Novel: Two main novels will be read. The Pigman deals with teens and learning about friendship and responsibility. Hatchet is a story of survival in the Canadian wilderness. Both novels are award winners and are good for class discussions and thought-provoking questions. Assignments and projects will be given to go with each novel, and a final test at the end of the novel.

Read magazine is used each week. Both current and older issues are employed. Focus is on stories and literary devices and comprehension. Some material is excellent for class discussion

Short stories will be assigned from the four different sets of textbooks. Literary devices are introduced and worked upon. Occasionally videos will be shown which correlate to material being read and discussed.

English
Throughout the year the fundamentals of English grammar are taught and re-taught. The second trimester work will mainly consists of:

• Continuation in work on the parts of speech – adjectives, adverbs, conjunctions
• Punctuation
• Paragraph writing
• Creative stories in the Writing-to-Read Lab
• Work in computer lab in the SuccessMaker program and other activities

Vocabulary: The class is assigned a unit in the vocabulary book each week; the work is due on Friday. The following Friday, students are given a test on the unit words. The vocabulary words are posted on a bulletin board in the classroom and students are encouraged to use the words in their answers.

Spelling: Each week a unit is completed in Spelling. The unit is done at home and turned in on Thursday. Tests are on Friday. Some worksheets on the weekly work are done during the week. The SuccessMaker computer program has a spelling section that the class works on most weeks.

Read magazine has many activities for Language Arts instruction and review. These lessons are incorporated in the English classes.

Students in Jr. High will discover and view mathematics as an adventure, not a chore. Students will think logically and creatively, draw conclusions and justify solutions with an emphasis on problem solving.

The Jr. High math is a rigorous program which includes preparation for algebra and geometry, NCTM content and process standards plus practical strategies for taking tests.

Each grade is required to enter a four (4)-part nationwide math contest. Its primary purpose is to sharpen the participating student test-taking math skills that are needed to do well in college entrance exams.

Emphasis is on NCTM standards

• Making sense of the World of Data
• Number sense decimals and fractions
• Operations with Fractions
• Ratio rates and rroportion
• Percents
• The Language of algebra (formulas, expressions, integers, equations)
• The Patterns of algebra: Linear equations and graphs
• Geometry: Solids, circles, transformations, counting and probability.

Second trimester students will:

• Select and use appropriate tools and technology to perform tests, collect data and display data
• Use a variety of print and electronic resources to collect information and evidence as part of a research project
• Communicate the logical connection among hypothesis, science concepts, tests conducted, data collected, and conclusions drawn from scientific evidence
• Construct scale models and appropriately label diagrams to communicate scientific information
• Communicate the steps and results from an investigation in written reports and oral presentation
• Study how the reproductive organs of the human female and male which generate eggs and sperm, and how sexual activity may lead to fertilization and pregnancy
• Be able to describe in accurate and sensitive terms what it is to have AIDS
• Reflect on the pain of persons who have the AIDS virus and on the trauma experienced by their families
• Respond to any prejudice or alienation shown to persons with the AIDS virus with a sense of connection and compassion