NORTH HILLS MIDDLE SCHOOL - North Hills School … NH Middle School Program of...Middle School...
Transcript of NORTH HILLS MIDDLE SCHOOL - North Hills School … NH Middle School Program of...Middle School...
NORTHHILLSMIDDLESCHOOL
2018-2019PROGRAMOFSTUDIES
Middle School Program of Studies 1
IntroductionTofulfilltheMiddleSchoolvisionof“InspiringAlltoAchieveTheirVeryBest,”ourstaffiscommittedtohelpingourstudentsbecomesuccessful,independentlearnerswhilemaintaininghighacademicexpectationsforeachstudent.Inadditiontoouracademicfocus,webelievethatitisourdutytohelpstudentsbecomeresponsiblecitizens.Ourcurriculumisdesignedtomeetthediverseacademicandsocialneedsofourmiddleschoolstudentswhileensuringthattheirlearningexperiencespreparethemforthedemandsofthe21stcentury.Itisessentialforourstudentstobeabletoreadanalytically,writelogicallyandthinkcritically.Theseskillsarenecessarytomeetthechallengesinschoolaswellastheoneshe/shewillencounterafterhis/hercareerintheNorthHillsSchoolDistrict.Tobesuccessfulatthemiddlelevelandbeyond,studentsmustdeveloporganizationalskillstobereadytolearn.Preparationisanotherkeytosuccessasitaffordsstudentstheopportunitytofocusandconcentrateontheacademicmaterialpresented.Organizationandpreparationdemonstratestudents’readinessforanincreaseinresponsibilitythatinturnincreasesthelikelihoodofacademicsuccess.Oneofthefirstresponsibilitiesofourstudentsisselectinghis/hercoursesonline.Thisprogramofstudieswillserveasatooltoassistparentsandstudentswiththeonlineschedulingprocess.Inthisguide,parentsandstudentswillfinddescriptionsforcoursesofferedatthemiddleschoollistedbygrade.Counselorsalsoreviewtheproceduresforonlinecourseselectionwithsixthandseventhgradestudents. Afterreviewingthecoursedescriptions,parentsandstudentsmayusetheappropriategradecourseselectionworksheettohelpidentifyandorganizestudentselections.Toscheduleyourchild’sclassesforthe2018-2019schoolyear,pleasefollowthedirectionsinthebackofthisguidetocompletetheonlinecourserequest.
TableofContents
7thGradeTeamApproach 2
8thGradeTeamApproach 2
GiftedandTalentedEducation 2
SpecialEducationProgram 2
HomeworkandGrades 2
SeventhGradeAcademicProgram 3
SeventhGradeCourseDescriptions 3-7
Grade7CourseSelectionWorksheet 8
EighthGradeAcademicProgram 9
EighthGradeCourseDescriptions 9-14
Grade8CourseSelectionWorksheet 15
IndexofCourses 16
Middle School Program of Studies 2
7thGradeTeamApproachToassistelementarystudentsintheirtransitionprocess,seventhgradestudentsaredividedintoacademicteams.Theteamapproachofferscohesionamongasmallernumberofstudentswithinthelargerstudentpopulationinseventhgrade.Teamteachersmeetdailytocollaborateanddiscussinstruction,planactivities,andmeetwithparents.Studentsarerandomlyassignedtoateamthatisbalancedbygenderandability.Studentsarenotifiedofteamplacementandscheduleinmid-August.8thGradeTeamApproachTofacilitatethetransitiontoninthgrade,eighthgradestudentsarestillplacedonteams;buttheapproachisdifferent.Comparabletolastyear,studentswillhavesimilarschedulesintermsofEnglish,Mathematics,Science,andSocialStudiesclasses.However,ourgoalistoworkcollaborativelywithstudentstofostergreaterindependence.Thisapproachwillhelpprepareourstudentsforhighschoolcoursework.Studentsarenotifiedofteamplacementandscheduleinmid-August.GiftedandTalentedEducationIdentifiedgiftededucationstudentsreceiveindividualizedsupportfromtheGATEteachersatNHMiddle.GATEteachersmeetwithstudentsandtheirparentstoensurestudentneedsarebeingmetthroughappropriatecourseselectionandparticipationinGATEactivities.
SpecialEducationProgramThePASpecialEducationlawandregulations,PublicLaw94-142,andthefederalIndividualswithDisabilitiesEducationActAmendmentsof1997,requiresschooldistrictstoprovideaFreeAppropriatePublicEducation(FAPE)toallstudentswithdisabilitieswhoareeligibleforspecialeducation.FAPEmeansspecialeducationandrelatedservicesaredesignedtomeettheindividualeducationalneedsofstudentsthroughanIndividualizedEducationProgram(IEP).TheNorthHillsMiddleSchoolprovidesdirectandsupportiveservicesforchildrenwhoarevisionorhearingimpaired,emotionallydisturbed,learningdisabled,speechand/orlanguageimpaired,orwhohaveotherhealthimpairments.Ourgoalistoprovidestudentstheindividualizedsupporttoparticipateasfullyaspossibleintheregulareducationenvironment.HomeworkandGradesStudentsareprovidedwithanassignmentbooktorecorddailyassignments.Middleschoolparentsandstudentsshouldmonitorstudents’progressandhomeworkviaPowerSchool,theonlinegradingsystemuseddistrictwide.PowerSchoolnotonlyisthemethodoffirstcontactforteachersaboutgrades,but,inaddition,teachersusethistoolforhomeworknotification.ParentsandstudentsareaskedtomonitorPowerSchoolcloselyandoften.IfyouhavenotcreatedaparentaccountforPowerSchool,pleasesendanemailtopsquestions@nhsd.netandrequestaregistrationkey.Inaddition,youcanfindmoreinformationonthedistrictwebsiteat:http://www.nhsd.net/PowerSchool1.aspx
Middle School Program of Studies 3
SEVENTHGRADEACADEMICPROGRAM
RequiredCoreCourses§ English§ Math*§ Science§ SocialStudies§ LiteracyArts**StudentswillbeplacedintothecorrectLiteracyArtsandMathcoursebasedupondata.
