The Middle School Program                   

At each grade in The Middle School, anchor teachers and specialists work collaboratively to design curriculum focused on overarching questions that target key concepts and skills. In all grades, students engage in learning that is both meaningful to their own lives and connected across subject areas. Through a wide range of topics, students build academic and social skills that require critical thinking and cooperation.

Grade 3
Grade 4
Grade 5

Grade 3

Language Arts:

Our Language Arts Program offers a balance of reading to, with, and by our students.  Our goal for our third grade readers is to READ-READ-READ!!!!!! We want to enjoy, share and learn more about so many great books. In Reading Workshop, using a variety of methods/means, we will introduce and teach comprehension strategies that will help our students become more thoughtful and engaged readers. Oral and silent reading, read aloud stories, discussions, literature circles, reviews and written work, along with the application of specific strategies taught, will contribute to enhancing reading skills.

The reading and writing programs in the third grade are intricately related. Throughout the year, we will be exposing the students to a variety of types of literature which will be modeled, shared and studied in myriad ways. We hope, above all, to instill a love and interest for reading a variety of genres and to engage students in the writing process. While striving to develop specific reading and writing skills and strategies, we will help our students become more thoughtful readers and writers.

Various types of expository and creative writing will be taught, including fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and personal narrative. In Writing Workshop, students will be working on pieces in their “Writers’ Notebooks” and “Reading Notebook” as well as on more traditional, lengthier pieces. “Writing Process” assignments will include the steps of prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. Using the 6+1 Trait program as a model, students will work on developing ideas, organization, voice, word choice, sentence fluency and conventions in their writing. Writing also occurs consistently throughout the curriculum, in math, science and social studies.

Utilizing a handwriting workbook as well as teaching appropriate formation in authentic writing settings, we will introduce the D’Nealian Cursive Method this fall. As they demonstrate readiness, third graders will be held increasingly accountable for proper D’Nealian Cursive in final written assignments. Later in the year we will introduce a keyboarding program to begin instruction in word processing skills.

The bulk of our spelling program is taken from SpellWell, although we will also be drawing from a variety of other sources. The weekly spelling lists focus on specific phonemic patterns or generalizations and usually include two to three classroom words that reflect what we are learning in other subject areas. Our goal in spelling is to help students recognize and apply their phonemic knowledge to everyday usage. We seek to help students establish a firm understanding of spelling systems. Conventional spelling is a lifelong process.

We have discovered the importance of creating and using a word wall to make high frequency words for third graders more accessible. The word wall will be used to train students to read and spell these words instantly and automatically. The students will construct words using letters and letter clusters to develop decoding strategies, comprehension skills and spelling. The program will enhance the students’ writing as they become word solvers.

Selection of Books for Reading Workshop (subject to change):

• Don’t Call Me Beanhead!
• Be Perfect in Just Three Days
• Clementine
• Who Cloned the President?
• Spray Paint–Mystery: The Case of the Missing Trophy
• Chet Gecko:  The Malted Falcon
• Angle Child, Dragon Child
• The Dragon of Doom   (Moongobble and Me)
• George’s Marvelous Medicine
• Rowan of Rin
• Escape North! The Story of Harriet Tubman
• Because of Winn-Dixie
• Biographies

(See Grade 3 Language Arts Curriculum Timetable).

Math:

Daily classes in third grade math are taken from TERC’s Investigations in Number, Data and Space, and supplemented by a variety of other resources.  Students work individually, in small groups and in larger groups to reason and communicate about mathematics orally, in writing, and by using pictures, diagrams and models.  Students learn to implement more than one strategy to double-check their answers. Students utilize a variety of mathematical tools, including measuring tools, manipulatives and calculators.

Our central objective is to support students’ learning about number, number relationships, the base-ten number system, mathematical operations, and the use of landmark numbers. Non-standard and standard measurements are practiced.  Students collect, display, describe, and interpret real data.  They become makers and users of data and graphs.  Math software is used for practice, investigation, and problem-solving.

Materials:   

• Investigations in Number, Data and Space - TERC
• Computer Software
• Manipulatives
• Other printed materials

(See Grade 3 Math Curriculum Timetable).

Science:

Through the integration of literature, personal observations, and hands-on exploration, students engage in science discovery.  The students investigate their environment, experiment, and record and analyze observed data.  Students take part in a yearlong study of water and aquatic ecosystems, with an emphasis on watersheds and how they connect to people.  We will raise Atlantic salmon in the classroom and release them in a nearby river.  Students study the environment surrounding Pike and record their observations. Through these studies, foundations are laid for the scientific processes of making connections and drawing conclusions.

