Holy Redeemer

 Middle School Language Arts
Literature courses for both 7th and 8th grades will follow the Academic Standards and Curriculum established by the Archdiocese of Washington Catholic Schools, which focuses on word recognition, fluency, vocabulary development, reading comprehension, and literary response and analysis.  Students will respond to literature using a variety of methods, including discussions, book reports, journal responses, artistic explorations, and technology-enhanced presentations. 

English/Grammar/Vocabulary courses for 8th grade will follow the Academic Standards and Curriculum established by the Archdiocese of Washington Catholic Schools, which focuses on writing clear, coherent, and focused essays.  Students will progress through the four stages of the writing process: drafting, proofreading, editing and revising.  8th grade students are expected to be able to format and produce a 750-1000 word essay demonstrating a command of Standard English conventions, an awareness of the audience (the reader) and the purpose for writing. 

The 6th and 7th grade Grammar and Vocabulary curriculum is established to help students develop their writing, paying close attention to the structure and developmental process of their papers. Students will focus on parts of speech, types of writing and expanding their vocabulary. These ideas will aid in a better understanding between grammar and successful writing.

Middle School Science
In middle school science, students will study a wide variety of topics ranging from cells to volcanoes to the universe.  Each grade is narrowed down into a specific discipline (Life Science, Earth Science, and Physical Science).  We heavily utilize technology and focus on student creations. Students have many opportunities to participate in fun and engaging activities, such as: edible cells, shoebox planetariums, growing plants, growing crystals, making a natural disaster video, creating pop-up books to share with the children in the lower school, making and testing “rocket launchers”, testing acids and bases, using microscopes, and much more.  Each middle school student participates in the Holy Redeemer Science Fair which takes place in the spring.  Students work on their own individual projects and then share them with others in the evening during the Science Fair.

Middle School Social Studies
In the 7th grade we will be studying Eastern Civilizations throughout World History.  After we have our bearings we will start to talk about the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia and Kush.  We will then travel to Egypt to discover how the ancient Egyptians lived.  After Egypt we will discuss the river valley civilizations of the Indus and Huang-He Rivers.  Then we will explore the rise of the regions many religions from Hinduism to Islam.  We will discover the trade routes from Asia and travel across the Silk Road.  Then we will learn about the Chinese dynasties and Japanese Shoguns.  We will end the year with a discussion on colonization and imperialism.  In addition to studying the many different histories of the cultures and societies we will encounter, we will also learn about geography and how humans interact with the land and how this affects history.  We will learn about early forms of governments and the influence cultures have on one another.  

The Upper School Math Program at Holy Redeemer utilizes the Saxon Math Series for all 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students. The program emphasizes the use of incremental instruction of basic math concepts with continual, daily practice.  Every assessment is cumulative and, thereby, reinforces and monitors progress on a regular basis.  Facts  practice, Warm-Ups, and Hands-On demonstrations are also incorporated into lessons.  There are adaptations to the program for special needs students on all math levels.

  6th Grade Math – Course 1
  7th Grade Math – Course 2
  8th Grade Math – Course 3

   *Numbers and Operations
   *Algebra & Algebra Topics
   *Geometry
   *Measurement
   *Data Analysis & Probability
   *Problem Solving

  Algebra 1

   *Algebra Foundations
   *Functions & Equations
   *Polynomials
   *Quadratic Equations
   *Radical Expressions & Functions
   *Systems of Equations & Inequalities

Middle School Religion

The seventh grade course of study centers on the New Testament, and especially focuses on the Gospels and Jesus’ life; it touches briefly on the foundation of the Church and the sacraments.  Students will learn the structure of the New Testament, and spend time studying Scripture, including those passages involving parables, miracles, beatitudes, social justice, and life and dignity.  Students will be familiar with the time and place of Jesus’ life.  Hopefully, through the Scripture reading and reflection that we do each will arrive at a greater understanding of His invitation to each of us to follow Him in our lives, and our responsibility to be active in our response.  Key concepts for the year include New Testament, Gospel, Incarnation, eternal life, evangelist, synoptic Gospels, doctrine, Infancy narratives, disciple, Mother of God, evangelization, -isms of different kinds as discrimination, abortion, euthanasia, Catholic Social teaching, virtues (cardinal and theological), judgment, apostle, Ascension, sacrament.  Hopefully this year students will come to a greater experience of Scripture, Jesus’ teachings, and His relationship to them.