REQUIRED COURSES

EARTH SCIENCE 6

6th grade Earth Science is a phenomenon-based class that will challenge students to question the world around them and use problem-solving and collaboration skills to find the answers to those questions.  Phenomenon Topics will revolve around Weather, Climate, and Water Cycle; Plate Tectonics and Rock Cycling; Natural Hazards; Earth's Resources and Human Impact; and Earth in Space.  Each unit has been developed using Next Generation Science Standards.  This is a year-round course that meets daily. 

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS  6

English Language Arts 6 provides students with experiences in reading, writing, listening, and speaking.  Students will study comprehension, vocabulary development, understanding main ideas, and making connections.  Throughout the year students read a variety of texts including novels and short stories.  Students gain experience in prewriting, writing, editing, and revising through writing exercises.  Students will write a variety of assignments including narratives, informative, and persuasive writing pieces. This course meets every day all year. 

FAMILY AND CONSUMER SCIENCE 6

This course meets every other day for one semester. Family and Consumer Sciences will include units about individual uniqueness, communication skills, sewing basics, and learning how to cook. A project based, hands-on approach will be used to help students explore family concerns in an effort to answer the overall question:  "What kind of life should we lead?" Students will have activities on interpersonal skills, cooking labs, and a hand sewing project.

HEALTH 6

Health Education 6 is a year long course that meets every other day. In this class, students will learn about growth mindset, habits that help achieve success in middle school and improve their health literacy. Students will practice analyzing influences, accessing valid and reliable information, practicing interpersonal communication skills, and goal setting.

SOCIAL STUDIES 6

Sixth grade social studies curriculum is the first part of a two-year course to study United States history and geography.  Material will cover early Native Americans, explorers, the colonial period, the formation of our government, and the struggles of a new nation.  The geography and culture of the United States will also be covered.  Students will examine the role that various groups of people played in creating the United States.  This course meets every day, all year.  

MATH 6

In Unit 1, students extend their knowledge of areas of rectangles to reason about areas of parallelograms and triangles, and to calculate surface areas. Unit 2 is students’ first formal introduction to ratios, a concept that they will revisit several times throughout the year and in later grades. Students learn several ways to represent ratios—with double number lines, tables, and tape diagrams, which they apply in Unit 3 to convert units, calculate unit rates, and solve problems with percentages. In Unit 4, students reason about two different strategies for dividing fractions and apply their strategies to calculate lengths, areas, and volumes. Unit 5 continues the theme of building on prior knowledge as students formalize strategies for adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing decimals. Unit 6 returns to tape diagrams and introduces hanger diagrams as strategies for solving equations. Unit 6 also includes an introduction to exponents and reasoning about equivalent equations. Negative numbers on the number line and the coordinate plane are introduced in Unit 7. The year ends with students making sense of data in Unit 8, including measures of center and spread.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION 6

Physical Education 6 provides a variety of units involving lifelong, individual and team activities. Activities in this class might include biking, cross country skiing, weight room, low climbing, pickleball, badminton, ultimate, handball, and more! Students will be provided a padlock (no charge if the lock is returned at the end of the school year).  A t-shirt, shorts or sweatpants, athletic shoes, socks, and cold weather clothing are required. This course meets every other day, all year.  

ELECTIVE COURSES

6th GRADE STUDENTS MUST CHOOSE AT LEAST ONE MUSIC AND ONE ART CLASS

BAND 6

During this class, students will be taught the assembly and care of the instrument, note identification, notation and musical terminology. The school will provide each student in 6th-8th grade band with a method book appropriate to their ability level.  In addition to the method book they will receive concert music and various informational worksheets.  Band is a performance-based class. There are three concerts, one for each academic quarter except for the first.  It is required that all band members attend concerts, as it is a large portion of a student's grade.  A contract letter with dates and locations is handed out the first day of school.  This course meets every day, all year.  

Instrument rental from a local music store is encouraged.  Band Information Night is in February. This is specifically for 5th grade students and parents.  Future band members are able to play instruments they would like to try and from there decide what they would like to play.  In late August, before school begins, there is an optional Beginning Band Workshop.  It is a crucial time where students receive rental instruments and their school books. Students then start learning the fundamentals of their chosen instrument.

