All sixth graders take art, English, math, P.E., science, social studies and Spanish throughout the year. Interdisciplinary classes that meet each week are Connections and science/math.
Sixth graders experience a new level of responsibility, organization and independence as they enter middle school. Through regular classroom instruction such as discussions, readings, and hands-on labs, students are urged to think independently and creatively as they take notes, work on projects, and complete assignments.
Across the curriculum teachers work with sixth graders, helping students further develop their ideas in written and oral communication. Students employ the writing process (pre-writing, drafting, revision, editing, publishing), and they regularly speak in classroom discussions or presentations. Students are also guided and encouraged to solve many of their own problems whether the problem solving occurs in a classroom atmosphere with a science lab or math problem, or outside the classroom with perhaps a situation unrelated to academics.
Sixth graders are called on to formulate and practice their critical thinking skills in all academic areas. They are challenged to evaluate information presented in class and to form their own opinions. Students routinely work in groups, listen to others, and share ideas as they experience the overlap of subjects in their weekly interdisciplinary Connections and science/math classes.
Seventh Grade
All seventh graders take art, civics, English, math, P.E., science, and Spanish throughout the year. CORE and Advisory are grade-level classes that meet weekly.
While seventh grade teachers have goals within their own classes, they also have grade-level goals which are integrated throughout the year and emphasized in Advisory and CORE. Developing independent and critical thinking skills is a primary goal of the seventh grade curriculum. Through instruction and assessment in all subject areas, students are encouraged to move beyond merely internalizing specific answers. They are urged to think, to formulate their own ideas, and to test their hypothesis. Seventh graders participate in many small group discussions and are encouraged to verbalize their thinking, to listen respectfully to the ideas of others, and to take stands on issues.
The seventh grade CORE curriculum is designed with cooperative learning, developing research skills, and oral presentations in mind. Major units throughout the year include Historical Innovators, Debate, and student businesses. Westminster School’s interdisciplinary philosophy and hands-on work are highlighted in these seventh grade projects where students practice skills and understanding gained from each academic area and where they act on the team’s overriding essential question, “How do my choices affect my life?”
Eighth Grade
For their eighth grade year students take art, English, history, math, P.E., science and Spanish. Each week they also participate in interdisciplinary classes: American Studies and engineering.
By eighth grade students at Westminster School are far along in achieving the goals of the Middle School, to think critically, to be responsible, and to work productively with others. Continuing this process, the eighth grade team strives to prepare students for the most rigorous academic program they could encounter in high school because high school grades do affect future academic choices. Eighth grade teachers, therefore, deliberately focus their efforts to challenge students academically, to expose them to various working groups, and to guide them to be leaders in the school. Teachers design curriculum and present academic material both as the foundation for further study in the discipline and in the context of furthering the learning process.
Scientific process, literacy, numeracy, and civility are all integrated aspects of eighth grade at Westminster School. Teachers expose eighth graders to different points of view, to a broad range of ideas and concepts, to primary as well as secondary sources, always expecting them to learn material and to perform adequately in all their classes. Other practiced areas of growth for eighth graders are in forming opinions, speaking with confidence and supporting their responses with details (“Use nouns, not pronouns as you answer the questions” teachers often tell their students.) High academic expectations within the team translate into continued successes for our students as they leave Westminster for area high schools.