Middle School Curriculum Overview

Middle School English Language Arts
The Middle School English program at Hillel focuses on building and enhancing students’ skills in reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Progressing from fourth to eighth grade, students gain exposure to a diverse array of literary forms and experience both frequent and assorted opportunities for self-expression. Guiding students through a skill-based and developmentally sequenced curriculum, we place a strong emphasis on fostering sound grammatical aptitude, literacy in spelling, accuracy in punctuation, and an elevated and varied working vocabulary. At Hillel, our middle school curriculum integrates every element of the English Language Arts program with the aim that every student, at each grade level, can demonstrate content mastery through sophisticated and well-organized written language. From grade to grade, the curriculum hones students’ understanding of language usage and refines their tools for critical thinking and analysis, always sharpening students’ mastery of effective writing techniques.  

Supporting differences in learning styles, our curriculum is designed to provide a student the necessary instructional support to develop skills at his own pace while still promoting high standards and expectations. For all students, our fundamental objective is that they evolve into capable and confident communicators who express their own voices, opinions, and knowledge with conviction and expertise. 

Middle School Mathematics
The Middle School Mathematics program at Hillel focuses on using problem solving, mathematical communication and mathematical reasoning. The Pre-Algebra course reviews basic mathematical skills and focuses on introducing algebraic concepts and properties. Emphasis is placed on equations using positive and negative integers, fractions, decimals, and percentages. Solving word problems as well as working with graphs, measurements and introductory geometry are included. In the Alegbra 1 course students gain a solid foundation of basic algebraic skills and concepts through discussion of topics including operations with rational numbers and integers, relations and functions, simplifying and combining fractions, factoring polynomials, linear sentences and systems, ratios and proportions, graphs, inequalities and operations with polynomials. Problem solving strategies are emphasized and reinforced throughout the curriculum to provide students with tools necessary to solve problems in an organized way.

Middle School Science
The sixth grade science curriculum serves as a hands-on introduction to Middle School science education. The program assists students in becoming life-long learners who grow in their understanding of the world.  An introduction to characteristics of living things is used as a springboard for other topics including classification, ecology, environmental/earth science, and space science. Measurement and lab equipment are introduced as students get their first real hands-on laboratory experience.  Other teaching strategies used to deliver the curriculum include: textbook information acquisition and note taking techniques, scientific illustrating, critical thinking and problem solving activities, cooperative group projects, science research projects, directed teaching, and authentic assessment. Students are encouraged to be inquisitive and analytical. Lifelong enthusiasm for science is fostered with science based fieldtrips and real world experiences including a 3 day trip to the Newfound Harbor Marine Institute SeaCamp in the Florida Keys.

The seventh grade Life Science course is designed to build a foundation in biology, chemistry and some physics in preparation for further science studies in high school.  The livings things around us serve as the subjects of study for this course, including a more complex understanding of cell life and structure, life processes, body systems, and change as a result of the transmission of genetic information from generation to generation. Every effort is made to interest, motivate and engage students. This is done by hands on relevant activities that address the topics within the lab classroom and video demonstrations.

The eighth grade program looks at the Physical Sciences of chemistry and physics. The understanding the nature and structure of matter and characteristics of energy are stressed. Here, the major topics are matter and energy, and how they can be changed for the good of man. Major areas covered by the standards include the organization and use of the periodic table; physical and chemical changes; nuclear reactions; temperature and heat; sound; light; electricity and magnetism; and work, force, and motion. This scientific view defines the idea that explanations of nature are developed and tested using observation, experimentation, models, evidence, and systematic processes based on logical thinking. Inquiry skills at this level include organization and mathematical analysis of data, manipulation of variables in experiments, and identification of sources of experimental error.

Middle School Social Studies
In sixth grade Geography, students will acquire a fundamental understanding of the physical environment and the political divisions of the world. Within each unit of study we will focus on the five themes of Geography as we travel throughout the world. After completing this course students will: demonstrate knowledge and use of maps, globes, charts, and graphs; locate, describe, and compare the geographic features and political divisions of the major regions of the world; explain the climatic conditions of the major regions of the world; understand the relationship between the forces of nature and the various physical/environmental conditions on earth; and understand man’s effect on his physical environment.

