Allison Academy Middle School Curriculum

Sixth Grade English will build upon writing skills learned in primary school in the areas of reading, writing, listening, speaking, discussion, editing and writing analysis.  The class focuses on; Literature, Composition, Grammar, Usage and Mechanics as well as Advanced level vocabulary.  The overall goal of the class is to increase the literacy and writing ability of the student. Class content should include, but not limited to, the following:

• Writing Poetry; freestyle, rhyme, haiku, alliteration, acrostic, tanka, etc. 
• Creative writing; stories, songs, response to social dilemmas, etc.
• Recognizing and diagramming sentences such as: declarative, interrogative, imperative, exclamatory, simple sentences, compound sentences, complex sentences, etc. 
• Working on sentence structure: nouns, verbs, conjunctions, prepositions, adverbs, interjections, pronouns, adjectives, etc.
• Paragraph development: introduction, body, and conclusion
• Writing friendly letters, business letters, thank you letters, emails, and letters to community leaders, etc. 
• Writing essays: Narrative, Expository, Persuasive, and Research reports as well as response to different types of literature
• Journal writing
• Oral presentations and projects:  entering writing competitions and submitting poetry for publishing

Seventh Grade English will build upon writing skills previously learned in the 6th grade in the areas of reading, writing, listening, speaking, discussion, editing and writing analysis.  The class focuses on; Literature, Composition, Grammar, Usage and Mechanics as well as Advanced level vocabulary learning.  The overall goal of the class is to increase the literacy and writing ability of the student. Class content should include, but not limited to, the following:

• Writing Poetry; freestyle, rhyme, haiku, alliteration, acrostic, tanka, etc. 
• Creative writing; creating characters, conflict, dialogue, etc.
• Recognizing and diagramming sentences such as: declarative, interrogative, imperative, exclamatory, simple sentences, compound sentences, complex sentences, etc. 
• Working on sentence structure: nouns, verbs, conjunctions, prepositions, adverbs, interjections, pronouns, adjectives, etc.
• Paragraph development: choosing a good topic, logical order, recognizing supporting information
• Writing friendly letters, business letters, thank you letters, emails, and letters to community leaders, etc. 
• Writing essays: Narrative, Expository, Persuasive, and Research reports as well as response to different types of literature, perfecting the outline
• Journal writing: arguments, opinions, solutions to global issues
• Oral presentations and projects:  entering writing competitions and submitting poetry for publishing

Eighth Grade English will build upon writing skills previously learned in 7th grade in the areas of reading, writing, listening, speaking, discussion, editing and writing analysis.  The class focuses on; Literature, Composition, Grammar, Usage and Mechanics as well as Advanced level vocabulary. The overall goal of the class is to increase the literacy.

This Middle School Art course expands and helps improve upon the foundation set in primary school art classes. The students will use these skills and build a better foundation and understanding in the visual arts field by using a variety of media and art techniques. The students are introduced to the fundamental principles and elements of art. The students will explore the seven elements of art while being introduced to concepts in art history. These elements include: line, form, shape, value, texture, color and space. Students will use their knowledge of these elements to create artwork that will reflect the aesthetics of these building blocks of art. The course will approach units in a cross-curricular manner blending social studies, mathematics, science, and music with art.  This course will include but is not limited to: basic drawing, crafts, painting, oil pastels, chalk pastels, and printmaking.

Through the Middle School Visual Arts Curriculum, students: 

• Acquire knowledge, skills and techniques in art making while exploring an expanded range of media.
• Discover a wide range of ideas about the meaning and purpose of visual art.
• Develop an understanding of the diverse art genres, styles and artists throughout history.
• Apply the knowledge of design techniques using the understanding of the elements and principles of art in personal art creations.
• Create personal art pieces with a wide range of art mediums.

This course was designed to follow the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards for visual arts education. This course is clustered for grades 6-8.

The following five bullets are the Big Ideas identified in arts education:

• Critical Thinking and Reflection
• Skills, Techniques, and Processes
• Organizational Structure
• Historical and Global Connections
• Innovation, Technology, and the Future

Guitar classes are organized as an independent study with teacher guidance. Students will not play as an ensemble, but rather work to progress from their starting level at the beginning of the course. Students will be guided by the teacher, taught on a rotating one-on-one basis, and be provided with sheet music. Students must have an acoustic guitar available for the course (however there may exist the possibility for a loaner guitar). Students will learn to play both chords and melodies using the tablature method of reading guitar music. Students will be able to focus on music styles they are drawn to, however they will be encouraged to become familiar with playing other styles to include, but not be limited to: classical, classic-rock, pop, country, jazz, etc. Students will also explore various musical styles and instruments though music appreciation exercises and lessons. The course is available to both beginning and advanced students.

