Academics at MCMS

Students in the 6th grade language arts will engage in a rigorous curriculum which focuses on the standard areas of reading, writing and communication. Students will read a variety of literary genres such as poetry, novels, short stories, and non-fiction. As a complement to the reading instruction, students will be required to write in a variety of modes which involve text-based evidence for student responses. Students will learn to prepare and write narrative, expository, descriptive, and persuasive types of writing pieces in the form of stories, reflections, essays, letters, and reports. Teachers will also provide vocabulary instruction to enhance students’ skills in reading and writing. Equally as important, students will continue to sharpen their grammatical skills so that they can become effective writers and speakers.

In Grade 6, instructional time should focus on four critical areas: (1) connecting ratio and rate to whole number multiplication and division and using concepts of ratio and rate to solve problems; (2) completing understanding of division of fractions and extending the notion of number to the system of rational numbers, which includes negative numbers; (3) writing, interpreting, and using expressions and equations; and (4) developing understanding of statistical thinking.

Scientific inquiry skills and the application of technology and engineering are embedded as grade level expectations in the science curriculum. In the life science study of interdependence, students will explore the world’s major biomes, how living things interact with one another and the non-living elements of their environments, cycles in nature and how matter and energy are transferred through ecosystems. The Earth and space science curriculum includes a study of the major components of the universe and the relative distances of objects in the solar system from Earth. Students will learn about the positional relationships between Earth, the moon and the sun and how they control the lunar cycle, length of day, and year. Lunar and solar eclipses, tides, and seasons will be explored. Also included is the study of Earth’s atmosphere, currents, weather, and interpretation of meteorological data. Physical science content includes a study of energy transformations and the interplay between magnetic fields and electrical currents. Students will learn about forms of energy, their transformations, and how circuits are associated with the transfer of electrical energy when heat, light, sound, and chemical changes are produced. Students will be engaging in expository writing to explain scientific principles.

Sixth grade students will study the beginning of early civilizations through the fall of the Roman Empire. Students will study the geographical, social, economic, and political foundations for early civilizations progressing through the Roman Empire. Students will study the development of civilizations, including Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, China, Ancient Israel, Greece, and Rome. The study of these civilizations will include the impact of geography, early history, cultural development, and economic change. This course will be the first concentrated study of world history and geography and will utilize appropriate informational texts and primary sources.

Students in 7th grade language arts engage in rigorous application and reinforcement of grammar skills and a variety of writing strategies and techniques. Students compose essays in which they support their ideas with evidence from various genres or informational texts. Reading includes novels, short stories, poetry, non-fiction, and informational text. Vocabulary study incorporates grade level words, academic vocabulary, and Greek and Latin roots.

In Grade 7, instructional time should focus on four critical areas: (1) developing understanding of and applying proportional relationships; (2) developing understanding of operations with rational numbers and working with expressions and linear equations; (3) solving problems involving scale drawings and informal geometric constructions, and working with two- and three-dimensional shapes to solve problems involving area, surface area, and volume; and (4) drawing inferences about populations based on samples.

Students will be introduced to the study of cells, photosynthesis, respiration, heredity, the rock cycle, plate tectonics, motion, force, work, and simple machines. Students will sharpen their scientific inquiry skills and explore technology and engineering using the following methods: participating in many hands-on laboratory activities in order to make proper observations and draw conclusions for themselves, investigating multiple solutions to scientific questions and problems, identifying and testing the best solutions, and appropriately communicating their findings to a specific audience such as fellow students, teachers, or parents.

Seventh grade students will explore the social, cultural, geographical, political and technological changes that occurred after the fall of the Roman Empire. Students will also study the Middle Ages, including the Middle East, Africa, China, Japan and Europe. There is a heavy emphasis on western civilization in Europe during the Renaissance and Reformation. Students will compare and contrast the history and geography of civilizations that were developing concurrently throughout these continents during medieval times. Students will examine the growth in economic interactions among civilizations as well as the exchange of ideas, beliefs, technologies, and commodities. Seventh grade students will end the year by examining the Meso-American and Andean civilizations, and the age of European explorations and colonizations. Appropriate informational texts and primary sources will be used in order to deepen the understanding of how these civilizations influence the modern world.

Eighth grade Language Arts follows standards to develop greater analytical reading and thinking skills that consistently spiral student learning of grade-level skills. Students write informative /explanatory, narrative, and argumentative essays, incorporating textual evidence from literary or informational passages. Grammar instruction requires students to embed grammar concepts into writing. Students study certain novels per year, in addition to short stories and poetry. Additionally, students are encouraged to read a novel of their choosing each quarter. Greek and Latin morphemes study broadens students’ vocabulary knowledge.

In Grade 8, instructional time should focus on three critical areas: (1) formulating and reasoning about expressions and equations, including modeling an association in bivariate data with a linear equation, and solving linear equations and systems of linear equations; (2) grasping the concept of a function and using functions to describe quantitative relationships; (3) analyzing two- and three-dimensional space and figures using distance, angle, similarity, and congruence, and understanding and applying the Pythagorean Theorem.

Eighth grade science focuses on the practical application of science as it relates to life and the environment. Students will explore scientific inquiry and the impact science has on the development of new technologies. A well-balanced exploration of life and physical science subjects covered include: classification of organisms response to the environment, composition and structure of matter and its behavior, and the electrical and gravitational fields at work in our universe. This program will place an emphasis on writing skills, technology, and hands-on learning. Students will learn to interpret data and use it to solve problems.

Eighth grade students will study the European colonization of North America, along with the geographic features that influenced early settlements and colonies. This course will emphasize the development and maturation of the British colonies, and the political, cultural, and economic influences that led to the American Revolution. The major events and outcomes of the American Revolution will be analyzed, along with the individuals that played influential roles in the development of the new nation. Students will follow the development of the United States and its government, continuing through the early 19th century. The impact of the expansion of the United States will be analyzed, including implications on domestic and foreign policy. Policies that affected the American Indians will also be studied. The events leading up to the Civil War will be examined, along with the individuals and events that were significant during the war. The history, people, government, and geography of Tennessee will be emphasized in order to illustrate the role our state has played in American history. Reconstruction and the development of the American West will conclude this course. Appropriate primary sources and informational texts will be included in order to enhance understanding of the content.