Materials:   

• Adopt-a-Salmon Family: An Interdisciplinary Watershed Education Program provided by the Merrimack River Watershed Council
• Project WET
• The Watershed Tour
• Various nonfiction texts
• Teacher-prepared materials
• National Geographic Explorer
• Wow! The Wonder of Wetlands

(See Grade 3 Science Curriculum Map).

Social Studies:

The third grade social studies curriculum is exploring the geography and specific historical events and time periods in the United States via major river systems. Students begin the year exploring geography, both local and global. An understanding of concepts such as map key, legend, scale, direction, compass and map types are explored and examined. Students have an opportunity to create their own map, using their newly acquired mapmaking skills. Students will then study the regions of the United States in collaborative groups. They will use atlases to examine the climate, land, culture and economy of their assigned area. After understanding “where we are in the world,” students focus on the Merrimack River Valley region. During this in-depth study, students will investigate how the river influenced and was affected by various groups of inhabitants including: indigenous native people, colonial settlers, industrial workers of the 19th century and our current society. In the spring, we will move westward, covering Lewis and Clark’s exploration of the Missouri. 

Activities and Events:   

• Culminating mapmaking projects
• Native American program at the Peabody Museum at Harvard University
• A visit to the Essex Shipbuilding Museum
• A visit to the Lowell National Historical Park

(See Grade 3 Social Studies Curriculum Map).

Art:

In grade three, familiar materials are used in new ways through a broad range of processes.  As lessons become more involved and varied, small motor skills, eye-hand coordination, and power of observation are practiced.  Students study the elements of art, such as color, line, texture, form, value, shape and space.  They begin to understand how these elements may be used to express ideas, feelings, and voice in their artwork.  Interdisciplinary connections are made between art and current studies in their classroom.  Students continue to work on their skills in following directions, sequencing and organization.  Students participate in class critiques, during which the students share their art and give and receive compliments about their work.  The students will also study the life and artwork of Marc Chagall.  All students participate in the annual Art Show.
(See Grade 3 Art Curriculum Map).

Music:

Having gained more control of their voices and physical movements, third graders exhibit an increased capacity to learn and understand music symbols and vocabulary, such as crescendo, decrescendo, mezzo-forte, mezzo-piano, staccato and legato.  Students begin to recognize how a musical score is presented on a page moving from left to right, e.g. Vocal Parts I and II, measure numbers, piano or instrumental accompaniments, and that numerous music parts take place simultaneously. Middle School students participate in two concerts during the school year.
(See Grade 3 Music Curriculum Map).

Physical Education:

The physical education program for the third grade uses a movement education approach.  The children explore and experiment with direction, relationships, effort and the use of all their body parts.  The goals of the program are to encourage the children to be versatile movers, as well as to provide them with an improved movement and game vocabulary.  Through work with a variety of equipment and movement experiences, the children are exposed to many ways to achieve their physical potential.  We try to select fun activities that focus on the concepts of control, cooperation, flow and force.  The children participate in an outdoor education unit in the winter that includes environmental ethics and shelter building.
(See Grade 3 Phys. Ed. Curriculum Map).

Open Circle:

Social skills are an integral part of teaching the whole child.  Open Circle provides the core of our curriculum, which is taught twice a week during morning meeting.  A few key concepts include listening, including others, teasing and bullying, speaking up, and leadership.  The thrust of the program is to have students take responsibility for solving interpersonal problems by first learning skills and then applying them to their own lives.

Library Programs:

The goals of the third grade library program are to broaden students’ understanding of the many resources available in the library and to develop their interest in a wide variety of literature. Students will learn how to use the on-line catalog and general encyclopedias. We will conduct an in-depth study of Caldecott award-winning picture books and stage our own mock Caldecott election.  The library program extends into other areas of the curriculum during the course of the year as librarians work with teachers and students on units such as biographies and the Lewis and Clark expedition.  As part of the language arts program, teachers and librarians collaborate to create a strong literature connection for students. Students will visit the library regularly throughout the year for booktalks, mini-lessons, and discussions around self-selected reading, furthering our mutual goal of creating a life-long love of reading.
(See Grade 3 Library Program Curriculum Map)

Grade 4

Language Arts:

Daily reading instruction is focused on decoding, fluency, and specific active reading strategies such as questioning. Formats include read alouds, and large and small group study, i.e., literature circles, book clubs, and guided reading. Self-selected reading is a crucial component of the curriculum. Children keep track of books read outside of the classroom and write book talks to share with classmates. Writing skills are developed through the 6+1 Writing Traits model.  A culminating artist research project that utilizes both reading and writing skills and strategies takes place in the spring.