RequiredElectives
§ Art§ ExploratoryWorldLanguage**§ Family&ConsumerSciences§ IntrotoCoding**§ PhysicalEducation§ TechnologyEducation **AccesstoExploratoryWorldLanguageand/orIntrotoCodingwillbebaseduponeachstudent’sidentifiedliteracyartsneeds.MusicElectiveCourses
§ BeginningBand7§ CadetBand7§ Chorus7§ GeneralMusic7§ Orchestra7
TypicalScheduleAlthoughthisisanexampleofatypical7thgradeschedule,itisnotreflectiveofallthestudentschedules.Scheduleswillbebaseduponeachstudent’sidentifiedliteracyartsneeds.
SEVENTHGRADECOURSEDESCRIPTIONSThestudent’sfinalgradein6thgrademath,teacherrecommendation,pastPSSAachievement,andresultsonanAlgebraReadinessexamadministeredbythedistrictareamongthemetricsusedwhendeterminingthemostappropriatecoursetobescheduled.StudentsarescheduledintoAlgebra1,Math7A,orMath7Bafterareviewofdata.MATH7A NO.7317
InMath7A,instructionaltimefocusesonfourcriticalareas:(1)developinganunderstandingofandapplyingproportionalrelationships;(2)developinganunderstandingofoperationswithrationalnumbersandworkingwithexpressionsandlinearequations;(3)solvingproblemsinvolvingscaledrawingsandinformalgeometricconstructions,andworkingwith
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two-andthree-dimensionalshapestosolveproblemsinvolvingarea,surfacearea,andvolume;(4)drawinginferencesaboutpopulationsbasedonsamples.InstructionwillmoverapidlyasthecurriculumincludesthecontentfrombothGrades7and8andexpandsontopicstoprovideachallengingstudyofarithmetic,geometric,statistical,andalgebraictopics.Thesetopicswillformthefoundationforthestudyofadvancedmathematicslaterinhighschool.MATH7B NO.7315
InGrade7,instructionaltimefocusesonfourcriticalareas:(1)developingunderstandingofandapplyingproportionalrelationships(2)developingunderstandingofoperationswithrationalnumbersandworkingwithexpressionsandlinearequations(3)solvingproblemsinvolvingscaledrawingsandinformalgeometricconstructions,andworkingwithtwo-andthree-dimensionalshapestosolveproblemsinvolvingarea,surfacearea,andvolume(4)drawinginferencesaboutpopulationsbasedonsamples.ALGEBRA1 NO.7319
Algebra1topicsincludetherepresentationandapplicationoffunctions,withspecialemphasisonlinearandquadraticfunctions.Studentswilllearntorepresenttheminmultipleways–verbaldescriptions,equations,tables,andgraphs.Theywillalsolearntomodelreal-worldsituationsusingfunctionstosolveproblemsarisingfromthosesituations.Focusareaswillincludereinforcingcommunicationskills,problemsolvingstrategies,realworldapplications,technologyuse,cooperativeskills,andapplicationofmathtotherealworldandothersubjects.Thiscourseisrigorous,
requiringacommitmenttocompletinghomeworkonaregularbasis.Algebra1hasbeenalignedtothePennsylvaniaStateStandardsandtheAlgebra1KeystoneAssessment.SuccessfulcompletionoftheAlgebra1KeystoneExamisagraduationrequirement,andcandeterminefutureschedulingandmathplacement.ThiscourserequiresaTI-84graphingcalculator.SOCIALSTUDIES7 NO.7225
SocialStudies7providesstudentswithanintroductoryframeworkforanalyzingtheworldanditspeopleasasingle,interconnectedunit.Thecourseencompassesthemajorthemesandideasofphysicalgeographywhilealsoexploringthediversehistories,economicsystems,governments,andsocialissuesassociatedwitheachregionoftheworld.SocialStudieswillprovidestudentswithopportunitiestoexpandcriticalthinkingandproblem-solvingskills,allowingformasteryofessentialcontentthemes.SCIENCE7 NO.7415
Science7isanintroductiontotheareasofbasicBiology,Chemistry,andEcology.Conceptsareintroducedthroughgeneralpracticesofnotetakingandlectureswhilebeingreinforcedthroughinquiry-basedlessonsusinghands-onactivities.Studentswilldeveloptheirmeasurement,computation,andthinkingskills.Theywillanalyzeandinterpretdata,drawconclusions,andmakescientificconnectionstotheireverydaylives.ThecoursewillpromoteadeeperunderstandingofscientificconceptsthatarepartofthePennsylvaniaStateStandards.
