English Language Arts 6

This course eases students’ transition to middle school with engaging, age-appropriate literary and informational reading selections. Students learn to read critically, analyze texts, and cite evidence to support ideas as they read essential parts of literary and informational texts and explore a full unit on Lewis Carroll’s classic novel Through the Looking Glass. Vocabulary, grammar, and listening skills are sharpened through lessons that give students explicit modeling and ample practice. Students also engage in routine, responsive writing based on texts they have read. In extensive, process-based writing lessons, students write topical essays in narrative, informative, analytical, and argumentative formats. In this full-year course, students develop a mastery of reading, writing, and language arts skills.

English Language Arts 7

Students grow as readers, writers, and thinkers in this middle school course. With engaging literary and informational texts, students learn to think critically, analyze an author’s language, and cite evidence to support ideas. Students complete an in-depth study of Jack London’s classic novel White Fang and read excerpts from other stories, poetry, and nonfiction. Explicit modeling and ample opportunities for practice help students sharpen their vocabulary, grammar, and listening skills. Students also respond routinely to texts they have read. In extensive, process based writing lessons, students write topical essays in narrative, informative, analytical, and argumentative formats. In this full year course, students develop a mastery of reading, writing, and language arts skills

English Language Arts 8

In this course, students build on their knowledge and blossom as thoughtful readers and clear, effective writers. A balance of literary and informational texts engage students throughout the course in reading critically, analyzing texts, and citing evidence to support claims. Students sharpen their vocabulary, grammar, and listening skills through lessons designed to provide explicit modeling and ample opportunities to practice. Students also routinely write responses to texts they have read, and use more extensive, process-based lessons to produce full-length essays in narrative, informative, analytical, and argumentative formats. In this full year course, students develop a mastery of reading, writing, and language arts skills.

Literacy & Comprehension I

This course is one of two intervention courses designed to support the development of strategic reading and writing skills. These courses use a thematic and contemporary approach, including high interest topics to motivate students and expose them to effective instructional principles using diverse content area and real-world texts. Both courses offer an engaging technology-based interface that inspires and challenges students to gain knowledge and proficiency in the following comprehension strategies: summarizing, questioning, previewing and predicting, recognizing text structure, visualizing, making inferences, and monitoring understanding with metacognition. Aimed at improving fluency and vocabulary, self evaluation strategies built into these courses inspire students to take control of their learning.

Literacy & Comprehension II

Offering high-interest topics to motivate students who are reading two to three levels below grade, this course works in conjunction with Literacy & Comprehension I to use a thematic and contemporary approach to expose students to effective instructional principles using diverse content area and real world texts. Each of these reading intervention courses offers an engaging, technology-based interface that inspires and challenges high school and middle school students to gain knowledge and proficiency in the following comprehension strategies: summarizing, questioning, previewing and predicting, recognizing text structure, visualizing, making inferences, and monitoring understanding with metacognition. Aimed at improving fluency and vocabulary, self evaluation strategies built into these courses inspire students to take control of their learning.

Mathematics 6

This course begins by connecting ratio and rate to multiplication and division, allowing students to use ratio reasoning to solve a wide variety of problems. Students further apply their understanding of multiplication and division to explain the standard procedure for dividing fractions. This course builds upon previous notions of the number system to now include the entire set of rational numbers. Students begin to understand the use of variables as they write, evaluate, and simplify expressions. They use the idea of equality and properties of operations to solve one-step equations and inequalities. In statistics, students explore different graphical ways to display data. They use data displays, measures of center, and measures of variability to summarize data sets. The course concludes with students reasoning about relationships among shapes to determine area, surface area, and volume.

Mathematics 7

This course begins with an in-depth study of proportional reasoning during which students utilize concrete models such as bar diagrams and tables to increase and develop conceptual understanding of rates, ratios, proportions, and percentages. Students’ number fluency and understanding of the rational number system are extended as they perform operations with signed rational numbers embedded in real-world contexts. In statistics, students develop meanings for representative samples, measures of central tendency, variation, and the ideal representation for comparisons of given data sets. Students develop an understanding of both theoretical and experimental probability. Throughout the course, students build fluency in writing expressions and equations that model real-world scenarios. They apply their understanding of inverse operations to solve multi-step equations and inequalities. Students build on their proportional reasoning to solve problems about scale drawings by relating the corresponding lengths between objects. The course concludes with a geometric analysis of angle relationships, area, and volume of both two- and three-dimensional figures.

Mathematics 8

The course begins with a unit on input-output relationships that builds a foundation for learning about functions. Students make connections between verbal, numeric, algebraic, and graphical representations of relations and apply this knowledge to create linear functions that can be used to model and solve mathematical and real-world problems. Technology is used to build deeper connections among representations. Students focus on formulating expressions and equations, including modeling an association in bivariate data with a linear equation, and writing and solving linear equations and systems of linear equations. Students develop a deeper understanding of how translations, rotations, reflections, and dilations of distances and angles affect congruency and similarity. Students develop rules of exponents and use them to simplify exponential expressions. Students extend rules of exponents as they perform operations with numbers in scientific notation. Estimating and comparing square roots of non-perfect squares to perfect squares exposes students to irrational numbers and lays the foundation for applications such as the Pythagorean theorem, distance, and volume.