Guided reading novels include a variety of literature such as The Invention of Hugo Cabret and Number the Stars.               

Field Trips:   
Museum of Fine Arts
(See Grade 4 Language Arts Curriculum Timetable).

Math:

Daily classes in Fourth Grade math are based on TERC’s Investigations in Number, Data, and Space curriculum.  Within this program, students invent their own strategies and approaches to problem solving rather than relying solely on memorized procedures. They spend time exploring problems in depth to discover multiple solutions that are expressed through drawing, writing, and talking.  Students work actively with objects and experiences in their own environment and with a variety of manipulative materials and technology.  Units covered include: place value, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, geometry, area and perimeter, and fractions.

Materials:   

• Investigations in Number, Data, and Space (TERC)
• Computer Software
• Manipulatives

(See Grade 4 Math Curriculum Timetable).

Science:

The Fourth Grade science curriculum provides students opportunities for inquiry within the framework of four science disciplines:  earth science, chemistry, physical science and biology.  Earth science is explored through an in-depth study of soil.  Students will gather and analyze soil samples, and explore their properties as they construct miniature replicas of the Great Wall of China.  An introduction to chemistry explores mixtures, solutions, and chemical reactions.  Lab safety and developing methods to answer scientific questions are emphasized.  Physical science is covered through the study of electricity and magnetism.  Hands-on activities dominate this unit and allow the students to gain working knowledge of these abstract forces.  Students study the life cycles of plants and animals such as crayfish and beetles, with an emphasis placed on variables that affect growth.  Students will also spend time observing bird behavior and their adaptations.

Materials:

• Structures of Life (Delta Education)
• Mixtures and Solutions (Delta Education)
• Magnetism and Electricity (Delta Education)

Materials Engineering:

• A Sticky Situation: Designing Walls (Engineering is Elementary)

(See Grade 4 Science Curriculum Map).

Social Studies:

Fourth Grade students study the ancient civilizations of China and Greece.  They focus on mythology, culture, geographical significance, and daily life.  The influence of these cultures on all areas of today’s society is emphasized.  Hands-on projects, videos, and research help make the curriculum come alive.  Current archaeological developments are closely watched for continuing discoveries.  All units stress multicultural awareness and respect.

Books:

• See Through History’s Ancient China
• Nature Company’s Ancient Greece
• Long Is a Dragon
• Gods and Goddesses of Mt. Olympus
• Chinese Myths and Fantasies
• The World of Odysseus
• Kids Discover Ancient China
• The Odyssey
• The Parthenon.

Field Trips:

• Tour of the Grecian Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts
• Peabody Essex Museum

(See Grade 4 Social Studies Curriculum Map).

Art:

In Grade Four, students continue to gain expertise in the use of various two- and three-dimensional media.  The characteristics and use of art elements are reviewed and reinforced.  The students continue to work on creating interesting and balanced compositions.  Interdisciplinary connections are made between art and current studies in their classrooms, such as with their study of ancient China and Greece.  The students focus on the interrelationships of art and culture and learn to include historical context in their studies of famous art and artist. Class critiques occur at the end of each term, during which the students share their art and give and receive compliments about their work. All students visit a museum and participate in the annual Art Show.
(See Grade 4 Art Curriculum Map).

Music:

As a result of an increased ability to interpret simultaneous input, students begin to respond more accurately and sensitively to conductor’s cues. Their pitch accuracy, both vocal and instrumental, also improves. With these new skills, students rehearse more effectively in smaller groups and listen more critically to performances of recorded music, as well as performances by their peers and themselves. Middle School students participate in two concerts during the school year.
(See Grade 4 Music Curriculum Map).

Physical Education:

The fourth grade physical education program begins the transition from a movement curriculum to a curriculum that focuses on the refinement of specific moves and games.  Through a format of small field games and teams, the children start to learn the skills, rules, and strategies of field and court games like soccer and basketball.  We encourage the children to recognize the inter-relationships between games and other physical accomplishments.  They learn that tracking, timing, balance, endurance, flexibility, rhythm, etc. constitute the makings of an athlete.  We address these attributes through team games and individual skills like jumping rope, juggling and track.  In any activity, we expect the children to strive for personal improvement, to cooperate with their classmates and to respect the rules. The children participate in an outdoor education unit in the winter that includes fire-building techniques.
(See Grade 4 Phys. Ed. Curriculum Map).

