Our student-centered Middle School program is designed to meet the needs of growing adolescents.
Middle School Programs & Courses
Hero Treatment
Our Private Middle School program is designed to cultivate a culture of learning while engaging and challenging our students in grades 6 through 8.
As a student-centered, child-centered institution, we value the natural attributes each child brings to the School, and wherever a student might be developmentally upon entering our Middle School, at MBS there is a pathway to academic success and personal enrichment.
Middle School Courses
The mission of the Middle School curriculum is to respond to the wide diversity and multiple developmental tasks of grade 6-8 students. The Middle School curriculum is the major component of a culture of learning which provides a sound academic background while challenging students to be actively engaged in their own academic growth. Our courses are based on the conviction that middle school students need to construct knowledge and the context for that knowledge by moving from what they already know to what they want and need to know. The objectives of the curriculum include mastering concepts and skills specific to each area of study, reasoning logically, experimenting with new ideas, making judgments, using imagination, and attaching meaning to what is learned.
- Art & Design
- Dance and Theater
- English
- History and Social Sciences
- Mathematics
- Music
- Science
- Wellness
- World Languages
Art & Design
Art and Design teaches students how to see the world as it is and to see how else it might be. All sixth grade students take a quarterly class in Art and Design, "What Your Eyes See and How to Change It," and all eighth grade students take a quarterly class in the Makerspace, located in the Center for Innovation and Design. In addition, students may choose from a range of p. 2 Art and Design electives including Digital Sketch and Draw and Photography and FIlmmaking.
Quarterly Courses
What Your Eye Sees and How to Change It
In this art class, students will begin by learning how an artist uses the principles of design to arrange their images on the page. Students will paint, draw, use mixed media and create collages. They will learn how they can trick the eye of the viewer by studying Op-art, Pointillism and Trompe-l’oeil realism. The course will also focus on the artists M.C. Escher, Victor Vasarely, Georges Seurat, amongst others.
Creative Problem Solving
Students in this course will work through design challenges and solve problems by prototyping and making in any number of materials. They will be encouraged to ask repeatedly, “What else could this be?” and “What else could this do?” Along the way, they will expand their imaginations, sharpen their observation skills, and learn to critique with positivity and focus
Period 2 Electives
- Digital Sketch and Draw
- Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain
- Jewelry Fabrication and Design
- Photography and Filmmaking
Digital Sketch and Draw
Explores digital drawing and art using Wacom drawing tablets, Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator. Students will be encouraged to seek creative ways of using technology to prepare projects and assignments. Color Psychology, character design and drawing techniques will be the main focus of this class. Design for blogging, portfolio setup and logo design will be studied. The core software for this class will be Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator, though the exploration of other software and how to use design and art software will be a focus.
Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain
Jewelry Fabrication and Design
An introductory course in which students learn basic principles of design and jewelry fabrication, while working with copper, brass, and silver filled wire & sheet. Students will also be encouraged to incorporate nonmetal objects into their work. They can expect to learn how to cut, drill, file and hammer metal. Wire work, chain maille, and installing manufactured rivets will also be covered. Students will develop a plan, taking into consideration design elements such as composition, movement, balance, aesthetics, and wearability.
Photography and Filmmaking
Beginning with a study of photography and Photoshop, students progress to project-based experiences that help them to write, critique, film, edit, and produce cinema rooted in a story that they develop. Assessment will consist of photography presentation and critiquing, individual and group presentations (both traditional and media-based), and use of digital technologies.
Dance and Theater
MBS offers students the chance to take up and develop skills in either tap or modern dance, with programs that continue through the Upper School. As eighth graders, students may elect to participate in the yearly Middle School musical.
Period 2 Electives
Middle School Dance
Middle School Tap Attack
Middle School Tap Attack combines traditional tap dance technique found in 42nd Street and “Singing in the Rain” with the energetic contemporary style of STOMP and TAP DOGS, to provide students with the opportunity to raise the roof and make some noise! They develop focus and rhythmic intelligence, while also increasing physical stamina and coordination. Students will perform in the Winter or Spring Middle School Performing Arts Showcase.
Middle School Theater Class
This class gives students the opportunity to learn about the rich history of the American musical theater, while pursuing specialized performance training in acting, singing, and dancing.Through the production of an hour-long musical, students develop musicality, spatial awareness, and collaborative skills, and also learn to create sustainable and motivated characters for the stage. The musical will be chosen specifically for the students in the class to help them cultivate these skills, and will be performed at the end of the semester.
