Specialist Curriculum

SIXTH GRADE

Learning Expectations

Getting along with others
How can I express feelings in healthy ways? 
How can I learn to be more respectful of others? 
How can I prevent & manage stress? 
What makes someone a good friend?

Bullies and Bystanders
What is bullying? 
What can I do if bullying happens to me or someone else? 
How can I stand up for myself and others?

Keeping Healthy 
How can I keep myself healthy? 
What do I want to know about the body system and puberty?

What should we eat? 
How healthful is my eating? 
What are healthful snacks to choose? 
What makes it hard to make healthy choices?

Students will:

Practice the following health life skills: Decision-making, Goal Setting, Communication Skills, Resisting Peer Pressure, Assertiveness, Knowing, Recognizing & Managing Emotions, Anger & Stress Management, Relationship Skills, Social Awareness & Empathy, Appreciating Diversity, Using Resources, Analyzing Influences and Health Advocacy.

SEVENTH GRADE

Learning Objectives

Feelings and Life Skills 
How do I see myself? 
How can we deal with feelings and stressful social situations? 
How can I make new friends? 

Resolving Conflicts and Preventing Bullying 
Does the media make us aggressive? 
What can I do when I’m angry? 
When is it bullying/sexual harassment and when is it just fooling around? 
How can we handle bullying and sexual harassment? 

Understanding Substances 
What harm is there in using tobacco, alcohol or marijuana? 
Why do some teens use substances and others don’t? 
How do advertisers manipulate teens?

Students will:

Practice the following health life skills: Decision-making, Goal Setting, Communication Skills, Resisting Peer Pressure, Assertiveness, Knowing, Recognizing & Man-aging Emotions, Anger & Stress Management, Relationship Skills, Social Awareness & Empathy, Appreciating Diversity, Using Resources, Analyzing Influences and Health Advocacy.

EIGHTH GRADE

Learning Objectives

Transitions to High School 
What are my hopes and dreams for high school? 
What do I want to know about high school life? 
How can I turn my dreams into reality? 

Healthy Relationships 
What are the signs of an unhealthy relationship? 
How can I handle bullying and sexual harassment? 
How can I help a friend? 

Eating Well 
How healthy is my eating? 
What makes it hard to make healthy choices? 
How can I maintain a healthy weight? 

Know Your Body* 
What do I need to know to be sexually healthy? 
How can I say no to risky sexual behavior? 
What questions do I have about dating? 

* Requires parent/guardian permission

Students will:

Practice the following health life skills: Decision-making, Goal Setting, Communication Skills, Resisting Peer Pressure, Assertiveness, Knowing, Recognizing & Managing Emotions, Anger & Stress Management, Relationship Skills, Social Awareness & Empathy, Appreciating Diversity, Using Resources, Analyzing Influences and Health Advocacy

SIXTH GRADE
Learning Objectives

Literature Appreciation: continue to grow as life-long readers and build their repertoire of reading strategies 
Online Literacy: how to communicate and collaborate in an online community safely and appropriately 
Information Literacy: how to think critically to find, evaluate, use and share information for a purpose

Students will:

• Collaborate and communicate with students and teachers using GoogleDocs
• Access current technology tools to interact and learn from the global community
• Utilize a variety of devices and platforms to accomplish tasks
• Explore library resources in new media formats 24/7

SEVENTH GRADE
Learning Objectives

Literature Appreciation: continue to grow as life-long readers and build their repertoire of reading strategies 
Online Literacy: how to communicate and collaborate in an online community safely and appropriately 
Information Literacy: how to think critically to find, evaluate, use and share information for a purpose

Students will:

• Collaborate and communicate with students and teachers using GoogleDocs
• Access current technology tools to interact and learn from the global community
• Utilize a variety of devices and platforms to accomplish tasks
• Explore library resources in new media formats 24/7

EIGHTH GRADE
Learning Objectives

Literature Appreciation: continue to grow as life-long readers and build their repertoire of reading strategies 
Online Literacy: how to communicate and collaborate in an online community safely and appropriately 
Information Literacy: how to think critically to find, evaluate, use and share information for a purpose

Students will:

• Collaborate and communicate with students and teachers using GoogleDocs
• Access current technology tools to interact and learn from the global community
• Utilize a variety of devices and platforms to accomplish tasks
• Explore library resources in new media formats 24/7

Mission
The Health and Physical Education Department offers courses that teach students to make healthy decisions and develop lifelong physical fitness. Our students are provided with an educational setting through which they can gain knowledge and understanding of themselves physically, socially and emotionally. Our program is based on themes of character and value that teach students lifelong lessons on which they can use in the larger school community and in their personal lives.

Physical Education Class
Scholars have Physical Education class twice per week for approximately 50 minutes each class. They should be wearing sneakers and clothing in which they can be active. They are welcome to bring sneakers in a bag if they are wearing snow boots or sandals, as long as they switch them quickly. Otherwise, students do not change for class. Earrings other than studs should be removed for safety reasons. Ask your child which days are the P.E. days on his/her schedule.

Project Adventure
Our second unit this year will be Project Adventure. This includes many activities that are excellent for community building, and this is why we have placed this early on in the curriculum. This unit focuses on:

• Teambuilding/working together
• Problem Solving/ Thinking “Outside the Box”
• Overcoming personal boundaries/fears
• Respecting differences among others

We will begin with various group challenges and initiatives that require students to work together to succeed. Later we will move to trust activities, including multiple levels of trust falls. The final step is the high elements, where students can climb a centipede and a giant ladder up to the top.

Challenge By Choice gives students the option to choose to what degree they wish to participate. Students will not be forced to try anything that they aren’t comfortable with.

Music, Arts & Theatre

At Cambridge Street Upper School, we have a dynamic and diverse program during the school day, before, and after school for our middle school scholars. The Visual and Performing Arts department at CSUS offers all students the opportunity to express themselves and develop their creative abilities through a variety of classes and ensembles.

All of our scholars take classes in Visual Art and General Music during the school year and all scholars in sixth grade take Theatre Arts class, twice per week.

String, Orchestra, Concert Band, Drama, Chorus, and Visual Art are all offered as part of the "What I Need/What You Need” (WIN/WYN) program. Scholars rehearse during the school day and instrumentalists receive weekly small group lessons.

Our performing arts faculty offer various opportunities before and after school including Chamber Ensemble, Jazz Ensemble, Marching Band, Chorus, School Play, Stage Crew, Cobra Dance Crew, and Color Guard.

Equity in Visual & Performing Arts
As part of CSUS, our department strives for academic excellence and social justice for ALL of our scholars.

Artistic Excellence = Creative Thought
At Cambridge Street Upper School, every student creates art, every week. Whether they’re collaborating with peers in an improv routine, expressing their visions in a painting, composing a song, or rehearsing a piece of music for performance, our scholars develop their skills and confidence in order to find their creative identities. By becoming fluent artists, CSUS scholars grow into better thinkers and global citizens.

Reflecting Diversity
In the CSUS Visual and Performing Arts courses, the materials, methods, and subjects reflect our diverse community and world-at-large. In art, scholars explore the work of artists from a diverse range of cultural backgrounds and styles. Chorus sings in multiple languages and styles, instrumental ensembles perform the works of a variety of composers, historical eras, and styles, and the theatre production mirrors the school-wide objective towards social justice.

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