Open Circle:

Social skills are an integral part of teaching the whole child. Open Circle provides the core of our curriculum, which is taught twice a week during morning meeting. A few key concepts include listening, including others, teasing and bullying, speaking up, and leadership. The thrust of the program is to have students take responsibility for solving interpersonal problems by first learning skills and then applying them to their own lives.

Library Programs:

In the fourth grade library program, students learn the information literacy skills necessary to take full advantage of the library’s resources. Students conduct an in-depth study of the non-fiction collection, expand their knowledge of the reference section, explore electronic databases, and learn Internet basics.  Throughout the year, we continue to nurture enthusiasm for a wide range of literary genres. The library program extends into other areas of the curriculum during the course of the year as librarians work with teachers and students on research units such as artists and ancient China. As part of the language arts program, teachers and librarians collaborate to create a strong literature connection for students. Students will visit the library regularly throughout the year for booktalks, mini-lessons, and discussions around self-selected reading, furthering our mutual goal of creating a life-long love of reading.
(See Grade 4 Library Program Curriculum Map)

Grade 5

Language Arts:

There are four essential components to our Language Arts program:  writing, spelling and word study, guided reading, and self-selected reading. All of these components are intertwined in a variety of ways throughout the year. The essential parts of these components are:

• The writing workshop develops skills using the 6+1 Writing Traits program, which emphasizes developing clear and detailed ideas, strong organization, clear voice, explicit word choice, sentence fluency and solid conventions.  The class develops skills to introduce, support, and conclude a topic in both expository and creative writing.  Mechanics are emphasized on a regular basis in students’ writing, which includes poetry, short essays, journals, and reading responses to literature. 

• Students begin the year by taking a spelling inventory to assess their phonemic strengths and weaknesses. Instruction is based on the SpellWell program and personal spelling lists. Word study will focus on exploring common Greek and Latin roots, prefixes and suffixes in order to aid students in broadening their abilities to access new vocabulary.

• The goal for the fifth grade reading program is for students to continue to develop in both fluency and comprehension through exposure to a wide variety of literary formats. Short stories, poetry, novels, and nonfiction texts will be the vehicles through which strategies and analysis are taught. Students will be provided opportunities to focus on analyzing literal and interpretive meaning and become adept at expressing thoughts in a clear, concise manner. Current research shows that children become better readers when they read more. Therefore, our focus will be to expose children to a variety of literature. Some possible titles are:

• Dave at Night
• America Street
• Shelf Life
• Mysteries
• Student-chosen titles

To provide models of effective oral reading and thinking, teachers will read aloud on a regular basis.
(See Grade 5 Language Arts Curriculum Timeline)

Math:

The Fifth Grade math program is based on children exploring and applying problem-solving skills through investigative units.  Through the use of real-life problems, students learn mathematical operations with decimals and fractions, metric measurement, geometry, percent, probability and data analysis. They spend time each week on problem-solving activities where students are challenged to work through problems using a variety of strategies. Class projects, math games and manipulatives are an integral part of the curriculum.

Materials:    

• Investigations in Number, Data, and Space (TERC)
• Manipulatives
• Additional resources relevant to topic under study
• Lure of the Labyrinth Web site

(See Grade 5 Math Curriculum Timeline)

Science:

Landforms and Weather. Using Delta Education’s FOSS Landforms curriculum, students are introduced to three fundamental concepts in earth science: change takes place when things interact; all things change over time; patterns of interaction and change are useful in explaining landforms.  Through experiential and inquiry-based science, students begin to look at ways to represent the features of the Earth’s surface at smaller scales. They create models and maps of the schoolyard and various landforms, investigate the effects water has on the Earth, and understand how our land’s shape and forms have changed over time. Simultaneously, students will be learning about the weather patterns that drive the weathering and erosion processes.

Forensics. The forensics unit continues to develop students’ understanding of the scientific process.  Using the GEMS “Mystery Festival” to learn about the chemistry of forensics, the students conduct experiments to help them solve a mystery and write a crime report. A visit by a detective from the State Police Crime Lab provides a real-life connection to their learning. Simultaneously, students read The Westing Game and learn about the mystery genre in Language Arts.

Pneumatics. The Pneumatics unit focuses on exploration, collaboration, investigation and problem solving through use of Lego Dacta to build pneumatic compressed air models. The children work cooperatively to learn about pressure and force to build simple machines that solve real-life problems.

Vernal Pools. The unit on vernal pools focuses on two areas:  how we can use vernal pools to understand how other ecosystems work, and how humans impact ecosystems. The class studies vernal pools firsthand through visits to on-campus vernal pools and through independent research.

