Middle Grades Curriculum

For Content Assessment and Quick Recall

Each Quick Recall round contains an equal number of questions from each subject area.  Each Content Assessment exam has balanced proportions from each category.

Middle Grades Mathematics

1. Number Theory
2. Sequences and Patterns
3. Absolute Value, Integers, Rational Numbers
4. Ratio, Proportion and Percents
5. Systems of Measurement
6. Geometry: Angles, Parallel Lines, Polygons, Circles, Geometric Solids
7. Geometry: Perimeter, Circumference, Area and Surface Area
8. Geometry: Volume of Prisms, Cylinders, Cones, Pyramids, and Spheres
9. Indirect Measurement: Similar Polygons, Pythagorean Theorem, Special Right Triangles, Trigonometry
10. Statistics and Data Analysis
11. Probability: Independent/Dependent Events, Permutation, Combinations
12. Inequalities and Absolute Value
13. Polynomials, Polynomial Factoring, Algebraic Fractions
14. Relations, Functions and Variations
15. Linear Equations and Functions, Systems of Linear Equations
16. Radicals and Exponents
17. Quadratic Equations and Functions

 Middle Grades Science

1. Matter: Chemical and Physical Properties, Compounds, Elements, Mixtures
2. Motion and Force: Newton’s Laws of Motion, Waves
3. Transfer of Energy: Heat Predictability, Electromagnetic Spectrum, Electricity
4. Living Systems’ Structure and Function: Uni/Multicellular Organisms, Specialization
5. Regulation and Behavior: Obtaining and Using Resources, Stimuli
6. Reproduction and Heredity
7. Populations, Communities and Ecosystems: Food Webs, Sunlight & Energy Flow, Carrying Capacity
8. Earth’s Subsystems: Lithosphere, Atmosphere, Hydrosphere, Climate, Resources
9. Solar System and Beyond: Objects, Events, Gravity/Inertia, Constellations
10. Scientific Process: Experiments and the Scientific Method, Tools of Science, Lab Safety and First Aid (Written Assessment only)
11. Plants: Resources/Uses, Evolution, Life Cycles
12. Animals: Evolution, Life Cycles
13. Fungi, Viruses and Bacteria
14. History of Science: Scientists, Inventions/Inventors, Fields of Study, Technology, Current Events in Science
15. Health and Nutrition

Middle Grades Social Studies

1. Current History: People and Events from the Most Recent 5 Years.
2. U.S. Geography: Physical and Political
3. World Geography: Physical/Political Geography, Maps
4. Geography: Climate, Land, Resources, Map Skills
5. World Civilization: River Valleys, Fertile Crescent, India, and China
6. World Civilization: Ancient Africa and Egypt, Greece, and Rome
7. World Civilization: Middle Ages, including Song, Sui, and Tang China, Islamic Empires, the Americas, African Civilizations, and Medieval Eurpoe.
8. World Civilization: Age of Exploration – Emphasis on European Explorers
9. U.S. History: Prehistory and Native American Cultures
10. U.S. History: Colonial Period including Westward Expansion (1500-1775)
11. U.S. History: Becoming a New Nation (1775-1815)
12. U.S. History: The Nation Grows (1815-1860)
13. U.S. History: Civil War and Reconstruction
14. U.S. History: Presidents and Great Political Figures
15. U.S. Government (Major Documents and Citizenship)
16. Economic: Principles, Practices, Money/Banking, Economic Systems

 Middle Grades Language Arts

1. Classic American Novels (Early American to 1900)
2. Newbery Award Winners
3. Classic Children’s Novels
4. Award-winning Contemporary Young Adult Literature
5. Award-winning Contemporary Young Adult Nonfiction
6. Famous Poets and Poetry (including Contemporary)
7. Famous Plays and Playwrights (including Contemporary), Famous Speeches
8. Short Stories: Authors, Titles, Characters, Themes
9. Characters in Fables, Folklore, Tall Tales
10. Grammar: Types of Sentences, Phrases, Clauses, Mechanics, Language Usage
11. Grammar: Punctuation, Sentence Structure, Capitalization
12. Parts of Speech and Their Usage
13. Vocabulary: Spelling and Definitions
14. Vocabulary: Greek and Latin Affixes and Roots
15. Common Foreign Words and Phrases
16. Literary Devices and Techniques

Middle Grades Arts and Humanities

Updated May 2017

1. Visual Arts: Elements of Art, Music, Dance and Drama
2. Visual Artists and Their Works – Emphasis on Michelangelo, Durer, Velazquez, van Gogh, Picasso, Rembrandt, Monet
3. Visual Artists and Their Works – Emphasis on Goya, Cassatt, Warhol, Wood, Mondrian, Hopper, Rockwell
4. Architecture — Emphasis on Ancient Greece and Rome; Architects – Emphasis on Palladio, Frank Lloyd Wright, Brunelleschi, Gehry, Gropius, Michelangelo, Wren
5. Composers and their Works: Classical, Baroque and Romantic – Emphasis on Mozart, Handel, Wagner, Debussy, Vivaldi, Chopin, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky
6. American Composers and their Works
7. Musical Instruments and Families (including traditional folk instruments)
8. Purposes and Styles of Music— including Latin musical styles, Medieval (e.g. Gregorian chant), gospel, popular, ballads
9. Dance: Historical/Cultural Aspects; Dancers and Choreographers
10. World Religions and Holidays, Religious Leaders and History
11. Mythology: Greek and Roman Gods, Goddesses and Characters
12. Drama/Theater: Age-appropriate Musical Theater and Broadway Plays
13. Cultural Icons from the Most Recent 5 Years