English/Language Arts

Our increasingly complex and collaborative world requires that young people become effective communicators. The ability to think about ideas -- and to express these ideas through speaking and writing with greater complexity and clarity -- is essential for success in the academic and professional world.  English Language Arts (ELA) instruction provides the skills and knowledge that students will need to succeed and thrive in any environment or discipline.  The overarching goal of The Beech Hill School’s ELA curriculum is to develop effective, fluent, and confident communicators.  To achieve this goal, the curriculum focuses on reading (to develop critical analysis, insight, and ideas), grammar and vocabulary (to develop fluency and variety of language), and writing and speaking (to produce well-constructed, well-supported arguments).

Reading

• Students will read, analyze, interpret, and discuss works from a variety of acknowledged classics and contemporary authors.  
• Students will develop content comprehension skills.
• The books and selections will include many different genres and styles: fiction, non-fiction, drama, and poetry.  
• Reading lists are organized around essential, central themes of literature:  Plot & Setting in 6th grade, Character in 7th grade, and Conflict in 8th grade.   The focus for each grade is integrated with the social studies focus for that grade level.

Below are sample reading lists of representative books for each central theme.

6th Grade: Plot and Setting

7th Grade: Character

8th Grade: Conflict

Grammar and Vocabulary

• Through direct instruction and exposure to a variety of genres, students will learn and use the mechanics of written English, including parts of speech, syntax, punctuation, sentence structure, figurative language, and voice.
• Students will develop and enhance their vocabulary, including words with Greek and Latin roots and word with origin in other languages.
• The rules of spelling and their application in writing.

Written and Spoken Communication

• Extensive, daily practice in the process of creating, revising, and editing drafts.
• Developing and expressing ideas* through participation in whole class discussion and literature circles.
• Various types of writing* including persuasive, expository, expressive, and thesis-driven.  Students will also be exposed to research writing.  Thesis-driven writing will be the major focus of the 8th grade ELA curriculum.     
• Learning and using proper citation of bibliographic information and other sources.
• Formal presentations*, including the use of multi-media.

* While the skills involved in expressing ideas, writing, and presenting are explicitly outlined in the ELA curriculum, they are critical components of all disciplines taught at The Beech Hill School.  Across disciplines, teachers will incorporate these activities, and students will be expected to engage in them.

Mathematics

Students have spent the bulk of elementary mathematics developing their number sense and operational fluency.  During middle school, students will use these skills to begin delving into rich, complex problems in various disciplines.  Students begin to view mathematics as a compelling and valuable tool not only to solve problems but also to communicate their ideas.

The Beech Hill School mathematics curriculum was developed to align with the NCTM Standards and the Common Core Standards.  Most mathematical topics will be taught in each course, but with increasing complexity.  Each subsequent course will build upon student’s prior knowledge and then add to that body of knowledge.   In order to develop strong mathematical understanding, The Beech Hill math curriculum and pedagogy focuses on mathematical reasoning, problem solving, and communication.

The following skills and processes will be included in all math classes:

• Connections
• Multiple Representations
• Communication and Discussion
• Problem-Solving and Applied Mathematics
• Technology Tools
• Estimation and Reasonableness
• Modeling

Below are lists of the major topics taught in each course:

Math 6

• Comparing rational numbers in different representations, especially fractions and percents
• Using ratios and proportions
• Understanding the relationship between operations, especially multiplication and division
• Computing fluently using rational numbers
• Number theory
• Using properties of numbers
• Exponents
• The coordinate plane
• Independent and dependent variable
• Basic geometric shapes, properties, and principles
• Angles
• Measurement
• Statistical variability and central tendency

Math 7

• Solving and graphing one variable equations and inequalities
• Writing expressions and equations to represent a relationship
• Continue to develop number sense and computational fluency, introducing irrational numbers
• Continue to develop understanding of ratios and proportionality, introducing similarity and congruence
• Radicals
• Fractional bases
• Generating equivalent expressions
• Constructing geometric figures
• Angles and lines
• Surface area and volume
• Comparing populations
• Probability Models

Pre-Algebra

• Conceptual understanding of a variable or symbolic expression
• Solving and graphing systems of linear equations or inequalities
• Using ratios, proportions, and percents
• Algebraic notation
• Radicals
• Exponents
• Scientific Notation
• Evaluating and comparing functions
• Pythagorean Theorem
• Transformations
• Surface area and volume
• Congruence and similarity
• Probability Models

Algebra

• Representing, analyzing, and comparing patterns in various representations
• Solving equations and inequalities
• Identifying linear and nonlinear functions
• Simplifying expressions
• Absolute value equations
• Polynomials and Rational Expressions
• Radical Equations
• Writing equations to represent a relationship or solve a problem
• Function notation
• Representing and comparing linear, quadratic, and exponential functions
• Trigonometric Functions