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ENGLISH7 NO.7125
English7utilizesathematicallybasedstudyofshortstories,poetry,andnonfictionselectionstointroducestudentstotheanalysisofliterature.Studentsreadatleasttwomajorliteraryworksduringtheyear.Usingthewritingprocess,studentswillwriteintheargumentative,narrative,andexpositorymodes.Previouslytaughtlanguageandgrammarskillsarereviewed,andnewskillsareintroduced.Inaddition,thecoursereinforcestheskillsidentifiedinthePennsylvaniaCommonCoreStandardsforEnglishLanguageArts,preparingthestudentstoachieveProficienttoAdvancedperformancescoresonthe7thgradePSSAELAassessment.WORLDLANGUAGEEXPLORATORY NO.7515
Thiscourseoffersanexploratoryprogramoffourworldlanguages:French,German,Spanish,andLatin.StudentswillacquireknowledgeofsomeofthecustomsandculturesofFrench,GermanandSpanishspeakingcountries,andwillreceiveanintroductiontoRomantimes.Someofthevocabularyandgrammarofthelanguageswillbeintroduced.LITERACYARTS
All7thgradestudentswillbeplacedintooneofthreeLiteracyArtscoursesbasedupondata.Studentswhohavemettherequirementswillbeenrolledinthecorrectcoursebythe7thgradecounselor.SinceLiteracyArts7Aisasemestercourse,pleaserefertopage6forthedescription.LITERACYARTS7B NO.7172
Thisyearlongcourseisacomprehensivereadingclassdesignedtoincreasestudents’literacyunderstandingandcomprehension
alongwithprovidethenecessaryskillsandinstructionalstrategiestosupportreadingthroughoutthestudent’seducation.Thiscourseprovideseffective,explicit,sequentialandsystematicinstructioninreading,writingandspeaking.Anadditionalcomponentwillbethesupportofreadinginstructioninacontentareasubject.LITERACYARTS7C NO.7173
Thisyearlongcourseisdesignedfora90-minuteinstructionalblockeachday.Thisintensiveliteracyprogramblendspersonalized,onlineinstructionwithteacher-directedinstructiontoempowerlearnerswhohavesignificantliteracydelays.Specifically,studentswillprogressattheirownpaceonlinetoimprovetheirreadingwhilebeingexposedtocomplextextandrigorousvocabularyinteacher-directedinstruction.Anadditionalcomponentwillbethesupportofreadinginstructioninacontentareasubject.
TRIMESTERCOURSES(12WEEKROTATION)
ART7 NO.7616
TheArt7curriculuminfusesartproduction,arthistory,artcriticism,andaestheticawareness.Studentswillbeintroducedtoproject–basedlearning(STEAM)andadditionalcross-curricularcontentthroughouttheirartclassexperience.The7thgradeprogramisdesignedtoprovidestudentswiththeopportunitytodevelopafoundationofvariedskillsintheareasofdrawing,ceramicsandphotography,aswellas,anappreciationformultipleartforms.Studentswilllearnaboutartthroughbothindividualandcollaborativeassignmentsandartprojects.Theelementsofart,
Middle School Program of Studies 6
principlesofdesignandcompositionwillbeexploredduringthecourseofthetrimester.Studentswillstrivetoimprovetheircraftsmanship,developcreativeproblem-solvingskillsandlearnhowtosafelyandappropriatelyhandleartequipmentandmaterials.FAMILY&CONSUMERSCIENCES7 NO.7855
Family&ConsumerScienceforseventhgradersisanactivity-packedcoursethatexploresthefamilytopicsofchildcare,familylife,nutrition,andfoodpreparationskills.Studentsworkingroupscollaborativelyonvariousprojectsandcookinthekitchens.Teamworkisafocusofallofourlearning.Studentswilllearntheskillstobearesponsiblebabysitterforyourfamilyandinthecommunity.Wewillshareaboutourfamiliesandidentifytheskillsrequiredforahappy,committedfamilylife.Learningtotakegoodcarenutritionallyofyourselfandotherscompletesourcourse.Intheseunits,welearnrookie-cookingskillsandprepareavarietyoftastyfoods.TECHNOLOGYEDUCATION7 NO.7825
SeventhGradeTechnologyEducationistheuseofaccumulatedknowledgetoprocessresourcestomeethumanwantsandneeds.Studentsdeveloptheabilitytoselectandcorrectlyusematerials,tools,andtechniquestoanswerquestions,understandexplanationsandsolveproblemsencounteredin“RealWorld”situations.Areasofstudyinseventhgrademayinclude:TechnicalDrawing,CAD,Architecture,GlassEtching,GameStarMechanics,andGoogleSketchUP.Theactivitiesaredesignedtogivestudentshands-onexperienceswhileincorporatingindividualteachingtechniques.
SEMESTERCOURSESLITERACYARTS7A NO.7171
Thisone-semestercourseisdesignedforstudentsreadingathighproficientoradvancedlevels.Thecoursewillstrengthenstudents’abilitytointegrateandtoevaluatecontentpresentedinarichvarietyofformats.Specifically,theywilllearntoevaluateauthors’claimsandviewsandtocomparethemagainstothersourcesandpersonalviewpoints.Inaddition,theywillrefinetheirabilitytoassessthestrengthsandlimitationsofsources.INTRODUCTIONTOCODING NO.7816
SWIFTisaprogramminglanguagedesignedspecificallyformiddleschoolstudentswiththeuseofaniPad.Inthiscourse,studentswillbuildontheirfundamentalknowledgeofSwiftencapsulatedinaLearntoCodecourse.They’lljourneybeyondsimplysolvingpuzzlesandcreatedigitalworldsoftheirown.They’lllearnaboutvariablesandtypes,thecodingconstructsthatallowthemtostoreandaccessinformation.Thesenewskills,alongwithinitializationandparameters,willgivethemstrategiestousecodetointeractwiththeircharactersandthepuzzleworld,allowingthemtochangetherulesoftheworlditself.ThiscourseisrequiredofallNorthHills7thgradestudents.
