Curriculum

Performing Arts 

Our middle school performing arts programs offer students the opportunity to learn music, theatre and dance through actively participating and performing. Please see our course catalogue for the complete list of courses including band, choir, orchestra, dance, drama and many more options.

Washington State Performing Arts Standards 

Visual Arts 

Middle School Visual Art in BSD offers a variety of classes to spark student creativity. Students may directly enter electives and experience a variety of art forms and media or pursue a specific art area of interest. All visual art classes include art history, elements and principles of design, critique, and portfolio development. Please see our course catalogue for the complete list of courses including Art Exploration, Studio Art (full year course), Art Around the World, and Ceramics.

Washington State Visual Arts Standards 

Career and Technical Education courses provide students with a comprehensive platform to investigate and prepare themselves for post-secondary pursuits at four-year colleges, two-year colleges, and technical schools. Through the pursuit of a structured curriculum, students can accrue college credits and attain industry-recognized certifications, all while laying the groundwork for their college journey and embarking on personalized career pathways. 

Overview

English Language Arts at the middle school builds critical thinking skills, knowledge, and habits needed for college and career readiness. Students learn to read deeply, write using evidence, and develop communication skills through rich, complex grade-level texts and structured collaborative tasks. Throughout the year, students engage in multiple opportunities to practice formal and informal narrative, informational, and argumentative writing. 

6th Grade  

Reading, writing, speaking, listening, language, and collaborative strategies are used to build knowledge and skills that help students become independent readers, writers, and thinkers as they transition into middle school. The course content is aligned with CCSS and College and Career Readiness Standards. 

7th Grade 

Reading, writing, speaking, listening, language, and collaborative strategies are used to build knowledge and skills that help students become independent readers, writers, and thinkers as they progressively build the skills necessary for academic success in middle school. The course content is aligned with CCSS and College and Career Readiness Standards. 

8th Grade 

Reading, writing, speaking, listening, language, and collaborative strategies are used to build knowledge and skills that help students become independent readers, writers, and thinkers as they transition into high school. The course content is aligned with CCSS and College and Career Readiness Standards. 

---

Academic English Language Development

Overview 

The Middle School math course sequence provides a comprehensive journey through foundational mathematical concepts. IMT1 emphasizes areas, ratios, equations, and percentages, progressing to applications in circles and data analysis. IMT2 builds on this foundation with transformational geometry, linear equations, functions, and optional applied units. Algebra 1 further develops skills in statistics, linear equations, and functions, culminating in a thorough exploration of quadratic equations and mathematical modeling for real-world problem-solving. 

IMT 1 

IMT1 is a blend of 6th and 7th grade Common Course State Standards and begins with a focus on area and surface area, laying the foundation for later units that employ area models for arithmetic with rational numbers. Students progress to exploring ratios, rates, percentages, and their representations, expanding their understanding through fraction and decimal concepts. The curriculum introduces equations, expressions, and proportional relationships, emphasizing applications in circumference and area of a circle. The course concludes with a study of percentage concepts, arithmetic with negative numbers, a brief exploration of data and statistics, and a final unit allowing students to synthesize their learning through various applications.

IMT 2 

IMT2 is a blend of 7th and 8th grade Common Core State Standards and begins with transformational geometry, covering rigid transformations, congruence, scale drawings, dilations, and similarity. Students then advance their skills with linear equations, equivalent expressions, and proportional relationships, emphasizing understanding linear relationships through equations, tables, and graphs. The curriculum extends to the study of systems of equations, applications of linear relationships in data contexts, functions, exponents, scientific notation, irrational numbers, and a conclusion with an optional unit allowing students to apply their learning through various applications.

Algebra 1 

In Algebra 1, students embark on a journey from one-variable statistics, fostering collaboration and data interpretation skills. They then delve into linear equations, inequalities, and systems, applying abstract reasoning and precision. The course progresses to an exploration of functions, including linear, exponential, and quadratic types, emphasizing real-world contexts, and concludes with a thorough examination of quadratic equations, providing students with a comprehensive understanding of mathematical modeling and problem-solving. Throughout the course, students actively engage in mathematical modeling through various activities and prompts, enhancing their ability to apply concepts to real-world situations

Physical Education and Health Program Vision 

For students to acquire the knowledge, skills, and commitment to lead a physically active lifestyle and promote healthy choices that contribute to the overall wellness of themselves and the community. 

7th Grade Health 

This course focuses on gaining insight and research-based information about a variety of health topics.  encourages conversation on information gathered from the world around them, and use values to support the development of knowledge and skills understand how to use information and experiences from the world around them, along with their value system to develop skills and strategies to help them make positive, informed decisions that relate to their health.   dimensions of their health (mental-emotional, physical, social, spiritual/values, intellectual, occupational, financial and environmental). 

Units of study in this course include: 

• Mental-Emotional Health 
• Nutrition 
• CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) 
• Substance Use and Abuse 
• Healthy Relationships 
• FLASH (Family Life and Sexual Health)* 

Middle School Physical Education Overview

Middle school students will take 1 semester of PE each grade level year and can take an additional 1 semester of Elective PE 7th and/or 8th grade. Students at International school will take Health/PE every year in middle school. Students at Big Picture school will take one year of Health/PE in 6th grade and one semester of Health/PE in 7th and 8th grade.   