Band – Band is musical performance class for advanced-level players. The Allison Academy Band has been performing for many years in various settings including school performances, city performances and other settings. Students are directed in learning and perfecting songs in a variety of styles, including, but not limited to classic rock, modern rock, pop and jazz. Students should be proficient enough on their instruments to be able to learn and perform the chosen material. A limited number of vocalists are also part of the ensemble. Students will also be exposed to different music in a music appreciation format. The course requires approval to enter (by audition) for the first year but may be taken multiple times. 

Chorus and Drama – This course is offered to current and aspiring singers in grades 6-12, regardless of their previous choral experience. It is designed to enhance the musical, creative, and expressive qualities of all students. The curriculum explores basic vocal technique, developing song repertoire, music theory, and the history of different genres of music.  Students learn to perform as soloist, perform in small groups, and large groups.  In this class we also explore different dance styles along with performance techniques.   In addition, students are expected to work individually and in small groups on a self-guided curriculum to explore areas of particular interest.  Students are expected to participate in school performances throughout the year, planned and impromptu.

Class content should include, but not limited to, the following: 

• Voice classification: alto, soprano, tenor, bass
• Vocal technique:  breathing, warm-ups, harmonizing, etc. 
• Musical interpretation with the use of dynamics and phrasing
• Performance techniques: emoting, projection, eye contact, and movement
• Memorization of songs
• Song analysis 
• Research on different music topics
• Basics of reading music
• Extensive listening of music genres world-wide

1 Semester

Health Education provides students with knowledge, attitudes, and skills to make health-promoting decisions. The classes address the physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual dimensions of health. Good Health is not a one-time decision but a series of decisions continuing throughout our lives.

Students will develop high level comprehension and understanding in the areas of Personal Wellness, Mental and Emotional Health, Drugs, Alcohol, and Tobacco, Body Systems and Disease, Nutrition and Fitness, Consumer and Environmental Health, and Human Sexuality.

Health Education is crucial to enhance the overall health and well-being of individuals and their respective communities. Health will provide students with knowledge, attitudes, and skills to make healthy decisions for life-long health and wellness.

1 Semester

The purpose of this course is to build on previously acquired knowledge, skills, and values necessary for the implementation and maintenance of a physically active lifestyle. The course content provides exposure to a variety of movement opportunities and experiences which include but is not limited to: Outdoor Pursuits/Aquatics, Individual/Dual Sports and Alternative/Extreme Sports.

The integration of fitness concepts throughout the content is critical to student success in this course and in the development of a healthy and physically active lifestyle. The physically literate individual demonstrates competency in a variety of motor skills and movement patterns. The physically literate individual applies knowledge of concepts, principles, strategies, and tactics related to movement and performance. The physically literate individual demonstrates the knowledge and skills to achieve and maintain a health-enhancing level of physical activity and fitness. The physically literate individual exhibits responsible personal and social behavior that respects self and others. The physically literate individual recognizes the value of physical activity for health, enjoyment, challenge, self-expression and/or social interaction.

Middle School Mathematics 6 is the first of three courses designed to build the foundation of mathematical computation skills, concepts, and operations to prepare students for the study of an array of high school mathematic courses. In this course, students learn key concepts along the progression toward middle school pre-algebra. The course and instruction are carefully sequenced by starting off with the fundamental math skills before moving into more complex skills. This course includes whole number and decimal operations, number theory, fractions, ratio and proportion, percent, introduction to geometry, introduction to algebra, and graphs. All the lessons, activities and assessments in this course are designed to ensure that every student is learning and understanding the mathematical concepts.

This course was designed to follow Florida’s B.E.S.T Standards in Mathematics.

Based on these standards, in Grade 6 Mathematics, instructional time will emphasize five areas: 

1. Performing all four operations with integers, positive decimals and positive fractions with procedural fluency; 
2. Exploring and applying concepts of ratios, rates and percent to solve problems;
3. Creating, interpreting and using expressions and equations; 
4. Extending geometric reasoning to plotting points on the coordinate plane, area and volume of geometric figures and 
5. Extending understanding of statistical thinking.

Middle School Mathematics 7 is the second of three courses designed to build the foundation of mathematical computation skills, concepts and operations to prepare students for the study of an array of high school mathematic courses. This course continues to emphasize the foundations of algebra. Students will build on the concepts acquired in Mathematics 1, to solve problems in number sense and operations, algebra, geometry and spatial sense, ratio and proportional relationships, data analysis and probability. All of the lessons, activities and assessments in this course are designed to ensure that every student is learning and understanding the mathematical concepts.

This course was designed to follow Florida’s B.E.S.T Standards in Mathematics.