ALTERNATEDAYCOURSES(FULLYEAR)
BEGINNINGBAND7 NO.7735(3DAYS/WEEK)
BeginningBandprovidesanopportunityforthosestudentswhodidnotplayaband
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instrumentduringtheirelementaryschoolyearstobecomeapartoftheNorthHillsBandprogram.ThisclassalsoprovidesanopportunityforthosestudentswhowanttoresumeplayingabandinstrumentattheMiddleSchool.Theschoolcanprovidesomeinstrumentsonafirst-come,first-servebasis.Theschoolcanprovidehorns,baritones,tubas,trombones,tenorsaxophones,bassoonsandoboesonalimitedbasis.Studentswillbepre-auditionedandrecommendedbytheelementarybandinstructorsorbythemiddleschoolbandteacher.CADETBAND7 NO.7737(3DAYS/WEEK)
CadetBandisforseventhgradestudentswhohavestudiedabandinstrumentinelementaryschoolandwhoarereadytodevelopmoreextensivemusicalskills.Thebandwillengageinavarietyofconcertsthroughouttheschoolyear.StudentswillberecommendedtoCadetBandbytheirelementarybandinstructor.CHORUS7 NO.7725(3DAYS/WEEK)
Chorus7isanintroductiontovocaltechnique,singingskills,part-singing,andperformanceofchoralliterature.Emphasisisplacedonensembleperformance,withseveralrequiredeveningconcertsforthepublicshowcasingskillslearnedinclass.Opportunitiesformoreadvancedstudyareavailablethroughselectextra-curricularensemblesandfestivalexperiences.Noauditionorpreviousexperienceinchorusisrequired.
GENERALMUSIC7 NO.7715(3DAYS/WEEK)
GeneralMusicisdesignedtogivestudentsahands-onlearningexperience.Studentswillplaymanyformsofdrums,rattlesandshakersinclassroomworlddrumming.Studentswilllearntoplaysix-stringacousticguitarsinadditiontoreadingtrebleclefnotation,guitartablatureandchorddiagrams.Studentswillwatchmusicaltheatreproductionsandlistentomanygenresofmusic.Studentswillanalyzesonglyricsandcreatetheirownlyrics.ORCHESTRA7 NO.7747(3DAYS/WEEK)
Orchestra7isforstudentswhohavestudiedanorchestrainstrumentinelementaryschoolandalsoprovidesanopportunityforstudentstobeginastringinstrumentforthefirsttime.Basicinstrumenttechniqueandmusicalskillswillbecoveredasthestudentslearntoperformavarietyofmusic.Instructionwillbedifferentiatedinamannerthatwillmeettheneedsofalllearnersregardlessofskilllevel.Theorchestrawillalsoparticipateinperformancesthroughouttheyear.Beginningstudentswillmeetwiththemiddleschoolorchestrainstructorinadvancetoselecttheirinstrument.Someinstrumentsareprovidedbythedistrictforstudentuse.
PHYSICALEDUCATION7 NO.7915(2DAYS/WEEK)
SeventhgradePhysicalEducationwillemphasizeindividualskillsastheyrelatetolifetimefitnessandwellness.Note:PhysicalEducationisastaterequirementforallstudents.Agymuniformismandatoryforeveryone(NorthHillsshirtandshorts).Thereisanominalchargetocoverthecostoftheuniform.
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2018-2019GRADE7-COURSESELECTION
WORKSHEETInseventhgrade,allstudentsarerequiredtotakeEnglish,LiteracyArts,Math,Science,SocialStudies,Art,Music,PhysicalEducation,Family&ConsumerScience,andTechnologyEducation.WorldLanguageandIntrotoCodingareadditionalelectivesforstudentsbasedupontheirLiteracyArtscourses.Amusicelectiveistheonlyschedulingchoicefor7thgradestudents;studentscanchooseBand,Orchestra,ChorusorGeneralMusic.UnlessspeciallydesignedinstructionhasbeenplannedforyourchildthroughourspecialeducationdepartmentorourGATEdepartment,yourchildwillbeenrolledinthecoursesoutlinedperthisworksheet.
Thisworksheetshouldbecompletedpriortoschedulingonline.
CourseNumber
Course 7 1 2 5 English7
7 1 7 * LiteracyArts7* 7 2 2 5 SocialStudies7
7 3 1 * Math7* 7 4 1 5 Science7
7 5 1 5 WorldLanguage** 7 6 1 5
TrimesterCourses(Art,FCS,TechEd)
7 8 1 6 IntrotoCoding** 7 9 1 5 PhysicalEducation
Thefollowingcourserequiresspecificcoursenumbers,basedonstudentpreference.Eachcourserequires4digits.
7 7 Music
*StudentswillbeplacedintothecorrectLiteracyArts&Mathcoursebasedupondata.
