General Studies

Language Arts

In Language Arts, students are encouraged to read, write, and explore the humanities in a positive environment that fosters collaboration and reflection. Our learning objectives are aligned with Common Care standards, with an emphasis on close-reading, in-depth questioning, and analyzing and deconstructing main ideas in non-fiction texts and classics. All of our students participate in Achieve 3000, an online adaptive program designed to advance reading comprehension of non-fiction texts. Our Language Arts classes strive to implement the Collins Writing Program, which uses practical writing activities to increase students’ understanding of content, classroom involvement, and motivation to learn.

Social Studies

Our Social Studies classes follow state-mandated curriculum. 6th grade students focus on global history with an emphasis on world geography and an overview of ancient civilizations and cultures. In 7th grade, students learn American History. They begin the year with the exploration of the “New World” and continue through the Civil War. In 8th grade, they pick up with the Reconstruction and the Industrial Revolution, and continue through the World Wars. Additionally, each student is exposed to current events through assignments and class discussions.


The 6th grade is exploring Earth Science, including astronomy, weather and climate, and the geology of the Earth. The 7th grade curriculum focuses on biology and the living environment. Topics range from cells, plants, animals, genetics, and evolution to how we interact with our surroundings. The 8th grade focuses on Chemistry and physics, with a particular focus on preparation for High School by using the Chemistry Regents Reference Tables. Additionally, students in exposed to STEM through hands on experiments in our labs.


Our Math curriculum is aligned with the Common Core Standards with a heavy concentration on word problems and the ability to extract the important component from each problem. In 6th grade, we focus on a deeper understanding of basic math concepts, including fractions, decimals and percent. In 7th grade, students learn positive and negative with rational numbers. We then continue with an introduction to algebra. In 8th grade, we emphasize the skills necessary for high school. The curriculum focuses on pre-algebra and geometry. 8th grade students are given an enrichment opportunity to take Math 9.
