Reading

Writing

Math 

Science

Social Studies

September

Unit 1 - Turn Every Kid into a Reader and Character Analyst!

In the first unit, students will establish goals in their reading community and they will assess their strengths and needs as powerful readers. The character study provides an introduction to the interpretive work that is the cornerstone of middle school reading.

Unit 1 - Narrative Writing

In this unit students will become goal-oriented writers who build on their writing foundations. Through the workshop model, writers will produce a personal narrative and increase productivity in their independent writing.

Unit 1 - Applications of Geometry

Students will solve problems involving length, area, volume and surface area including work with nets.

Unit 1 - Light and Matter

This unit develops science ideas about how our eyes see objects by light reflecting off of or transmitting through them. As the unit progresses, students will ask questions and draw models to help explain a puzzling phenomenon: a one-way mirror. 

Unit 1 - East Asia: Economic Powerhouse: China

Students will study the region of East Asia with a focus on China (geography, history, government and economy)

October

Unit 2 - Ratios and Rates

Students will solve problems  using ratios including unit rate and percentage problems.

Unit 2 - Thermal Energy

This unit develops science ideas about temperature, heat, and thermal energy. Students build on prior learning about states of matter, energy and energy transfer through the investigation of iced drinks in two different kinds of cups.  By the end of the unit, they will design a cup that will keep a drink colder than the cups investigated.

November

Unit 2 - Tap the Power of Nonfiction

The major goal of this reading unit is to sharpen students’ ability to read more complex nonfiction.  Students will focus on building fluency, accurate understanding of central ideas, and proper citation techniques.

Unit 2 - Up the Ladder Information Writing

The focus of this unit is the research-based informational essay.  Writers will go through the research and writing process from whole-class topics to individual areas of interest.

Unit 3 - Weather, Climate & Water Cycling

Students develop science ideas about weather, climate, and water cycling.  During the unit, students will conduct investigations where they analyze data to draw models to help explain both small scale storms as well as large weather systems and climate-level patterns of precipitation.

Unit 2 - Western Europe: Division and Unification of Modern Europe: The EU

Students will explore Western Europe  with a focus on the European Union (geography, history, government and economy)

December

Unit 3 - Operations with Positive Rational Numbers

Students will add, subtract, multiply and divide with positive whole numbers, decimals and fractions with a focus on making sense of dividing fractions.

January

Unit 4 - Plate Tectonics & Rock Cycling

This unit develops science ideas about processes that build up and wear down Earth’s surface.  Students investigate Mt. Everest and 5 other mountains to explain how mountains can move, grow, and shrink.

February

Unit 3 - Social Issues Book Clubs

This reading unit gives students a practical introduction to critical literacy. The focus will be on reading to identify and study the social issues that are woven into the fabric of middle grade and young adult fiction. Students will learn how reading across genres can also help to develop a more researched view of an issue in society.

Unit 3 - Literary Essay

Students will write a literary essay by developing a plan that incorporates evidence and explaining how the evidence supports their big idea. Students will practice close reading strategies in order to develop theories about a story, and to apply the strategies to their own writing. 

Unit 4 - Expressions and Equations

Students will write algebraic expressions and use tables, graphs, equations, and verbal descriptions to represent and solve problems

Unit 3 - South America: Abundant Resources: Brazil and the Amazon Basin

Students will explore South America’s physical and cultural geography and describe the way resources and land-use conflicts impact the region with a focus on the Amazon Basin.

March

Unit 5 - Natural Hazards

This unit develops science ideas about natural hazards and how society can respond to them. Within this unit, students focus on the 2011 Great Sendai or Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Overall, students explain what causes a tsunami in order to design how they can possibly lessen the impacts of one.

April

Unit 4 - SBA Test Prep

This short unit provides an opportunity to revisit reading goals and comprehension strategies for complex texts.  In addition, the aim is to create a bridge between the authentic reading work up to this point and the specific language and structure of the test. 

Unit 4 - SBA Test Prep

This short unit is focused on the specific, unique writing tasks on the Smarter Balanced Assessment. Students will review strategies for writing effective short responses, as well as tips for revising and editing. 

Unit 5 - Systems of Rational Numbers

Students will work with positive and negative numbers (including fractions) with a focus on  location on number lines, comparing & ordering and connections to their lives.

Unit 4 - Sub-Saharan Africa: Economies, Resources, and Governments: South Africa

Students will explore Sub-Saharan Africa with a focus on  the colonization of South Africa, investigating society during and after Apartheid.

May

Unit 5 - Fantasy Book Clubs

Readers will draw on all of the skills and strategies they have learned for comprehension to synthesize across fantasies individually and with their book clubs. Students will explore the fantasy genre as a way to look at complex themes and ideas.

Unit 5 - Fantasy Writing*

Writers will apply crafting techniques they learned throughout the year in Writers Workshop to write their own fantasy story. Students will celebrate their writing growth in this final unit of study for the year. 

*Poetry Writing may be offered as an alternative option. 

Unit 6 - Cells & Systems

This unit focuses on  the biological process of healing that takes place in the human body after it sustains an injury. Students will follow the healing journey of one individual to delve into the science behind this process. They also  will have the opportunity to reflect on their own experiences with injury.

Unit 6 - Statistics & Distribution

Students will display data using graphs and analyze using mean, median, mode and range.

June