NORTH HILLS MIDDLE SCHOOL - North Hills School … NH Middle School Program of...Middle School Program of Studies 2 7th Grade Team Approach ... with each region of the world. ... two

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


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


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


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.


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,


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


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.


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.


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,


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.


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


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.


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.


BAND8 NO.8737

Band8isforeighthgradestudentswhohavedevelopedmusicalskillsthroughparticipationineitherBeginningorCadetBand.Studentswillstudyvariousexercisestocontinuetobuildtechniqueandmusicianship.Thebandwillengageinavarietyofconcertsthroughouttheschoolyear.StudentswillberecommendedtotheBand8bytheirbandinstructor.ORCHESTRA8 NO.8747

Orchestraisanelectivemusicalensemblethatisopentoallstringplayers.Studentswillstudyvariousexercisestobuildtechniqueandmusicianship.Performancematerialwillincludeexcerptsfromtheclassicalandmodernrepertoire.TheOrchestrawillengageinavarietyofconcertsthroughouttheschoolyear.MIDDLESCHOOLWINDENSEMBLE NO.8757

MiddleSchoolWindEnsembleisforeighthgradestudentswhohavedevelopedmusicalskillsthroughparticipationineitherBeginningorCadetBand.Studentswillstudyvariousexercisestocontinuetobuildtechniqueandmusicianship.Thebandwillengageinavarietyofconcertsthroughouttheschoolyear.StudentswillberecommendedtotheMiddleSchoolWindEnsemblebytheirbandinstructor.


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


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


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

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NORTH HILLS MIDDLE SCHOOL - North Hills School … NH Middle School Program of...Middle School Program of Studies 2 7th Grade Team Approach ... with each region of the world. ... two