One Year

Sixth grade language arts students develop their vocabulary and reading comprehension skills in a variety of literary and informational texts through both in-class and independent reading experiences. They learn to evaluate texts and authors’ purpose by sharing their reading experiences with others. All 6th grade students take part in a novel study using The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt. The genres for 6th grade include fiction, non-fiction and poetry. In writing, students write to different audiences and for different purposes. They practice the writing forms of narrative, expository and argument with claims by applying the writing process and the traits of effective writing. The strand focus for writing is generating ideas and organizing them.

One Year

Sixth grade social studies focuses on ancient civilizations. As they learn about ancient civilizations, students study characteristics of cultures and regions, different forms of government and economic systems, and the impact of ancient civilizations on world history. They use their background knowledge of history, economics, civics and geography, and apply important social studies skills as they read, research, explore and learn about the world around them and their place in it.

One Year

In this course, students focus on four critical areas: (1) connecting ratio and rate to whole number multiplication and division and using concepts of ratio and rate to solve problems; (2) completing the understanding of division of fractions and extending the notion of numbers to the system of rational numbers, which includes negative numbers; (3) writing, interpreting and using expressions and equations; and (4) developing an understanding of statistical thinking by describing and summarizing numerical data sets. Students also build on their work with area by reasoning about relationships among shapes to determine area, surface area and volume.

One Year

This science course builds on physical, earth and life science concepts and processes learned in kindergarten through fifth grade. Throughout middle school, students investigate physical, earth and life science topics, and plan and conduct their own investigations, devise data tables, analyze data and communicate their findings. In grades 6-8, students learn to think critically and logically to make connections between prior science knowledge and evidence produced from investigations, models and system thinking.

6th Grade Science Strands:

• Physical Science
• Earth Science
• Life Science
• Systems, Inquiry and Application: Taught through each unit

One Year

In middle school, students develop competence in skillful movement in game situations and in a variety of recreational activities. They transition from modified versions of movement forms to more complex applications across all types of activities. Students demonstrate the ability to assume responsibility for guiding their own learning as they apply their knowledge and abilities to create a practice plan to improve performance in selected physical activities. Students are able to set goals, track progress and participate in these activities to
improve health-related fitness.

One Year

Do you have a hard time making up your mind? In this course you will have the opportunity to explore pathways to the elective classes you can take in seventh and eighth grade. Experience six courses in six week increments in Visual Arts, Food Sciences, Digital Media, Technology, Drama, and Global Connections. You may discover a hidden passion or confirm your commitment to an area of interest. Whether you are ready or reluctant to try new things, this class is for you!

Exploratory Art 
Students will gain an understanding of the elements and principles of design as they create original drawings, paintings and sculptures. They will be introduced to a variety of media, including tempera/acrylic paint, colored pencil and clay. The formal techniques of visual art will be taught and creativity is encouraged.

Exploratory Foods
In this course, students will develop a basic understanding of recipes and cooking. Students will become familiar with kitchen safety and practice real culinary techniques. We will collaborate to cook and eat something new in class every week! All diets are welcome. (This course is listed as Royal Exploration of Culinary Arts in the printable catalog)

Exploratory Digital Media
In this course you will get a hands-on experience with all of the tools and resources that the Media Lab has to offer. Get an introduction to Photography, Video and Animation with the easy-to-follow projects that introduce new tools and how to integrate them into to your core classes. Also, become familiar with district sponsored resources such as Britannica Images, Discovery Education Streaming and the Microsoft Productivity Suite. Come prepared for fun, new learning and excitement!

Exploratory Technology 
In this course, students will engage in inquiry and Next Generation Science Standards-based lessons as they take on the roles of mechanical engineers, software engineers, electrical engineers and data scientists. They will explore concepts of electricity and magnetism as they work with microcontrollers and design IoT (Internet of Things) devices to collect data visualized on Excel. Students will also be introduced to robotics, programming, CAD (Computer-Aided Design) and 3-D printing as they progress through course studies.

Exploratory Drama
In Drama, you will have the opportunity to experience the world of performance. We cover topics ranging from performance theatre to poetry. While you gain an understanding of the how and why of drama, you also have the opportunity to explore your own abilities. Drama is more than theatre; we also focus on self-expression and the underlying confidence that is gained when you find your inner voice.

Exploratory Global Connections
The intent of this introductory elective is to inspire an interest in language learning, geography, world cultures, and micro-economies in emerging nations.

One Year

This course is performance based, designed for the novel singer who wants to join in the fun of singing with other singers and further the study of vocal/choral technique. Concert Choir will emphasize vocal production, sight-reading and producing high quality large ensemble performances. Concert music and vocal technique will be used as a means for developing the ability to think, learn, communicate, collaborate and enjoy music with fellow musicians as a way of connecting with a smaller community. Concert attendance is required and fun! All participants in this music course are required to purchase an ASB card. Student participation in fundraisers may also be necessary to help fund fields trips.