CHORUS 6 

During this class, students will be taught a variety of music from different styles and cultures. Through classroom activities and performance, sixth grade choir students will learn about basic techniques of choral singing such as matching pitch, reading notation, rhythm reading, following a part, independent singing, sight singing, proper breath management, appropriate posture, healthy sound, and audience and performance etiquette.  Choir is a performance-based class.  There are four concerts, one each quarter.  These concerts are performed during the day and again in the evening.  It is required that all members attend concerts, as it is a large portion of a student's grade.  A contract letter with dates and locations is handed out the first day of school. This course meets every day, all year. 

MUSIC FOR ME 6 

This course is required for all students who do not elect to take Band and/or Chorus. Music for Me is a general music course offered as one of the choices to fulfill the sixth grade music requirement.  Students will focus on a specific unit for about two to three weeks and will then move on to another unit.  By the end of the class students will have experienced music in many different forms and styles.  Some example units are early music history, music listening and appreciation, jazz, rock and roll, and musical theater. This course meets every other day for one semester.  

HIGH INTEREST ART 6: 2D

High Interest Art 2D is a course for sixth graders that provides a foundation of assignments that are specially designed for the student who is creative and/or highly motivated in the visual arts.  Hands-on two dimensional activities such as drawing, painting, printmaking, etc. are stressed in this class which meets every other day for a semester.  Students are exposed to materials and methods that are more sophisticated than those of the Art for Me class.  Along with the studio work, the students will also experience lessons in aesthetics, art heritage, and art criticism. Careers in the art field will also be discussed. This course is highly recommended for students who like to draw, paint, and create with a variety of media.

HIGH INTEREST ART 6: 3D

High Interest Art 3D is a course for sixth graders that allows the student to create works of art in three dimensional forms that are specially designed for the student who is creative and/or highly motivated in the visual arts.  Hands-on three dimensional activities such as ceramics, sculpture, paper mache’, printmaking, etc. are stressed in this class which meets every other day for a semester.  Students are exposed to materials and methods that are more sophisticated than those of the Art for Me class.  Along with the studio work, the students will also experience lessons in aesthetics, art heritage, and art criticism. Careers in the art field will also be discussed. This course is highly recommended for students who like to work with their hands, while  creating with a variety of media.

STUDY HALL 6/7/8

Study hall is a quiet place where students have the opportunity to finish assignments, prepare for an upcoming quiz or test.  Chromebooks are only allowed in study halls for academic purposes; chromebook use must be approved by the study hall supervisor. If a student does not have academic work, the student may read a book or be engaged in another quiet academic activity.  

REQUIRED COURSES

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS 7

The English Language Arts 7 program is designed to give students experience in the writing and research process.  Students will improve their reading, speaking, as well as listening skills.   Students will concentrate on prewriting, writing, editing, revising compositions, and using correct grammar.  Students will participate in activities while studying a variety of literature.  In Language Arts 7, students will experience an emphasis on comprehension, vocabulary development, understanding main ideas, and making connections. This course meets every day all year. 

HEALTH  7

In this course, students will learn core concepts related to mental health, healthy eating, drugs and alcohol, and sexual health. Students will learn and practice skills around goal setting, effective communication and decision-making.  This course meets every other day all year.

SOCIAL STUDIES 7

The 7th grade history curriculum is the second year of a continuing curriculum studying United States history and geography.  Material will cover the creation of the US government, geography and the history of the United States to today.  Students will examine the role that various groups of people played in creating the United States.  This course meets every day all year.  

PHYSICAL EDUCATION  7

Physical Education 7 provides a variety of units involving lifelong, individual and team activities.  Activities might include adventure climbing, archery, cardio fitness machines, cross-country skiing, disc golf, fitness and conditioning, fitness gram testing, functional strength, games of low organization, kickball, mountain biking, softball, snowshoeing, special activities, square dance, Tae-Bo, timed runs, Yoga, and weight training.  Students will receive a padlock (no charge if the lock is returned at the end of the school year).  A t- shirt, shorts or wind pants, athletic shoes, socks, and cold weather clothing are required. This course meets every other day all year. 

PHYSICAL SCIENCE 7

Physical Science 7 is a phenomenon-based class that will challenge students to question the world around them and use problem-solving and collaboration skills to find the answers to those questions.  Phenomenon Topics will revolve around topics such as Light and Energy, Thermal Energy, Chemical Reactions, Contact Forces, magnetic forces, and sound energy. Each unit has been developed using Next Generation Science Standards. This is a year-round course that meets daily. 