English
The MBS Middle School English curriculum introduces students to a variety of literary genres in works from around the world, encouraging them to explore the ethical and historical significance of texts. English at MBS emphaiszes foundational modes of both analytical and personal writing, and additional English Workshops (an MBS Middle School Signature Program) provides students with additional time to develop as writers and readers.
Yearly Courses
6th Grade English
In addition to developing skills in reading, writing, vocabulary, and grammar, students in English 6 learn how to annotate effectively, identifying themes and symbols as they discuss plot and character development. Students learn to use a writing process (planning, drafting, revising, publishing) with respect to the construction of individual sentences that are then linked to create cohesive, well-organized paragraphs. By mid-year, students begin to write analytical responses and use rubrics for revision that facilitate a growing sense of autonomy and confidence as writers. Use of iPads is carefully introduced so that students learn techniques of working with paper as well as electronic texts in both their reading and writing. Texts include short stories, poems and longer texts, such as The Bread Winner, A Long Walk to Water, The Outsiders, and Look Both Ways.
7th Grade English
English in Grade 7 continues to deepen and broaden habits of critical thinking introduced in Grade 6. Literature is used both to enhance student understanding of the world in which they live and to understand the complexity of life through effective study of characterization. As students begin to understand the ways in which authors create, they respond to such close reading through regular
annotation, writing, and class discussion. Study of vocabulary and grammar continues to occur within the context of reading and writing along with the use of specific exercises. Ongoing use of writing and revision rubrics reinforces the understanding of writing as a process, particularly with respect to the creation of analytical essays. Independent thinking is encouraged through the use of expository and creative journaling. Texts include short stories, poetry, and longer texts, such as The Alchemist, Fahrenheit 451, To Kill a Mockingbird, and New Kid.
8th Grade English
Students in Grade 8 deepen their skills in literary criticism with continuing emphasis on the decisions authors make when creating theme, character, and plot. The emphasis on authorial intent is further promoted through the creation and revision of analytical essays that require strong thesis statements, appropriate use of evidence, and the discovery of subtextual levels of literary meaning. Shorter writing assignments promote robust patterns of thinking that are both critical and creative. Study of vocabulary and grammar continues within the context of reading and writing along with the use of specific exercises. Students are encouraged to work autonomously and with confidence as a means of prefiguring expectations in the Upper School. Texts include short stories, poetry, and longer texts, such as Animal Farm, Orbiting Jupiter, Stamped: Racism, Antiracism and You, and Night.
Quarterly and Semester Courses
Literary Investigations 6
Literary Investigations is a quarterly class that introduces sixth grade students to a variety of learning strategies that enhance and optimize the potential for school success across the curriculum. When provided with frequent opportunities to identify strategies and understand why they work, students are better able to transfer those strategies to everyday practice. As reading comprehension is an integral part of all coursework at MBS across disciplines, students will also reinforce critical comprehension skills such as: preview, visualize, monitor, identify the main idea, summarize, inference, and make connections to self and beyond. Activities will focus on understanding readings and evaluation prompts within Math, Science, Social Studies, and Literature.
English Workshop 7
In addition to their Grade 7 English class, students rotate through English Workshop 7, a semester-long course designed to enhance writing and reading skills. After analyzing expository, descriptive, and persuasive writing from a number of academic disciplines, students will develop a portfolio of their own writing in each rhetorical mode. A major new component of Workshop 7 this year is the student reading club. Under the guidance of their teacher, small groups of students will select texts, create reading assignments, and establish weekly discussion topics.
English Workshop 8
In addition to the Grade 8 English class, all students rotate through English Workshop 8, a semester-long class designed to enhance skills in reading, writing and public speaking. Areas of focus in the first half of the course include note-taking and annotation, essay and paragraph planning, and the incorporation and analysis of textual evidence. Students also practice the key skills of proofreading and revision for clarity and precision. Focus in the second half of the course shifts to public speaking. Through analyzing a range of famous speeches, students learn the elements of successful persuasive speaking, paying keen attention to what speakers say and how they say
it. Students then build skills and confidence by creating and delivering a series of their own speeches of varying lengths and styles.
History and Social Sciences
The MBS Middle School History and Social Sciences curriculum encourages students to relate the local to the global as they learn to ask and answer questions about the world and its past. Moving from human and physical geography to civics, from the ancient past to the present, and from the national to the international, students engage with the diversity and complexity of the world and the challenges it faces.
