6th grade Humanities is a survey course of geography, history, civics
and economics. The first semester begins with the establishment of fundamental geography
skills that serve as a foundation for the exploration of the globe. Once students have gained a
spatial awareness of the world, students discover the ancient histories of the western hemisphere,
specifically the Maya, Aztec and Inca. Second semester starts with a focus on literacy
skills with a study of the novel Wolf Brother by Michelle Paver.
Upon completion, students will move through basic economic and civic understanding of
global issues. The semester ends with an in-depth look at the North American Native population
and the cultural clash of European Exploration. Overall, Humanities will provide students
with an understanding of the world around them so that they may make a positive impact in
our community and beyond.
In 6th grade Language Arts students read a variety of novels which may include: Esperanza Rising, The Watsons Go to Birmingham, Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry, and The Outsiders. We also focus on reading poetry, various articles and short stories. In Writer’s Workshop 6th grade students will develop their writing skills with not only short constructed responses (a paragraph) as well as extended constructed responses (3-7 paragraph essays). One of our first writing projects will include writing a personal narrative.
Some of the major skills we work on include: main idea/supporting details, making inferences and citing text evidence, identifying and writing figurative language, reading and coding strategies, context clues, inferring, author’s purpose and grammar.
Sixth grade honors Language Arts is the first step students take in preparation for a four-year college track. It will set these students up for being placed in honors classes throughout middle school , into the high school, and into college level (AP) classes. The class will provide extensions to the regular 6th grade curriculum, and therefore have advanced expectations for the quality of work produced. The reading will be above grade-level with a variety of novels, short stories and poems. The writing requirements will be accelerated towards the seventh grade requirements. Students will be creating research papers, personal narratives, poetry, letters and other forms of writing that will all benefit their future academic success.
The Literacy I class is designed to improve students’ reading fluency, comprehension, vocabulary, phonics and phonemic awareness. Students use a program
designed to help them improve their reading confidence, fluency and abilities.
The Literacy II class is designed to improve students’ comprehension, vocabulary and oral language skills so that they may succeed in all other academic courses. Students read novels, complete projects and give a variety of presentations.
In Math 6, instructional time will focus on five critical areas:
(1) connecting ratio and rate to whole number multiplication and division and using concepts of ratio and rate to solve problems;
(2) completing understanding of division of fractions and extending the notion of number to the system of rational numbers, which includes negative numbers;
(3) writing, interpreting, and using expressions and equations; (4) developing understanding of statistical thinking; and (5) reasoning about relationships among shapes to determine area, surface area and volume.
In Math 6/7, instructional time will focus on six critical areas:
(1) connecting ratio and rate to whole number multiplication and division and using concepts of ratio and rate to solve problems;
(2) developing understanding of and applying proportional relationships;
(3) completing understanding of division of fractions and developing understanding of rational numbers and of operations with rational numbers;
(4) reasoning about relationships among shapes to determine area, surface area and volume;
(5) writing, interpreting, and using expressions and equations; and (6) developing understanding of statistical thinking and drawing inferences about populations based on samples.
The 6th grade science curriculum spirals an introduction to the nature of science throughout the year as students zero in on six different key content areas.
The specific units that will be taught include: Earth’s structure and natural processes, ecosystems and energy flow, phases of matter, water cycle and natural resources, atoms and molecules, followed by measurement.
7th Grade Humanities is a course where students learn about the history, geography, economics and governments of early histories of the Eastern Hemisphere.
Specifically, students learn about Mesopotamia and the beginnings of history, Egypt, Greece, Rome, The Middle Ages, India and Asia, and Islam and Europe.
Skills focused on in the class include reading comprehension, writing and critical thinking as well as map reading, how to interpret primary and secondary sources, how to interpret graphs and charts and how to persuade, summarize and problem solve. The goal is to develop critical thinking and writing communication skills that will help the student become a successful and contributing member of society.
This course is designed to have 7th grade students master foundational critical reading skills: main idea, inferring, drawing conclusions and context clues, through short stories, non-fiction text, poetry, novels and plays. This course will also develop students’ writing skills through daily writing, grammar, vocabulary
application and use, and extended essays.
Course Description: This course is designed to go above and beyond the foundational skills developed in 7th grade language arts by developing students’ abilities to analyze increasingly complex literature through rigorous reading and writing exercises. This course moves at a rapid pace and requires one hour of daily homework or reading.
The Literacy I class is designed to improve students’ reading fluency, comprehension, vocabulary, phonics and phonemic awareness. Students use a program
designed to help them improve their reading confidence, fluency and abilities.
The Literacy II class is designed to improve students’ comprehension, vocabulary and oral language skills so that they may succeed in all other academic courses. Students read novels, complete projects and give a variety of presentations.