One Year

Concert Band is the place for you if you played in Elementary Band and want to further your skills on your instrument. Students will become better musicians as they learn concert music, pop music, marches and pep band music. As a part of the school band, students will perform at concerts and on field trips. Concert attendance is required as well as participation in all performances and field trips. This class will study through the book "Tradition of Excellence Book 2." Any students interested in starting a band instrument as a beginner will play as a member of the Concert Band for a full year (beginners are expected to put in extra practice time or take lessons outside of class if needed). Note: piano and guitar are not instruments used in band and cannot be accommodated by this class. Students must provide their own instruments. All participants in this music course are required to purchase an ASB card. Student participation in fundraisers may also be necessary to help fund field trips.

One Year

This course is for any grade level student who would like to begin playing a Violin, Viola, Cello or String Bass, or for students of any grade level who have previously participated in an elementary string orchestra program or have taken private lessons for at least one year. The school year is filled with field trips traveling to performance opportunities! Here is an opportunity for students to gain confidence in public performance, develop self-discipline and responsibility, plus organizational skills in an ensemble setting, while experiencing fun with friends in quality music performances. Intermediate concert music and instrumental technique will be emphasized as a means for developing the ability to think and learn, as well as to communicate, collaborate and enjoy music with fellow musicians as a way to connect to a smaller community. Regular home practice and concert attendance are required. All participants in this music course are required to purchase an ASB card. Student participation in fundraisers may also be necessary to help fund field trips.

One Year

Jazz Band expands on the skills learned in Band/Orchestra and applies those skills to many jazz styles such as swing, blues, Latin and funk. The Rose Hill Jazz Band performs at school events, on field trips and for concerts. The focus of this course is to study and experience different jazz styles and to perform at our school and in the community. This class meets before school daily and students must also be enrolled in Band or Orchestra during the day in order to be eligible to participate in Jazz Band. Note: Drum set and guitar players are selected by audition. All participants in this music course are required to purchase an ASB card. Student participation in fundraisers may also be necessary to help fund field trips.

One Year

Seventh grade language arts integrates writing, reading, speaking and technology skills. Students read fiction and non-fiction and study the elements of short stories, plays and poetry. They learn reading strategies for understanding textbooks and reference sources. The strand focus for student writing is on organization. Texts include: Freak the Mighty; The Outsiders.

One Year

Seventh grade social studies is a year-long course which integrates writing, reading, speaking, listening and technology skills with the study of U.S. History from the Revolutionary War through the Civil War and Reconstruction. The focus is on civics, geography, cultural development and human-environmental interaction. As part of this course, students will complete the state-mandated Developed Assessment called “Constitutional Issues.”

One Year

This science course builds on physical, earth, and life science concepts and processes learned in kindergarten through fifth grade. Throughout middle school, students investigate physical, earth and life science topics, and plan and conduct their own investigations, devise data tables, analyze data and communicate their findings.
In grades 6-8, students learn to think critically and logically to make connections between prior science knowledge and evidence produced from investigations, models and system thinking.

7th Grade Science Strands:

• Physical Science
• Earth Science
• Life Science

One Year

In this course, students build on their understanding from 6th grade by focusing on four critical areas: (1) developing an understanding of and applying proportional relationships; (2) developing an understanding
of operations with rational numbers (explaining the rules for adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing with negative numbers) and working with expressions and linear equations; (3) solving problems involving scale drawings and informal geometric constructions, and working with two- and three-dimensional shapes to solve
problems involving area, surface area and volume; and (4) drawing inferences about populations based on samples.

One Year
CADR

Prerequisites
Qualifying scores on Algebra aptitude test, math grades, SBA scores

The fundamental purpose of this course is to formalize and extend the mathematics that students learned in the middle grades. The course focuses on five critical areas: (1) developing fluency writing, interpreting and translating between various forms of linear equations and inequalities and simple exponential functions, and using them to solve problems; (2) comparing and contrasting linear and exponential functions, translating between different representations, using function notation and interpreting arithmetic sequences as linear functions and geometric sequences as exponential functions; (3) using regression techniques to describe linear relationships quantitatively and making judgments about the appropriateness of linear models; (4) extending the laws of exponents to rational exponents, seeing structure in and creating quadratic and exponential expressions, and solving equations, inequalities and systems of equations involving quadratic expressions; and (5) comparing quadratic, linear and exponential functions to model phenomenon. They also identify the real solutions of quadratic equations as the zeroes of a related quadratic function and expand their experience to more specialized functions – absolute value, step and those that are piecewise-defined.