**AccesstoExploratoryWorldLanguageand/orIntrotoCodingwillbebaseduponeachstudent’sidentifiedliteracyartsneeds.
Allcurrent6thgradersmustregisteronline,viaPowerSchool,forthe2018-2019schoolyear.TheschedulingwindowwillopenonFebruary12thandcloseonFebruary20th,2018.
Middle School Program of Studies 9
EIGHTHGRADEACADEMICPROGRAM
RequiredCoreCourses§ English§ Math§ Science§ SocialStudies
RequiredCourses§ Art§ Health§ Family&ConsumerSciences§ Level1Language§ *LiteracyArts8Bor8C§ Music§ TechnologyEducation
*StudentsmeetingtherequirementsforeitherofthesecourseswillnothaveaccesstoaLevel1Language.
ElectiveCourses§ Level1Language
o French1o German1o Latin1o Spanish1
§ Musico Chorus8o MiddleSchoolWindEnsemble8o MusicAppreciation8o Orchestra8o Band8
§ PhysicalEducationo PhysicalEducation8o NextLevelFitness
§ TechnologyEducationo IntroductiontoSustainable
Engineering§ Art
o DigitalFabrication
TypicalScheduleAlthoughthisisanexampleofatypical8thgradeschedule,itisnotreflectiveofallthestudentschedules.Schedulewillbebaseduponeachstudent’sidentifiedliteracyartsneeds.
EIGHTHGRADECOURSEDESCRIPTIONSENGLISH8 NO.8125
English8emphasizestheconnectionbetweenreadingandwritingtopromotethedevelopmentofthinkingskills.Thiscourseprovidesstudentswithathematically-arrangedstudyoftheessay,shortstory,poetry,novel,anddrama.Studentsreadandrespondtoatleasttwolongerworks,andtheyalsoarerequiredtoreachanindependentreadinggoalthroughouteachquarter.Inadditiontoreflectingonliterature,thestudentsdevelopwrittenpiecesinthenarrative,expository,andargumentativemodes.Technology,research,andlanguageskillsaretaughtinconjunctionwiththereadingandwritingprocesses.Inaddition,thecoursereinforcestheskillsidentifiedinthePennsylvaniaCoreAcademicStandardsforReading,Writing,Speaking,andListening,
Middle School Program of Studies 10
preparingthestudentstoachieveProficienttoAdvancedperformancescoresonthe8thgradeEnglishLanguageArtsPSSAassessment.LITERACYARTS
OnlystudentsmeetingthedataprerequisitesfortheLiteracyArts8Bor8Ccourseswillbeenrolled.StudentsenrolledineitherifthesecourseswillnottakeaWorldLanguageclass.LITERACYARTS8B NO.8153
LiteracyArts8Bisdesignedtorefinestudents’readingskillsinvocabularyandcomprehension.Thecourseintegratestheuseofnovels,nonfictiontext,projectsandvariousreadingstrategiestoenhancecomprehension.Speaking,listeningandwritingactivitiesareintegratedtohelppreparestudentsforthe8thgradePSSAreadingassessment.LITERACYARTS8C NO.8151
Thiscourseconsistsoftwo45-minuteperiodseachday.Thisintensiveliteracyprogramblendspersonalized,onlineinstructionwithteacher-directedinstructiontoempowerlearnerswhohavesignificantliteracydelays.Specifically,thestudentsprogressattheirownpaceonlinetoimprovetheirreadingwhilebeingexposedtocomplextextandrigorousvocabularyinteacher-directedinstruction.Anadditionalcomponentwillbethesupportofreadinginstructioninacontentareasubject.
MATH8 NO.8315
TheCommonCoreStateStandardshaveidentifiedthreebigideasfor8thgrademath--algebraincludingstatistical
applications,functionsandgeometry.Thebigideasinvolvingexponentsandscientificnotation,equations,andfunctionsaretaughtinthebeginningoftheschoolyearsostudentshavethewholeyeartomasterandreviewthem.Thesecondhalfoftheschoolyearaddressesgeometry,statistics,andpolynomials.Studentswilllearnaboutthesetopicswhilereinforcingcommunicationskills,problem-solvingstrategies,real-worldapplications,technologyuse,cooperativeskills,andapplicationofmathtotherealworldandothersubjects.ATI-84graphingcalculatorisstronglyrecommendedforthiscourse.
Prerequisite:CompletionofMath7ALGEBRA1 NO.8317
Algebra1isacoursedesignedwherebytheendoftheschoolyearthestudentswilllearnfamiliesoffunctions,withspecialemphasisonlinearandquadraticfunctions.Studentswilllearntorepresenttheminmultipleways–verbaldescriptions,equations,tables,andgraphs.Theywillalsolearntomodelreal-worldsituationsusingfunctionstosolveproblemsarisingfromthosesituations.Wewilllearnaboutthesetopicswhilereinforcingcommunicationskills,problemsolvingstrategies,realworldapplications,technologyuse,cooperativeskills,andapplicationofmathtotherealworldandothersubjects.ThiscoursehasbeenalignedtothePennsylvaniaStateStandardsandtheAlgebra1KeystoneAssessment.SuccessfulcompletionoftheAlgebra1KeystoneExamisagraduationrequirement.
