Middle School | Grades 5-8

List of 4 items.

• Interdisciplinary Capstone Projects

  Interdisciplinary capstone projects in both seventh and eighth grade use real world issues as the basis for classroom learning.
  
  The seventh grade capstone project requires students to represent a country as they present a bid to host a major sporting event. Students research their country’s geography, history, and culture from a variety of perspectives and present their research through a written executive summary, website, and video.
  
  The Endangered Species Project is the major focus of eighth grade English, science, history, and computer classes during the spring. As they research their endangered species, students examine environmental policy in light of the relationships between governments, local communities, and the local biosphere. The project requires critical thinking about complex problems from different disciplinary perspectives and serves as preparation for the kind of academic work required in the Upper School.

• Environmental Engineering and Earth Science

  The eighth grade E3S curriculum equips students with the understanding and skills necessary to analyze environmental problems and propose solutions. Each unit provides a project-based approach to learning in a real world context. During the class, E3S students design a solar battery to power a model car, design and construct earthquake resistant structures, develop a plan for space colonization, and break down an electronic device to see where its raw materials come from and where they end up. Each unit is tied to objectives from the Next Generation Science Standards and framed in the context of our motto of Citizen, Scholar, Steward.

• Programming and Robotics

  Yearlong courses in Programming and Robotics are part of the core curriculum for grades six and seven. The sixth grade Programming and Robotics class uses Lego Mindstorm NXT robots and a curriculum developed by Carnegie Mellon University. In this course, students learn to experiment with both the design of the robot and its programming in order to complete a series of increasingly difficult challenges.
  
  By the time they reach seventh grade and the Advanced Programming and Robotics course, students are soldering their own circuit boards and using the 3D printer and laser cutter in the KCD Fab Lab to build their own robots.

• Learning Lab and Life Skills

  Learning Lab (sixth grade) and Life Skills (seventh/eighth grade) classes are designed to foster the social and emotional health of middle school students as they move from childhood to adolescence. The classes focus on issues such as organization and study skills, self-esteem, healthy decision-making, and positive peer relationships.