Curriculum
An overview of the curriculum for students in Grades Fve through Eight is provided below. For more information, download our Middle School Curriculum Guide here.
Overview
At Gill St. Bernard’s, every effort is made to stretch the intellect and spark the imagination of each individual. The course content of the Middle School Program is the vehicle by which we stress the sharpening and mastery of skills which prepare students for high school, college and life-long learning.
During the Fifth and Sixth Grades, the integration and application of basic skills with general knowledge and conceptual understanding is emphasized. Support, guidance and increased attention are given to organizational and study skills. Students are encouraged to further develop their ability to think critically and learn independently.
In Seventh and Eighth Grades students are actively preparing for the transition to high school. Core academic subjects require students to further develop their abilities to think critically and learn independently. As part of the Seventh Grade curriculum, all students begin their high school foreign language study in French, Spanish or Latin.
FIFTH GRADE
Language Arts
Fifth Grade students learn an appreciation of literature from a reading program that includes short stories, novels, newspaper articles and poetry. Fifth Graders are expected to read independently throughout the year. A computer program called The Accelerated Reader integrates computer technology with reading enrichment to increase reading comprehension and keep track of students’ progress. Many writing assignments relate directly to the reading, science or social studies curriculum. Throughout the year students experience tasks across the whole writing spectrum (e.g.: letters, reports, descriptive accounts, journals, poetry). Composition and grammar are emphasized. Students participate in peer editing and learn to effectively revise their writing. English grammar is studied and reinforced throughout the year, complementing skills being learned in Latin.
Mathematics
The math curriculum is a balance between conceptual knowledge, procedural knowledge, and problem solving. Number sense, fractions, decimals, measurements, graphing, percents and probability are studied, including an introduction to algebraic concepts. Manipulatives such as fraction bars and base ten blocks as well as real life math applications, supplement the use of a text and aid conceptual understanding. Advanced topics and individual acceleration provide the appropriate level of challenge and mastery for each student.
Social Studies
The United States is the central theme for the Fifth Grade social studies curriculum. In history, the students investigate U.S. History from its revolutionary beginnings to the Civil War and Reconstruction. In geography, the students analyze the features of each of the major regions in the U.S., and in current events, particular emphasis is placed on local and national news stories.
Science
Topics within the areas of life, physical, and earth science are presented, including insects, plants, birds, the solar system, electricity and magnetism, air pressure and oceans. The lab work is hands-on, including activities such as dissecting flowers and owl pellets, and/or building models and simple motors. Every Fifth Grade student participates in a Middle School Science Fair or challenge project that is completed during class. (Parents are not permitted to help students at home.)
Interdiscipinary Study
All Fifth and Sixth Graders participate in an overnight interdisciplinary trip to Stokes State Forest. An environmental education program, including problem solving and cooperative learning, is provided by the staff of the School of Conservation from Montclair State College and by the Fifth and Sixth Grade teachers.
Fifth and Sixth Grade Enrichment
Latin
Latin is introduced in Fifth Grade and continued in Sixth for all students. Goals include preparation for the formal study of a modern foreign language in Seventh Grade; improvement in understanding of English grammar, enhancement of students’ English vocabulary through the study of Latin roots; and the development of specific study skills which can carry over to the entire curriculum.
Art
Art classes meet two times a week, for one semester. Exploration of the elements of design (line, color, texture, shape, shading) and principles of design (rhythm, balance, repetition, contrast) are woven into the creative framework of the art curriculum. A wide range of media is explored with the student including clay, tempera, photography, wood construction, papier-mâché, collage, etc. Students maintain an art journal throughout the course.
Woodworking
Woodworking courses meet twice a week for one semester in a safe, well-appointed woodworking shop. Students are introduced to a variety of hand tools, and they learn about measurement, design and joinery. Projects include constructions such as birdhouses, sailboats and bookends.
Music
Music classes meet twice a week. In both the Fifth and Sixth Grade, music theory, history, and performance are emphasized equally. Students improve the skills of note reading, counting, listening and conducting and continue to study the concepts of rhythm, tonality, harmony and musical terms. The lives and works of selected composers are studied with emphasis on their influence in western music history. The techniques of choral singing are further developed and refined at this level.
Computers
Computer classes meet twice a week and additional time is available for special projects. Classes meet in the state-of-the-art, Internet-connected computer lab. Varied computer skills are taught throughout the year, including keyboarding, word-processing, spreadsheets and presentations. Internet research skills are introduced through projects done for other academic classes.
