Grades 6-8
From age eleven and a half to thirteen and a half, the pre-adolescent and adolescent
child are awakening to the world around them with increased capacities for judgement
and thinking. Whereas in the previous periods education emphasized the physical body
in grades one through three, and social relationships in grades four and five, students in
this age group must additionally be met through the mind.
Grade 6
At this age, the students begin to shed much of what was carried in childhood. This is a
necessary step for them as they further define themselves as individuals. They are, in
fact, taking important steps towards their ultimate direction in life. However, this change
often results in conflict and factionalism among long time classmates. We meet this
change in the curriculum by teaching Roman history, which is rife with those
characteristics. Later, the class itself will settle into clear social strata, and the changes
the children are experiencing are again addressed by the curriculum by studying the
same social phenomena as they appear in feudal life during the Medieval period.
Major curriculum topics: Ancient Rome, The Medieval Period, mineralogy, astronomy,
acoustics, optics, heat, magnetism, electricity, geometry, geography, health, the human
body, business math, percentages
Grade 7
Teenagers will turn inward, becoming decadent and self-involved, if allowed. Our
curriculum is successful in turning those powerful forces of self towards community
service, artistic works during the study of the Renaissance, self-determination during the
study of the Reformation, and a general interest toward the world in studying the Age of Exploration.
Major curriculum topics: the Renaissance, the Reformation, the Age of Reason, the Age
of Exploration, astronomy, geography, poetry, mechanics, physiology, optics, acoustics,
heat, magnetism, static electricity, pre-algebra, geometry, ratios
Grade 8
In the final year before high school, the children will need to reject things from the past
that are burdening them from moving into the future. This is the Age of Revolution; a
rejection of the external authority, of colonialism, and of rigid thinking. However, the past
is not outright rejected, as our eighth graders have tender and nostalgic feelings
towards the school from which they will soon graduate, and joyfully take a greater
stewardship and responsibility towards their community and the younger students.
Major curriculum topics: the Age of Revolution, short stories, anatomy, optics, acoustics,
heat, magnetism, current electricity, aerodynamics, hydraulics, pre-algebra, geometry,
meteorology