Yearly Courses
Geography 6
Geography 6 introduces some of the basic concepts and skills that are expanded upon in Grades 7 and 8. The course is designed to help students better understand themselves and the world in which they live as they examine the physical and human aspects of the Eastern and Western Hemispheres. Students learn about the world’s people, places and environments through hands-on activities, mapping labs, oral presentations, cross-curricular real world simulations, and using technology to communicate with others around the globe. There is a strong emphasis on the writing process.
History, Society, and Civics 7
Students in seventh grade History, Society, and Civics focus on decoding artefacts from the past to make sense of the world they live in. Moving from the personal to the global, and from the Ancient World to recent American history, they learn how the past lives on in the present. The year culminates with an investigation of the US constitution as a living artefact, undergoing amendment and reinterpretation since its inception, shaped by and actively giving shape to American society. The year includes a field trip to Philadelphia and draws on local history.
The US in 20th Century World History 8
The US in 20th century World History asks students to consider American history in relation to 20th century conflicts and social movements around the globe. Relating the national to the international, students will learn to understand history from a global perspective. Over the year, students will focus on pivotal 20th century conflicts and social movements, while sharpening their abilities to ask questions, conduct research, and analyze forces of change in the world.
Mathematics
The MBS Middle School Math curriculum provides students with multiple pathways towards strengthening their skills and confidence as mathematical thinkers. The Middle School math curriculum provides students with multiple entry points to the MBS Integrated Math curriculum, which runs through the Upper School.
Yearly Courses
- Math Foundations
- Introductory Integrated Math Part A
- Introductory Integrated Math Part B
- Integrated Math 1
- Integrated Math 2H
Math Foundations
Math Foundations is a study of basic mathematical skills while challenging students with some abstract algebraic concepts. The course introduces students to number properties and integer operations, integrating negative numbers with a study of other rational numbers. Through a mix of problem solving, logic challenges, and word problems, Math Foundations emphasizes critical thinking in preparation for more advanced courses. The course challenges students to show and explain work, demonstrating that process and end-product are equally important.
Introductory Integrated Math Part A
Introductory Integrated Math Part B
Introductory Integrated Math Part B is part two of a two-year introductory course that begins with Part A. In Part B, students continue their work with rational numbers by synthesizing them with an in depth study of expressions, equations, exponents and radicals. Students apply those skills and concepts in a study of geometry including angle relationships, the pythagorean theorem, and two and three dimensional measurement. Finally, to prepare for the subsequent course work, students learn to solve, write and graph multi-step equations and inequalities. Students use a variety of means of expression to justify, explain and model mathematics as they make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
Integrated Math 1
Integrated Math 2H
Integrated Math 2H continues the Integrated Math sequence by building on the foundational concepts acquired in Math 1. Students will encounter thought-provoking problems in a variety of contexts that require strong connections between algebra and geometry. Principle topics covered through problem solving and exploration include right triangle trigonometry, quadratic functions, methods of proof, polygons, transformations, and rational expressions. Each topic requires an added level of sophistication and abstraction as students obtain a higher level of mathematical fluency.
Music
Quarterly Courses
6th Grade "Vocal Ensemble"
Vocal Ensemble gives sixth graders the opportunity to sing with one another in a choral setting, while at the same time building individual musicianship skills. The group rehearses and performs with a focus on ensemble work, using rounds and partner songs to develop musical independence as singers. Additionally, through games and activities, the students learn to sight-sing, the skill to look at a piece of notated music, hear it in one's head, and sing it.
7th Grade "Music Foundations"
Every person has within themselves the ability to create music. Music Foundations encourages seventh graders to function as composers, using various media to create different types of music. With a mixture of group and individual projects, students use both physical instruments as well as software to create many types of music, be it a chamber piece for Upper School students to perform, or 8-bit music to accompany a video game.
Period 2 Electives
Middle School Band
MBS String Ensemble
Piano Basics
Science
The MBS Science curriculum introduces students to the foundations of biology, chemistry, and physics, while also providing a strong and recurrent emphasis on environmental studies. Rather than dedicate each year to a single science, the curriculum spirals, allowing students to return to earlier knowledge and build on it in successive years. At its heart, the MBS science curriculum in both the Middle and Upper School emphasizes science as an activity founded on curiosity, observation, and hands-on experimentation.
Yearly Courses
Science 6
Science 7
Science 8
Science 8 introduces students to botany, challenging them to think through problems of form and function of cells and organisms from a new perspective, with opportunities for local fieldwork. Students build on their knowledge of plant life to gain new understanding of environmental crisis and resilience. During the year, students are also introduced to the fundamental principles of physics. As in previous years, strong emphasis is placed on the experimental process, observation, and the analysis of data.
