Humanities at Birches is an interdisciplinary curriculum with explicit literacy instruction (reading, writing), social studies, and the arts. We integrate subjects through thematic learning and use an inquiry-based approach to engage critical thinking and connections.

In Grades 7-8, students are more sophisticated readers and ready for more significant challenges in literary studies. Students participate in weekly independent reading, read-alouds, and focused literature work through unit study. Much of their writing delves into personal and societal examinations of the world around them. Students write for a variety of different audiences and purposes. They are assessed in writing projects, including poetry, narrative fiction, memoirs, graphic novels/comics, research papers, analytical essays, playwriting/scriptwriting, opinion pieces, short paragraphs, and reflections. 

7-8 grade students yearn to be connected to history and current events. At Birches, history and social studies are brought alive by integrating these topics with literature and the arts, driven by an inquiry-based model. Students learn to answer and examine questions about our shared humanity. Projects include research projects, podcasts, analytical examinations of place, jigsaw presentations, artistic responses, debates, mock trials, geography and map exploration, and oral presentations.

Examples of units taught are Apartheid and South Africa, The US Constitution, and West Side Story and the US Immigrant Experience. These units raise essential questions that form the basis for class discussions and assignments, such as: What is liberty? What is tyranny? What causes groups to experience conflict or cooperation? How does a society’s values influence its government? Who is (and has been) included in the ‘we’ in our constitution? How do our experiences cause us to change and grow? How can we effectively bring about change when faced with injustice?

Among the benchmark skills students are working towards in 7th and 8th-grade humanities:

• Analyze how modern works of fiction draw on themes, patterns, characters, or current events and discuss how the material is rendered new

• Develop opinions and connect to the information presented, supporting opinions with evidence from class learning, research, and texts

• Actively participate and help lead activities during literature seminars, discussions, and activities

• Learn and apply note-taking strategies 

• Understand why and how to write with purpose 

• Prepare a research project by brainstorming, creating research questions, and answering them in their notes and to an audience

Middle school mathematics is more than simply units teaching to specific standards. Instead, students immerse themselves in the subject, experiencing math through exploration. Students collaborate with their peers and teachers to decompose and analyze various methods and make connections across contexts. Both student and example work are leveraged to facilitate mathematical discussions that reflect structure, pattern, and meaning. A culture of growth and flexibility in learning is prioritized. Through exposure and normalization of incorrect methods, students build a mathematical identity that holds mistakes as a positive learning experience as a core pillar.

A proficient mathematician has a robust skill set, deep conceptual understanding, and, most importantly, flexibility in applying concepts. Thus, becoming a proficient mathematician requires a balance of skill and conceptual understanding. Reflecting this dichotomy, the students engage in many different types of work, from projects asking them to contextualize their knowledge of mathematics to skill workshops that bolster their foundational understanding. In all of this work, the students’ application of their knowledge is challenged. In learning about proportionality, students apply their understanding to mock-up remodeling plans for the math classroom. In another project, the students connect their work with proportional and linear relationships by creating artwork through equations in linear systems.

The following are among the benchmark skills students are working towards in 7th and 8th grade math:

• Analyze proportional relationships and use them to solve real-world and mathematical problems

• Work with expressions and equations involving radicals and integer exponents

• Use functions to model relationships between quantities

• Investigate patterns of association in bivariate data

• Represent a system of linear equations as a single matrix equation in a vector variable

• Perform arithmetic operations on and rewrite polynomials

This is a two-year science program designed around essential questions. Students participate in hands-on activities, alternating between thematic units of Microbiology and Chemistry. 

During the microbiology year, students study the microbial communities that live in and on our bodies. As they define some of the roles microbes play in human health and disease, students come to appreciate their role in the larger ecosystem. The yearlong unit asks students to collect evidence and report their findings, addressing the question, Are microbes mostly helpful or harmful to human health? 

During a year of chemistry, students develop molecular models of atoms and molecules to understand the state changes of matter. Students explore basic chemistry and practice scientific methods while learning to follow mini-protocols with lab partners. As they investigate the attraction and motion of atoms and molecules, students experiment with the heating and cooling of solids, liquids, and gases. In the spring semester, middle schoolers learn about the science of cooking in the Food Chemistry Unit. They begin by faithfully following a recipe and then are encouraged to run cooking trials, methodically changing only one factor at a time. In this way, they mirror the steps in the scientific method, establishing a control (original recipe) and testing one variable at a time. The program asks students to build a science portfolio and demonstrate competence, development of skills, and personal reflection. 

The following are among the benchmark skills students are working towards in 7th and 8th grade science:

• Report observations and scientific findings

• Effectively present scientific ideas using simplified models

• Demonstrate independent research and active reading skills 

• Work in partnership and contribute to the overall effort of the group

• Reflect upon personal growth and zone of proximal development

The middle school Spanish curriculum is proficiency-oriented language instruction that teaches language and culture simultaneously. Classes aim to provide students with practice comprehending and using high-frequency structures while acquiring cultural competence and the ability to compare the Spanish language with their own. Classes focus on frequently used verbs and the three modes of communication: interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational. Lessons engage the students with stories, songs, games, reader's theater, online activities, podcasts, and authentic resources such as videos, commercials, infographics, literary texts, and news articles. Assessments focus on understanding and authentic communication instead of the precise application of grammar. 