The seventh grade social studies curriculum focuses on the American Civil Rights Movement (CRM) and the Holocaust. In the first half of the year, students study a general overview of African American history as well as particularly important events of the CRM such as the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Linda Brown’s struggle against segregation in schools, and the Children’s March. Students also learn about the individuals who played an important role in that struggle for freedom as well as ideas such as non-violent protest that allowed the black community to gain the freedoms it sought.

In the second half of the year, students study the Holocaust. Students learn about the events that allowed Hitler to come to power as well as how Hitler became so popular in Germany. Students learn how the Nazi party steadily dehumanized the Jews and how that dehumanization allowed them to carry out the Final Solution. Students also learn about the complicated relationship between World War Two and the Holocaust. At the end of the year, students gain a sense of how literature and history can inform each other when they study “Night” by Elie Wiesel in English class while studying the historical background to that book in their Social Studies class.

Eighth grade United States history focuses on the political, cultural, and social, development of the United States. The English colonies are investigated through their interactions with Native Americans, and how conflicts with Britain lead to the American Revolution. The American Independence leads to an examination of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Western expansion, beginning with the Lewis &Clark expedition, is examined with a clear portrayal of the positive economic results it had on the country and the negative impact it had on Native American people. The course ends with the causes and results of the Civil War and reconstruction, immigration, industrialization, foreign policy and WW1.

Middle School Hebrew Language
The curriculum in the sixth grade continues from the point it was left off in fifth grade. At the beginning of the year, there is a general review of everything that was taught the year before. Students will strengthen their writing skills by learning the structure of a composition. They learn how to summarize a paragraph and to differentiate between what is important and what is of secondary importance. Punctuation is taught as a tool to improve writing skills, and as a means to comprehend better literature and poetry. The students will enrich their vocabulary by learning new nouns, adjectives, synonyms and antonyms, and will apply it all to their written application and oral expression. The definite article will be emphasized. In grammar, the conjugation of the verb” to be” in past tense will be strengthened, and the future tense will be taught. The paradigm of Binyan Pa-al is reviewed, and the paradigm of Binyan Nif-al is introduced to the students. They learn how to transfer sentences from active to passive form and vice versa. Irregular nouns are added to this grade level. Students will learn how to correctly use adjectives, numbers and verbs in conjunction with these exceptional nouns. Exercises in story analysis will be done. The ability to converse in Hebrew will be enhanced through the usage of all the grammatical concepts that are taught in the course of the year. Conversational Hebrew will be emphasized.

The seventh grade curriculum continues from that which was taught in the sixth grade. A comprehensive review will be conducted. The students will be challenged with the reading of more advanced literature and poetry. Different sayings, expressions and idioms are introduced to apply in oral expression. Homonyms, homophones, abbreviation and Gimatria will also be taught. The students will learn new forms of possession including Short Possession and the Construct State, which will be utilized both orally and in writing. Mastery of description will be enlarged and applied. In grammar, a review of the previous paradigms (Pa-al and Nif-al) will take place, and the new paradigms of Pee-el, Poo-al and Hitpaelwill be taught. The students will learn to conjugate verbs in the various paradigms according to the need, and apply that knowledge to their writings and their conversation. As in sixth grade emphasis is placed upon Hebrew conversation.

The eighth grade curriculum continues with what was taught in the seventh grade. After reviewing the material of the previous year concentration will be placed on reading comprehension of stories of a higher level. Complex verbs are taught in different paradigms. The conjugation of Hif-eel and Hoof-al are mastered and applied in writing and conversation. The students learn the forms of direct and indirect speech and apply it in their written application and oral expression. More sayings, expressions and idioms are introduced throughout the year, and the students learn how to incorporate these into their writing and conversation. An emphasis on verbs and the nouns derived from the verbs are made in this grade level. As in sixth and seventh grades, throughout the academic year the importance of the Hebrew language as the Holy Language and the language of our ancestors is emphasized. The students are encouraged to communicate in Hebrew both in and out of the classroom.

