Online Middle School Program

LANGUAGE ARTS 6 

Ready to step up your reading and writing skills? In this course, you will examine the past and the present when you study classical and contemporary texts and examine the lasting influence of each. You will acquire a foundational understanding of the reading, writing, language, and speaking/listening skills necessary for success in college, career, and beyond. Become a critical reader and thinker as you dive into rigorous and engaging literary and informational texts by examining rhetoric and purpose through close readings, interactive practice, and formal assessments. This course will give you the skills to become an effective writer of narrative, informational, and argumentative pieces through the repeated practice of planning, drafting, revising, and editing your written work.

MATH 6

How do mathematicians think, write, and speak? Find out in this course, where you will experience new ways of solving problems through interactive and engaging activities. With a focus on hands-on learning and real-world application, you will be exposed to foundational concepts needed for higher-level math study. Major topics include performing operations with integers and positive rational numbers, solving problems involving ratios and rates, and using expressions and equations. You will also plot points on the coordinate plane, find the area and volume of geometric figures, and extend your understanding of statistics.

SCIENCE 6

Pause and look around—what wonders of science are you curious about? Now, step into M/J Comprehensive Science 1, where virtual activities, hands-on explorations, and real-world connections bring scientific concepts to life! In this course, students will explore the forces and energy that impact our daily lives, uncover the power of weathering and erosion, make sense of weather patterns, and discover how our atmosphere acts as Earth’s shield. Students will dive into the building blocks of life by investigating plant and animal cells, learning how to classify living things, and examining the systems that keep our bodies moving. Throughout the course, students will gain insight into earth-space, life, and physical sciences, while mastering scientific practices to think critically and problem-solve like true scientists. M/J Comprehensive Science 1 will lay the foundation for success in future science courses, ignite curiosity, and inspire a sense of wonder.

SOCIAL STUDIES 6

In this exploratory course, students will get an overview of both physical and human geography. To start their studies students will define and describe the five themes of geography: location, place, region, human- environment interaction, and movement. The students will explore each of the major regions of the world–the Americas, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Central and Eastern Asia, and Southern Asia and Oceania—while focusing on these five themes.

LANGUAGE ARTS 7

Find your voice! In this course, you will study ways in which word choice and sentence structure contribute to developing perspective. You will develop the reading, writing, language, and speaking/listening skills necessary for success in college, career, and beyond with a strong connection to civics throughout the centuries. You will also examine voice, purpose, diction, syntax, and rhetoric in historical speeches, informational texts, and classic and contemporary literature through guided readings, interactive practice, and formal assessments. Prepare to grow your narrative, informational, and argumentative writing skills through the repeated practice of planning, drafting, revising, and editing your written work.

MATH 7

Math might seem abstract, but it’s everywhere in everyday life. This course is designed to show you how math is used in real-world situations. With fun activities and interactive lessons, you’ll get to experience and practice how these concepts apply to real life. Major topics of this course include performing operations with rational numbers, solving equations and inequalities, and applying proportional relationships in two variables. You will also learn to analyze circle and cylinders, compare categorical and numerical data, and develop an understanding of probability

SCIENCE 7

In this course, students learn that matter and energy are all around us! They explore a variety of core concepts found in life, earth, and physical science in this comprehensive curriculum. Students learn about the movement of energy and how it affects matter. Through real-world examples, students will investigate the interdependence of living things and the unique interactions inside the Earth. Virtual simulations allow students to study genetics and how genetic information is passed on to create new life. This course introduces various major science concepts and serves as a foundation for later science courses.

SOCIAL STUDIES 7

Somebody discovered the wheel. Somebody discovered written communication. Somebody even figured out how to count to ten. From the ancient river civilizations to China and its ancient dynasties, different civilizations left their mark on history. They also left their mark on how we live today. In this course, students join travel agent Mr. Lightfoot to travel back in time digging out the past of these ancient civilizations. In ancient Egypt students visit the pyramids and find out the secrets of preserving mummies. They see how the Mayans developed astronomy to a precise science. They even investigate the difference between the Athenians and the Spartans. Students will journey through India discovering their contributions to medicine, moving on to Africa to follow the rise and fall of the ancient east African kingdoms of Kush and Axum. Throughout the centuries, and still today, our world is made up of dozens of different cultures. They all are different, and they all have made big contributions to what we know and who we are.

