SCH Middle School for Boys Curriculum Guide 2015-2016

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MIDDLE SCHOOL FOR BOYS CURRICULUM GUIDE 2015 – 2016

500 West Willow Grove Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19118 • 215-247-7007


500 West Willow Grove Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19118 • 215-247-7007


MIDDLE SCHOOL CURRICULUM GUIDE

As students are guided to discover their intellectual and personal strengths, they learn perseverance and resilience and, through authentic collaboration, an abiding respect for both the individual talents of classmates and the power of the group. Students encounter an innovative curriculum within a rich and challenging environment that is filled with creative projects, interactive lessons, rigorous academics, and teachers who understand this transformative time in a young person’s life. MIDDLE SCHOOL HIGHLIGHTS Community and bonding through class trips Learning from and experiencing the outdoors is an important part of the Middle School experience. Class trips punctuate the Middle School years, helping to build class unity and providing new perspectives on classroom learning. Many students cite their outdoor and trip program experiences as among their most memorable ones at SCH. Honing skills and entrepreneurial thinking Middle School students enjoy classes through the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership (CEL). These classes focus on specific 21st century skills and topics identified as important for college and employment, including leadership and ethics, interviewing and oral presentation, prototyping, coding, economics and finance, and research, data, and analysis. Service learning opportunities to serve Students build their sense of effectiveness and learn they are part of a larger community through opportunities to serve, both within and beyond the school. Learning environments outside the classroom Opportunities abound for Middle School students to try new pursuits—on the playing field, on stage, and in a broad range of learning environments. In this way, students develop the confidence to act and are empowered to use their intrinsic talents as artists, authors, musicians, scholars, scientists, “techies,” community activists, and more.

500 West Willow Grove Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19118 • 215-247-7007


500 West Willow Grove Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19118 • 215-247-7007


MIDDLE SCHOOL FOR BOYS CURRICULUM GUIDE

“Our Middle School curriculum has been specially designed to engage boys’ boundless energy and explorer spirit while developing those essential intellectual and social building blocks—critical thinking and responsibility—that will endure their readiness for the rigor and independence of Upper School.” ~ Josh Budde Head of Middle School for Boys ENGLISH Our English program strives to solidify a lifelong love of reading and writing. We reinforce and build upon the boys’ reading fluency and comprehension, develop their interpretive reading and analytical writing abilities, and expand their grammar and syntax mastery so that they can successfully employ varying sentence structures in their own writing. Our boys leave the Middle School as budding analytical thinkers, critics, and authors with the confidence and the toolbox to help them thrive in Upper School English. HISTORY The history curriculum is designed to take advantage of the passion, curiosity, imagination, and energy of Middle School students. Students in 6th grade examine the geography and history of the ancient world, exploring themes with contemporary relevance. In the 7th and 8th grades, students participate in a two-year study of American history using the resources of Philadelphia to engage in experiential, hands-on learning. • 6th Grade – World History • 7th Grade – American (U.S.) History • 8th Grade – American (U.S.) History MATH Middle School math emphasizes process over results as it exposes students to the fundamentals of algebraic thinking. While reinforcing basic arithmetic skills with fractions, decimals, and percents, we begin in 6th grade to use variables in mathematical expressions and equations, culminating in 8th grade with formal algebra and the solving of systems of equations as well as quadratic equations. • 6th Grade – Advanced General Math • 7th Grade – Pre-Algebra • 8th Grade – Algebra

500 West Willow Grove Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19118 • 215-247-7007


SCIENCE In Middle School students continue to refine and strengthen basic science practices—skills used by real scientists and engineers. Our project-based approach to learning challenges students to design their own investigations by forming hypotheses, investigating in the lab or field, quantifying and analyzing data, and drawing conclusions. • 6th Grade – Life Science • 7th Grade – Earth Science • 8th Grade – Physical Science LANGUAGE Students may choose either to continue their Chinese studies or to start on a Romance language track. If they choose the latter, in 5th and 6th grades they take a Prima Lingua course in which they study the linguistic features common to many languages and the grammatical structures of English. In 7th grade, those students not continuing to study Chinese may choose to begin to study Spanish or Latin. • 6th Grade – Chinese or Prima Lingua • 7th Grade – Chinese, Spanish (Pt. 1), or Latin (Pt. 1) • 8th Grade – Chinese, Spanish (Pt. 2), or Latin (Pt. 2) MUSIC The music program for Middle School boys includes both performance opportunities and non-performance music learning. Boys may elect to participate either in Boychoir or Middle School Boys’ Orchestra for credit every year of Middle School. For those boys who are best served by a more general music curriculum, we offer Non-Western Music in 6th grade and Western Music in 7th grade. For non-singers and non-instrumentalists in 8th grade, there is the Handbell Choir and other entry-level ensemble groupings. • 6th Grade – Boychoir, Orchestra, General Music (Explorations in World Music) • 7th Grade – Boychoir, Orchestra, General Music (Explorations in Western Music) • 8th Grade – Boychoir, Orchestra, Explorations in Music Ensembles VISUAL ARTS Our lively visual arts program seeks to balance the learning of solid foundational skills with the adventure of expressive freedom. Our program is rich in two-dimensional, threedimensional, and digital art opportunities, collaborative experiences, and exposure to a variety of artistic traditions and cultures, building a broad visual literacy. Our lively visual arts program seeks to balance the learning of solid foundational skills with the adventure of expressive freedom. Our students develop an understanding of artistic concepts and an appreciation of the richness and complexity of artistic expression across the world.

500 West Willow Grove Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19118 • 215-247-7007


CENTER FOR ENTREPRENEURIAL LEADERSHIP (Introduction to skills needed for the 21st century) The Middle School boys experience the Center for Entrepreneurial Learning (CEL) through their core curriculum classes, CEL-specific classes, and the CEL Venture Incubator. The students take classes in coding, design, research and communication, engineering, economics/finance, and entrepreneurship. • 6th Grade – Introduction to Lego Robotics and Programming, Communications 2: Video, Acting, and Design, Teamwork and Collaboration • 7th Grade – Introduction to Computational Thinking, New Media: Design and Prototyping, Communications 3: Interviewing, Presentation, and Stage Technology • 8th Grade – Digital Publishing, Creative Problem Solving, Intro to Engineering and Material Science, Money Matters ENGINEERING AND ROBOTICS (Identifying problems and seeking solutions through design) In the Middle School, boys take a course that serves as an introduction to the basic facets of design and engineering. Through active engagement and tinkering, students identify problems and seek solutions while learning that resiliency in problem solving is essential to success.

Hear what parents have to say about why they selected SCH for their child: “Experiential STEM education: which means, extensive math course options, hands-on science that engages, computer programming classes beginning in Pre-K and an awardwinning engineering/robotics program. Add to that the business experiences and leadership opportunities offered through CEL — Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership … you can’t find this on any other campus until you get to college!” ~ Donna S., MSB parent “We looked at many schools for our son, but we chose SCH because of the STEM programming; this set the school apart from many other area private schools. It was a great decision; our son thrived during his first year at SCH Academy.” ~ Marci C., MSB parent

500 West Willow Grove Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19118 • 215-247-7007


500 West Willow Grove Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19118 • 215-247-7007


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