Middle School Chumash
There are numerous goals in Chumash which we focus upon during the middle school years. In the sixth grade they will continue to develop and improve upon their reading and translating skills, through focusing on shorashim and prefixes and suffixes. They will analyze the text and raise questions and attempt to answer their queries. The students will understand Rashi’s methodology of scrutinizing the text and deriving questions and answers. Perhaps most importantly, they will feel a connection to the Torah and enjoy learning our holy texts. They will learn how to apply the lessons of the Torah to their daily lives. Grade six studies the book of Bamidbar through Parshat Chukat. Additionally, there is a Yediot Klaliot program in which the students master basic Jewish facts such as the dates of holidays, the books of Tanach, and the words to certain brachot. They are tested weekly on this material and have a cumulative test twice a year. By the eighth grade, the students have mastered the skill of translating the psukim and Rashis’s commentary and are now taken to the next level. They are exposed to many more commentaries, such as the Ramban, Ibn Ezra, Sforno, and Sefer Hachinuch. They learn how to compare and contrast the various opinions and discover the beauty of Torah and its many interpretations. We apply the lessons of the Torah to our daily lives and create a love for the Torah and Judaism. Grade eight studies the book of Dvarim through Parshat Reeh, focusing upon certain key topics such as the Aseret Hadibrot, Shema, and Moshe’s rebuke to the nation.

In the 7^th grade students will learn Chumash Vayikra.  They begin with Parshat Acharei Mot, which teaches of the Service f the Kohen Gadol on Yom Kippur.  During the course of the year, the students will cover Parshiot Acharei-Mot, Kedoshim, Emor, Behar. The goal for the year is to gain an understanding the text as well as the religious and philosophical lessons conveyed are both essential components of every Chumash lesson.  There is a strong emphasis on strengthening textual skills, mastering reading, translating, decoding, and expanding Chumash vocabulary and grammatical skills.   Commentary and concepts are discussed in a sophisticated way by learning the questions behind the commentary and analyzing the situations.

In the Parshiot the students will learn many laws pertaining to the Korbonot, Chagim, Mitzvot that can be kept only in the Land of Israel, and Mitzvot between “Man and Man.”

As is done in the sixth grade, in the eighth grade there is a Yediot Klaliot program in which the students master basic Jewish facts such as the dates of holidays, the books of Tanach, and the words to certain brachot. They are tested weekly on this material and have a cumulative test twice a year.

Middle School Toshba
The sixth grade toshba curriculum, which was created under the auspices of Gemara Berurua, focuses on the fourth chapter of masechet brachot and focuses on students answering essential questions about why and how Talmud came about as well as questions that relate to the fourth chapter of masechet brachot. Students also learn Aramaic key words, common words, and concepts that will help them develop into more independent learners of Talmud.

In seventh and eighth grade, the Talmud curriculum consists of selected sugyot from different parts of the Talmud. The criteria for choosing those sugyot are that the sugyot must be relevant to the students i.e. contain messages that students can internalize and act more morally and wisely. The sugyot must also help students build the skills they will need as they become more independent learners of Talmud. Some of the topics addressed in these sugyot are the power of speech, personal responsibility, friendship, the importance of being thankful, the importance of spirituality in life, etc. Like in the sixth grade Talmud curriculum, students focus on answering essential questions about the sugyot they learn. They also learn Aramaic key words, common words, and concepts that will help them develop into more independent learners of Talmud.

Middle School Navi
The goal in Navi is to relate the events and to understand the origins of Jewish life and conquest of Eretz Yisrael as well as to learn the famous personalities that shaped the Jewish nation. Map skills are also necessary when learning Navi. Through Navi the students see Hashem’s relationship with the Jewish people and His Hand which guides our destiny. Navi is taught three times per week in the sixth grade, and two times per week in the seventh and eighth grades for 50 minutes each period.    In the sixth grade, the Sefer of Shmuel Aleph is covered with emphasis on the general content and concepts rather than word for word analysis. Students learn entirely from the text and all work is completed in Ivirt. In the seventh grade, students cover the entire Sefer of Shmuel Bet. Students will follow the life of David Hamelech, his triumphs, struggles, and emphasizing that throughout all of his life, David continues to remain faithful to Hashem. In the eighth grade, students cover the Sefer of Melachim Aleph. In this Sefer, the students will follow the life of Shlomo Hamelch, the division of Malchut Yehuda and Yisrael, and the influence of the Neviim on the lives of the Jewish people.