Middle School Classes
Everyday, students will write! They will be encouraged to explore grammar and mechanics to create more vibrant and powerful sentences. Students will utilize high-quality mentor texts and student-created examples to work through the editing process and expand their prowess with poetry and prose. Students will learn tips and techniques to organize their ideas into engaging papers, posters and presentations.
This course uses the Socratic Method to facilitate dialogue among the students, engaging them by asking and answering questions and encouraging them to do the same. The goal is to stimulate critical thinking and to draw out ideas and underlying presuppositions. Reading assignments will cover the four primary literary genres and introduce students to writers from around the globe, both classic and contemporary. Students will use the ideas and concepts discussed in the seminar to write academic essays and creative work.
Students gain real life experience and develop independence as they engage in practical economics. Students learn economics by creating and running their own business. They learn economic terms, principles, manage inventory, design budgets and keep accurate accounts of income and expenditures. Students learn and practice working in different roles within a business.
Interest in human intimacy is a natural attribute of adolescence that ties directly into self-concept and a developing self and social identity. This interest results in both questions and conversations. At Belle Meade, staff meet students where they are and guide students when they are ready to learn. Accordingly from time to time–and by student request–Belle Meade has group discussions (separated by gender) to frankly answer questions and discuss intimacy in a manner that encourages personal moral development and responsible choices.
Introduction to Spanish focuses on teaching conversational Spanish and includes grammar, vocabulary, written, and conversational Spanish. This class also introduces the student to Spanish and Latin-American culture.
Students learn the foundations and principles of government by studying the works of contemporary and historic political authors. The study the constitution and other founding documents as they create, revise, and maintain their own functional government and economy. Students also experiment with and apply personal and general finance, economics, and business principles as they create and run businesses, make purchases, pay taxes, and finance the government.
MS: Sample Midyear Government Written Discussion – Mini Economy and Government Project
American History I introduces students to key events in the history of the western hemisphere with emphasis on the development of the United States. Students begin to develop formal academic research and writing skills as they study original documents and secondary sources and create their own analyses.
In Spanish I students begin to develop communicative competence in speaking, writing, comprehending and reading Spanish and expand their understanding of the culture of Spanish speaking countries. The main goal in the class is to provide a context for everything students study. The class gives attention to grammar and vocabulary in a context of real-life situations, Latino cultures, and the language as a whole. The idea is to acquire a feel for the language, an appreciation of its beauty, and a degree of comfort and confidence in speaking it. Along the way, students learn a lot about the English language as well as Spanish.
Our music program offers instrumental and vocal students an arena in which to develop skills and public performance. Fundamentals of reading music and ear training are equally emphasized throughout the school year. Students also have the opportunity to participate in a variety of public performances during the year, including plays, skits, trimester dinners, group or solo videos, and open mic events at regional venues.
Students will study the structure of the earth, minerals and their properties, rock formation, methods for geologic dating, earth processes, plate tectonics, weathering, the hydrosphere, the atmosphere, climate, and the solar system. Students learn material and share knowledge through outdoor lab application, indoor lab work, textual exploration, projects, and classroom discussion.
Life Science explores living systems through experience and experimentation, as well expository instruction and reading. This course challenges students to expand their understanding of evolution, basic life processes, cellular organization, heredity, ecology, and human biology.
Students study the fundamentals of physics, chemistry, earth, and space sciences. This course introduces students to the scientific method and allows for exploration while challenging students to master the underlying math and to apply scientific concepts to solve complex problems.
All students participate in drama lessons which include improvisation, drama games, and exercises. Students produce and act in a Broadway quality musical one year and a student written production in alternating years. Past productions include: Grease, Footloose, Skitastrophy Extravaganza, The Addam’s Family, and Oklahoma.
Our equestrian program offers activities that serve beginner, intermediate, and advanced riders. Students will be introduced to a wide range of horse care skills: daily care and grooming, confirmation, nutrition, hoof care, common health concerns and equine therapies. Lessons take place several times a week and involve a variety of activities: groundwork, basic safety skills, ring work, trail rides, and jumping.
Students learn the basics of algebraic thinking while honing fundamental math skills. Students learn algebraic language and concepts. During the course they expand their ability to independently apply algebraic reasoning using real numbers, exponents, variables, ratios, proportions, equations, and inequalities.
Physical Expression (Phys. Ed.) focuses on exploring and engaging in outdoor physical activities that can be continued throughout life. Students gain strength, skill, sportsmanship, and self-confidence through activities including hiking, swimming, canoeing, traditional sports, group games, archery, bicycling, and skiing.
Using traditional techniques and emerging technologies, this class emphasizes exploration, analysis, and investigation of the creative process. Students develop technical skills that empower them to communicate ideas visually, developing an understanding of and appreciation for the visual arts. Students explore various two-dimensional and three-dimensional art media, using different expressive and technical approaches. Students study the factors that distinguish artistic styles and that clarify the role of art in culture.
World Geography class teaches students how to use maps, globes, atlases, satellite images, photographs, graphs, and other geographic tools to study and understand the world’s populations, national identities and geographic environments. Students will look to history for understanding of how geological factors affect civilizations and cultures and economic, political, and social development. By the end of the class students will be able to identify all the continents, oceans, many islands and nations, and understand that the world’s population is a single community divided by geographic location.
In Spanish II, the study of reading, writing, speaking, and listening continues as more complex grammatical structures are introduced. With more communicative competence come deeper discussions in Spanish about Latino culture and students’ own experiences. Immersion in the language continues as students learn circumlocution in order to hold conversations entirely in Spanish.
Algebra is the study of numerical patterns and their abstract representations. Students represent and analyze these patterns using functions, operations, tables, and graphs. Students learn these concepts and skills in a cognitively rich context of problem solving and critical reading and thinking. Advanced algebra concepts involve more complex reasoning and functions, conic sections, trigonometry and modeling.
Middle school mathematics emphasizes problem solving and assists the student in finding mathematical solutions. In addition to problem solving this course reviews and enhances the student’s understanding of basic mathematical concepts. This class looks further into the order of operations, decimals, the metric system, basic geometry, data analysis, factors, proportions, ratio, integers, and algebraic equations.