Health
Weekly health classes for Fifth and Sixth Graders are taught by a health educator. Health education focuses on human relationships and substance abuse resistance. The human relationships section addresses the social and emotional changes that take place during the middle school years. Substance abuse resistance education provides students with the information and decision-making skills to discern safe behaviors from those which are self-destructive.
Physical Education
Physical education classes meet four days a week. Individual skills and social development are highlighted through motor activities. Teamwork, sportsmanship and fitness through team sports are stressed. Physical fitness is developed and evaluated through a physical fitness unit. Interscholastic sports include soccer, basketball, baseball and softball.
Fifth/Sixth Grade Unit
Near the end of the second semester, students participate in an interdisciplinary unit of study focusing on a specific topic. This time affords the opportunity for research and group work across disciplines.
SIXTH GRADE
See above for interdisciplinary and enrichment study.
Language Arts
Sixth Graders continue to develop their appreciation of quality literature from a rich and varied reading program. Reading selections include The Giver, Out of the Dust, Little Worlds, anthology of short stories, Holes, and Small Steps. Reading concepts such as comprehension, inference, character development, setting, theme, point of view, irony, conflict, symbol and plot analysis are explored. Students continue to use the Accelerated Reader program as a way to join computer technology with reading enrichment. Ample opportunities for creative writing projects are provided. English grammar is reinforced through sentence diagramming and complements skills learned in Latin.
Mathematics
The Sixth Grade mathematics curriculum is a balance between conceptual knowledge, procedural knowledge and problem solving. In-depth study of fractions, measurements, integers, ratios, proportions, and percents are included. Algebraic concepts such as linear equations are explored. Advanced topics and individual acceleration provide the appropriate level of challenge and mastery for each student.
Social Studies
The social studies curriculum explores ancient civilizations. A study of archeology, featuring a field trip to an archaeology museum, provides a foundation for learning about early civilizations. The fundamental aspects of world geography, specifically the countries within each continent, are incorporated throughout each investigation. Worldwide current events provide a catalyst for discussion and a comparison of cultural components.
Science
Animal adaptations, simple machines, motion and force, chemistry, the universe and geology are among the topics investigated. Students use microscopes, dissect a frog, either in the lab or on a computer, and conduct a variety of lab activities, including finding the ph of substances, and experimenting with a colloid. They study space, the moon, stars, and NASA work while training for a simulated flight to the moon at the Buehler Challenger Science Center.
Every Sixth Grade student participates in the Middle School Science Fair, during which he or she chooses a topic, researches information and creates a project during class. (Parents are not permitted to help students at home.)
SEVENTH GRADE
Language Arts
The English program covers four areas: literature, composition, grammar and vocabulary/spelling. In addition to a literature anthology, students read Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, The Pearl, Stargirl, Where the Red Fern Grows and Flowers for Algernon. Students begin to study the components of critical literary analysis: various elements of fiction, literary devices and literary terms. Seventh Grade continues an intensive study of English grammar, mechanics and usage. Beginning with the paragraph and developing into the essay, expository composition is stressed. A library research paper is written as a collaborative assignment with history.
Mathematics
An evaluation of each student’s mathematical progress, innate ability and academic motivation is used to select a curriculum which meets each student’s level of mastery. The options are Pre-Algebra or Algebra I. Logic, reasoning and problem solving skills are emphasized in all classes. Understanding, precision and mastery are the goals for all groups.
History
The Seventh Grade history curriculum investigates the nature of the Classical Age. The political and cultural contributions of the ancient Greeks aand Romans re explored. Reenactments and problem solving activities provide an experiential dimension, bringing the course to life. An investigation of European geography, concentrating on specific areas related to the historical topics, further expands the students’ understanding and awareness of global history. Weekly dialogues and debates on contemporary issues contribute to the students’ perspectives and understanding of history.
Science
Seventh Grade science is divided into three sections: physical, earth and life science. The physical science unit covers the study of scientific method, optics and physical states of matter. The earth science unit investigates the structure of the earth, plate tectonics, volcanoes, earthquakes and global warming. The life science unit explores the topics of classification, protists, bacteria, fungi, and viruses, focusing on disease and immunity.
Every Seventh Grade student participates in the Middle School Science Fair, during which he/she chooses a topic, researches information and creates a project during class. (Parents are not permitted to help students at home.)
World Languages
Students have the choice of studying French, Spanish or Latin in Seventh Grade and continuing the study of that language in Eighth Grade.