Science

The Science Program at BHS includes a year each of Earth Science, Life Science, and Physical Science.  All of the science courses investigate the ‘how’ and the ‘why’ behind the concepts we explore. Students work to apply those concepts to real-world examples, and to recognize that an understanding of how the world works on a molecular level can help one to see the patterns and scientific principles at work in the rest of the world and beyond, and vice versa.  Students learn and practice the scientific method and precise measurement, design their own experiments and engage with careful inquiry both in and out of the classroom. A weekly science journal encourages students to recognize science in their everyday lives, and larger Science Share Projects ask students to pursue some of their personal interests and questions in greater depth. The science department consults the Next Generation Science Standards in generating curriculum, and works closely with the other departments, especially math, in a manner that reinforces the fundamental interdisciplinary nature of the concepts we study.

The Earth Science course begins with an introduction to the scientific method, measuring, metrics, and states of matter. These skills and concepts are then applied as students move on to study the earth’s systems. Their voyage begins with geology, reading the land for clues as to our past and any indications of what may come in the future. Students then explore how energy cycles through our planet, including the atmosphere and hydrosphere, to influence weather and climate. Once students have gained a solid comprehension of earth’s interconnected spheres, we start to explore the solar system, our place within it, and to apply our knowledge of earth—from tectonics to thunderstorms— to understanding other planets and moons.

The Life Science course explores the mystery of living things. We explore how life is classified, examining organisms on the microscopic level,  and discovering the inner workings of cells as well as the principles of genetics that are at the root of the diversity of life we observe on earth today. We then zoom out a bit to investigate one particularly curious organism in greater depth: the species Homo sapiens sapiens. Our study of the human body ranges from investigating current research about the brain, to a forensics unit in which students use their learning about body systems to try and solve a (fictional) cold case.  Throughout the course students are encouraged to recognize the connections between living things, as well as their adaptations and interactions with their environment, so the spring brings great opportunities to conduct field (and other habitat!) research.

The Physical Science course combines studies of chemistry and physics. Students come to understand properties of matter: why it interacts and how. They also investigate forces, transfers of energy, and how these relate to matter and doing ‘work.’ These are concepts that we witness on earth, but tie-ins to the larger universe are woven throughout the curriculum in fun and meaningful ways for students. Along with keeping an eye on the ‘cosmos,’ in this class students are also keeping their hands and minds busy, engineering creative models and structures for ‘design challenges.’ Students provide plans and proposals in a style modeled after NASA’s own processes, and develop innovative solutions of their own to accomplish complex tasks. In this way, students can physically witness and apply the concepts they’re learning, and develop their technical, engineering, experimental and critical thinking skills.

Social Studies

Below is the three sequence for social studies:

6th grade - Geography & World Cultures

7th grade - US History

8th grade - Conflict, Civics, & Economics

The social studies curriculum is designed to integrate with themes being addressed in the English classes.  In 6th grade, students will focus on the literature theme of plot and setting while they are learning about actual places and cultures around the world.  In 7th grade, students will delve into the rich characters of US history, both nationally and abroad, and characters in literature.  And as 8th graders, students will contemplate conflict in both their ELA and their social studies classes.

In each class, the following topics and skills will be included:

Knowledge

• History
• Geography
• Anthropology
• Sociology
• Economics
• Civics
• Government

Intellectual Skills

• Asking questions and listening
• Identifying and describing the world
• Evaluating and forming opinions
• Developing historical and geographic perspective
• Thinking critically and constructively about the world

Participatory Skills

• Interacting with others from similar and different backgrounds
• Monitoring public events and issues
• Deliberating and making decisions
• Taking action to improve the community
• Participating responsibility in the community
• Promoting the common good

Spanish

Through history, art, geography, food, and music, students learn Spanish and are exposed to Spanish culture. Similar to the way a first language is learned, most of the Spanish curriculum is focused on speaking and listening.  Reading and writing are gradually introduced as a natural extension of learning and speaking a new language.  The study of foreign language not only includes learning a new vocabulary and set of grammatical rules. It also involves developing confidence in an entirely new language and becoming more comfortable taking risks and actively participating.  For example, students will often act out scenarios to help learn Spanish from contextual, visual cues.

Below are lists of the major topics covered during the 3 year Spanish sequence.

Level 1

• Greetings
• Numbers
• Days of week, months of the year
• Time
• Weather
• Spanish Alphabet
• Pronunciation
• Vocabulary:  Colors, foods, family members, clothing, weather, parts of the house or neighborhood
• Articles
• Masculine/Feminine Agreement
• Pronouns
• Common Verbs & the Present Tense

Level 2

• Verbs
• Future Tense
• Subject/Verb Agreement
• Punctuation & Accents
• Adjectives
• Prepositions
• Sentence structure
• Word order
• Writing and reading

Level 3

• Past tenses
• Command form
• Continued development of vocabulary
• Adverbs
• Spelling rules
• Writing and reading