A typical unit in the seventh and eighth-grade Spanish class focuses on a selection of high-frequency verbs or structures while exploring vocabulary about school subjects and professions. Students engage with written texts about the university experience in different Spanish-speaking countries. A co-written class story provides repeated exposure to the unit's vocabulary, making the content personally meaningful to students and creating a sense of class community. Students will write their own version of the class story. Seventh and eighth-grade students read a comprehensible novel written for language learners and engage in various in-class activities to process the novel's vocabulary, events, and themes. 

Among the benchmark skills students are working towards in the 7th and 8th grade Spanish:

• Ask and answer questions about themselves and others

• Interpret short narratives and informational texts

• Retell events in a story or chapter

• Respond to comprehension questions about a story or chapter

• Present information on familiar or everyday topics in spoken or written language

• Relate cultural products and practices to perspectives of the cultures studied

7-8 grade artists strengthen their understanding of both the Elements of Art (line, shape, color, texture, and form) and the Principles of Design (emphasis, proportion, movement, variety, balance, pattern, and unity). They take ownership of content and imagery in their projects and work towards communicating an idea through a developing aesthetic standard. Every year, students will start with a self-portrait as a developmental marker. 

Lessons are planned to nurture experimentation with processes and expose students to various art materials. Through hands-on activities, they express themselves artistically, fostering an appreciation for art, self-expression, and embracing differences. Students see examples from a diverse range of artists and begin to discuss art in context to the world around them. 7-8 artists learn about various movements in art throughout history by viewing and discussing slides and artist-of-the-week postings. They participate in whole-class and individual critiques. Materials used include but are not limited to pencil, marker, watercolor, tempera, pastel, printmaking, ceramics, sculpture, and natural materials. 

Among the benchmark skills students are working towards in 7-8 art:

• Appropriate studio habits 

• Refine craftsmanship 

• Build keen observational skills 

• Understand use of various materials

• Expand use and understanding of art vocabulary

• Interpret and analyze art in context

• Make individual choices and demonstrate personal style when expressing ideas and concepts

Middle school music classes expose students to various genres, including rock, pop, jazz, Latin, Hip-Hop, and Country. Students are introduced to the art of composition and improvisation and have access to instruments, including electric guitar, acoustic guitar, electric bass, keyboard, drums, music technology, and their own voices. End-of-term projects typically culminate with both solo and group ensemble performances. 

Among the benchmark skills students are working towards in 7-8 music:

• Demonstrate familiarity with different genres of music

• Understand musical concepts and use music vocabulary

• Be familiar with melodic and rhythmic notation

• Sing and play an instrument in an ensemble 

• Present and perform music in a relaxed concert-type setting

7-8 wellness classes focus on movement & field games, mindfulness, yoga, and growth education. During movement & field games, students practice locomotor, non-locomotor,  and manipulative skills and reinforce movement concepts incorporating spatial awareness, effort awareness, and relationships. When practicing mindfulness, students pay attention to body posture and sensation, practicing awareness of breath as a tool to connect mind and body, mindful observation of nature, and introduction to meditation. During yoga, students notice how different poses make them feel and design their own sequences based on what poses would support them with respect to their physical and emotional states.

7-8 growth ed topics include media analysis, internet safety, navigating peer dynamics, assertive communication, consent, contraception & sexual health, and stress management.

Among the benchmark skills students are working towards in sixth-grade wellness:

• Participate in moderate to vigorous physical activities and games

• Know personal space when moving in different directions at different speeds

• Develop and utilize mindfulness practice and yoga to support physical and emotional well-being 

• Apply a positive attitude and effort to physical challenges and the ability to communicate constructively with peers

• Demonstrate sportsmanship

• Develop skills of self-advocacy

Middle schoolers begin to understand and encounter complex emotions and social relationships during early adolescence. As students become more independent, we guide them in developing self-awareness, personal beliefs, and identity within social groups. Acquiring skills to consider multiple perspectives, manage group conflicts, and recognize the impact of different choices is essential to development at this age.

The Birches Middle School program is designed with the characteristics of early adolescence in mind. We balance high expectations for academic achievement and ethical behavior with the understanding that challenges with organization and follow through, youthful unpredictability and peer pressure are typical. Middle school students are supported by an advisory system connecting each student to one middle school teacher and a small group of students. Advisory groups meet daily and provide a safe space for conversation and activities, both serious and fun in nature. We fully embrace a flexible approach to learning and growing, and there are plenty of outlets for laughter and playfulness each day.

At Birches School, we are committed to helping children learn and grow in a community of equity and inclusion where diversity of thought, practice, and identity is celebrated. In support of this goal, we seek to create a community where our students experience a sense of belonging and bring their whole selves to their learning. We value the richness that comes alive in our classrooms when many differing perspectives are represented.  

Our middle school curriculum is designed to inspire students to embrace diversity and understand its significance in humanity and the natural world. We provide numerous opportunities for students to explore and grapple with topics related to equity, inclusion, and identity. We encourage students to be curious about differences and recognize how personal identity, experience, and environmental factors shape their understanding of truth.