Introduction

Middle School serves as a transitional year from the lower grades to high school. It is also a developmental period from childhood into adolescence.

Teachers at the middle school level build on work completed in elementary school and prepare students for high school and beyond. Organizational strategies are modeled, but greater levels of responsibility are shifted to the students. Students are encouraged to ask meaningful questions, seek additional help when they do not understand, and follow organizational structures provided by teachers.

In a similar way, the demands of the academic program increase as students face developmentaly appropriate challenges designed to enhance their available tools for lifelond learning – effective oral and written communication, creative and well-reasoned solutions to problems, critical examination of the ideas of others, logical construction of arguments, and the development of a strong knowledge base are essential to success in middle school.

Philosophy

Students learn in a variety of ways and each student has his or her own strengths that deserve to be nurtured and extended. It is my intent to help students recognize these strengths, to assist students in the development of these strengths, and to identify places where students struggle and work with them to improve these skills as well.

Our school is using History Alive!, a program that truly engages students in learning. Students will be active participants instead of passive observers, experiencing history through innovative teaching practices that include dramatic role play, creative simulations, dynamic group projects, and writing from historical perspective.

California’s History/Social Science Standards form the backbone of the course. You can find them in the back of the student History Alive! textbook. A student-friendly version is contained in each student’s binder.

In keeping with the Wilder’s Preparatory Academy Charter School mission, my focus is on a college preparatory academic curriculum. I share the goal of the school in creating an environment that is conducive to mastering critical life skills for success in the 21^st century. Therefore, I hold extremely high academic standards for my students. My curriculum preparation is for students to be successful beyond high school and to teach them knowledge they will need for a university level education.

Here are some tips on supporting student academic progress in this class:

-         Discuss history and current events with your student, and listen to what your student has to say.

-         Ask to see your student’s history binder on a regular basis so you can see for yourself what your child is learning.

-         Provide a quiet study place, free from distractions.

-         Finally, extend learning beyond the walls of the classroom by taking your child to historical sites or museums. Point out that history is all around us, that it shapes the present and the future, and that each one of us can play an active and positive role in it.