Middle School

ART

In Christian art education, students study and produce works of art based on aesthetic and historical understanding. A comprehensive curriculum includes instruction in aesthetics, art heritage, art criticism and art-making. In all levels, classroom handouts are the basis for personal art books reflecting the study of the various media, artists and art history. Students are also responsible for an art report, sketchbook, quizzes and tests. All students are encouraged to develop their God-given talents through the use of creative expression. All art classes are elective.

7th & 8th Grade Art: In Middle School, students will focus on gaining and developing

foundational skills and knowledge, while exploring a variety of artistic media and processes through a faith-based curriculum. Experience with drawing, painting, printmaking, collage, fibers, sculpture, and ceramics will help prepare students for high school art. In addition to rotating the mediums to create art, students will explore art history, art criticism, and aesthetics. Students will also be responsible for sketchbook homework, quizzes, and a written final exam. All students are encouraged to develop their God-given talent and express their creative voice!

All art classes are elective.

BIBLE

The primary emphasis of the Bible curriculum is the integration of faith, church, and family in the lives of its students. The aim of this department is to discover, disseminate, and disclose the Kingdom’s agenda to a world that has been separated by sin from the purpose and plan of God. Students will be challenged to move to the forefront of religious freedom and to become healthy, contributing members of the body of Christ.

7TH GRADE BIBLE:  In this course, we will be studying the history of God’s people from the time of Solomon through the birth of Jesus.  In between, we’ll learn about the kings of Israel and Judah, the destruction of those countries, the exile, return and the time between the Old and New Testaments.  Along the way, we’ll find out how these events impact our lives and relationships today. This course is also offered in Spanish.

8TH GRADE BIBLE:  In this course we will explore the New Testament, beginning with Jesus’ early ministry, going through His death and resurrection, studying the early church, Paul’s missionary journeys and many of the epistles.  Students will apply Bible stories to real life and internalize it through memory verses.

ENGLISH

By nurturing the ability to communicate in words, the language arts celebrate one of God’s greatest gifts to us: that of expression. To make sense of God’s creation, we study various writers’ interpretations of life regarding our world and culture, as well as response to others and to God Himself. God’s people are also expected to communicate to the world His news of love and redemption. Accordingly, students are given opportunities to develop their communications skills in the classroom in a variety of ways: by responding to literature in journals, reading logs, papers, and discussion; by writing research papers; by reading a variety of literature; by studying the English language; and by writing and presenting speeches.

ENGLISH 7: English 7 addresses reading, writing, listening and speaking within a rigorous standards-based program.  Instruction will include reading comprehension, writing in narrative and expository modes, language conventions, vocabulary development in meaningful contexts, and reference skills.  Students will study various genres including the short story, novel, drama, biography, poetry, and informational materials.

ENGLISH 8: English 8 addresses reading, writing, listening and speaking within a rigorous standards-based program.  Instruction will include reading comprehension, writing in narrative and expository modes, language conventions, vocabulary development in meaningful contexts, and reference skills. Students will study various genres including the short story, novel, drama, biography, poetry, and informational materials.  English 8 requires students to increase their use of critical thinking skills to include analysis, synthesis, and problem-solving.

INDUSTRIAL ARTS

The Industrial Arts program includes subject areas that enable students to use a hands-on approach in their pursuit of understanding and appreciating God’s presence in an industrial and technological world.

All courses are elective.

MIDDLE SCHOOL WOODS: This is an entry course for the Middle School students.  In this class they will learn how to use hand tools to create 3 wood joints in class, after that they have a variety of projects to complete from, Teddy Bears, Dog Pencil holders and a final exam project as well.  This is designed to get them prepared for High School Woods.

MATHEMATICS

The Mathematics program at WMC encourages students to understand that the subject has its roots in God’s orderly creation. The mathematical underpinnings of creation are so pervasive that they are readily accessible through everyday objects and experiences; thus students can use mathematics to better understand and evaluate both natural and social phenomena. Students are encouraged to develop their ability to distinguish the numerical and spatial properties of things, to represent them numerically or pictorially, and to generalize properties. In addition, they should be able to imagine never-ending processes, infinite classes of abstract objects, and consideration of the possible as well as the actual. Students have the opportunity to use physical models, pictorial representations, inductive and deductive methods, intuition, analogy, and comparison to discover the mathematical framework of our world.

MATH 7 / PRE-ALGEBRA Pre-Algebra prepares the student for the more intense study of Algebra I. Topics covered in Pre-Algebra serve to help the student master operations with rational numbers and integers and introduce the basic vocabulary of algebra, problem-solving methods, methods of writing and solving equations, and the basic tools needed to succeed in Algebra.

