Year 7 to Year 9 (Grade 6 to Grade 8)

Secondary Girls

The UK National Curriculum forms the basis of study for all students in Years 7 through 9 (ages 11-14), equivalent to American grades 6 through 8. Students at this stage, Key Stage 3, have specialist teachers for all subjects, as they begin the transition from primary to high school.

The UK National Curriculum is a comprehensive course of study including twelve different subjects: English, Mathematics, Science, History, Geography, Modern Foreign Languages, Design Technology, Information Communication Technology, Art and Design, Music, Citizenship and Physical Education. Subjects are delivered in a spiral method so when topics are returned to it allows students to make connections between various subjects. Learning at all ages is differentiated on the individual needs of students, including ability and background.

English
Math
Science (Biology, Chemistry, and Physics)
History
Geography
Modern Foreign Language
PACE (Personal and Citizenship Education)
Art and Design
Music
Design Technology
ICT (Information, Communication and Technology)
Physical Education

English

From Year 7 to 9, we encourage students to engage in and analyze both literature and language in a stimulating, challenging and supportive context. This program provides students with the opportunity to study a diverse range of literature. Students will explore the writings of authors, movements, and periods in detail and develop their own interests in English literature and language. We aim to stimulate original thinking and critical habits of mind, and to develop the ability to construct an argument in both oral and written format. Emphasis will be placed on the students’ development of their own ideas, opinions and written skills. We place importance on the improvement of the students’ use of grammar, punctuation, and spelling to enhance their writing styles so they can express themselves fluently and articulately.

Mathematics

Our Mathematics curriculum follows a spiral design, where each year, previous knowledge is recalled and new learning takes place. This means every year students study aspects of all the core areas of Mathematics: Geometry, Statistics, Number and Algebra, and Mathematical Processes and Applications. Students will spend two or three weeks on a topic area before moving onto another and will learn different aspects of a core area throughout the year. As a department, we share the rich historical and cultural roots of mathematics with the students with the aim of making studying mathematics an interesting, worthwhile and fun activity.

Science

Students at the British School of Chicago learn about a variety of scientific topics in each academic year with Biology, Chemistry and Physics studied in every grade. Through this integrated curriculum, students learn how to successfully design and carry out their own investigations and apply their learning to the world around them. All students will conduct a wide range of practical activities including dissections, field work, and laboratory experiments in a variety of topics including Biology, Forces and Chemical Reactions.

History

In the Middle School the students study a variety of topics from the Battle of Hastings to the Cold War. There is a mixture of British, European and American history covered in the curriculum. Here is a list of topics covered in Key Stage 3:

Year 7 (Grade 6)
Battle of Hastings and Norman Britain
Medieval Realms
The Crusades and the Rise of Islam
Tudors and Stuarts
Native Americans

Year 8 (Grade 7)
The Age of Empire and multi-culturalism (UK focus)
The European Witch Hunts and Salem
The Slave trade
The Civil Rights Movement
The American West

Year 9 (Grade 8)
The Russian Revolution
The Rise of the Nazis
WW2
The Holocaust
The Cold War
Vietnam

Geography

Students first gather an appreciation of the importance of learning Geography and then follow an issue-based curriculum. During their time in Middle School, the students will study a range of human, physical and environmental topics ranging from the more traditional population studies and tectonic processes to crime mapping and sport. The emphasis is very much on global geography, and the case studies addressed range from the impacts on tourism in Thailand to the management of the threats posed by tectonic activity in California.

Modern foreign languages

Students may study one or both of the following languages: French and Spanish . By the end of Year 9 (Grade 8) students have developed key skills in the areas of listening, speaking, reading and writing. They are able to understand spoken and written extracts, cope with familiar language at a normal speed, pick out main points of what is being said and make themselves understood, and finally use past, present and future tenses in their own written and spoken work. Websites and popular music are used to develop confidence in communication skills, while computer software during group activities ensures students make progress at an appropriate level.

PACE – Personal and Citizenship Education

Students in Key Stage 3 take PACE to develop their understandings of themselves and our global communities. Students cover a range of citizenship topics, as well as personal topics such as sex education, drug awareness and friendship. Our aim is to ensure students are confident:

selecting appropriate research strategies and developing their own questions to research issues;
exploring and interpreting different sources of information, as well as assessing the validity and bias of the sources;
presenting a persuasive case for particular course of action and giving reasons for their opinions;
showing awareness of the diversity of opinions on topical and controversial issues;
beginning to make comparisons between different systems of democratic governments;
showing an understanding of interdependence and interconnections between people and their actions in the wider world.

Art and Design

Year 7 – 9 students are taught by a specialist teacher and will cover Art and Design detail within new and existing topics. Students are taught through project work, covering a wide range of topics, with homework set weekly to extend their subject knowledge, technical ability, and research skills. Art history assignments are a regular feature and require students to form and evaluate their own opinions. Each year we provide an Art day for students involving various activities relating to different themes each year. Visiting artists and exciting materials during Art day provide a great opportunity for students to combine their various art skills each year.

Music

Students in Middle School will explore music through various topics. They will develop projects within each area of study, with emphasis on learning through practical work. Each student is given an instrument and will take part in weekly band and ensemble lessons while also being encouraged to work through music theory. There are sound-proof practice rooms and computers available for students. Workshops related to the current topics are offered as a way of extending students’ knowledge.

Design Technology

Design technology (DT) covers a wide spectrum of topics that are taught through a series of projects including a substantial amount of Math and Science skills. Students move through three key areas: development of mental and physical skills, reinforcement of these abilities and techniques; and the application of this knowledge to real-life scenarios. DT is taught by a specialist teacher in our workshop and lessons will go into much greater detail than in previous years. Some of topics covered can include, but are not limited to: Packing and Manufacturing, CAD/CAM, Structures and Forces, Computer Control, and Energy Production and Conservation.

Information, Communication and Technology (ICT)

ICT covers a range of theory and practical topics taught through units that involve the students by asking them questions about current and possible future uses of ICT. Students will work on exciting multimedia presentations and web designs, as well as spreadsheet modeling and computer control. Students will also learn how to handle data and monitor software on their PCs. The school is equipped with two computer suites and has laptops readily available for students to check out during break times.

Physical Education (PE)

At the British School of Chicago, PE plays a prominent role in the students’ weekly schedule, with a combination of Physical Education and Games lessons, on and off the school site. Within the school we have a well-equipped modern gymnasium, where students participate in activities such as badminton, basketball, volleyball, tennis, soccer, cricket, gymnastics, and dance. In our longer lessons we also take our students to external facilities for activities such as swimming, rock climbing, tennis, softball, athletics and soccer.