Grade 6
The world of Middle School provides a warm student welcome!
This is the time when our learners begin to really develop autonomy and hone skills. Students are provided opportunities to practice advocating for themselves and taking ownership of their schoolwork. Individual interests continue to be fostered with SIPs, electives, and clubs, and classes increasingly focus on the power of each individual to become active and accountable for their learning.
One Grade 6 example of our uniquely immersive and timely curriculum.
Mead 6th Graders spend a year studying marine science and environmental stewardship. In the fall, there is an emphasis on fieldwork, largely performed on the Long Island Sound, and including quadrant surveys of shoreline creatures and plants, and water quality testing using digital probeware and water chemistry test kits. The class actively contributes to monitoring the health of the coastline at Stamford Cove and finishes with a project report of research findings.
The second trimester project focuses on marine mammals, with students conducting research on a whale of their choice and write a formal research paper. Classes in the third trimester include a unit on hurricanes, climate change, and coastal resilience, and the year ends with a four-day trip to Cape Cod to reinforce the ecology concepts covered throughout the year, and go on a whale watch.
