Middle School Curriculum
The Mary Francis Bachmann School offers a robust, experiential project-driven curriculum developed in collaboration with Oak Meadow, a team of Waldorf-informed curriculum experts located in Vermont. Working with Class and Subject Teachers, the curriculum allows students to fully engage the material and demonstrate their understanding through the developing and creating projects, activities and presentations. Each student engages the material in ways most meaningful to them.
Our learning philosophy allows students to bring their own passions, own individual experiences and their personal interests to the work while showcasing their mastery of the topics and subjects explored as a class. The following is a sample overview of our middle school curriculum.
Fifth Grade
English
Select Topics:
- Antonyms and Synonyms
- Compound and Complex Sentences
- Prefixes and Suffixes
- Verb Tenses
- Descriptive Writing
- Five Paragraph Essay
- Creative Writing
Social Studies
Select Topics:
- Map Making
- Colonial Life in America
- American Revolution
- The US Constitution
- Indian Removal Act
- Native American Leaders
- US Civil War
- Abolition and the Underground Railroad
- Women in US History
Science
Select Topics:
- Scientific Inquiry
- Metric Conversions
- Astronomy
- Renewable and Non-renewable Sources
- Energy Conservation
- Weather Patterns
- States of Matter
- Human Body Systems
Math
Select Topics:
- Measuring Time
- Bar Graphs and Line Graphs
- Roman Numerals
- Squares and Square Roots
- Two-Digit Divisors
- Expanding and Reducing Fractions
- Lowest Common Denominator
- Multiplying and Dividing Fractions and Mixed Numbers
- Decimals
Subjects
- Spanish
- Ecology and Agricultural Science
Fifth Grade Reading List
- Ben and Me: An Astonishing Life of Benjamin Franklinby His Good Mouse Amos
by Robert Lawson - The Birchbark House
by Louise Erdrich - Dear America: A Journey to the New World – The Diary of Remember Patience Whipple
by Kathryn Lasky - Early Thunder
by Jean Fritz - Freedom Train: The Story of Harriet Tubman
by Dorothy Sterling - The Witch of Blackbird Pond
by Elizabeth George Speare
Sixth Grade
English
Select Topics:
- The Writing Process
- Direct and Indirect Quotations
- Writing a Research Report
- Short Story Writing
- Expository Essay
- Comparative Essay
- Persuasive Essay
- Using Supportive Details
- Prefixes, Suffixes and Base Words
- Parts of Speech
- Creative Writing
Social Studies
Select Topics:
- Early Human Cultures
- Ancient Cultures of Africa, Asia and the Middle East
- Ancient Greek and Roman Culture
- Ancient Systems of Government, Religion and Philosophy
- Celtic and Germanic Tribes
- Early North American Cultures
- Aztec, Mayan and Incan Civilizations
- Early Navigation and Exploration
Science
Select Topics:
- Scientific Method and Experimentation
- Cell Structure and Cell Division
- Classification of Living Things
- Plant and Animal Kingdoms
- Animal Life Cycles
- Food Chains and Food Webs
- Human Nutrition
- Human Body Structures and Systems
Math
Select Topics:
- Multiplying and Dividing Fractions
- Multiplying and Dividing Decimals
- Dividends of Less Than One
- Measurements of Distance, Weight and Volume
- Calculating Percentages
- Converting Between Fractions, Decimals and Percentages
- Ratios and Probability
- Perimeter, Ratio and Diameter
- Order of Operations
Subjects
- Spanish
- Ecology and Agricultural Science
Sixth Grade Reading List
- The Adventures of Robin Hood
by Roger Lancelyn Green - Castle Diary: The Journal of Tobias Burgess
by Richard Platt - D’Aulaires’ Book Of Greek Myths
- The Eagle of the Ninth
by Rosemary Sutcliff - The Golden Bull: A Mesopotamian Adventure