LANGUAGE ARTS 8

Get ready to fine-tune and strengthen your Language Arts foundations. Through reading, writing, and rhetoric, this course will allow you to examine how authors fine-tune and utilize their skills to create purposeful texts. You will develop the reading, writing, language, and speaking/listening skills necessary for success in high school, college, career, and beyond. You will also evaluate and analyze voice, purpose, diction, syntax, and rhetoric in historical speeches, informational texts, and classic and contemporary literature through guided readings, interactive practice, and formal assessments. This course will also allow you to refine your narrative, informational, and argumentative writing skills through the repeated practice of planning, drafting, revising, and editing your written work.

MATH 8

Ready, set, go! This course is designed with interactive learning and real-world activities to strengthen your math muscles for the race ahead. Major topics of this course include how to represent numbers in scientific notation, create algebraic expressions using the Laws of Exponents, and solve linear equations, inequalities and systems of linear equations. You will also learn to apply the Pythagorean Theorem, explore the idea of a function, and model linear relationships to help prepare you for the next level of learning.

SCIENCE 8

In this course, students build on concepts introduced in the first and second courses of the series, including the disciplines of life science, physical science, and earth-space science. In addition, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) concepts are integrated throughout the course. Students learn about properties of matter, physical and chemical changes, atoms and the periodic table of elements, photosynthesis and cellular respiration, the universe, and the solar system. Hands-on and virtual laboratory investigations are included throughout the course to provide students opportunities for exploration through scientific inquiry, research, measurement, problem solving, and experimental procedures. By the end of the course, students will be practicing, experimenting, thinking, and talking like a scientist!

SOCIAL STUDIES 8

Learning about history allows people to see how far we have come and what awaits us on our path to the future. In this course, students will explore the history of the United States and analyze the cause and effect in historical events. They will investigate history by using the tools of a historian to examine the historical, geographic, political, economic, and sociological events that influenced the development of the United States. Students will imagine what it was like to live in the past by reading the stories from the people who experienced it. This course begins with the engaging stories of what brought the earliest American colonists to the New World and ends with the struggles to repair the United States following the Civil War. Engaging in this study allows students to recognize the themes of history that span across centuries and leads to a greater appreciation of the development of the United States and the resulting impact on world history.

*Offerings may vary each year.

ALGEBRA 1

This course is the foundation—the skills acquired in this course contain the basic knowledge needed for all future high school math courses. The material covered in this course is important, but everyone can do it. Everyone can have a good time solving the hundreds of real-world problems algebra can help answer. Course activities make the numbers, graphs, and equations more real. The content in this course is tied to real-world applications like sports, travel, business, and health.This course is designed to give students the skills and strategies to solve all kinds of mathematical problems. Students will also acquire the confidence needed to handle everything high school math has in store for them. Algebra I emphasizes the importance of algebra in everyday life through hundreds of real-world examples. Assessments are designed to ensure that your understanding goes beyond rote memorization of steps and procedures. Upon successful course completion, you will have a strong foundation in Algebra I and will be prepared for other higher level math courses.

MS Heartful Life Management

Heartful Life Management aims to build strong social and emotional skills alongside strong academics. This course teaches students practical skills to reduce stress, anxiety, and loneliness with a heart-based nurturing environment focusing on relaxation and positivity. This course will explore self-development, fostering positivity, understanding the need for sleeping well, being grateful, embracing diversity and co-existing with others, developing creativity and appreciation, and self-awareness through tuning into the heart. Exciting discussions, hands-on activities, and experiential guided sessions will also be presented in this course culminating in a semester-end service project. Research suggests that those who practice these skills have greater academic achievement and experience more success as adults.

MS Digital Art & Design

The world is filled with so many different forms of art – including digital art. In this course, you’ll explore this special genre of art found in everything from advertising to animation to photography and beyond. Additionally, you’ll tap into your creative side to create digital art and make it come alive!

