English as a Second Language

 

ESL 6, 7 & 8: Beginner – Ms. Chan

This course is a beginner ESL academic language course. We will be focusing on vocabulary development, reading comprehension, and and simple, basic academic writing. This course will explore a variety of speech and writing patterns to help students master conversational and academic language.

 

ESL 6, 7 & 8 – Ms. Chan

This course is an intermediate ESL academic language course. We will be focusing on vocabulary development, reading comprehension, analysis and interpretation of texts, and simple, basic academic writing/presentations. This course will explore a variety of genres, including short stories, novels and non-fiction materials selected from various content-areas.

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Humanities

 

Humanities 6 - Mrs. Murray

Humanities is the class where you will study the ancient world.  During this class you will learn to think like a social scientist, trying to understand how people lived in ancient times, drawing conclusions about life in the ancient world based on the artifacts left behind. We will begin the year reading about early humans and the social scientists that study the artifacts they left behind. We will then study ancient Sumer, Mesopotamia, Greece, Egypt, China, and India.

 

Humanities 7 - Mr. Damien

How can one island impact the whole world? Caribbean history is a course designed to improve students' historical literacy and critical thinking skills. We examine a range of issues through the lens of the Caribbean experience such as: human rights, economics, political activeness, immigration, and more. We use student centered learning projects such as debate skills, role plays, virtual biographies and project based to enhance the student experience.

 

Humanities 8 -  Kennedy

8th grade Humanities will take an in-depth dive into Civics and Government. We will travel from the present into the past looking at the U.S. Government in comparison to other governments. Next, we will study the history of the criminal justice system and while looking deeply into the juvenile justice system with the goals of learning our rights as citizens. Then we will look at the Civil Rights movement and how it connects to today’s world. Throughout the year we will do a lot of reflection to see how all of this connects to ourselves and what can we do to improve the structures we feel are broken.

 

Humanities 8, Special Education - Ms. Hansen

Humanities is the name given to a class that explores the human experience. This humanities class entitled “Responding to Injustice” helps students explore how people have responded to racism, prejudice, and inequity at different points in history. Throughout this class, we will explore political/court, artistic, and organizational responses to several great injustices in American history, many of which are still present today. Students will repeatedly answer the question “how have people responded to injustice?”. Upon developing an understanding of how people have responded to injustice, students will develop their own unique answer & plan of action for the question “how can we respond to injustice, today?”. Embedded into the historical content will be a focus on reading, writing, critical thinking, annotation, debate, and collaborative skills.

 

Math

 

Math 6 – Ms. Hall

Grade 6 math studies ratios, proportions, rational numbers, and expressions and equations. We think about how math is really just another way of talking about relationships –between numbers, words, and our environment. Students solidify math fluency – both in mathematical vocabulary and number work without a calculator, working with whole number, fractions, and decimals. The course focuses 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 understanding of division of fractions and extending number to the system of rational numbers, including negative numbers; (3) writing, interpreting, and using expressions and equations; and (4) developing understanding of statistical thinking.

 

Math 6/7 Sub-Separate – Mrs. Joseph

Students enrolled in Boston Green Academy 6th/7th Grade Mathematics Course will focus on connecting ratio and rate to whole number multiplication and division; using concepts of ratio and rate to solve problems; operating with fractions including division; extending their understanding of numbers to include rational and negative numbers; writing, interpreting, and using expressions and equations; and developing their understanding of statistical thinking. Throughout this course, students will develop learning strategies, critical thinking skills, and problem-solving techniques by developing their own problems and solutions along with task-based problems covering the above topics in collaborative learning groups. This approach will help students learn how to visualize mathematics, represent mathematical concepts, and persevere with problem solving.

 

Math 7 –Ms. Sklar

In grade 7, we focus on four critical areas: (1) proportional relationships; (2) operations with numbers and working with expressions and linear equations; (3) solving problems involving scale drawings and geometric constructions, and working with two- and three-dimensional shapes to solve problems involving area, surface area, and volume; and (4) probability and statistics.

 

Math 7/8 Sub-Separate – Ms. Jospeh

Students begin grade 8 with transformational geometry. They study rigid transformations and congruence, then dilations and similarity (this provides background for understanding the slope of a line in the coordinate plane). Next, they build on their understanding of proportional relationships from grade 7 to study linear relationships. They express linear relationships using equations, tables, and graphs, and make connections across these representations. They expand their ability to work with linear equations in one and two variables. Building on their understanding of a solution to an equation in one or two variables, they understand what is meant by a solution to a system of equations in two variables. They learn that linear relationships are an example of a special kind of relationship called a function. They apply their understanding of linear relationships and functions to contexts involving data with variability. They extend the definition of exponents to include all integers, and in the process codify the properties of exponents. They learn about orders of magnitude and scientific notation in order to represent and compute with very large and very small quantities. They encounter irrational numbers for the first time and informally extend the rational number system to the real number system, motivated by their work with the Pythagorean Theorem. They wrap up the year with a study of the volumes of cones, cylinders, and spheres. Throughout this course, students will develop learning strategies, critical thinking skills, and problem-solving techniques by developing their own problems and solutions along with task-based problems covering the above topics in collaborative learning groups. This approach will help students learn how to visualize mathematics, represent mathematical concepts, and persevere with problem solving.

 

Math 8 – Ms. Creasey

In grade 8, instructional time should focus 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 linear equations; (2) grasping the concept of a function and using functions to describe quantitative relationships; and (3) analyzing two- and three-dimensional space and figures using distance, angle, similarity, and congruence, and understanding and applying the Pythagorean Theorem.