In Math 7, instructional time will focus on four critical areas:
(1) developing understanding of and applying proportional relationships;
(2) developing understanding of operations with rational numbers and working with expressions and linear equations;
(3) solving problems involving scale drawings and informal geometric constructions, and working with two- and three-dimensional shapes to solve problems involving area, surface area, and volume; and (4) drawing inferences about populations based on samples.
In Math 7/8, instructional time will focus on four critical areas: (1) formulating and reasoning about expressions and equations, including modeling an association in bivariate data with a linear equation, and solving linear equations and systems of linear equations;
(2) grasping the concept of a function and using functions to describe quantitative relationships;
(3) analyzing two- and three-dimensional space and figures using distance, angle, similarity, and congruence, and understanding and applying the Pythagorean Theorem; and
(4) solving problems involving scale drawings and informal geometric constructions, and working with two- and three-dimensional shapes to solve problems involving area, surface area, and volume.
The focus of science in the 7th grade is to provide students with inquiry based experiences that allow students to develop their mastery of key common core content standards while they expand their scientific process and analysis skills throughout academic term.
Direct Instruction and guided inquiry will be used as students study scientific concepts in the following curriculum: cells, photosynthesis, and cellular respiration; human anatomy; plate tectonics and geological processes; geologic time and the fossil record; evolution and adaptations; characteristic properties of matter. Our middle school science curriculum emphasizes the skills of scientific inquiry, scientific literacy and the use of 21st century skills in these explorations.
In 8th grade Humanities students will become more proficient readers, writers and thinkers. Students will study American History from the American Revolution through the Reconstruction period after the Civil War. Throughout these units, students will parallel the experience of those in the past with the struggles that people endure throughout the world today.
Included in the curriculum is a novel study, a focus on analyzing primary and secondary sources and developing the skill to make a judgment or argument and to support that using evidence.
In 8th grade, students will get ready for high school by refining their reading, writing and critical thinking skills as they read and analyze poetry, short stories, novels and non-fiction texts in each of six thematically-based units. Specifically, students will read the novels Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson, A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah, and Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck as well as independent novels, as they continue to identify and analyze figurative language, literary elements, text features, grammar and mechanics and relevant vocabulary.
Students will also write in various genres, including persuasive, compare and contrast, cause and effect and critical essays, to demonstrate their ability to make connections between their lives and literature, the lives of others and the world around them.
This class is designed to advance students to the Advanced Placement program in high school where they can receive college credits. Students will be
required to acquire and show growth with reading skills including: analysis, inference, drawing conclusions and judgment. Additionally, they will be required to write in the following genres: expository, research, narrative and literary analysis.
Students will read a variety of short stories, poems, articles and novels which provide students with more opportunity to constantly advance their skills in all areas of language including speaking and listening.
The Literacy I class is designed to improve students’ reading fluency, comprehension, vocabulary, phonics and phonemic awareness. Students use a program designed to help them improve their reading confidence, fluency and abilities.
The Literacy II class is designed to improve students’ comprehension, vocabulary and oral language skills so that they may succeed in all other academic courses. Students read novels, complete projects and give a variety of presentations.
In Math 8, instructional time will focus on three critical areas:
(1) formulating and reasoning about expressions and equations, including modeling an association in bivariate data with a linear equation, and solving linear equations and systems of linear equations;
(2) grasping the concept of a function and using functions to describe quantitative relationships; (3) analyzing two- and three-dimensional space and figures using distance, angle, similarity, and congruence, and understanding and applying the Pythagorean Theorem.
Algebra 1 expands on the foundation of algebraic thinking laid in middle school by requiring explanations of reasoning and adding linear inequalities and polynomials. Multiple representations of exponential and quadratic functions are analyzed to contrast with the linear models studied in middle school.
Topics of study include: Algebraic reasoning, functions, linear functions, statistical models, solving linear equations and inequalities, systems of linear equations and inequalities, exponential functions, quadratic functions and quadratic equations.
Geometry develops the tools of geometry, including transformations, proof, and constructions, and uses them throughout the course to explore geometric situations and deepen explanations of geometric relationships, moving towards formal mathematical arguments.
Topics of study include: Geometry transformations, angles and lines, triangles, triangle congruence, similarity transformations, right triangle trigonometry, quadrilaterals, circles, geometric modeling and three dimensional modeling.
Concepts 8th graders will explore are chemical and physical changes, energy and waves, genetics, weather, climate, human impact on the environment, the solar system, along with synthesizing students’ middle school science knowledge in a unique unit focused on the nature of science. 8th grade science students will develop critical thinking skills and techniques to conduct independent scientific investigations and analyze data.
This course prepares students for college by:
• Developing students as readers and writers
• Teaching critical thinking strategies
• Providing support so students can meet high expectations
• Developing students’ strengths in technology
• Helping students to create and meet goals
Students will be expected to:
• Take and use good Cornell Notes
• Keep an organized 3-ring binder
• Write questions and participate in weekly tutorial sessions
• Complete all homework as expected by core and elective teachers
College Prep is an elective course available to 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students. Students are encouraged to take College Prep every year.