IncomingAlgebrastudentsarerequiredtomeetthefollowingcriteria:havean85%orhigherfinalmathgrade,beAdvancedon7thgradePSSA’s,ANDscorenearthetop25%onthe7thgradeendofyearmathassessment.ATI-84graphingcalculatorisrequiredforthiscourse.
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HONORSGEOMETRY NO.8318
InHonorsGeometry,studentswilldevelopreasoningandproblemsolvingskillsastheystudytopicssuchascongruenceandsimilarity,andapplypropertiesoflines,triangles,quadrilaterals,andcircles.Thestudentswillalsodevelopproblemsolvingskillsbyusinglength,perimeter,area,circumference,surfacearea,andvolumetosolverealworldproblems.Studentswilluseagraphingcalculatorinthiscourse.Prerequisite:SuccessfulcompletionoftheAlgebraKeystoneexam.Pleasenoteastudentwhosignsupforthiscoursebutfailstomeettherequirementswillberemovedandplacedintheappropriatemathcourse.SCIENCE8 NO.8415
Science8introducesstudentsto,anddevelopsproficiencyin,thebasicearthscienceprinciplesthatwillbeassessedonthePSSAexaminationingrade8.Thetopicsthatwillbestudiedincluderocksandminerals,geologichistory,platetectonics,astronomy,meteorologyandphysics.Inthiscoursestudentswillgainanunderstandingoftheearthsystemsthataffectourdailylives.SOCIALSTUDIES8 NO.8225
SocialStudies8examinesthehistoryoftheUnitedStates,beginningwiththeformationoftheEnglishcoloniesinAmericaandfinishingwiththeindustrializationoftheUnitedStatesintheearly20thcentury.Areasoffocusare:lifeinEnglishcolonies,theFrenchandIndianWar,theseparationoftheUnitedStatesfromEngland,theoriginanddevelopmentofourgovernmentalsystem,theexpansionoftheUnitedStatespolitically,economically,andgeographically,economicandsocial
differencesbetweenthenorthandsouthleadinguptotheCivilWar,detailedcoverageoftheCivilWar,andreconstructionoftheUnitedStates.
TRIMESTERCOURSESThroughoutallofthe8thgradecurriculum,studentswillparticipateinrealworldclassroomactivities,technologybasedlessonsandsimulations;all-encompassingaSTEAM(Science.Technology.Engineering.Art.Mathematics.),problem-solvingapproachtolearning.
(12WEEKROTATION)
ART8 NO.8616
Art8infusesartproduction,arthistory,artcriticism,andaestheticawareness.Studentswillactivelyengageincreativeproblemsolving,strengthenvisualliteracyskills,andexplorehowarttranslatesintotheirotherclassesandareasoftheirlivesthroughdrawing,painting,sculptureanddigitalartassignments.StudentswilldevelopcreativesolutionstoproposedproblemsandusevariousmediaandmodesofcommunicationthroughaSTEAMprojectthatwillbecompletedcollaborativelybygroupsofstudents.FAMILY&CONSUMERSCIENCES8 NO.8855
AllmiddleschoolstudentsaregiventheopportunityinexploratorycoursestogetacquaintedwiththecomponentsofFamily&ConsumerSciences.Thespecificunitsofstudythatareofferedin8thgradearePersonalFinance/ConsumerLiteracy,CharacterEducationandCommunicationandSewingSkills.Withintheseunits,studentsfurtherdelveintothetopicsofthe
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importanceofmoneymanagementtomeetfinancialgoals,theapplicationofsustainableresourceskills,careerexploration,interiordesign(theoryandpractice),advertisingandmarketing,refinementofdecision-makingskills,charactereducationandtheimportanceofverbal,non-verbalanddigitalcommunicationskills.Inregardtothesewingunit,emphasisisplacedonsewingtechniques,craftsmanship,andontheapplicationofworkethicskillsoforganizationandtimemanagement.Suppliesforthesewingunitwillbeselectedandpurchasedbythestudent,encouragingthemtousethebudgetingskillsacquiredthroughoutthefinancialliteracyunit.TECHNOLOGYEDUCATION8 NO.8825
8thGradeTechnologyEducationstudentsaregiventheopportunitytoexploretechnologyandmanufacturingthroughseveralareasofstudy.Theseareasofstudyincludematerialprocessing,structuralengineering,electronics,animation,3-Dmodeling,androbotics.Theactivitiesaredesignedtogivestudentshands–onandproblem-solvingexperiences.
SEMESTERCOURSESWORLDLANGUAGE
Studentswillbeintroducedtothebasicsoundsystemandspellingpatternsofthelanguage.Theywillknowandusecommonvocabularyandgrammarinbasicspeakingandwriting.Basiccommonvocabularytermswillberecognizedthroughlisteningandreading.Studentswillstudythe
geography,customsandcultureofthelanguage.Avarietyofmaterials,includingtextbook,handouts,flashcards,pictures,DVDsandmulti-mediatools,inadditiontoonlineresourceswillbeusedthroughthecourse.