Schoolyard Research. Through the year students will participate in schoolyard phenology research focused on leaves and buds of trees. The students monitor a specific tree and use scientific methods and language to record their observations. The accumulated data is then used by Harvard Forest for continued research.

Materials:

• Delta FOSS Landforms Stories
• Mystery Festival
• DK Crime and Detection
• Usborne Simple Machines
• How Machines Work
• Lego Dacta Pneumatics Guide
• Vernal Pools
• Relevant videos, books, and Internet sites

Field Trips/Visitors:  

• Merrowvista
• Harvard Museum of Natural History
• Detective from State Police Crime Lab
• Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary

(See Grade 5 Science Curriculum Map)

Social Studies:

This year in social studies we will be exploring the elements of culture; the students’ own and cultures outside of their own. A focus will be how to look at another culture through an unbiased lens. The cultures of ancient Mesopotamia and the ancient Maya will be the vehicles we use to explore factors that lead to the rise and decline of a civilization. Students will be encouraged to make relevant connections between these ancient cultures and their world today.

Materials:

• Various primary source materials
• The Maya
• Mesopotamia
• Other relevant books, videos and Web sites

Field Trip:       

• The Harvard Museum of Natural History

(See Grade 5 Social Studies Curriculum Map)

Art:

As skills and experience with various materials increase, the fifth grade students are encouraged to find new and personal ways of expression.  Drawing and painting skills are reinforced, and new techniques are introduced.  Interdisciplinary connections are made between art and current studies in their classroom.  For example, the students connect to their experience at Merrowvista and to their study of the Harlem Renaissance in art.  The fifth graders finish the year by creating their “Life Mask.”  The students integrate a plaster mold of their face into a painting about their life and things they love. Students participate in class critiques, during which the students share their art and give and receive compliments about their work. All students will participate in the annual Art Show.
(See Grade 5 Art Curriculum Map)

Music:

As the oldest and most experienced group in the Lower and Middle Schools, the fifth grade assumes unique responsibilities with respect to their concert.  Showcased as role models for the younger grades, fifth graders have an opportunity to learn how the arts can teach them about themselves and others.  They can help with mirroring movements, assist with the melody and often make our youngest students feel comfortable and involved in the overall group effort.  Those who participate experience the meaning of The Pike School motto, Non sibi solum.  They also have the opportunity to select a piece of music and create a choreographed performance that is featured at their final Middle School concert. Middle School students participate in two concerts during the school year.
(See Grade 5 Music Curriculum Map)

Physical Education:

The Fifth Grade physical education program continues the transition from small field and small group games to larger field and larger team formats.  The curriculum focuses on the refinement of skills and the demonstration of strategic play.  The concepts of offense and defense are stressed in each game so that strategy is manifested in the teamwork.  We encourage the children to recognize the inter-relationships between games and other physical accomplishments.  They learn that tracking, timing, balance, flexibility, rhythm, etc. constitute the makings of a versatile athlete.  The issues of timing, tracking, endurance, etc. continue to be addressed in activities like volleyball, jumping rope, and floor hockey.  In any activity, we expect the children to strive for personal improvement, to cooperate with their classmates, and to respect the spirit and the rules of fair play.
(See Grade 5 Phys. Ed. Curriculum Map)

Open Circle:

Social skills are an integral part of teaching the whole child. Open Circle provides the core of our curriculum, which is taught each week during morning meeting.  A few key concepts includelistening, including others, teasing and bullying, speaking up, and leadership. The thrust of the program is to have students take responsibility for solving interpersonal problems by first learning skills and then applying them to their own lives.

Library Programs:

Our goal for Fifth Grade students is for them to be effective information users - able to access, evaluate, and use a variety of resources within the library and beyond.  Using Think.com, Fifth Grade students will learn about the online world by creating their own simple web pages and by collaborating to create group projects. They will begin to understand how to look critically at web sites and navigate on the Internet. Parents will be hearing more about this program before we begin. We continue to develop enthusiasm for literature through periodic author studies and book discussions. The library program extends into other areas of the curriculum during the course of the year as librarians work with teachers and students on projects such as experiencing the Harlem Renaissance and researching ancient civilizations. As part of the language arts program, teachers and librarians collaborate to create a strong literature connection for students. Students will visit the library regularly throughout the year for booktalks, mini-lessons, and discussions around self-selected reading, furthering our mutual goal of creating a life-long love of reading.
(See Grade 5 Library Program Curriculum Map)