For one class period a day, students in College Prep learn organizational and study skills, work on critical thinking and asking probing questions, get academic help from peers, and participate in enrichment and motivational activities that make college more attainable. Students enrolled in College Prep are typically enrolled in the school’s most rigorous classes in addition to the College Prep elective. As students progress, their self-images improve, and they become academically successful leaders and role models for other students.
The College Prep methods care used in content-area classes (English language arts, math, science, and humanities).
For more information, contact the College Prep teacher, Fred Kreienkamp at 303.853.5585, or by email at ffkreie@adams14.org.
College Prep is an academic elective course that prepares students for college readiness and success. It is scheduled during the regular school day as a semester long class. Each week, students receive instruction utilizing a rigorous college preparatory curriculum, motivational activities and academic success skills. Students participate in activities that incorporate strategies focused on writing, speaking, collaboration, organization and reading to support their academic growth.
Students will develop awareness of the values accompanying academic goals and success. The course will focus on building self-confidence and communication skills in working with peers and adults. Students will be exposed to reading strategies that will assist in vocabulary building and understanding a variety of texts, and will also focus on prewriting techniques, summary writing and structural components of note-taking. The students will increase college and career awareness through guest speaker presentations, field trip opportunities and research.
College Prep is an academic elective course that prepares students for college readiness and success. It is scheduled during the regular school day as a semester long class. Each week, students receive instruction utilizing a rigorous college preparatory curriculum, motivational activities and academic success skills. Students participate in activities that incorporate strategies focused on writing, speaking, collaboration, organization and reading to support their academic growth.
The 7th grade College Prep course builds upon strategies introduced in the 6th grade. Students will refine short and long-term goals, and as a result, begin to understand the value in taking charge of their actions. Students will start working on intrapersonal and interpersonal skills, as well as formal and informal speech. Students will complete self-evaluations and peer evaluations, related to reading, writing, organization and speaking. In broadening their writing practice, students will begin considering audience, purpose and form in their writing. Students will take an active role in their learning, understanding the roles of all members in assignments and collaborative lessons. They will expand their knowledge bases of note-taking, in relation to studying and test preparation. Students will be exposed to different field trips, guest speakers and research, to increase their knowledge of college and career options.
College Prep is an academic elective course that prepares students for college readiness and success.
It is scheduled during the regular school day as a semester long class. Each week, students receive
instruction utilizing a rigorous college preparatory curriculum, motivational activities and academic success
skills. Students participate in activities that incorporate strategies focused on writing, speaking, collaboration, organization and reading to support their academic growth.
The 8th grade College Prep course focuses on preparation for high school. The students will regularly exhibit and utilize the skills and strategies learned in the 6th and 7th grade College Prep courses. Students will refine previous goals, focusing on their transition to high school as part of a college preparatory path. Their writing will focus on completing all steps of the writing process and varying style, word choice, vocabulary, structure and voice. Major writing assignments include persuasive, expository, descriptive and timed writing. Students will transition from active learners to leaders. Other areas of focus include increasing the use of technology and building upon their test preparation and test-taking knowledge. They will broaden their
experiences with analyzing text and utilizing appropriate reading strategies in various settings. Students will become more involved in the presentations of guest speakers and field trips, particularly as they relate to preparation and prior knowledge. Students will also participate in college preparatory testing and build connections with the high school they will attend.
The students learn several applications in MS Office. MS Word is the focus for most of the semester. Students will be able to format a Word document using
different font styles, WordArt, graphics (ClipArt/photographs), and tables. Students will have some exposure to MS PowerPoint, Excel and how to navigate the web for research purposes.
Students will spend more time using the internet for research in order to create products in MS Office. Students will create a multipage document in MS Word
using different font styles, WordArt, and graphics (ClipArt/photographs). Students will develop a PowerPoint Presentation on a selected topic that uses different Slide layouts, images from the web, transitions, animations and sounds.
Finally students will use cameras to create a short “Stop Motion Video” in Windows Movie Maker. Students utilize the design cycle in this project, requiring individuals to investigate, plan, create and then evaluate their final product
Students will spend more time using the internet for research in order to create products in MS Office. Students will create a multipage document in MS Word using different font styles, WordArt, and graphics (ClipArt/photographs). Students learn how to use MS Excel for data collection, developing tables and creating various graphs.
Simple formulas are used to calculate data. PowerPoint is used in a number of projects that require the students to use custom animations, triggers, action buttons and hyperlinks in order to make a PowerPoint “interactive.” This project also utilizes the design cycle.
6th grade band classes teach basic musical rhythms, counting rhythm, instrument maintenance and care, fundamental pitches for the band instruments,
basic music vocabulary, basic improvisation, basic aural skills such as singing and ear training, and basic breathing techniques.