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Science

 

Unified Science 6 – Mr. Vorce

The integration of Earth and space, life, and physical sciences with technology/engineering gives the grade 6 students at Boston Green Academy relevant and engaging opportunities with natural phenomena and design problems that highlight the relationship of structure and function in the world around them. Students relate structure and function through analyzing the macro- and microscopic world, such as Earth features and processes, the role of cells and anatomy in supporting living organisms, and properties of materials and waves. Students use models and provide evidence to make claims and explanations about structure-function relationships in different STE domains.

 

Unified Science 6/7 Sub-Separate – Mrs. Joseph

Students begin grade 8 with transformational geometry. They study rigid transformations and congruence, then dilations and similarity (this provides background for understanding the slope of a line in the coordinate plane). Next, they build on their understanding of proportional relationships from grade 7 to study linear relationships. They express linear relationships using equations, tables, and graphs, and make connections across these representations. They expand their ability to work with linear equations in one and two variables. Building on their understanding of a solution to an equation in one or two variables, they understand what is meant by a solution to a system of equations in two variables. They learn that linear relationships are an example of a special kind of relationship called a function. They apply their understanding of linear relationships and functions to contexts involving data with variability. They extend the definition of exponents to include all integers, and in the process codify the properties of exponents. They learn about orders of magnitude and scientific notation in order to represent and compute with very large and very small quantities. They encounter irrational numbers for the first time and informally extend the rational number system to the real number system, motivated by their work with the Pythagorean Theorem. They wrap up the year with a study of the volumes of cones, cylinders, and spheres.

 

Unified Science 7 - Mr. Lyon

In 7th grade science we explore three major topics: Ecology, Weather & Atmosphere, and Erosion & Deposition.

In Ecology, we think deeply about how living things interact with each other and their environment.  As living beings ourselves, we also explore how humans impact the living and nonliving things that surround us.
 

In Weather & Atmosphere, we explore the causes and the effects of the weather that we experience day to day and what kind of impact humans might be having on our atmosphere.
In Erosion & Deposition, we consider how earth's materials form and breakdown and how humans can best take advantage of our physical landscapes.

 

Unified Science 7/8 – Substantially Sub-Separate – Ms. Adam

The 8th Grade Unified Science Course at Boston Green Academy is designed to have students think and act like scientists. This means students will be making observations; posing questions to be answered through experimentation; collecting, organizing, and analyzing data; drawing conclusions; and reflecting on their scientific practices. To this end the course will be lab based and involve numerous hands-on activities. The units of study include: Cell Biology, Genetics, Chemistry/Water, and Force and Motion.

 

Unified Science 8 – Mr. Gilson

The 8th Grade Unified Science Course at Boston Green Academy is designed to have students think and act like scientists. This means students will be making observations; posing questions to be answered through experimentation; collecting, organizing, and analyzing data; drawing conclusions; and reflecting on their scientific practices. To this end the course will be lab based and involve numerous hands-on activities. The units of study include: Cell Biology, Genetics, Chemistry/Water, and Force and Motion.

 

Electives

 

Elective: Physical Education 6, 7, 8 – Mr. Hildebidle

The Physical Education program at Boston Green Academy is designed to help students develop the skills and knowledge necessary to be healthy and physically active now and throughout their lives. During class students will be exposed to a variety of ways of being active. Over the course of the quarter students will learn about team sports, individual sports, group problem solving, and fitness skills.

 

Elective: Research and Study Skills 6 – Ms. Zeng

Through this course, students will learn how to navigate a library to find desired materials. Students will access the school's catalog, search the shelves, and discuss topics including fiction vs. nonfiction and genres to aid in their search process. Students will walk away with an understanding of how to begin to use what is available to them through any local library.

 

Elective: Urban Ecology 6 – Ms. Segrest

Urban Ecology 6 is a quarterly class that introduces students to resource based topics like water, food, plants, nutrition, health and gardening. Students grow food in the BGA garden, learn about energy and water in the classroom and discover how these topics impact our bodies, health and environment.

 

Elective: Visual Arts 6 – Ms. Levi

Visual Arts at BGA is a new course, taught through partnership with the Eliot School of Fine and Applied Arts. It is taught to 6th-9th grades on a quarterly rotation during which students get to come to Art four times per week. We focus on fundamental skills and work in a range of media including drawing, painting, printmaking, and sculpture.

 

Elective: Research and Study Skills 7 – Ms. Zeng

In this call students will begin to learn the basics of the research process. Students will be exploring finding and validating digital sources as well as how to use those sources ethically to support their work.

 

Elective: Urban Ecology 7 – Ms. Segrest

Urban Ecology 7 is a quarterly class that introduces students to pressing sustainability issues like climate change, water insecurity, food injustice, and hunger that impact both our local and global communities. This is a hands-on, project based class that leads students through the engineering design process and culminates in student designed action projects.

 

Elective: Research and Study Skills 8 – Ms. Zeng

During this class, students will continue to build on their research skills through concepts including: digital literacy, valid sources, databases, and citations. Students will additionally explore the world of books through independent and group reading.

 

Elective: Urban Ecology 8 – Ms. Segrest

Urban Ecology 8 is a quarterly class that builds on student’s knowledge of pressing sustainability issues like climate change, water insecurity, food injustice, and hunger that impact both our local and global communities. This is a hands-on, project based class that leads students through the engineering design process and culminates in student designed action projects.