Middle School Curriculum

The elements of the Middle School academic curriculum include the following:

• English
• Mathematics
• History
• Science
• Modern Language
• Visual Arts
• Music, Theatre Arts and Dance
• Library/Media
• Computer Education 

For course descriptions, see the Breck School Curriculum Guide.

Special Middle School Programs

Life Skills 

Each grade level in the Middle School offers a daily Life Skills class consisting of programs in the following areas: nutrition, physical education and fitness, peer, family and community relationships, collaborative and cooperative skills, and religious studies, spiritual values and ethics.  

Physical Education

Fifth and sixth graders begin to learn the rules of all the team and dual sports. Activities may include developmental tumbling, swimming lessons and dances. Other areas of concentration include soccer, flag and touch football, tennis, volleyball, ice skating, badminton, basketball, gymnastics, baseball, softball, track and field, posture-diet-functional exercise, physical fitness work, simple games and relays.

Seventh and eighth graders advance their skills and learn new sports like team handball, snow games and archery. Emphasis is placed on strategy, form, teamwork, rules, sports vocabulary and the individual's responsibility for his/her own progress.

Health

Health education is essential to enable students to acquire the knowledge and skills to promote personal, family and community health. Fifth through eighth graders study the relationship between positive health behaviors/lifestyle choices and the prevention of injury, illness, disease and premature death. They also learn about stress management strategies, first aid and CPR, conflict resolution and dealing with grief and loss. Each student will learn to develop his/her personal health plan.

Skills for Adolescence

This course is taught to students in all grades each year. It is designed to involve students in actively dealing with such issues as emotions, peer and family relationships, substance awareness, decision making and goal setting. Classes provide practical experiences in improving communication skills, resisting negative peer pressure, setting reasonable goals and making thoughtful decisions. The ultimate goal for this class is to help students increase their self-confidence and motivation.

Project Adventure

The Middle School's Project Adventure, the first such program in Minnesota, offers students tremendous opportunities for community and personal growth. It is an integral part of the Life Skills block. With a commitment to "challenge by choice," each student has the opportunity to stretch according to his/her needs and definition, take a risk, and try something very difficult while enjoying the wonderfully sensitive support of a group of knowing peers.

Religion

The Middle School religious studies program reinforces a spirituality of care and concern for self, others and our planet. Students have academic coursework each year and they are involved with service opportunities and chapel preparation.

Service Learning

Spiritual growth is not simply a matter of personal beliefs; it requires outreach to other people in a spirit of relationship building. Students become more aware of others' needs and differences through community service projects integrated into the curriculum at all grade levels.

Chapel

Twice a week, our students gather in the Chapel of the Holy Spirit for simple worship services, which are times for deepening our relationships with God and celebrating community values. We have monthly schoolwide celebrations of themes such as Advent, Christmas, Passover, Easter, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, reverence for the earth, thanksgiving for our grandparents and the beginning and end of the school year. Chapel liturgies draw their inspiration from many sources, including our own Episcopal heritage, and include prayer, music, drama dance and listening to religious and secular speakers.

SCRAM

SCRAM (Study, Chapel, Rotating Clubs, Assemblies, Meetings) is a school community-oriented part of each Middle School day - 25 minutes each morning to focus on issues of character, community building and solidarity. The week begins with a special community meeting where students and teachers celebrate successes, make announcements, note birthdays and listen to speakers. SCRAM includes chapels, study halls, leadership opportunities, clubs activities, assemblies and a variety of meetings to consider interests and needs in the Middle School community.

Advisory Program

Middle School Advisory is a system by which each student is assigned a faculty advisor who serves as a formal, personal and academic advocate. Students and their advisors meet four times per week for 15 minutes immediately before SCRAM. There are also those days on which Advisory combines SCRAM and Advisory periods, yielding more time to consider important themes of Middle School life (studying and organizational strategies, personal relationships, grade-level issues and topics of interest or concern, etc.) The Advisory program also facilitates more efficient and effective communication among faculty, students and parents.