by Marjorie Cowley - Maroo of the Winter Caves
by Ann Turnbull - Once There Was, Twice There Wasn’t: Fifty Turkish Folktales of Nasreddin Hodja
by Michael Shelton - The Rainbow People
by Laurence Yep - The Shakespeare Stealer
by Gary Blackwood - The Ugly One
by Leanne Statland Ellis
Seventh Grade
English
Grammar and Composition:
- Paragraph and Sentence Structure
- Pre-Writing Techniques
- Citing Sources and Plagiarism
- Dangling and Misplaced Modifiers
- Parallel Construction
- Writing a Business Letter
Literature:
- Analysis of Literary Themes
- Analogy, Metaphor and Simile
- Plot and Character Development
- Poetry
- Story Structure
- Biographies and Autobiographies
Social Studies
Select Topics:
- Empires of Asia
- The European Age of Enlightenment
- The French Revolution
- Slavery and the US Civil War
- World Wars
- Influential People in History
- Conflicts in Asia and the Middle East
- Information Age
- Technology
Science
Select Topics:
- Variables and Controlled Experiments
- Astronomy
- Geology, Weathering and Erosion
- Plate Tectonics
- Meteorology
- Human Population Growth
- Biodiversity and Habitat Loss
- Student-Led Scientific Inquiry
Math
Select Topics:
- Order of Operations
- Factors and Prime Numbers
- Simple and Compound Interest
- Equations with Missing Numbers
- Rules for Equations
- Using a Calculator
- Circumference and Area of a Circle
- Constructing Triangles and Calculating Area
- Applying and Transforming Formulas
- Ratios and Proportions
- Bisecting Lines and Angles
- Volume and Geometric Solids
- Roots and Exponents of Fractions and Negative Numbers
Subjects
- Spanish
- Ecology and Agricultural Science
Seventh Grade Reading List
- Aleutian Sparrow
by Karen Hesse - Brown Girl Dreaming
by Jacqueline Woodson - Catherine Called Birdy
by Karen Cushman - Code Talker
by Joseph Bruchac - Counting on Grace
by Elizabth Winthrop - Esperanza Rising
by Pam Muñoz Ryan - Out of the Dust
by Karen Hesse - Shelf Life – Stories by the Book
edited by Gary Paulsen - A Single Shard
by Linda Sue Park
Eighth Grade
English
Composition:
- Vocabulary Development
- Figurative Language
- The Writing Process
- Interviewing Skills
- Writing in Verse
- Concise Writing
Literature:
- Plot and Character Development
- Poetry
- Story Themes
- Foreshadowing
- Biographies and Autobiographies
- Differing Character Perspectives
Social Studies
Select Topics:
- Qualities of Good Citizenship
- Community Leaders
- Disability Awareness
- Political Heritage and Governing Structures
- Landmark Case of the US Supreme Court
- Civic Debate
- Voting Rights and Responsibilities
- Civic Involvement
- Media Influence and News Literacy
Science
Select Topics:
- Controlled Experiments
- Periodic Table
- Mixtures and Compounds
- Laws of Motion
- Types of Energy
- Mass Weight and Gravity
- Force Vectors
- Properties of Waves
- Electromagnetic Spectrum, Electric Charge and Current
- Refraction, Absorption, and Refraction of Light
- Mechanical Advantage
- Principles of Aerodynamics
- Student-Led Scientific Inquiry
Math
Select Topics:
- Graphs
- Algebraic Equations
- Rate Word Problems
- Scientific Notation
- Ratios and Proportions
- Graphing Inequalities
- Negative Coefficients
- Estimating Roots
- Angles and Triangles
- Negative Exponents
- Permutations
Subjects
- Spanish
- Ecology and Agricultural Science
Eighth Grade Reading List
- Baseball in April and Other Stories
by Gary Soto - Before the Ever After
by Jacqueline Woodson - Echo
by Pam Muñoz Ryan - The Giver
by Lois Lowry - Leave this Song Behind – Teen Poetry at Its Best
- The Magnolia Sword: A Ballad of Mulan
by Sherry Thomas - A Wrinkle in Time
by Madeleine L’Engle
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