The band instruments are tuba, trumpet, electric bass, trombone, baritone/ euphonium, percussion (drums, auxiliary and mallets), flute, clarinet and saxophone.
The 7th grade Intermediate Band class will continue development from 6th grade band adding more complex rhythms and really developing a strong tone, range, basic conducting, and an expansion of the musical vocabulary. This class is for those who want to participate in band but need more time to focus on fundamentals.
Syncopation and other more complex rhythms are emphasized. Range and tone production will be strengthened for the possibility of playing in high school. Basic conducting skills will be reinforced. Also the music vocabulary will be moved to more advanced concepts in music. It is more performance based than 6th and 7th grade band.
Students will play advanced music in different styles. Swing, blues and other forms will be introduced. Improvisation will be emphasized.
The mission of the Kearney Middle School Orchestra Program is to serve as a link between the elementary and high school music programs. The middle level will provide an educational experience in which students will increase their skills and knowledge in string playing technique. 6th grade orchestra students will learn basic music vocabulary and beginning music theory. They will begin to learn the process of instrument position and bow hold; pizzicato, arco bowing and double stops. Memorization of the D major scale is learned.
The mission of the Kearney Middle School Orchestra Program is to serve as a link between the elementary and high school music programs. The middle level will provide an educational experience in which students will increase their skills and knowledge in string playing technique. 7th grade orchestra students will learn higher level music theory including scales and syncopated rhythms. They will begin to play new finger positions as well as using advanced bowing techniques; staccato, accent and spiccato. Memorization of the G major and C major scales is learned.
The mission of the Kearney Middle School Orchestra Program is to serve as a link between the elementary and high school music programs. The middle level will provide an educational experience in which students will increase their skills and knowledge in string playing technique. 8th Grade orchestra students will learn advanced music theory including complex rhythms and multiple/mixed meters. They will begin to play concert level repertoire using previously learned finger patterns and bowing techniques. They will also learn the broader range of dynamics and tone color. Scales include E, A, B, and D minor. Bowing techniques includes hooked, brush and tremolo.
6th Grade Visual Art is a semester-long survey course. Students will explore a variety of materials and techniques in order to understand art’s purpose in the 21st century. Students will also be introduced to historical and contemporary art practices. An emphasis for this course is placed in building studio-based thinking and making skills.
7th Grade Visual Art provides semester-long focus on symbolism and the translation of images into messages. Students will work to uncover the process of how artist translate their ideas into visual messages for an audience while also exploring a variety of historical and contemporary techniques and mediums.
8th Grade Visual Art provides a deeper scope and insight into contemporary and historic artistic process. Students will work with a variety of media as they attempt to uncover the techniques and methods that make art purposeful. This class takes a deep look into concept as it pertains to composition.
The mission of our Physical Education department is to involve all students in a variety of physical activities and promote a desire to participate in lifetime recreational sports and physical fitness. The goal of our PE class is to cultivate a healthy and active lifestyle for students. It therefore advocates activities that are not only enjoyable but also contribute to healthy living. Students are helped to develop the motor skills necessary to enable them to participate successfully in a variety of physical activities, and to learn about the nature of physical fitness. PE also serves to promote intercultural awareness, since physical education is a reflection of elements of history, culture and values. It also enables students to establish links between different areas of experience and provides opportunities for different forms of self-reflection, communication and teamwork.
The purpose of the ELD class for levels 1&2 is to accelerate the language proficiency of the students. The ELD class teaches English Language Learners the vocabulary, sentence structure and grammar that they need to be able to effectively use the language every day – within both school and real-world context. The learning objectives are guided by the Systematic ELD Instruction that focuses on a solid foundation developing the speaking, writing, listening and reading domains. The support materials used in this course are Side by Side 1 and 2, Grammar and Beyond (Cambridge), Inside the USA and several different websites.
This course is designed to accelerate language development for intermediate English language learners who have agility with social interactional English while lacking the academic language to meet grade-level communicative norms. Our ELD curriculum is guided by the Systematic ELD approach and English 3D. Both programs propel students to learn new academic vocabulary and language functions, provide opportunities for discussion and writing, and teach specific grammar points through high-interest, engaging topics that are relevant to adolescents’ lives and concerns.
This course is designed for students with an intermediate to high level of English comprehension in the domains of speaking, listening, reading and writing. The students demonstrate their abilities through scores on school, District and State exams. At this level, vocabulary, reading, writing, listening and speaking are reinforced and supported in order to teach academic and formal registers of the English language. Using Systematic ELD and English 3D as guides, we strive to incorporate relevant themes into strategic language development, such as cyber bullying, teen driving and many more engaging topics. Our goal is to propel students to full language proficiency through maximizing students’ verbal and written engagement.