MATH 7

Math 7 centers on understanding and applying proportional relationships. Students start by studying scale drawings in Unit 1, which sets up the introduction of proportional relationships in Unit 2. In Unit 3, students apply proportional relationships to understand the circumference and area of circles. Unit 4 invites students to use proportional relationships to solve problems involving fractional quantities and percent change. In Unit 5, students extend what they learned in Math 6 to add, subtract, multiply, and divide positive and negative numbers, which leads into work on expressions, equations, and inequalities in Unit 6. The year ends with geometry, probability, and statistics as students study angles, triangles, and prisms in Unit 7 and probability and sampling in Unit 8.

TECHNOLOGY AND ENGINEERING 7

Students apply scientific principles and concepts of simple machines and energy to solve real-world problems.  This course follows Gateway to Technology guidelines, which incorporates national standards in mathematics, science, and technology. This Mathematics, Science, Language Arts, Social Studies, and Technology-integrated GTT program will help students develop and hone skills in middle school that will enable them to enter the high school program with foundation knowledge and skills for success in pre-engineering. Includes: General Safety, Sketching, Measurement, Construction, Design and Engineering, Science of Technology, and Design and Modeling. This course meets every other day for one semester.  

ELECTIVE COURSES

BAND 7  

Students must have taken 6th grade band prior to starting 7th grade band. Students will work to improve the playing skills developed in sixth grade. Students play from a class method book for skill development and play a variety of concert band pieces for both instructional and performance purposes.  The students take part in evening concerts during the year.  Attendance at concerts is required.  Dates will be provided at the beginning of the year in Google Classroom.  Instrument rental from a local music store is encouraged. This course meets every day all year.

CHORUS 7

Chorus 7 is available to all  students who enjoy singing and want to become proficient in singing pieces of greater variety and difficulty. Students are expected to participate fully in each activity, as chorus is a performance-based class.  A variety of unison and part music from various periods in music history is studied and performed.  Vocal technique, ensemble awareness, and elements of music reading are stressed. There are four concerts, one each quarter.  These concerts are performed during the day and again in the evening.  It is required that all members attend concerts, as it is a large portion of a student's grade.  A contract letter with dates and locations is handed out the first day of school.   This course meets every day all year.

DIGITAL ARTS 

This course is intended to introduce students to basic digital art to produce an artistic image.  Students will learn computer illustration techniques, image manipulation, graphic design, and the principles and elements of art in composition. Art historical movements will also be studied as they relate to student projects.  Students will use current computer-imaging software to create original art in a variety of final output formats. This course meets every other day for one semester. 

FITNESS 

This elective course provides the opportunity for students to get an authentic experience in strength and speed training.  Students will learn how to develop safety and technique skills in various lifts.  Students will keep track of their progress throughout the year.  In weeks when students have three classes, they will get an opportunity to further enrich their physical education classes. This course meets every other day for one semester.  

HIGH INTEREST ART  

This course is highly recommended for students genuinely interested in art.  In High Interest Art, students will study and produce works of art in a variety of media, which may include ceramics, watercolor, fibers, drawing, wood-burning and printmaking.  The students will be exposed to a solid foundation in art concepts and fundamentals including color mixing, color schemes, two-dimensional design, three-dimensional design, painting, drawing and perspective.  Art history and discussions of art careers will also be included in the curriculum.  This course meets every other day for one semester.   

IN THE MOOD FOR FOOD 

Students will get the chance to work in the kitchen by cooking and baking a variety of food. The topics covered in In the Mood for Food will include: working in the kitchen lab setting, kitchen equipment and safety, measuring in foods, food safety and sanitation, nutrition, quick breads and yeast breads, and careers in the food industry. This course meets every other day for one semester. 

SEW WHAT 

The Sew What course is designed to give students a chance to learn basic machine sewing techniques and practices. Students will learn to read patterns and symbols required for successful project completion. Students will practice use of varied types of sewing equipment for machine stitch work. The ability to follow and understand sewing construction directions and terminology will be emphasized within project construction. As a result of taking Sew What, students will have completed a drawstring bag project and developed skills that will enable them to complete more projects, on their own. This course meets every other day for one semester. 

STUDY HALL  6/7/8

Students in grades 6, 7, or 8 may choose one study hall as an elective. Study hall is a quiet place where students have the opportunity to finish assignments, prepare for an upcoming quiz or test.  Chromebooks are allowed in study hall for academic purposes; Chromebook use must be approved by the study hall supervisor. If a student does not have academic work, the student may read a book or be engaged in another quiet academic activity.  This course meets every other day for one semester.