One Semester

In middle school, students develop competence in skillful movement in game situations and in a variety of recreational activities. They transition from modified versions of movement forms to more complex
applications across all types of activities. Students demonstrate the ability to assume responsibility for guiding their own learning as they apply their knowledge and abilities to create a practice plan to improve performance in selected physical activities. Students are able to set goals, track progress and participate in these activities to
improve health-related fitness.

One Semester

In Health class, a strong emphasis is placed on personal responsibility and that healthy choices promote lifelong wellness. Students have an understanding of the origins and causes of diseases, including the relationship between family history and certain health risks. They begin to relate short and long-term consequences of health choices and apply health skills to specific personal, family and community health concerns. Students learn to refine critical-thinking skills to avoid unsafe situations, analyze health information and products, and maintain healthy relationships. Students begin to investigate health in the broader context of community.

One Year

Eighth grade language arts integrates writing, reading, speaking and technology skills. Emphasis is placed on citing text-evidence and giving commentary for both literary and nonfiction texts. The strand focus for student writing is on ideas and content. Texts include: Seven Habits for Highly Effective Teens; Anne Frank; To Kill a Mockingbird; A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

One Year

Eighth grade combines a fall-semester study of Washington State History and Government with a spring-semester focus on twentieth century U.S. History. This combination provides additional connections for students as they study such topics as the growth of the West, giants of industry, immigration, social reforms, imperialism, twentieth century conflicts and the events of more recent decades. It is important for students to recognize that they MUST PASS eighth grade U.S. History in order to meet the high school graduation requirement for Washington State history. As part of this course, students will complete the state-mandated Developed Assessment called “Causes of Conflict.”

One Year

This science course builds on physical, earth and life science concepts and processes learned in kindergarten through fifth grade. Throughout middle school, students investigate physical, earth and life science topics, and plan and conduct their own investigations, devise data tables, analyze data and communicate their findings.
In grades 6-8, students learn to think critically and logically to make connections between prior science knowledge and evidence produced from investigations, models and system thinking.

8th Grade Science Strands:

• Physical Science
• Earth Science
• Life Science

One Year

In this course, instructional time focuses on three critical areas: (1) formulating and reasoning about expressions and equations, including modeling an association in bivariate data with a linear equation, and solving linear equations and systems of equations; (2) grasping the concept of a function and using functions to describe quantitative relationships; (3) analyzing two- and three-dimensional space and figures using distance, angle, similarity and congruence, and understanding and applying the Pythagorean Theorem.

One Year
CADR

Prerequisites
Qualifying scores on Algebra aptitude test, math grades, SBA scores

The fundamental purpose of this course is to formalize and extend the mathematics that students learned in the middle grades. The course focuses on five critical areas: (1) developing fluency writing, interpreting and translating between various forms of linear equations and inequalities and simple exponential functions, and using them to solve problems; (2) comparing and contrasting linear and exponential functions, translating between different representations, using function notation and interpreting arithmetic sequences as linear functions and geometric sequences as exponential functions; (3) using regression techniques to describe linear relationships quantitatively and making judgments about the appropriateness of linear models; (4) extending the laws of exponents to rational exponents, seeing structure in and creating quadratic and exponential expressions, and solving equations, inequalities and systems of equations involving quadratic expressions; and (5) comparing quadratic, linear and exponential functions to model phenomenon. They also identify the real solutions of quadratic equations as the zeroes of a related quadratic function and expand their experience to more specialized functions – absolute value, step and those that are piecewise-defined.

One Year
CADR

Prerequisites
Algebra 1

The fundamental purpose of this course is to formalize and extend students’ geometric experiences from the middle grades. The course focuses on six critical areas: (1) establishing triangle congruence based on rigid motions and formal constructions and solving problems and proving theorems about triangles, quadrilaterals and other polygons; (2) building a formal understanding of similarity and applying similarity to right triangle trigonometry and the Pythagorean Theorem, and using the Laws of Sines and Cosines to find missing
measures; (3) informal explanations of circumference, area and volume formulas; (4) building on the Pythagorean Theorem to find distances and using a rectangular coordinate system to verify geometric
relationships; (5) proving basic theorems about circles; and (6) computing and interpreting theoretical and experimental probabilities of compound events, and using probability to make informed decisions.

One Semester

In middle school, students develop competence in skillful movement in game situations and in a variety of recreational activities. They transition from modified versions of movement forms to more complex
applications across all types of activities. Students demonstrate the ability to assume responsibility for guiding their own learning as they apply their knowledge and abilities to create a practice plan to improve performance in selected physical activities. Students are able to set goals, track progress and participate in these activities to
improve health-related fitness.