Science 6

This sixth-grade course focuses on increasing student knowledge of the applications of life, earth, and physical sciences in the natural world. Students investigate earth science topics such as Earth’s location and role in the universe, and the overall structure of the solar system. Students also expand their understanding of ecosystems, including the cycles of matter, biodiversity, energy transformations, and the role of forces in shaping the environment. Skills lessons and interactive laboratory activities throughout the course provide students with various opportunities to hone their understanding of applying scientific inquiry.

Science 7

This full-year, seventh-grade school course focuses on introducing students to the diversity of life found on our planet. The course includes an overview of scientific principles and procedures, and leads students toward a clearer understanding of cells and heredity, the five kingdoms, human body systems, and ecology. As students refine and expand their understanding of life science, they will apply their knowledge in investigations that require them to ask questions and explore the world around them. Throughout the course, students will also solve problems, reason abstractly, and learn to think critically.

Science 8

In this eighth-grade course students examine the composition of matter and the chemical building blocks of our physical world. Then they learn about the unique relationship between matter, elements, and compounds, and their representation in chemical equations. Students increase their understanding of motion, forces, and Newton’s laws and how these concepts are applied in the physical world. Additionally, students discuss the topics of electricity and magnetism and the effects these phenomena exhibit on the planet. Skills lessons and interactive laboratory activities throughout the course provide students with various opportunities to hone their understanding of applying scientific inquiry.

Grade 6 World History and Geography

This yearlong course covers ancient peoples, cultures, civilizations, and innovations through approximately 300 CE. Students are introduced to historical inquiry skills for application to studies of ancient civilizations. Students explore physical and human geography to explain how ancient people interacted with the environment and understand how civilizations developed. Students study early economies and how trade relations affected culture and language. In later lessons, students examine how early forms of government and technology have had a lasting influence on modern civilization. Throughout the course, students analyze maps and primary sources to identify patterns and make connections across time and space. Students are exposed to diverse cultures and learn to explore the past with historical empathy.

Grade 7 World History and Geography

Providing students with an opportunity to learn the diverse history that has shaped our world, this course delves into the evolution of civilization from the rise of ancient empires through the twenty first century. Middle school students enrolled in this exciting and informative course investigate the development of medieval societies, the effects of the Renaissance and the Reformation, and the progress made during various periods of revolution, industrialization, urbanization, and reform. Over the course of two semesters, students analyze the effects of political conflicts and social issues on the continuing development and interdependence among nations in the modern world.

Grade 8 U.S. History & Geography

Offering an interactive and comprehensive overview of American history, this course engages and inspires students to learn about the rich and diverse history of America’s native peoples, early European colonization and settlement in America, and the creation of a new nation through the American Revolution. Middle school students enrolled in this course will closely examine major changes brought about by the nation’s reconstruction, industrialization, urbanization, and progressive reforms and consider the implications each of these events had on the expansion of the United States’ global influence through modern times. Over the course of two semesters, interesting course content encourages students to think carefully about the challenges and opportunities facing the United States in the twenty-first century.

Spanish 1

Middle school students begin their introduction to Spanish with fundamental building blocks in four key areas of foreign language study: listening comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing. Each unit consists of an ongoing adventure story, a new vocabulary theme and grammar concept, numerous interactive games reinforcing vocabulary and grammar, reading and listening comprehension activities, speaking and writing activities, and multimedia cultural presentations covering major Spanish-speaking areas in Europe and the Americas.

Spanish 2

Students in middle school continue their introduction to Spanish with fundamental building blocks in four key areas of foreign language study: listening comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing. Each unit consists of an ongoing adventure story, a new vocabulary theme and grammar concept, numerous interactive games reinforcing vocabulary and grammar, reading and listening comprehension activities, speaking and writing activities, and multimedia cultural presentations covering major Spanish-speaking areas in Europe and the Americas.

French 1

Students in middle school begin their introduction to French with fundamental building blocks in four key areas of foreign language study: listening comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing. Each unit consists of an ongoing adventure story, a new vocabulary theme and grammar concept, numerous interactive games reinforcing vocabulary and grammar, reading and listening comprehension activities, speaking and writing activities, and multimedia cultural presentations covering major French-speaking areas in Europe and across the globe.

French 2

Middle school students continue their introduction to French with fundamental building blocks in four key areas of foreign language study: listening comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing. Each unit consists of an ongoing adventure story, a new vocabulary theme and grammar concept, numerous interactive games reinforcing vocabulary and grammar, reading and listening comprehension activities, speaking and writing activities, and multimedia cultural presentations covering major French-speaking areas in Europe and across the globe.

Chinese 1

In this middle school course, students begin their introduction to Chinese with fundamental building blocks in four key areas of foreign language study: listening comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing. Each unit consists of an ongoing adventure story, a new vocabulary theme and grammar concept, numerous interactive games reinforcing vocabulary and grammar, reading and listening comprehension activities, speaking and writing activities, and multimedia cultural presentations covering major Chinese-speaking countries.