REQUIRED COURSES

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS 8 

English Language Arts 8 provides students with experiences in reading, writing, listening, and speaking.  Students will continue to build on the seventh grade emphasis on comprehension, vocabulary development, understanding main ideas, and making connections.  Throughout the year students read a variety of texts including novels, short stories, poetry, as well as non-fiction texts.  Students gain experience in prewriting, writing, editing, and revising through writing exercises, which include personal narratives, informative/expository, descriptive, and persuasive writing pieces. This course meets every day all year. 

HEALTH 8 

Health Education 8 meets every other day for the year. Students will improve their health literacy by practicing interpersonal communication, decision-making, goal-setting, self-management, and advocacy while learning about current health concepts related to wellness, mental health, nutrition, drugs, and relationships.

SOCIAL STUDIES 8 

This course examines the great civilizations of the world through the Middle Ages (roughly the rise of the first civilizations to 1500 A.D.).  Examples of some of these include Ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans.  The innovations and discoveries made by the civilizations will be studied, connecting their impact through the centuries up to our society and student lives today. This course meets every day all year.   Students will participate in the National History Day competition.

LIFE SCIENCE 8 

8th grade Life Science is a phenomenon-based class that will challenge students to question the world around them and use problem-solving and collaboration skills to find the answers to those questions.  Phenomenon Topics will revolve around life science and implements environmental science whenever possible to reinforce concepts. Students will focus on how cells contribute to the function of living organisms, how a system of living and nonliving things operates to meet the needs of organisms within it, how living organisms pass traits from one generation to the next, and how organisms change over time in response to changes in the environment.  Each unit has been developed using Next Generation Science Standards.  This is a year-round course that meets daily. 

MATH 8 

Math 8 builds on what students have learned about proportional and geometric relationships in Math 7 to develop several key concepts in algebra and geometry. Students start the year with rigid transformations and congruence in Unit 1, which sets them up to learn about similarity and dilations in Unit 2. Students use what they know about similar triangles to explore slope as they study linear relationships in Unit 3. This work with linear relationships builds toward solving linear equations with variables on both sides of the equal sign, and systems of linear equations in Unit 4. 

Unit 5 invites students to consider functions, specifically what makes a relationship a function. Unit 5 also explores the volumes of cylinders, cones, and spheres. Unit 6 returns to linear relationships as students explore bivariate data. Unit 7 builds on the exponent work from Math 6 to explore properties of exponents and scientific notation as a tool for representing very large and very small quantities. Math 8 ends with the Pythagorean theorem as students encounter square roots, cube roots, and irrational numbers for the first time.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION 8 

Physical Education 8 provides a variety of units involving lifelong, individual and team activities.  Activities might include adventure climbing, badminton, cardio fitness machines, cross country skiing, disc golf, fitness and conditioning, fitness gram testing, functional strength, games of low organization, kickball, mountain biking, physio ball, softball, snowshoeing, special activities, STX ball, timed runs, team drill, Yoga, and weight training.  Students will use a padlock (no charge unless the lock is not returned at the end of the school year).  A t-shirt, shorts or wind pants, athletic shoes, socks, and cold weather clothing are required. This course meets every other day all year.  

ELECTIVES COURSES

BAND 

Students who enroll in band in grade eight continue to develop the basic skills introduced in the sixth and seventh grade.  As the students become more proficient, they are capable of playing compositions of greater variety and difficulty.  The group performs in evening concerts, jazz performances, and for other school programs.  Attendance at concerts is required.  Dates for the performances will be provided at the beginning of the year.  Individual, as well as group performance, is emphasized to give the student as much playing experience as possible. The opportunity to be a part of the Wisconsin School Music Association, Solo and Ensemble is also encouraged. Participation in 8th grade Band prepares all band students for high school Concert Band. This course meets every day all year.   

CERAMICS 

In Ceramics, students experience all aspects of hand-built and wheel-built clay projects.  Students start from the very basics: a pictorial history of clay, preparation of the media and the methods by which to produce pots and sculptures.  Glazing, staining and firing procedures will also be studied.  Emphasis will be put on craftsmanship, creative expression and care of the physical environment.  The practical objectives are fine hand muscle control, problem solving and skills mastering the media.  Student artwork will be exhibited at various competitions throughout the state.  This course meets every other day for one semester. 