§ FRENCH1 NO.8525§ GERMAN1 NO.8535§ SPANISH1 NO.8545§ LATIN1 NO.8555DIGITALFABRICATION NO.8617
Thisintroductorycoursedealswithcontrollingcomputertechnologytoproduceboth3-dimensionaland2-dimensionalartworks.Thepurposeofthiscourseistolearnhowtocreateart,originalgraphics,andsculpturalformsusingcomputersoftwareandtechnologicalequipment.TimespentinthiscoursewillbedividedamonglearningAdobeIllustrator,AdobePhotoshop,andconceptsofdigitalphotography.Projectsaredesignedtointegratetheuseofcomputers,scanners,digitaldrawingtablets,cameras,iPadsandpossibly3Dprintersandlaserengraverswhilelearningtheelementsandprinciplesofdesign.INTRODUCTIONTOSUSTAINABLEENGINEERING NO.8830
Variousengineeringdisciplineswillbeintroducedtothestudentswithanemphasisonsustainableengineeringpractices.Studentswilldesign,construct,andtestavarietyofengineeringconceptswhilebeingtaughtthesoftskillsembeddedinaproject-basedcourse,includingcollaboration,criticalthinking,creativity,andcommunication.
Middle School Program of Studies 13
HEALTH NO.8925
EighthgradeHealthisdesignedtogiveeachstudenttheopportunitytodevelopandmaintainone’shealththroughtheacquisitionofsoundknowledge,appropriateattitudes,decision-makingskills,andmaturebehaviorintheareasofmental/emotional,social,andphysicalhealth.Studentswillapplytheabovementionedtothecareandmaintenanceofseveralbodysystems,humangrowthanddevelopment,nutrition,drug,alcohol,andtobaccouseandabuse.Abstinencefromallhigh-riskbehaviorsisincorporatedintoallunitsofstudy.PHYSICALEDUCATION8 NO.8915
Thiseighth-gradephysicaleducationcourseisacontinuationoftheseventh-gradeprogramandintroducesstudentstoHighSchoolSportsandRecreationelectives.Thisincludesteamsports,individualfitness/wellnessactivities,andlifetimefitnessunitswithemphasisonindividualskilldevelopmentandsportsmanship.NEXTLEVELFITNESS NO.8916
StudentswillparticipateinaNextLevelFitnessclassthatalignswithorisaprecursortotheHighSchoolPersonalfitnessclass.Studentswillbecomefamiliarwiththefitnessfacilityandthefitnessequipment.(TRXsystem,freeweights,boxingequipment,crossfitstyleequipment,theirownbodyweight,andvariouspiecesoftechnologysuchastheFitbit.)Newworkoutsoftheweekwillbeintroducedthatwillfocusonaspecificmuscle,musclegroup,equipment,styleofworkout,orcomponentoffitness.Studentswillgainanappreciationforhealthandfitnessbylearningthatexercisedoesn’t
necessarilyhavetorevolvearoundplayingateamsport.Note:ForthePhysicalEducation8andNextLevelFitnesscourses,agymuniformismandatoryforeveryone(NorthHillsshirtandshorts).Thereisanominalchargetocoverthecostoftheuniform.
MUSICCOURSESMUSICAPPRECIATION NO.8715
MusicAppreciationisdesignedtoprovideexperiencesthatheightenawarenessandunderstandingoftheartofmusic.Studentswilldevelopauralskillsbylisteningtomanyformsofmusic.Studentswillplaysix-stringacousticguitarsthroughoutthissemestercourse.Studentswillreadstandardtrebleclefmusicnotationinadditiontoguitartablatureandchordcharts.Studentswillacquireproperrightandlefthandtechniqueasweplaynotesandchordsinfirstposition.Musicalconceptssuchastheoryandcompositionareintroduced/reinforcedthroughcomputertechnology.CHORUS8 NO.8725
StudentsenrolledinChorus8buildupontheskillslearnedinChorus7byexperiencingamoreintensestudyofvocaltechniques,eartraining,andchoralliteraturefromaroundtheworldandfromvariousperiodsinmusichistory.Classroomexperiencesculminateinseveralrequiredpublicperformancesthroughouttheyear.Opportunitiesforparticipationinfestivalsandselectensemblesoutsideoftheregularclassroomarealsoavailable.Previousexperienceinchorusispreferred,butnotrequired.
Middle School Program of Studies 14
BAND8 NO.8737
Band8isforeighthgradestudentswhohavedevelopedmusicalskillsthroughparticipationineitherBeginningorCadetBand.Studentswillstudyvariousexercisestocontinuetobuildtechniqueandmusicianship.Thebandwillengageinavarietyofconcertsthroughouttheschoolyear.StudentswillberecommendedtotheBand8bytheirbandinstructor.ORCHESTRA8 NO.8747
Orchestraisanelectivemusicalensemblethatisopentoallstringplayers.Studentswillstudyvariousexercisestobuildtechniqueandmusicianship.Performancematerialwillincludeexcerptsfromtheclassicalandmodernrepertoire.TheOrchestrawillengageinavarietyofconcertsthroughouttheschoolyear.MIDDLESCHOOLWINDENSEMBLE NO.8757
MiddleSchoolWindEnsembleisforeighthgradestudentswhohavedevelopedmusicalskillsthroughparticipationineitherBeginningorCadetBand.Studentswillstudyvariousexercisestocontinuetobuildtechniqueandmusicianship.Thebandwillengageinavarietyofconcertsthroughouttheschoolyear.StudentswillberecommendedtotheMiddleSchoolWindEnsemblebytheirbandinstructor.
Middle School Program of Studies 15
2018-2019GRADE8-COURSESELECTION
WORKSHEETUnlessspeciallydesignedinstructionhasbeenplannedforyourchildthroughourspecialeducationdepartmentorourGATEdepartment,yourchildwillbeenrolledinthecoursesoutlinedinthisselectionworksheet.