MATH 8 / ALGEBRA I: Students use the content learned in 7th Grade Pre-Algebra to better understand the functions of Algebra 1.  This course highlights applications using statistics and geometry to develop the algebra of linear equations and inequalities, however, unlike high school Algebra 1, which is language focused and SAT-driven, this class is structured for mathematical development at the middle school level.

MUSIC

Music is among the fine arts that can further spiritual growth, inspire further study of our world, and develop creativity and expression. Students develop skills to help them appreciate quality music, to provide aesthetic experiences, and, most important, to praise our God. The goals of the Music Department include nurturing four aspects for a balanced learning process: to grow in the craft of music and technical ability (to develop the body), to grow intellectually (to develop the mind), to inspire (to develop the soul), and to grow personally (to develop the heart). All courses offered are elective, full-year courses. Placement of students enrolling in performing groups requires the consent of the instructor.

MIDDLE SCHOOL BAND: This course welcomes all 7th and 8th-grade students with previous band experience.  During this course, we will advance our fundamental skills of playing an instrument in an ensemble setting.  Musicians will have some required evening performances throughout the year including, but not limited to, a Fall concert, Christmas concert, and Spring concert. Students will also have a chance to play for and work with a clinician/adjudicator in a festival type experience.

MIDDLE SCHOOL CHOIR: Middle School Choir is a non-auditioned choral group, open to all 7th and 8th-grade students.  Repertoire encompasses SA & SAB literature at the primary level.  Members will work extensively on basic sight-reading skills, tone quality, articulation, and performance protocol.  Students in the Middle School Choir will participate in the fall Choral Workshop Day, the Middle School Christmas Cafe, the Christian School Fine Arts Festival, Pops Concert and Spring Concert.  Students also have the option to participate in MSVMA Solo & Ensemble Festival.

HEALTH and PHYSICAL EDUCATION

The overall focus of Physical Education is to give students knowledge that will help them to care for the bodies God has given them and to develop physical activities that will serve them for a lifetime.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION: Students will be taking part in a wide variety of team and individual activities.  These activities will be used to promote active and healthy living.  Teaching will be done on sports history, rules, skills and strategies and students will be assessed on the application of these areas.  Christian responsibility to take care of our bodies will be a focal point throughout this class. Prerequisite: 7th or 8th grade.

NAVIGATING A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE: How we navigate the adolescent years has a direct impact on how we’ll live the rest of our lives.  In Navigating Life, students will be engaged in opportunities that help them build skills to make the decisions they will be confronted with in the future. All students will learn how to overcome challenges that life will throw at them and become the best version of themselves. The course curriculum may include the following topics:

Science

Science is the systematic study of everything that can be examined, tested or verified. Because different branches of science shape the way we understand our planet, other living things and ourselves, we need to see all of these topics in a way that makes sense of God’s creation.  A goal in all our classes is that students see God as the creator and sustainer of all of creation.  This overarching belief affects our view of existing knowledge and new discoveries.  Students are encouraged to use a variety of discovery methods: research in the lab and in the field, reading and responding to the textbook and journals, written reports and analyses and discussions with peers and instructors.

7TH-GRADE SCIENCE: 

This is a two-trimester class that is required of all 7th graders. Students will learn to interpret data critically from a variety of sources.   Seventh Grade Science is split into three parts.  Part One is based on scientific lab procedures, waves, and energy.  Part Two concentrates on light and sound. Students will be required to create their own optical device and their own musical instruments as a summative project.  Part Three makes chemistry its focus  It includes basic laboratory procedures, properties of matter, states of matter, trends in the Periodic Table, ionic and covalent bonding.    Prerequisite:  6th Grade Science.

8TH-GRADE SCIENCE:

This is a two-trimester course that is required for all 8th-grade students.  Students will collect data and use critical thinking skills to draw scientific conclusions. During the first trimester, the focus is on cells, cellular processes, genetics & heredity.  The second trimester is based on earth science. Topics covered will include, rocks, minerals, soil, erosion, weathering,  deposition, the Dust Bowl, soil conservation, and plate tectonics.    Prerequisite:  7th Grade Science

WORLD LANGUAGE

By learning the language of another culture, we can begin to break down a barrier between others and ourselves, which in turn can lead to respecting others, to understand them and to support them. Improving relationships between peoples should be among our goals as Christians, and an attempt to achieve this can be made through communication with our neighbors. In all courses, students will be exposed to other cultures through various activities and attention to current events.

SPANISH: 7TH and 8TH: This course is designed for Spanish students involving speaking, listening, writing and reading through classroom discussions, activities and selected readings.  Students are exposed to a wide variety of high-frequency vocabulary and grammar structures that set the foundation necessary for higher level Spanish courses.  Specific skills that will be required are basic translations, the ability to respond in writing and speaking to personal questions in the target language and creative writing.  Throughout the course, we will focus on the motivations behind learning a foreign language and how this relates to our Christian worldview.