The middle school mathematics program aims to have middle school students build confidence in their mathematical abilities, develop problem-solving skills, and learn to communicate and reason mathematically as they gain an appreciation for the value of mathematics in their lives.
Mathematics 1 and 2 Series
The curriculum develops students’ mathematical knowledge from a grade 6 level to a mastery of pre-algebra concepts. The curriculum expands students’ knowledge of numbers, computation, estimation, measurement, geometry, statistics, probability, patterns and functions, and the fundamental concepts of algebra. To some extent, the curriculum is cyclical in nature: topics are revisited each year in order to deepen and extend the understanding of concepts and their application.
After reviewing whole numbers and place value, students extend these concepts to operations with fractions and decimals. The use of concrete and pictorial models, measurement, and the metric system deepens the understanding of these concepts. Students also learn about ratio, proportion, and percentages.
The regular curriculum covers the drawing of conclusions from data, patterns in geometry, integers and variable expressions, algebraic equations and inequalities, graphing in the coordinate plane, functions, and rational numbers. Students also study data and numerical relationships, systems of equations and inequalities, and right triangle trigonometry. They practice solving linear equations and inequalities.