MS Physical Education

MS Physical Education is intended to help students maintain an active lifestyle by presenting multiple activities to incorporate in a weekly activity log. Each week, students are provided with three activities including a warm-up activity, an aerobic activity, and a cool-down activity. Students are expected to incorporate those three activities, as well as activities of their own choice, to complete the required number of activity minutes weekly.

MS State Test Prep

This course is designed to prepare students for the P/SAT test, a standardized exam used by many colleges and universities for admissions; and the MStep 8 Science and Social Studies Tests. The course will cover the format and structure of the PSAT test, as well as key strategies for success in each section. Students will focus on developing skills in critical reading, and mathematics through guided practice and targeted feedback. The course will include practice tests and assessments to help students monitor their progress and identify areas for improvement. By the end of the course, students will be better prepared to perform well on the SAT and MStep Tests, that they will be expected to take.

MS Health  Education A/B

Our middle school health courses will help the student understand the importance of making decisions that will affect his or her physical, emotional, mental and social health. This course will provide students with the knowledge and resources they will need to make responsible informed decisions about their health. Students will have an opportunity to evaluate their own values, opinions and attitudes about health.

MS Keyboarding

The keyboarding course is appropriate for elementary and middle school students. The curriculum introduces new keys by rows where students first learn the middle row, then the top row and the bottom row of the keyboard. The content is designed with a strong focus on sight and high frequency words. This course assumes no keyboarding experience and will guide them through the keyboard.

MS 2D Studio Art

Do you like to draw, paint, or take pictures? Whatever medium you prefer, this course will teach you the design elements and principles needed to create a work of art and explore your artistic inspirations. You’ll also travel back in time to look at art in different cultures and learn about the art of critiquing. Let’s turn your creative dreams into reality!

MS Career Explorations 1

How do you pick a career path when you’re not sure what’s even out there? This course allows you to begin exploring options in fields such as teaching, business, government, hospitality, health science, IT, and more! you’ll align your interests, wants, and needs to career possibilities, including the required education for each. Let’s find a pathway that works for you.

MS Spanish A Beginning

Get ready to dive headfirst into the vibrant world of Spanish! Imagine sipping a metaphoric cafecito as you unlock the secrets of this beautiful language. From saying hello with flair to waving goodbye like a pro, you’ll master the basics—the key to unlocking Spanish conversations. Whether you’re talking about school, your daily adventures, or your preferences, explore the richness of Spanish-speaking countries through birthdays, holidays, and cultural celebrations. Ready for this new adventure?

MS Spanish I B Beginning

Get ready to dive headfirst into the vibrant world of Spanish! Imagine sipping a metaphoric cafecito as you unlock the secrets of this beautiful language. From saying hello with flair to waving goodbye like a pro, you’ll master the basics—the key to unlocking Spanish conversations. Whether you’re talking about school, your daily adventures, or your preferences, explore the richness of Spanish-speaking countries through birthdays, holidays, and cultural celebrations. Ready for this new adventure?

MS Spanish A Intermediate

Hold on tight—our metaphorical mototaxi is revving up for the next leg of your Spanish adventure! As we cruise through different Spanish-speaking countries, you’ll unlock a treasure trove of cultural and language gems. Get ready to learn how to talk about family, free time, cities, daily routine, and even communities. You will continue to sharpen your communications skills as you learn about nationalities, occupations, family traditions, sports, music, clothing, forms of transportations, and daily routines. Buckle up and get ready for this new leg of your adventure!

MS Spanish B Intermediate

Hold on tight—our metaphorical mototaxi is revving up for the next leg of your Spanish adventure! As we cruise through different Spanish-speaking countries, you’ll unlock a treasure trove of cultural and language gems. Get ready to learn how to talk about family, free time, cities, daily routine, and even communities. You will continue to sharpen your communications skills as you learn about nationalities, occupations, family traditions, sports, music, clothing, forms of transportations, and daily routines. Buckle up and get ready for this new leg of your adventure!