Ineighthgrade,allstudentsarerequiredtotakeEnglish,Math,Science,SocialStudies,Art,Family&ConsumerScience,TechnologyEducation,Health,andMusicasperGroupA.
StudentswhomeettherequirementsmayselectaWorldLanguageandalternate;allotherswillbeplacedinLiteracyArts8Bor8CasperGroupB.
StudentschooseaGroupCelectivetobeoppositethesemesterHealthcourse.GroupDistoidentifyasecondchoice.
Allcurrent7thgradersmustregisteronlineviaPowerSchoolforthe2018-2019schoolyear.TheschedulingwindowwillbeopenfromFebruary13thtoFebruary20th,2016.
Thisworksheetmaybeusedtoassistintheonlineschedulingprocess.
CourseGroupA
8 1 2 5
8 2 2 5
8 3 1
8 4 1 5
8 6 1 5
8 9 2 5
8 7
GroupB
8 5
8 5
GroupC
8
GroupD
8 Refertosemestercoursesanddescriptionsonpages12-14.
SemesterElective- FirstChoice. ChooseoneelectivecoursefromGroupC.
SemesterElective- SecondChoice. ChooseoneelectivecoursefromGroupD.(YoumayduplicatePEcoursechosenfromGroupCabove,ifdesired.)
*OnlythosestudentswhomeettherequirementsmayselectaWorldLanguage,allotherstudentswillbeplacedinLiteracyArts8Bor8C.
CourseNumber
Health
MusicAppr,Chorus,Band,Orch,Wind
WorldLanguage*1stchoice:________
WorldLanguage*2ndchoice:________
Thefollowingcoursesrequirespecificcoursenumbers,basedonstudentpreference.Eachcourserequires4digits.
Refertosemestercoursesanddescriptionsonpages12-14.
English8
SocialStudies8
Math
Science8
TrimesterSTEAMCourses
Middle School Program of Studies 16
Course# CourseName Prerequisites/Notation Page
7125 English7 57171 LiteracyArts7A 67172 LiteracyArts7B 57173 LiteracyArts7C 57225 SocialStudies7 47315 Math7B 47317 Math7A 37319 Algebra1 47415 Science7 47515 WorldLanguageExploratory 57616 Art7 57715 GeneralMusic7 77725 Chorus7 77735 BeginningBand7 67737 CadetBand7 77747 Orchestra7 77816 IntrotoCoding 67825 TechnologyEducation 67855 Family&ConsumerSciences7 67915 PhysicalEducation7 7
8125 English8 98151 LiteracyArts8C 108153 LiteracyArts8B 108225 SocialStudies8 118315 Math8 108317 Algebra1 108318 HonorsGeometry 118415 Science8 118525 French1 128535 German1 128545 Spanish1 128555 Latin1 128616 Art8 118617 DigitalFabrication 128715 MusicAppreciation 138725 Chorus8 138737 Band8 148747 Orchestra8 148757 MiddleSchoolWindEnsemble 148825 TechnologyEducation8 128830 IntroductiontoSustainableEngineering 128855 Family&ConsumerSciences8 118915 PhysicalEducation8 138916 NextLevelFitness 13
SemesterelectiveTrimesterSTEAMSemesterelective-GymuniformrequiredSemesterelective-Gymuniformrequired
TrimesterSTEAM
CoreAccessisbaseduponstudentliteracyneedsAccessisbaseduponstudentliteracyneedsAccessisbaseduponstudentliteracyneeds
TrimesterSTEAM
MusicMusicMusicMusicMusic
Semesterelective
Accessisbaseduponstudentliteracyneeds
Core-Counselorsidentifymathcoursebasedupondata
AccessisbaseduponstudentliteracyneedsTrimesterSTEAMTrimesterSTEAMGymuniformrequired
Grade8CoreCounselorsidentifyappropriatestudentsbasedupondataCounselorsidentifyappropriatestudentsbasedupondataCoreCore-CounselorsidentifymathcoursebasedupondataCore-Counselorsidentifymathcoursebasedupondata
Music
CoreCore-CounselorsidentifymathcoursebasedupondataCore-CounselorsidentifymathcoursebasedupondataCore-CounselorsidentifymathcoursebasedupondataCoreAccessisbaseduponstudentliteracyneedsTrimesterSTEAMMusicMusicMusicMusic
Counselorsidentifyappropriatestudentsbasedupondata
IndexOfCourses
Grade7CoreCounselorsidentifyappropriatestudentsbasedupondata
Counselorsidentifyappropriatestudentsbasedupondata
Middle School Program of Studies 17
NORTHHILLSMIDDLESCHOOL55RochesterRoad-Pittsburgh,PA15229-AssistantPrincipalOffice~412-318-1456
MainOffice~412-318-1452-Fax~412-318-1453-Web~www.nhsd.net
ADMINISTRATORSMR.DAVIDC.LIEBERMAN,PRINCIPAL-MR.JASONBEALL,ASSISTANTPRINCIPAL
COUNSELORS
MR.FRANZRATNAVALE,7THGRADE~412-318-1468-MR.SAMTARABISHI,8THGRADE~412-318-1457
NORTHHILLSMIDDLEVISIONSTATEMENT-INSPIRINGALLTOACHIEVETHEIRVERYBEST