Middle School

Our Middle School is where students blossom as independent thinkers. These adolescents approach learning in an enthusiastic and profound way as they are called upon to meet the more academically demanding curriculum. This level of engagement stems from an interest in learning that has been deeply nurtured throughout the elementary grades.

By the time students enter Middle School, math becomes a culmination of connecting mathematical discoveries rooted in history with the practical use of math today. As in previous grades, mathematical teaching follows the sequence of building on concrete knowledge first, and ending with a reasoning for algorithms.

Students entering Middle School are ready to apply their strong foundation in Language Arts at a high level of independence. Students are deconstructing and writing stories, poems, working in subject-related literature groups, and writing research papers. This method  encourages students to approach writing with a sense of depth and purpose rather than quantity.

Middle School initiates the beginning of teaching history as its own subject. Through biographies and historical events, students are immersed in the lives of their predecessors and begin to analyze, synthesize and make connections that bring up stimulating questions about society’s and our role in the past and future. From ancient empires, to periods of exploration and revolution, students make their way around the world and end in modern times. In addition, Middle School students continue their study of geography, learning about the people, places and economics of the world. 

Students in middle school bring their strong connection to nature and observational skills to approach science as a conceptual practice. They are introduced to the scientific method by observing and carrying out demonstrations that reveal natural phenomena. “Hypotheses” are not presented to students, rather the Socratic method of discussion is the vehicle for which students develop their own understanding of the scientific concepts.

The importance of art continues in middle school. Charcoal drawing, scale-grid drawing and perspective drawing develop advanced skills in the students that resemble those obtained in high school art classes.