Latin
During this year students continue to enhance their English vocabulary through the study of Latin roots. They develop their knowledge of the grammatical structure of language by examining increasingly complex sentence structures which complement the seventh grade language arts program. There is a special emphasis on the study of the daily lives of ancient Greeks and Romans to complement the history curriculum.
French 7
Seventh Grade French meets three days a week and presents students with the first half of the French I curriculum. This course stresses oral/aural proficiency and is designed to develop a functional body of vocabulary while providing students with an understanding of basic grammatical structures. It is a communication-based program which stresses the importance of active student involvement in all stages of instruction.
Spanish 7
Seventh Grade Spanish meets three days a week and presents students with the first half of the Spanish I curriculum. This course focuses on oral/aural proficiency and is designed to develop a functional body of vocabulary while providing students with an understanding of basic grammatical structures. It is a communication-based program which stresses the importance of active student involvement in all stages of instruction.
ENRICHMENT SUBJECTS
Art
This course meets twice a week and offers the students the opportunity to work with a wide range of materials including watercolor and digital photography. The emphasis is on the artistic process and creativity. Student artwork is showcased in displays throughout the school. Students explore themes that are relevant to their lives. Art journals are required to document observations of meaning and the development of articis investigations.
Music
This course meets two times a week. It is performance oriented, culminating in the presentation of two concerts per year. The choir also takes part in the Middle School Closing Exercises and other special school events. In addition to training in vocalizing, sight-singing and choral repertoire, students are also instructed in musicianship and theory. Individual students also compete to be in the New Jersey State Junior High Honors Choir.
Woodworking
This course meets twice a week, and continues the student’s education, begun in the Fifth and Sixth Grades, in working with wood. Students learn the philosophy behind the use of proper joinery, how and when to use particular joints and how to execute the joints. Design becomes an important step at this stage. Projects such as wooden boxes with dovetailed joints enable students to put into practice the techniques studied.
Library and Research Skills
The library curriculum focuses on five areas that are presented to students at age and grade appropriate levels, with different materials and increasingly complex skills introduced. These are:
The characteristics of information and the information seeker
How information is organized in a library
How information is stored
How libraries function
How to search for information
In the Seventh Grade students will have the opportunity to learn and experience the research process. The first project has students researching, taking notes and putting together an ancient Greek newspaper and represents a collaboration between the social studies teacher and librarian. The English instructors collaborate with the librarian in having students write a research paper about some aspect of world mythology. Students choose a topic, research and take notes, and construct a paper using the appropriate form for citations in the body of the paper and for a works-cited page. The third project has students creating a world disease brochure using Microsoft Publisher.
Physical Education/Athletics
Activities include soccer, basketball, volleyball, floor hockey, softball, baseball and tennis. All students are required to take part in the physical education program. The school fields a boys and a girls team in soccer, track and basketball, a boys baseball and a girls softball team and a coed tennis team. Each team plays in several interscholastic competitions each season. All practices take place during school hours, with contests being held after school.
Health
Weekly health classes are taught by a health educator. Classes in Grade Seven are designed to help students understand the physical, mental, emotional and social aspects of interpersonal relationships. Discussions, debates, films and speakers all serve to deepen the students’ awareness of health issues.
Seventh/Eighth Grade Unit
For approximately one-and-a-half weeks at the end of the second semester, the daily schedule for Seventh and Eighth Graders changes. Students participate in an interdisciplinary unit of study. The Unit focuses on a variety of topics such as the American court system, cooking, Italian art and culture or the production of a Middle School musical. The Unit program affords the opportunity for research and group work across the disciplines.
EIGHTH GRADE
Language Arts
The curriculum covers four areas: literature, composition, grammar and vocabulary/spelling. Students continue to study the components of critical literary analysis and to learn and use an extensive vocabulary of literary terms. Literature includes Romeo and Juliet, To Kill a Mockingbird, Night, A Separate Peace, The Outsiders and works from anthologies of prose and poetry.
The study of grammar continues. Students learn about phrases, clauses, cases and modifiers. Emphasizing a four-step writing process, students write exposition. They also begin to write critical literary analysis. Reading, writing and analyzing poetry continues. Three library research projects are undertaken. Proper manuscript form and methods of documentation are introduced.
Civics
The Eighth Grade civics curriculum conducts a survey of the development and structure of our government. Students also study the broader perspective of world politics to better understand the U.S. government. Legislative simulations, mock trials, and presidential debates become vehicles for evaluating different philosophies of government and economic policies. The geographical aspects of the course center on demographic and economic trends of North and South America, developing both political and global awareness. Weekly dialogues and debates concerning contemporary issues contribute to and support students’ perspectives and understanding.
