In Reading students are exposed to a variety of genres in the form of trade books, poetry selections, and multicultural works that are used to motivate and enrich the student’s experiences with literature. Emphasis is placed on comprehension through the use of reading strategies that are practiced before, during and after reading that require a constant interaction with the text. Critical thinking skills are practiced in a real world forum where students can take advantage of exposure to varied and differing points of view or in sophistication of thought. Students are encouraged to examine how authors write through the study of the elements of the author’s craft.

Writer’s workshop is blended within this integrated relationship of study. Students focus on the steps of the process in writing to persuade, writing to inform, and writing to express in theaters that connect with our investigations in history. Grammar, punctuation, and spelling skills are taught in a mini-lesson format with formal practice completed within the writing assignments. Vocabulary enrichment focuses on dictionary skills, word relationships, and word origins.

Fourth graders lay the groundwork for their investigations into the past by studying World and American Geography. This study leads them into their experience as European explorers seeking wealth and new lands to conquer on the high seas. This changing picture of the world becomes apparent to students as study the effects of the clash of cultures and then form their colonial quest groups that work to establish settlements and compete for dominance in the New World.

Fifth graders extend the study of colonial growth in America and the eventual acquisition of new territories. They investigate early roots of democracy in the colonies and later become delegates to the Committees of Correspondence that would debate the issues concerning independence. Students study the beginnings of the westward movement and its effects on an entire civilization before framing the causes and pageantry of the Civil War with a student drama performance.

The mathematics program is in accordance with the Archdiocesan curriculum and the National Council of Teachers Mathematics. The curriculum focuses on the development of mathematical concepts, computational skills, and problem-solving strategies. The students are engaged in a variety of learning activities to help foster the student’s understanding of concepts and how these concepts are applied to real-life situations. Enrichment activities are provided for farther in-depth exploration of various topics. Daily homework is assigned to reinforce and maintain concepts and skills. A variety of assessment tools are used to evaluate the student’s progress.

Science

The science curriculum allows the students to explore a diversity of units in life, physical, and earth science. Students are encouraged to ask questions that can be answered through scientific investigations. Higher-level thinking skills are emphasized throughout each unit of study. Students participate in class discussions, conduct experiments, and communicate findings in a scientific manner. As a culminating activity, fifth-grade students participate in a science fair event.

Middle School

Language Arts

Middle school language arts offers a diversified curriculum with an integrated focus on grammar, writing, reading, literature, and vocabulary. Grammar focuses on the study of punctuation, nouns, pronouns, verbs, verbals, adjectives, and adverbs.  Language development is expanded through the introduction and use of new vocabulary on a bi-weekly basis. Different types of poetry and prose are read in order to develop an understanding and appreciation for literature. Guided reading novels are also read to help students not only enhance their comprehension skills but also make connections to the world around them. Essay and creative writing skills are cultivated and honed as students craft pieces in conjunction with genres studied in literature such as narrative writing, expository writing, drama, and short story. All language arts classes explore literary understanding through the use of technology projects and class presentations.  As a culmination of their learning, eighth graders construct an exit project consisting of a research paper, PowerPoint presentation, and oral presentation on a topic relating to a current issue of society.

Social Studies

The discipline of social studies contains four major components - history, government, economics, and geography. The St. Joan of Arc students develop their understanding and analysis of these areas of study throughout the course of middle school.

To begin, the 6^th grade curriculum covers the study of ancient civilizations including the Fertile Crescent, Egypt, China, India, Greece, and Rome through the Medieval time period in Europe. Through the study of the past, students will use social studies as a chance to develop their analytical and study skills. Students also master using timelines, interpreting the cause and effect of various events, and analyzing the significance of global events that occur in the news today.

The 7^th grade curriculum studies the human and physical geography of the surrounding world. Students gain a better understanding of the world through the in-depth study and analysis of the world's nations, their locations, physical boundaries and land formations, government structure, economy, culture, and human demography. This understanding provides students the fundamental knowledge necessary for the foundation of both an intellectual and actual survival in a rapidly globalizing society.

The 8^th grade curriculum is centered around events in American history starting with the conclusion of the Civil War. As the 8^th grade students approach the expectations of high school, they begin to challenge themselves in advanced intellectual thinking, as they move beyond history as a static discipline. Rather than conform to this former way of learning, students dig deep into the history of America and ask why these particular events occurred, and what impact they have upon the present day. In order to answer these questions, students examine the significance of each event as independent units in a collective study through analyzing primary documents, engaging in discussion and debate, as well as articulating our thoughts through the written word.

Religion

In all Middle School Religion courses, the study of the Catholic faith develops in a dichotomist fashion. To begin, the 6^th grade takes an in-depth look at Scripture, the teachings and stories of the Old Testament and they way they tie into the Catholic church today. In the 7^th grade, students learn about the life of Jesus through the Gospel, his teachings, and how they serve as his disciples. During the 8th grade, students develop a better understanding of the history of our church, its struggles, triumphs, and religious advancements. As a whole, the Middle School expands upon our faith on a personal level. Each student will have various opportunities to reflect upon his or her religious life through a written prayer journal, mental reflection, and classroom discussion. This two-fold religious teaching is used in order for students to better understand themselves as people of faith alongside the teachings of our Holy Catholic church. In addition, students take part in a variety of faith-based service projects throughout the course of the year, including almsgiving and donation drives, as well as collaborations with the St. Joan of Arc parish and the Aberdeen community.

Science

The middle school science curriculum integrates many realms of science. Sixth grade focuses on Earth Science, seventh grade focuses on Life Science, and eighth grade focuses on Physical Science. All of the grades in the science curriculum utilize various methods of presentation and assessment. Presentation includes class lecture, teacher demonstrations, and exploration. Assessments include standard quizzes and tests as well as performance based assessments such as drawings, skits, and labs. Student participation in labs is critical in developing scientific inquiry skills. The students make hypotheses, collect and analyze data, and draw conclusions from the experiment in order to answer a question posed about content they have learned in class. Students experience hands-on labs in which they use equipment such as triple beam balances, graduated cylinders, microscopes, spring scales, and petri dishes. The students must also integrate writing, math, and technology into the science by typing formal lab reports complete with graphs made from Microsoft Excel to display their numerical data.

Math

Students are grouped according to ability with the goal of expanding the skills learned in basic math and problem solving. The beginning of middle school math focuses on decimals, fractions, percents, proportional reasoning, integrated geometry and statistics, and an introduction to the basics of integers and variables. Our aim is to give students a firm foundation that will then help them move upward to a higher cognitive level as they advance to the more challenging Pre-Algebra and Algebra classes. In the Pre-Algebra and Algebra classes, the students apply their knowledge from previous math to solve and graph linear equations and inequalities in their many forms. A wide variety of methods are used when presenting the material-games, technology (such as graphing calculators or Microsoft Excel), exploration, and manipulatives. Student assessment consists of drills, class work, quizzes, tests, written responses, and a variety of performance based assessments.