Language
Grammar, spelling, vocabulary, paragraph structure, word choice, punctuation, and sentence construction are taught both directly during weekly Writers’ Workshops and through individual instruction and small group mini-lessons, in the context of each student’s speaking, listening, writing or reading endeavors, to ensure that instruction is immediately relevant and transferable to other areas of the students’ lives. Students are expected to apply their knowledge of the rules of the English language in their written and oral work, and to edit their final work so that it is free of errors.

A note on spelling:
Instruction at the middle school level focuses on the following skills: review and acquisition of spelling rules; reinforcement and expansion of word study skills such as possessives, homonyms, and word parts; analysis and study of words misspelled by students; emphasis on correct spelling of commonly confused words; development of an awareness of the importance of spelling in society; and emphasis on the student’s responsibility for editing his/her own work.

Communication
Active listening and oral communication skills are developed through a variety of daily activities including small group literature discussion, oral presentations, speeches, book talks, interviews, personal sharing, drama, role-playing, puppetry, talking circles, drama, collaborative work groups, music, storytelling, and debates. Students participate often as leaders and contributors in both large and small group discussions, and are encouraged to present personal opinions. They learn to accept the personal opinions of others and to anaylze effective communication.

Assessment and Evaluation
Assessment and evaluation are essential components of the teaching-learning process. Assessment and evaluation techniques are selected for their appropriateness to students' learning styles and to the intended purposes—including preparation for future assessment expectations. Students are given opportunities to demonstrate the extent of their knowledge, abilities, and attitudes in a variety of ways. A portfolio folder of student products, which includes samples of student writing in different genre, is developed. Examples of assessment strategies include rubric evaluation of assignments, teacher observations of student participation, quizzes, tests, checklists to assess class preparation, peer assessments, and self assessments. The instructor’s grading policy, used to generate trimester and year-end grades for student reports, is as follows:

Quizzes, Short-Term Assignment Scores         25%
Long-Term/Major Assignments, Unit Finals     40%
Class Preparation/Homework Effort                15%
Class Work, Participation                                20%

Curriculum Overview

Aug/Sept:        Introduction: The Individual and Conflict with Society
Oct/Nov:         Power and Control in Society
Dec/Jan/Feb:  Discrimination and Prejudice in Society
Mar/Apr:        Truth, Justice, and Injustice in Society
April/May:      Addressing the Issues – Causes and Crusades

The specific topics covered follow:

The Algebra group will use Prentice Hall Algebra 1. The curriculum includes 7th and 8th grade SOLs as well as high school level Algebra topics. Students successfully completing this Algebra 1 course will receive high school credit for Algebra 1. The specific topics covered follow:

Once per month, students will join together for board games, card games, logic puzzles, riddles, cooking projects, and other fun activities that encourage mental flexibility, strategizing, and everyday application of math concepts.

SOCIAL STUDIES
(Civics and World Governments)

Instructor: Molly Lucier
The BNS middle school social studies curriculum reflects a yearly rotation of U.S. history: reconstruction to present, ancient civilizations, and civics. This year’s topic is civics, the study of U.S. government. The content and terminology of the program is based on both Virginia’s Standards of Learning (S.O.L.) and the National Council for the Social Studies Curriculum Standards. The goal in social studies is to support the civic competence of the students through knowledge, critical thinking, and multiple perspectives. We will focus on the following areas throughout the year:

August:
Basic US Democratic Structure, Three Branches of Government

September-October:
We will be studying world governments through the lens of our own democratic government. Research teams investigate and present information about several different government structures i.e. communism, dictatorship, theocracy, monarchy, parliamentary democracy. Particular countries will be chosen for these studies.

Oct. cont.:
Founding Document Study

November:
Study of Civil Rights
Research teams return to their countries of study for a focus on human rights, comparing their
country of focus to the U.S.

December-January:
Federal Government Structure vs State Government Structure
Elections, political parties, and bias vs accuracy in the media.

January-February:
Federal and State Judiciary Systems
Students will do individual research papers focused on a landmark Supreme Court case (due in late April).

March -April:
Economics
U.S. Government Policies and Practice
Research teams return to look at their other country's economic policies and practices.

May:
Personal Finance (Accounting Game)

Skills Focus
The students will study and practice the following skills during the course of the year:

• note-taking from class lectures, peer presentations, and readings
• presentation of information in a variety of forms including posters, power-point
  presentations, written summaries, oral presentations, dramatizations, and mock
  trials
• recall of course content for assessments
• study and test taking skills for a variety of test question formats including multiple
   choice, matching, fill-in, short answer, essay, and true / false
• demonstration of understanding in a variety of forms other than traditional tests
   including discussions, comparative essays, research papers, bulletin board displays,
   and debates

Grading Policy
The following shows the break-down used to generate trimester and year-end grades for students:

Organization/Assignment Completion:    15%
In Class Participation:                            15%
Revision Work:                                     10%
Homework Scores:                               20%
Quiz, Test, and Project Performance:     40%

The BNS middle school science curriculum reflects a yearly rotation of the life, physical, and earth sciences. This year we are studying the physical sciences, chemistry, and physics. The program’s underlying framework reflects the National Science Teachers Association notion that scientific inquiry, or hypothesis testing, is a critical thinking process necessary for the information-rich 21st century. The content and terminology of the program is based on both Virginia’s Standards of Learning (S.O.L.) and the National Science Education requirements for middle school science. The program’s broad goal is to kindle and maintain student curiosity in the sciences and the mysteries of the world in general. The curriculum emphasizes the scientific method, and also includes practices such as observation, journaling, scientific writing, group discussion, and both lab and field research. Additionally, the curriculum encourages familiarity with the various scientifically inspired thinkers, artists, and philosophers through regular readings and discussions. This multi-faceted approach, implemented in a safe and engaging setting, is designed to inspire and prepare students for further education and the world beyond.

NOTES
* Please note that no field trips were mentioned, but we will be taking a few trips this year.
* Also, I will be complementing our studies with short, weekly read-aloud sessions of
   science-themed literature. Occasionally, students may be asked to respond to a question in their
   journals. Other times, they will be encouraged to reflect in their journals. Last year, many students
   drew pictures and/or composed poetry.
* The annual BNS Science Fair is held in March. Several class periods will be devoted to assisting
   students with their research. Given the themes of this year’s curriculum, students will be
   encouraged to select a chemistry or physics topic for investigation.

Summary of Skills Emphasized & Practiced

- the scientific method of inquiry or testing hypotheses: critical thinking by first making careful
  observations and inferences, then testing (and still remaining cautiously skeptical and open to further
  information)
- scientific writing: use of the current standard, i.e. abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion
- connecting prior knowledge with unfamiliar knowledge to attain bigger picture
- safe lab techniques
- familiarity with and recall of important terminology
- quantitative measuring and the metric system
- collaborative inquiry and teamwork
- listening and speaking skills
- test-taking strategies
- formatting and development of timely, well-crafted products
- presentation techniques
- computer skills such as data entry/graphing (Excel) and presentation of research (Power Point)