Based on these standards, in Grade 7 Mathematics, instructional time will emphasize five areas: 

1. Recognizing that fractions, decimals and percentages are different representations of rational numbers and performing all four operations with rational numbers with procedural fluency;
2. Creating equivalent expressions and solving equations and inequalities; 
3. Developing understanding of and applying proportional relationships in two variables; 
4. Extending analysis of two- and three-dimensional figures to include circles and cylinders and 
5. Representing and comparing categorical and numerical data and developing and understanding of probability.

Middle School Pre-Algebra is the third of three courses to serve as a precursor to higher levels of mathematics. This course will cover topics that will prepare students for Algebra 1 and expounds upon proportional reasoning as students solve a variety of problems in Pre-Algebraic concepts.

These concepts include:

• Language of Algebra
• Integers
• Solving Multi-Step Equations and Inequalities
• Factors, Fractions and Exponents
• Rational Numbers and Equations
• Graphing Equations and Inequalities
• Ratio, Proportions and Probabilities
• Percents
• Linear Functions
• Applying Algebra to Geometry 
• Measuring Are and Volume

All the lessons, activities and assessments in this course are designed to ensure that every student is learning and understanding the mathematical concepts.

This course was designed to follow Florida’s B.E.S.T Standards in Mathematics.

Based on these standards, in Grade 8 Mathematics: Pre-Algebra, instructional time will emphasize six areas: 

1. Representing numbers in scientific notation and extending the set of numbers to the system of real numbers, which includes irrational numbers; 
2. Generate equivalent numeric and algebraic expressions including using the Laws of Exponents; 
3. Creating and reasoning about linear relationships including modeling an association in bivariate data with a linear equation; 
4. Solving linear equations, inequalities and systems of linear equations; 
5. Developing an understanding of the concept of a function and 
6. Analyzing two-dimensional figures, particularly triangles, using distance, angle and applying the Pythagorean Theorem.

Recommendation by Teacher – 8th Graders will take for High School Credit

The fundamental purpose of this course is to formalize and extend the mathematics that students learned in the middle grades. The critical areas, called units, deepen, and extend understanding of linear and exponential relationships by contrasting them with each other and by applying linear models to data that exhibit a linear trend, and students engage in methods for analyzing, solving, and using quadratic functions. The Standards for Mathematical Practice apply throughout each course and, together with the content standards, prescribe that students experience mathematics as a coherent, useful, and logical subject that makes use of their ability to make sense of problem situations. The critical areas for this course, organized into two units, are as follows: 

Unit 1 – Relationships Between Quantities and Reasoning with Equations: By the end of eighth grade, students have learned to solve linear equations in one variable and have applied graphical and algebraic methods to analyze and solve systems of linear equations in two variables. Now, students analyze and explain the process of solving an equation. Students develop fluency writing, interpreting, and translating between various forms of linear equations and inequalities and using them to solve problems. They master the solution of linear equations and apply related solution techniques and the laws of exponents to the creation and solution of simple exponential equations. 

Unit 2 – Linear and Exponential Relationships: In earlier grades, students define, evaluate, and compare functions, and use them to model relationships between quantities. In this unit, students will learn function notation and develop the concepts of domain and range. They explore many examples of functions, including sequences; they interpret functions given graphically, numerically, symbolically, and verbally, translate between representations, and understand the limitations of various representations. Students build on and informally extend their understanding of integer exponents to consider exponential functions. They compare and contrast linear and exponential functions, distinguishing between additive and multiplicative change. Students explore systems of equations and inequalities, and they find and interpret their solutions. They interpret arithmetic sequences as linear functions and geometric sequences as exponential functions. 

Unit 3 – Descriptive Statistics: This unit builds upon students’ prior experiences with data, providing students with more formal means of assessing how a model fits data. Students use regression techniques to describe and approximate linear relationships between quantities. They use graphical representations and knowledge of the context to make judgments about the appropriateness of linear models. With linear models, they look at residuals to analyze the goodness of fit.

Middle School Reading includes reading strategies and skills designed for 7th and 8th grade students with an emphasis on increased reading comprehension and vocabulary acquisition. This course involves the study of critical reading, comprehension, and metacognition. A variety of strategies are used to improve reading comprehension. They include questioning, summarizing, inference, predicting, and identifying text structure. Vocabulary acquisition is stressed through a specific vocabulary program as well as contextually.

Life Science encompasses the fields of study that involve the scientific exploration of life. This course is divided into three separate classes that span from 6th to 8th grade and is designed to prepare middle school students for the rigors of high school Biology.  This set of courses begins with an introduction to scientific processes and the scientific method, before covering Cells and Heredity, Evolution, the Diversity of Living Things including plants, animals and fungi, Human Health and Biology, and Ecology.  This course will utilize several textbooks, hands-on labs, and a variety of supplemental materials. These courses are required for all middle school students.