CHORUS 

Chorus 8 is open for all 8th grade students who enjoy singing.  Students who enroll in chorus continue to develop the skills learned in previous grades. As the students become more efficient, they are capable of singing pieces of greater variety and difficulty. Students are expected to participate fully in each activity as chorus is a performance based class. A variety of unison and part music from various periods in music history is studied and performed. Vocal technique, ensemble awareness, and elements of music reading are stressed. There are four concerts, one each quarter. These concerts are performed during the day and again in the evening. It is required that all members attend concerts, as it is a large portion of a student’s grade. A contract letter with dates and locations is handed out the first day of school. 8th grade students are also invited to participate in the Wisconsin School Music Association Solo and Ensemble Festival. This course meets every day all year. 

DRAWING 

Drawing is a high-interest course for students who would like to develop their drawing skills.  The basic elements of drawing: gesture, contour, proportion, two- point perspective, and use of values (dark and light) will be studied.  The subject matter will encompass drawing animals, landscapes, buildings, vehicles, still life, the human figure from a live model, and portraiture.  A wide variety of media will be used in the drawings. The ultimate goal is to teach students how to observe the artistic world around them. This course meets every other day for one semester.   

INNOVATION AND DESIGN 

Imagination, Innovation and Creation are used to design and create almost anything in this class. Our vision is to allow students access to test design and fabrication equipment, including: CAD (computer-aided design) software, laser engravers and cutters, and 3D printers. By combining experimentation and problem-solving skills with innovation state-of-the-art technology, students are able to turn their concepts from imagination into reality. This course meets every other day for a semester. 

IN THE MOOD FOR FOOD 

Students will get the chance to work in the kitchen by cooking and baking a variety of food. The topics covered during In the Mood for Food will be presented as mini units. These units will include, but not limited to, working in the kitchen, preparing to cook and  cooking basics, healthful menu planning, and hands on experience with cooking. In the Mood for Food helps prepare students for adulthood and potential careers in the food industry.  Students that had this course as a 7th grader may not retake this course as an 8th grader. This course meets every other day for one semester. 

POWER & ENERGY

Students design and build automated systems that incorporate the principles of electronics, physics, and robotics to gain an enriched understanding of the contemporary mechanical world. This is a project-based, problem-solving learning approach that emphasizes the Gateway to Technology curriculum. GTT Units – Automation and Robotics, Rube Goldberg, VEX Robotics, Electronics.  This course meets every other day for one semester.  

SEW WHAT

The Sew What course is designed to give students a chance to learn basic machine sewing techniques and practices. Students will learn to read patterns and symbols required for successful project completion. Students will practice use of varied types of sewing equipment for machine stitch work. The ability to follow and understand sewing construction directions and terminology will be emphasized within project construction. As a result of taking Sew What, students will have completed a drawstring bag project and developed skills that will enable them to complete more projects, on their own. Students that had this course as a 7th grader may not retake this course as an 8th grader. This course meets every other day for one semester. 

STUDY HALL 6/7/8  

Students may choose one study hall as an elective. Study Hall is a quiet place where students have the opportunity to finish assignments, prepare for an upcoming quiz or test.  Students may arrange to work individually with teachers who are available during their study hall. Chromebooks are only allowed in study hall academic purposes; chromebook use must be approved by the study hall supervisor. If a student does not have academic work, the student may read a book or be engaged in another quiet academic activity. This course meets every other day for one semester.

TEEN FINANCE 

Students face more financial choices than in any previous generation.  These choices call for better money management. Topics included in this course include: money in our lives, consumer skills, budgeting, credit & loans, savings & checking, investing, protecting yourself, and preparation for life after high school. Students will also implement a classroom economy to demonstrate knowledge of a money system in the classroom . This course meets every other day for one semester.   

WOODS and METALS 

This course provides students with “hands on” activities in metal and wood production to create various projects.  Students will learn about material properties by constructing wood projects, CO2 cars, CNC routers and welding.   This course meets every other day for one semester.  

WORLD LANGUAGES

Students will learn  basic conversation in Spanish and German, including greetings, numbers, colors, food, and family vocabulary.  They will be able to describe some of the similarities and differences between the Hispanic and German and American cultures, and gain exposure to global issues through the lens of language.  Students will learn that language and culture are tied to the way we think, eat, dress and relate to other people.  We will explore what it means to be a global citizen, and how we can understand other people better as we learn more about their languages and cultures.  They will also learn about some notable people from these cultures and how those individuals have contributed and affected our global society.  This course meets every other day for one semester.