Mathematics
An evaluation of each student’s mathematical progress, innate ability and academic motivation is used to select the curriculum which meets each student’s level of mastery. Algebra I is the basic course, and those students who successfully completed Algebra I in seventh grade will continue their mathematics course with Geometry. Logic, reasoning and problem solving skills are taught in all classes. Understanding, precision and mastery are the goals for all groups.
Science
The Eighth Grade science course focuses on principles of physical science. Elementary concepts of chemistry, such as atomic and molecular structure, conservation of energy, and balancing of equations are introduced. Basic concepts of physics such as mothion and force are investigated. Demonstrations, labs, and other activities clarify and reinforce the concepts presented. Specific topics of interest in the news, such as global warming, are also addressed.
World Languages
Latin
Eighth Grade Latin is a continuation of the process of helping students to appreciate and to become more knowledgeable about the Latin language, in part through comparisons between the structure of Latin and that of English. These help students to better understand their native language and give them the ability to learn other foreign languages more efficiently and quickly in high school. In addition, students develop a rich understanding of the culture, mythology, and history of the Romans, which will enhance their study of history and English literature in high school.
French I
Eighth Grade French meets three days a week and is designed to prepare students for Upper School French II. Students develop an understanding of fundamental grammatical concepts while acquiring the vocabulary necessary for oral communication and comprehension. Linguistic skills are reinforced through a variety of learning techniques including drills, simulated scenarios, and listening comprehension activities. Students begin to read short stories and write compositions in French.
Spanish I
Eighth Grade Spanish meets three days a week and is designed to prepare students for Upper School Spanish II. Students acquire functional vocabulary and develop conversational skills through a variety of learning techniques including drills, simulated scenarios, and the examination of cultural realia. Students begin to read short stories and write compositions in Spanish.
Enrichment Subjects
Art
This course meets twice a week and offers the students the opportunity to work with a wide range of materials including watercolor, graphite, pen and ink and digital potography. The emphasis is on crating works of art that speak about the lives of the individual students. Student artwork is showcased in displays throughout the school. Students are required to maintain an art journal to expand and sharpen thei visual thinkg.
Music
This course meets two times a week. It is performance oriented, culminating in the presentation of two concerts per year. The choir also takes part in the Middle School Closing Exercises and other special events. In addition to training in vocalizing, sight-singing and choral repertoire, students are also instructed in musicianship and theory. Individual students also compete to be in the New Jersey State Junior High Honors Choir.
Woodworking
This course meets twice a week, and continues the student’s education, begun in the Fifth and Sixth Grades, in working with wood. Students learn the philosophy behind the use of proper joinery, how and when to use particular joints and how to execute the joints. Design becomes an important step at this stage. Projects such as wooden boxes with dovetailed joints enable students to put into practice the techniques studied.
Library and Research Skills
The library curriculum focuses on five areas that are presented to students at age and grade appropriate levels, with different materials and increasingly complex skills introduced. These are:
The characteristics of information and the information seeker
How information is organized in a library
How information is stored
How libraries function
How to search for information
In the Eighth Grade, the English and history instructors collaborate with the librarian to have students write a major research paper about immigration. Students choose a topic, research and take notes, and construct a paper using the appropriate form for citations in the body of the paper and for a works-cited page.
Two other research projects take place during the year. One is an art history project with the language instructors and another is a Supreme Court project with the history teacher.
Physical Education/Athletics
Activities include soccer, basketball, volleyball, floor hockey, softball, baseball and tennis. All students are required to take part in the physical education program. The school fields a boys and a girls team in soccer, track and basketball, a boys baseball and a girls softball team and a coed tennis team. Each team plays in several interscholastic competitions each season. All practices take place during school hours, with contests being held after school.
Health
Weekly health classes are taught by a health educator. Classes in Grade Eight are designed to help students understand the physical, mental, emotional and social aspects of interpersonal relationships. Discussions, debates, films and speakers all serve to deepen the students’ awareness of health issues.
Seventh/Eighth Grade Unit
For approximately one-and-a-half weeks at the end of the second semester, the daily schedule for Seventh and Eighth Graders changes. Students participate in an interdisciplinary unit of study. The Unit focuses on a variety of topics such as the American court system, cooking, Italian art and culture or the production of a Middle School Musical. The Unit program affords the opportunity for research and group work across the disciplines.
