Middle school learning | SNA Marianapolis International School

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MIDDLE SCHOOL
LEARNING

GRADE 6 ACADEMICS

REQUIREMENTS
Core Courses	English Language Arts	Writing
	Social Studies	Mathematics
	Science	Vietnamese
Exploratory Courses	Fine Arts	Physical Education

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS	The SNA Marianapolis English Language Arts program provides a well-balanced and rigorous program for all students. We encourage students to become independent and accomplished readers and writers. With a strong emphasis on reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills we provide students opportunities to explore various literary, narrative, argumentative and literary texts using close reading and writing strategies. In collaboration with close reading, writing and grammar workshop programs our goal is to provide students with conceptual learning activities that enhance literacy skills.
MATHEMATICS	This course aims to build and enhance mathematical proficiency with conceptual understanding, computational and procedural fluency. With a focus on higher order thinking skills and adaptive reasoning topics of study include, writing and interpreting expressions and equations, multiplying and dividing decimals, ratios and rates, similarity, proportions, number theory, solving equations, areas and volumes of geometric figures, multiplying and dividing fractions and mixed numbers, and an introduction to algebra.
SCIENCE	The Grade 6 Science program allows students to make sense of phenomena as they explore the disciplinary core ideas through the lens of crosscutting concepts, such as Systems and System Models, Cause and Effect, and Matter and Energy. Each topic seamlessly integrates the science and engineering practices with Engineering Design principles as students experience a variety of hands-on investigations.
SOCIAL STUDIES	The purpose of this course is to help students develop a deeper conceptual understanding of history over time, from our ancient past until the middle ages. As students’ progress through an inquiry & skills-based curriculum, they will find themselves engrossed in issues that are relevant to their life, while enhancing their knowledge and skills in ways that allow them to gain new understandings, critically analyze ideas, communicate conclusions, and collaborate with others in the learning process. This course is organized thematically with each quarter focused upon a larger concept and then broken into smaller issues to be investigated throughout each lesson.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION	This course emphasizes regular participation in a variety of enjoyable physical activities including individual and team sports, low-organized games, lifetime recreational activities and physical fitness assessments. While engaging in various activities, students will focus on gross and fine motor skill refinement, deepening their knowledge of creating, implementing, and adjusting strategies as needed. Students will also gain a deeper understanding of the more complex and intricate rules pertaining to various sports and activities. Additionally, health units covering stress management, self-image, nutrition, eating habits, and diet tracking will be covered.
VIETNAMESE	Our Vietnamese Studies program allows students to explore the essence of Vietnam through the lenses of history, culture, and literature from prehistoric times to the 10th century. With active teaching strategies, teachers support each student in developing language skills successfully. Students will be able to write creative and impactful book reviews or poems with confidence and skill.

GRADE 7 ACADEMICS

REQUIREMENTS
Core Courses	English Language Arts	Writing
	Social Studies	Mathematics
	Science	Vietnamese
Exploratory Courses	Fine Arts	Physical Education