Chinese 2

Middle school students continue their introduction to Chinese with fundamental building blocks in four key areas of foreign language study: listening comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing. Each unit consists of an ongoing adventure story, a new vocabulary theme and grammar concept, numerous interactive games reinforcing vocabulary and grammar, reading and listening comprehension activities, speaking and writing activities, and multimedia cultural presentations covering major Chinese-speaking countries

German 1

Middle school students begin their introduction to German with fundamental building blocks in four key areas of foreign language study: listening comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing. Each unit consists of an ongoing adventure story, a new vocabulary theme and grammar concept, numerous interactive games reinforcing vocabulary and grammar, reading and listening comprehension activities, speaking and writing activities, and multimedia cultural presentations covering major German-speaking areas in Europe.

German 2

Students continue their introduction to middle school German with this second-year course by covering fundamental building blocks in four key areas of foreign language study: listening comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing. Each unit consists of an ongoing adventure story, a new vocabulary theme and grammar concept, numerous interactive games reinforcing vocabulary and grammar, reading and listening comprehension activities, speaking and writing activities, and multimedia cultural presentations covering major German-speaking areas in Europe.

Latin 1

Students in middle school begin their introduction to Latin with fundamental building blocks in four key areas of foreign language study: listening comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing. Each unit consists of a new vocabulary theme and grammar concept, numerous interactive games reinforcing vocabulary and grammar, reading and listening comprehension activities, speaking and writing activities, cultural presentations covering significant aspects of Roman culture or their modern-day manifestations, and assessments.

Latin 2

Middle school students continue their introduction to Latin with fundamental building blocks in four key areas of foreign language study: listening comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing. Each unit consists of a new vocabulary theme and grammar concept, numerous interactive games reinforcing vocabulary and grammar, reading and listening comprehension activities, speaking and writing activities, cultural presentations covering significant aspects of Roman culture or their modern-day manifestations, and assessments.

Keyboarding and Applications

Keyboarding and Applications is a semester-long course that teaches students keyboarding skills, technical skills, effective communication skills, and productive work habits. Students learn proper keyboarding techniques. Once students have been introduced to keyboarding skills, lessons include daily practice of those skills. Students gain an understanding of computer hardware, operating systems, file management, and the Internet. In addition, students apply their keyboarding skills and create a variety of business documents, including word processing documents and electronic presentations. Required materials: ƒ Word-processing software (e.g., MS Word) ƒ Presentation software (e.g., MS PowerPoint)

Online Learning and Digital Citizenship

This one-semester course provides students with a comprehensive introduction to online learning, including how to work independently, stay safe, and develop effective study habits in virtual learning environments. Featuring direct-instruction videos, interactive tasks, authentic projects, and rigorous assessments, the course prepares students for high school by providing in-depth instruction and practice in important study skills such as time management, effective note-taking, test preparation, and collaborating effectively online. By the end of the course, students will understand what it takes to be successful online learners and responsible digital citizens.

Career Readiness Career Explorations I *

Career Explorations I is a semester-long course designed to give middle school students an opportunity to explore various CTE subjects. Specifically, students learn about careers involving human-related services. Each of the five units introduce one particular field and explains its past, present, and future. These units include: Career Management, Introduction to Careers in Health Sciences, Hospitality and Tourism Systems, Human Services, and Consumer Services. The goal is to whet students’ appetites for these careers. Students can then explore that career in more detail as a high school student.

Career Explorations II *

Career Explorations II is a semester-long course designed to give middle school students an opportunity to explore various CTE subjects. Specifically, students learn about careers involving various technical fields from computers to agriculture. Each of the five units introduces one particular field and explains its past, present, and future. Microsoft, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Office are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Python is a registered trademark of the Python Software Foundation. Adobe and Illustrator are registered trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries. Audacity is a registered trademark of Dominic Mazzoni. Units include: Information Technology, Introduction to Information Support and Services, Introduction to Network Systems, Introduction to Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources, and Introduction to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). The goal is to whet students’ appetites for these careers. Students can then explore that career in more detail as a high school student.

Career Explorations III *

Career Explorations III is a semester-long course designed to give middle school students an opportunity to explore various CTE subjects. Specifically, students learn about careers from business to handson career paths. Each of the five unit introduces one particular field and explains its past, present, and future. These units include: Introduction to Business and Finance, Introduction to Manufacturing, Introduction to Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics, Introduction to Architecture and Construction, and Introduction to Marketing. The goal is to whet students’ appetites for these careers. Students can then explore that career in more detail as a high school student.

Career Exploration

This course prepares middle school students to make informed decisions about their future academic and occupational goals. Through direct instruction, interactive skill demonstrations, and practice assignments, students learn how to assess their own skills and interests, explore industry clusters and pathways, and develop plans for career and academic development. This course is designed to provide flexibility for students; any number of units can be selected to comprise a course that meets the specific needs of students.