by Saxon Math materials as well as Renaissance Learning’s Accelerated Math. The eighth grade Algebra students are expected to demonstrate competence with solving and graphing linear equations, quadratic equations, and systems of equations containing two variables.
The science curriculum encompasses Life, Earth and Physical Science. Each quarter there is a rotation through each of the science that follows the Colorado State standards. Thus all standards will have been taught within a three year cycle giving the student a true exposure to all of the science and state standards. “Hands-on, minds-on” activities round out the science curriculum. The science program is supported with labs, interactive technology, scientific writing, Past activities have included a “balloon launch, making popcorn balls at Christmas and field trips to City Park to collect water specimens
Social Studies is broken into on a three year cycle. Each year is divided into quarters. The first quarter focuses on World History, beginning in Early Civilizations. The second quarter focuses on Geography, with an emphasis on practical map skills and land formations. The third quarter looks into American History, explorers and the founding of America. Finally, the fourth quarter is a look at Government, comparing other forms of government with our Democracy. There is always an emphasis on Current Events. Ancient History is also taught in the grand tradition of Classical Education