Life Science encompasses the fields of study that involve the scientific exploration of life. This course is divided into three separate classes that span from 6th to 8th grade and is designed to prepare middle school students for the rigors of high school Biology.  This set of courses begins with an introduction to scientific processes and the scientific method, before covering Cells and Heredity, Evolution, the Diversity of Living Things including plants, animals and fungi, Human Health and Biology, and Ecology.  This course will utilize several textbooks, hands-on labs, and a variety of supplemental materials. These courses are required for all middle school students.

Life Science encompasses the fields of study that involve the scientific exploration of life. This course is divided into three separate classes that span from 6th to 8th grade and is designed to prepare middle school students for the rigors of high school Biology.  This set of courses begins with an introduction to scientific processes and the scientific method, before covering Cells and Heredity, Evolution, the Diversity of Living Things including plants, animals and fungi, Human Health and Biology, and Ecology.  This course will utilize several textbooks, hands-on labs, and a variety of supplemental materials. These courses are required for all middle school students.

This Florida History course consists of the following content area strands: World History, American History, Geography, Humanities, Civics, Economics and Environmental Science. In this course, the students will learn about Florida history focusing on the historical, geographic, political, economic, and sociological events which influenced the progression of Florida. The primary content emphasis for this course pertains to the study of the important people, places, and events that helped shape Florida history.

Some of the course material in Florida History includes but is not limited to:

• Florida’s Geography
• Prehistoric Florida and Florida’s Native American population
• The evolution of Florida’s diverse heritage through Spanish, French, British and American occupations
• United States annexation and territorial experience
• Statehood and an analysis of Florida’s first constitution
• Florida’s system of slavery, Florida under the Confederacy, Reconstruction and Florida’s role as a part of the new South
• Technological, urban, and environmental transformations of the state
• The evolution of Florida lifestyles and ideals over the centuries
• Florida’s diverse geographic regions and population groups
• Florida in the 20th century: modern day Florida’s successes and challenges

In this course, many enrichment activities are implemented. These include but are not limited to: supplemental readings, writing activities, project based activities, map skills, analyzing graphs and charts, analyzing satellite images and diagrams, and reading historical inquiries and primary and secondary historical documents.

The social studies curriculum for this course consists of the following content area strands: World History, Geography, and Economics. This social science course teaches students about their world using the five major themes of geography to navigate their learning. These major themes include: location, place, region, movement, and human environmental interaction. The course will compare and contrast these themes across all continents.

Students will be exposed to the multiple dynamics of geography including:

• Introduction to Geography: Knowing and understanding the two main branches of Geography: Physical and Human
• Physical Geography: The Earth and Landforms
• Physical Geography: Physical Systems
• Human Geography: History and Culture
• Human Geography: Government, Economics, and Religion
• Human Interactions with the Earth and Environment

These dynamics will be utilized to learn, understand, and appreciate the similarities and differences about the people and places of the world. In each unit the students will learn about the physical geography, culture, history, economics, civics, and the humanities of each place. In this course, many enrichment activities are implemented. These include but are not limited to: writing activities, project-based activities, map skills, analyzing graphs and charts, analyzing satellite images and diagrams, and reading historical inquiries and primary and secondary historical documents.

This class covers world history beginning with prehistoric man.  It covers the migrations of early peoples, the rise and fall of civilizations, the establishment of governments and religions.  We learn about the growth of economic systems, and the ways in which these events shaped Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas. We also learn about economics, geography, history, and political science. History and geography are emphasized. Students are also taught to make connections between historic events and current worldly events.

Our focus is on the following:

• Vocabulary:  learning new and complex terminology
• Reading, creating, and understanding timelines
• Using diagrams to sort out facts, theories, pros & cons, as well as compare and contrast information
• Breaking down information into the 8 shared features of civilization:  cities, government, religion, public works, arts & architecture, social classes, job specialization, and writing
• Daily assessment of every lesson read and discussed
• Answering Comprehension questions, quizzes, and tests
• Watching short documentaries and educational videos to enhance lesson
• Researching information about the different cultures

6th Graders only

This course introduces students to the foundational concepts of computer science and challenges them to explore how computing and technology can impact the world. Computing is so fundamental to understanding and participating in society that it is valuable for every student to learn as part of a modern education. Computer science can be viewed as a liberal art, a subject that provides students with a critical lens for interpreting the world around them. Computer science prepares all students to be active and informed contributors to our increasingly technological society whether they pursue careers in technology or not. Computer science can be life-changing, not just skill training.