Middle School – Grades 6th-8th
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- Learning and strengthening the organizational skills needed for independent learning.
- Student mentoring of younger grades during Mass.
- Individual Chromebook use on a daily basis for specific classes.
- Community service project opportunities.
- Catholic values embedded in all areas of their school day.
- Personal locker for storage of educational materials.
- TI-84 Graphing Calculator for Pre-Algebra and Algebra classes.
- Principal/Academic Honor Roll
- Many Extracurricular activities and sports opportunities! Please see “About” tab for more information.
A Typical Day in Middle School at SM/MCA
Students start the day in their individual 6th, 7th, or 8th Grade homeroom. The day starts with morning announcements, presented by students, and includes scripture, prayer, reflection, Pledge of Allegiance, stating of mission statement, and any daily announcements. The middle school schedule allows for rotation of classes based on subject. Students attend classes of Religion, Mathematics, Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies. Each student also attends Specials Classes such as Spanish, Music, Art, Gym, Library, and Technology.
Middle School Highlights at SM/MCA
Religion
The Religion Curriculum is structured to be comprehensive in scope while providing an achievable set of learning outcomes for students. It emphasizes God’s invitation to a loving relationship with Him through encounter with His Son Jesus Christ and the student’s free response to His invitation as appropriate for each grade level. Knowing Jesus in a personal way opens the mind and heart of the student to want to grow in knowledge about God and the Catholic Church and adherence to magisterial teaching – to live as a joyful missionary of Jesus Christ. (AOD Religion Curriculum, 2017)
- Mass Participation (Reading Scripture, Petitions, Altar Serving).
- Stations of the Cross (8th Grade Readers and Cross Bearers)
- Faith Reflection Journaling daily.
- ACTS Prayers in Journals daily.
- Participation in Community Service Projects
- Curriculum study of the history of the Church, Sacraments, morality, prayer, and scripture.
- Confirmation Preparation
- Additional Lessons including: Saint Project; Black Catholic History; Role of the USCCB; Michigan Religious Orders; and Marian Devotions.
Science:
Science is a way of making sense of the natural world. Not all students become scientists, but as citizens, they will be asked to make decisions about social issues that involve science. My goal is to prepare students, regardless of their aspirations, to be scientifically literate (MCF).
Catholic Social Teaching: Students will be prepared in a way that encourages them to explore the links between their Christian faith and scientific inquiry, understand the world that they live in, and develop a sense of who they and others are as people respecting creations and their belief.
- Kesler Science 5E: The 5E Model is a research-based pedagogy that puts the responsibility for learning in the hands of students. Throughout the five stages – Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate – student questions drive inquiry-based learning and help them to build a scientific skill set.
- Hands-On Labs
- Student Choice Projects
- Textbook resources.
- Interactive Journals
Social Studies:
Foundations of the United States’ History and Geography
- United States History from the first Americans through modern times.
- Global study of ancient civilizations through early American history linking human interaction and historical significance to real world examples.
- Instruction in content reading and note taking using technology and other “college and career ready” skills.
- Student projects to enhance topics studied: Christmas Around the World (Immigration); Architecture Styles(Growth of Cities)
Mathematics
- Operations with the Number System, including integers, rational numbers, square roots, and exponents
- Building mastery in solving one- and two-step equations
- Analyzing, graphing, and solving linear equations, inequalities, and systems of equations
- Working with proportional relationships to solve real-world and mathematical problems
- Introduction to quadratic functions, geometric concepts, probability, and statistics
- Developing geometry awareness, including similarity, scale factor, area/perimeter/volume of composite figures
- All content is scaffolded throughout the middle school curriculum, culminating with Algebra 1 in 8th grade
Language Arts
- Exposure to multiple genres of literature including historical/science fiction, dystopian literature, memoir, and mystery
- Analysis of structure, point-of-view, word choice, and how these relate to theme
- Learning strategies to analyze informational text and interpret data
- Practice with citing evidence to support conclusions in both fiction and nonfiction selections
- Vocabulary building through Novel Studies and activity-based exposure and practice
- Detailed study of grammar concepts as a means to strengthen writing skills
- Developmental writing in argumentative, narrative, expository, informative, and research pieces
- Steadily increasing range of reading complexity and reading stamina throughout the middle school years
Come Join the Fun at St. Mary McCormick Catholic Academy!
Contact us or fill out the inquiry form to learn more about enrolling!