+ MATHEMATICS

In middle school, The Massachusetts Curriculum Framework is followed for each grade. Through cooperative investigations, and small group or individual projects, the students practice problem solving, collaboration, design, and planning to connect concepts across multiple platforms. They gain precision in calculating, explaining and critiquing procedures and continually ask “does it make sense?”.

In sixth grade concepts are reinforced through projects such as creating a calendar of operations, producing nets to determine surface area of 3-D shapes, finding scale factors of items enlarged by hand, reducing items when asked to build a miniature 3D house. Students collect, graph, and table data to identify the central modes of tendency of their running times.

In seventh grade, investigations and projects include finding the scale of aerial photographs of their school, designing and using surveys for business decisions, using percents and graphics in budgeting restaurant purchases and personal time management. They build and calculate the material used for geometric figures to find more efficient product packaging. Additional tasks include an introduction to the stock market through basic research, mock purchases, and data analysis as well as the design of games using integer operations.

The seventh grade advanced math program moves through the curriculum at a faster pace and continues with basic Algebra I concepts. Students investigate real world uses for similar triangles and slopes. They construct their ‘Dream Room’ following a specific set of rules. Functional concepts are enhanced through the use of Desmos graphing, google tools, and relevant technology.

In addition to the State Frameworks, the eighth grade students research, “purchase” and track stocks, investigate the cost of setting up their own household including monthly expenses, savings, insurances, and taxes. The students design and write equations to transform decorative seasonal drawings – the basis of computer graphics. Online and drawn graphing are used to find the connections between real-life situations, two variable equations, tables of values, and their graphical models.

Eighth grade advanced math builds on the prior years’ algebra basics to deepen and expand their understanding of linear and exponential relationships. They learn to analyze and solve quadratic functions and extend the laws of exponents to square and cube roots. Students apply linear models to data that exhibit a linear trend. Throughout the year students apply and articulate Algebra 1 concepts through projects and investigations such as: The Story of Slope, A City Design, Tessellations, The Stock Market, and My Life – beyond High School.

+ ROMAN CATHOLIC THEOLOGY

The Archdiocese of Boston Catholic Schools Office has just released a new set of Faith Formation Standards that will be implemented over the course of the 2016/2017 school year. Each standard sets clear expectations for what students should know, understand and be able to do based on the pillars of The Catechism of the Catholic Church. The six tasks of catechesis are embedded in all of the standards.

Traditionally, middle school students at St. Patrick School learn about God’s Covenant, Jesus and the Church. Students in grade 6 learn about God’s Covenant from the Old Testament in preparation for the Kingdom of God. Students in grade 7 learn about Jesus’ teachings, the Kingdom, the Paschal Mystery, and how we need to continue to be Christians. Students in grade 8 learn about the Church from early history to modern day.

The Created for Love foundational moral theology program designed by the Respect Life Education Office is integrated into the existing religion curricula focusing on God’s plan for life, love, relationships, & marriage. Reflection, research and writing assignments augment students’ understanding of content. Prayer celebrations, prayer services and community service projects are experienced by all students throughout middle school.

+ ENGLISH & LITERATURE

The language arts curriculum is comprised of three components: grammar, vocabulary, and literature, and is aligned with the Common Core curriculum. Students receive instruction in the proper grammar of the English language as it relates to written and oral communication.

Students in the middle school language arts program become proficient in formal writing such as persuasive, narrative, and expository essay writing. Students in seventh and eighth grade complete a research paper and learn the basic skills of gathering research, analyzing it, and writing a research paper using primary and secondary sources in preparation for high school.

In addition to text-driven vocabulary, a supplemental vocabulary program entitled Wordly Wise is used in conjunction with the grammar component to expand the student’s vocabulary and allow the students the opportunity to apply their newly acquired vocabulary in daily reading, writing, and speaking.

Literature for 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students is mainly studied through lively class discussions, as well as in-depth written reflections. Students in these grades will work to understand the plot, characters, setting, themes, and literary devices of the literature being read. In addition, they will also be asked to analyze works of literature by reading in-between the lines. These works include fiction, short stories, non-fiction, drama, and poetry.

+ SOCIAL STUDIES

The students in sixth grade will explore the world outside the US using the five themes of geography. They will travel to each continent and learn about how its geography influences their history, culture, government, and economic system. Using a project-based curriculum, students will become entrepreneurs, cartographers, and advertising experts to assess their understanding of economics and geography.

Students in seventh grade learn about the wondrous world of Ancient Civilizations. They put on their archaeology hats and explore artifacts and primary sources from Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, and Ancient Rome. They step back in time to learn about why and where people settled and how a “civilization” was formed and ultimately how many ended.

The eighth grade students follow the MA History Framework pathway of Early US History, beginning with the Declaration of Independence to the Civil War. Students expand upon their writing and critical thinking skills to assess questions around policies of early presidents, preparing them for high school. This rigorous curriculum includes debating current events, learning local and national civics, and what it means to be a good citizen.

+ SCIENCE

The curriculum for Science at St. Patrick’s School Stoneham is a spiral curriculum which encompasses all the sciences (Life, Physical and Earth/Systems) each year. Each unit begins with a review of the previous year’s content, and move to be more in depth each year. This allows students to have exposure to all the fields of science each year.

As the new NGSS states:

“Science is also at the heart of the United States’ ability to continue to innovate, lead, and create the jobs of the future. All students—whether they become technicians in a hospital, workers in a high tech manufacturing facility, or Ph.D. researchers—must have a solid K–12 science education.”

This year, the science curriculum will also introduce more engineering work. Throughout the year, students also work on scientific skills, such as carrying out experiments, scientific argumentation, using and recording data and using experimental evidence to support scientific claims. The focus of the curriculum is mastery of these skills and applying them to all of the different content areas in science.

+ SPECIALS

All students participate in specials that compliment the rigorous classroom curricula throughout the school year. Art, Physical Education, Music, STEAM, and Spanish are offered to all students from grades Kindergarten through grade 8.

Students begin to experience the Spanish language 1x per week starting in kindergarten through grade 5. Middle School students take Spanish 3x per week.