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS	The SNA Marianapolis English Language Arts program provides a well-balanced and rigorous program for all students. We encourage students to become independent and accomplished readers and writers. With a strong emphasis on reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills we provide students opportunities to explore various literary, narrative, argumentative and literary texts using close reading and writing strategies. In collaboration with close reading, writing and grammar workshop programs our goal is to provide students with conceptual learning activities that enhances literacy skills.
MATHEMATICS	In Fundamentals of Algebra students represent proportional relationships as proportions, equations, and graphs and solve problems involving ratios, percentages, and scale. They graph equations of proportional relationships and see that the unit rate is the slope of the graph of the equation. They use these understandings to solve real-world problems, such as finding discounts, commissions, and interest and determining distances by indirect measurement. Students perform operations on rational numbers and work with rational numbers in expressions and linear equations. They see how the properties of operations extend to arithmetic with rational numbers and apply them to solve real-world problems. They will continue to build on their understandings of geometry and measurement and apply proportional reasoning as they use scale drawings and models. They extend their concepts of area and volume to circles and complex figures. They explore angle relationships, congruence, and similarity. Finally, students learn how samples and survey questions can affect the outcomes of surveys and explore ways to represent and analyze data collected by random sampling. They use measures of center and variation to compare data sets and find differences in populations.
SCIENCE	Students continue their study of the biosphere. Investigations begin at the microscopic level with System Models and expand outward with Structure and Function in the life sciences and Stability and Change in the Earth’s systems. Students return to the concepts of Energy in the study of waves and electromagnetic radiation, ending with the application of these core ideas in Information Technology.
SOCIAL STUDIES	In Grade 7 students will continue to develop a deeper conceptual understanding of history over time from the 16th century to modern day. As students’ progress through an inquiry & skills-based curriculum, they will find themselves engrossed in issues that are relevant to their life, while enhancing their knowledge and skills in ways that allow them to gain new understandings, critically analyze ideas, communicate conclusions, and collaborate with others in the learning process. This course is organized thematically with each quarter focused upon a larger concept and then broken into smaller issues to be investigated throughout each lesson.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION	This course emphasizes regular participation in a variety of enjoyable physical activities including individual and team sports, low-organized games, lifetime recreational activities and physical fitness assessments. While engaging in various activities, students will focus on gross and fine motor skill refinement, deepening their knowledge of creating, implementing, and adjusting strategies as needed. Students will also gain a deeper understanding of the more complex and intricate rules pertaining to various sports and activities. Additionally, health units covering stress management, self-image, nutrition, eating habits, and diet tracking will be covered.
VIETNAMESE	Our Vietnamese Studies program allows students to discover the portrait of Vietnam through its history, culture, literature from the first independent era (10th century) to the unified era (first half of 19th century). By using positive teaching strategies, teachers will support and help each student succeed in linguistic skills. Students are capable of creating their own narrative.

GRADE 8 ACADEMICS

REQUIREMENTS
Core Courses	English Language Arts	Writing
	Social Studies	Mathematics
	Science	Vietnamese
Exploratory Courses	Fine Arts	Physical Education

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS	The SNA English Language Arts program provides a well-balanced and rigorous program for all students. We encourage students to become independent and accomplished readers and writers. With a strong emphasis on reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills we provide students opportunities to explore various literary, narrative, argumentative and literary texts using close reading and writing strategies. In collaboration with close reading, writing and grammar workshop programs our goal is to provide students with conceptual learning activities that enhances literacy skills.
MATHEMATICS	The SNA English Language Arts program provides a well-balanced and rigorous program for all students. We encourage students to become independent and accomplished readers and writers. With a strong emphasis on reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills we provide students opportunities to explore various literary, narrative, argumentative and literary texts using close reading and writing strategies. In collaboration with close reading, writing and grammar workshop programs our goal is to provide students with conceptual learning activities that enhances literacy skills.
SCIENCE	Students return to the study of the physical world, applying the concepts of Patterns and Scale, Proportion, and Quantity. Their investigations begin at the atomic level and expand outwards. Students look at different Systems and Models in the physical world, in the living world, and across earth and space sciences. More sophisticated understandings are developed in topics like Heredity and Climate, using the concepts of Stability and Change and Cause and Effect.
SOCIAL STUDIES	Have we shaped the world in which we live or has the world shaped how we live? The purpose of this course is to help students develop a deeper conceptual understanding of our relationship with geography. As students’ progress through an inquiry & skills-based curriculum, they will find themselves engrossed in major themes, patterns and processes that are relevant to their life, while enhancing their knowledge and skills in ways that allow them to gain new understandings, critically analyze ideas, communicate conclusions, and collaborate with others in the learning process. This course is organized thematically with each quarter focused upon a larger concept and then broken into smaller issues to be investigated throughout each lesson.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION	This course emphasizes regular participation in a variety of enjoyable physical activities including individual and team sports, low-organized games, lifetime recreational activities and physical fitness assessments. While engaging in various activities, students will focus on gross and fine motor skill refinement, deepening their knowledge of creating, implementing, and adjusting strategies as needed. Students will also gain a deeper understanding of the more complex and intricate rules pertaining to various sports and activities. Additionally, health units covering stress management, self-image, nutrition, eating habits, and diet tracking will be covered.

Elementary school learning

Elementary school learning

EAL Program

EAL Program