6th,  7th, and 8th grade Physical Education  

Washington State Learning Outcomes for middle school physical education includes five areas of learning:  

• Movement and Motor Skills – locomotor and non-locomotor skills, dribbling, throwing/catching and striking  
• Application of Skills and Knowledge- positions/duties of sports and activities, offense/defense and tactical strategies 
• Health-Related Fitness –exercise anatomy, fitness assessment, goal setting, nutrition and components of fitness 
• Value of FItness – self-expression, social interaction, and challenge 
• Responsibility and Behavior – includes hygiene, self-awareness, safety, respect, conflict- resolution, rules and etiquette, cooperation and sportsmanship.  

HIV/AIDS will also be taught in 6th and 8th grade PE, based on the KNOW curriculum. Visit the OSPI KNOW Curriuclum site for details.   

Middle School Physical Education Electives  (offered at most schools) 

• 6th/7th Elective 
• 7th/8th Elective 
• Yoga and Games Elective  
• Net Games  
• Strength and Fitness  
• Intro to Dance 

---

*As the parent/guardian, you have the right to request that your child be excluded from these lessons, but you must first preview the HIV/AIDS curriculum to exclude your child from instruction (in compliance with the Washington State Omnibus Act).  If an exclusion from some or all of the HIV/AIDS or FLASH lessons is requested, a separate form for each must be completed and signed by parent/guardian. If you are interested in previewing the health lessons in the unit, you may follow the directions below.

The lessons are available for parent viewing, to log in follow the directions below:

1. Visit: www.bit.ly/healthpreview
2. Click on the appropriate informational grade level tab to view the curriculum.

If after reviewing these resources, if you would like to opt your student out of the lesson, then please complete the opt out form(s) found in the preview and return them to myself and your child’s teacher.

Message for Families: English (PDF) | Español (PDF) | 简体中文 (PDF)

The focus in middle school science is the development of foundational and observable principles in science. Each unit is aligned to NGSS and focuses on problems, questions and phenomena that challenge students to consider multiple perspectives by carrying out investigations, evaluating evidence and having class discussions before drawing conclusions. 

6th Grade  

Students engage in units that provide opportunities to investigate science topics of relevance to their own lives and build understanding of essential learning in science. Units this year focus on body systems, variation of traits, thermal energy, weather patterns and the impact of climate change and human’s role in these changes. 

7th Grade 

Students engage in units that provide opportunities to investigate science topics of relevance to their own lives and build understanding of essential learning in science. Units this year focus on phase change, chemical reactions, plate motion, rock transformation, matter and energy in ecosystems, and ecosystem dynamics. 

8th Grade 

Students engage in units that provide opportunities to investigate science topics of relevance to their own lives and build understanding of essential learning in science. Units this year focus on energy transfer, forces, magnetic fields, Earth-Moon-Sun systems, natural selection and evolutionary history. 

---

Next Generation Science Standards

6th Grade Social Studies 

The sixth-grade honors social studies course introduces students to the study of geography, cultures, and history in the western hemisphere. After a general study of physical and human geography, students apply that knowledge to learning about the UN Sustainable Global Goals. They select one global goal to research deeply to understand the human efforts taking place to improve conditions for people.  Students will develop critical thinking, reading and writing skills as they continue their studies of the western world, specifically Latin America and 20th century Europe.  Student will learn to analyze primary and secondary sources from the events leading up to and during the Holocaust. 

7th Grade Social Studies 

The seventh-grade honors social studies course introduces students to the study of geography, cultures and history in the eastern hemisphere. The course begins with an examination of Early River Valley civilizations followed by historical and contemporary studies of the Middle East, Africa, China and South Asia.  Students explore cultural and natural features that characterize each region. A Students will also examine contemporary water issues in each region. Finally, this course includes one half of the state required Washington State History course. The second half of Washington State History is taught in 8th Grade Social Studies. 

8th Grade Social Studies 

The eighth-grade honors social studies course focuses on early United States History from exploration through the Civil War. Students practice historical thinking skills of close reading, analyzing, contextualizing and sourcing as they study primary and secondary sources.  This course delivers a multiple perspectives approach to United States History acknowledging narratives of indigenous cultures, enslaved African Americans, and immigrants from Asian, Latin American and European countries. The Civics/Constitution unit takes students through the development of a new government with emphasis placed on the purpose, structure, and functional compromise of a constitutional government. Students learn about Washington State History and Government, completing the final portion of the state required Washington State History course. 

---

Washington State Social Studies Standards 

College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards 

Middle School Language Classes help students reach Intermediate Proficiency in a language other than English.  Middle School courses focus on language development in spontaneous conversation, interactive understanding, quick writing focused on sharing student perspectives.  

Course Sequence 

Starting in 6th Grade, students complete level 1 over two years (1a & 1b) in a way that is developmentally appropriate. This supports a long sequence of study to the Intermediate level on the ACTFL Can Do statements.  

• Level 1a – Novice Mid  
• Level 1b – Novice High 
• Level 2 – Intermediate Low 
• Level 3 – Intermediate Mid 

Languages 

• In person courses at selected schools: Chinese, French, Japanese, and Spanish 
• Primarily taught online through Bellevue Digital Discovery: Arabic, Hindi, and Korean