Middle School

Middle School: Spanish, German, or Arabic for the older beginner

Spanish for the older beginner will prepare students to take courses in Latin American Geography and Art History the following year. Geography of Spain and Latin America, Earth Science, and Art History are taught in Spanish.
German for the older beginner uses programs from Germany made especially for integrating non-native speakers and refugees directly into middle school classrooms, especially in science. Science is taught in German and Spanish.
French: French Literature, Film, Geography, and Cultures of Africa are taught in French, with a concentration on French Africa.
Science is taught in German and Spanish.
English Literature and Composition: Students take American Literature, British Literature, and World Literature.
Middle school math, especially Algebra I, is taught in English.
Social Studies courses taught in English (Civics, World Religions, and World Cultures and Literatures), Spanish (US History), and French (Geography of Africa).

Middle School Curriculum

Social Studies

On a rotating basis middle school students take Civics, World Religions, and US History. US History will be taught in Spanish if students have a strong enough language background.

Civics is taught from a global perspective and will be a global study of citizenship, human rights, and various government structures, concentrating on our system of government in the United States. We will respectfully look at issues from various viewpoints.

World Religions is taught from an open, respectful, and as neutral as possible point of view. Students will take field trips to the VMFA's Asia and Medieval galleries, and to a variety of places of worship. They will have the chance to interact with guest speakers.

Mathematics

Sixth grade students solidify the foundations of arithmetic, fractions, decimals, geometry, problem solving skills, beginning algebra and statistics.

Seventh and eighth grade students study Algebra and Geometry. Geometry studies are integrated into the studies of architecture, and Islamic, Medieval and Renaissance art studied in Art History.

High School Algebra I is taken in 8th grade for high school credit.

Science

Earth Science is taught in Spanish, if students have a strong Spanish background, and World Geography

– Astronomy and Meteorology: The night sky observed with a nightly sketch journal. Field Trip to Planetarium.

– Geology – rocks, minerals of the earth and geological landscape art.

Possible Trip and hike to rock formations and caverns.

- World Geography and Environmental Science

7th & 8th grades: Life Science, Chemistry, and Physics - taught in German

Using a German curriculum designed for integrating refugees and new learners of German into standard middle school science classrooms, biologie, chemistry, and physics are studied on a trimester basis each year.