Wellness
Yearly Courses
Wellness 6
Wellness 7
Wellness 8
World Languages
Yearly Courses
Sixth Grade Language Exploration
French, Spanish, or Latin 7
French, Spanish, or Latin 8
MBS Centers for Learning
Decades of academic research highlight the importance of both meaningful teacher-student engagement and highly experiential learning in the intellectual growth of young people. Accordingly, Morristown Beard School has thoughtfully created three Centers for Learning to best engender the high-level development of several essential skills in your child.
The Center for
Academic Writing
The Center for Academic Writing (CAW) acts as a support system for students, and, in concert with our philosophy, allows the students, themselves, to take on an important leadership role on campus as writing tutors in the center.
The Center for
Teaching & Learning
The Center for Teaching & Learning (CTL) empowers all students to better understand themselves and their own learning stories while, at the same time, developing students’ self-advocacy and self-efficacy.
The Center for
Innovation & Design
Opened in 2019, the Center for Innovation & Design (CID) provides more than 8,000 square feet of flexible and innovative space where students design, build, and problem solve as they engage in multidisciplinary projects.
Middle School Programs
Advisory
Our students begin and end their day in homeroom with their advisors. Our advisors are dedicated, grade specific, teachers committed to mentoring and supporting their advisees throughout their years at MBS. During Advisory period our students and advisors engage in relevant conversations aimed to address character formation and values. Extra-Help period is a designated time to work with teachers, collaborate with classmates, and begin homework. The end-of-day homeroom is dedicated to organizing materials and preparing for home. We close the school day with sports and activities. We are committed to offering our students ample opportunities on the playing field and believe that good sportsmanship is an integral part of cultivating character.
Community Service
School-wide efforts:
As part of our efforts to educate for good citizenship, our students participate in community service throughout their Middle School experience. Our advisory program and Middle School Meetings raise awareness and provide a forum for discussion and learning about the role of service in our community. Our program aims to help our students become participatory citizens and effective members of our School community through service.
Leadership as service:
We believe that serving in a voluntary leadership capacity is service to the School.
- Girls’ Leadership Group is dedicated to supporting girls and inspiring them. They work with our Upper School girls’ leadership group, GLOW (Girls Leadership Outreach and Worth).
- Middle School Leadership, SGA, collaborates with our Dean of Students to run the weekly Middle School Meeting, plan student events, and represent the student body.
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Admission's Embassadors tour and host prospective students.
Yearly fundraising efforts:
- Thanksgiving Food Drive (Food Pantry, Morristown)
- Winter Holiday Toy Drive (Morris Country Park Commission, Morristown)
- Pennies for Puppies (The Seeing Eye, Morristown)
- Math-a-thon (Memphis, Tennessee)
Grade-level initiatives:
6th The Seeing Eye / Pennies for Puppies (Morristown)/ MBS Recycling Initiative
St. Jude's Children’s Research Hospital / Math-a-thon (Memphis, Tennessee)
7th Morristown Neighborhood House / Advisory visits (Morristown)
8th The Interfaith Food Pantry / Advisory visits (Morristown)
*Community service outside the school may be suspended due to COVID-19 for the 2020-2021 academic year.
iPad Program
At MBS, we recognize that growing up in the Digital Age is a complex process – a process that both demands and elicits creativity. We understand the role and significance that technology presents to living in the 21st century. Technology has become indispensable in our lives and is a powerful learning tool in the classroom.
Teachers integrate technology as a learning tool to help students develop their skills and cognitive abilities. The iPad is an organizational tool that gives students enhanced access to resources. It allows students to create documents and spreadsheets, present material, and interact with content in unprecedented ways. Our teachers are committed to using the new technologies in ways that ensure they are meeting genuine academic needs and goals, rather than just employing technology for its own sake.
Grade Class Trips
6th Grade
Sixth grade students experience two field trips per school year. In the fall, they visit Ellis Island for the day. The first trip ties directly to the geography and English curricula, but is primarily a bonding experience for our students.
The April field trip is designed to enhance and solidify learning and close out the academic year collaboratively. Teachers work to select a destination that promotes learning experiences that are hands-on, collaborative and creative. Students visit relevant places designed to further their understanding of the topics studied during the school year.
7th Grade
In October, our seventh grade students travel together on a field trip. Although the destinations may vary, the annual field trip is designed to be a bonding experience for the class. For our students, it is also another opportunity to travel and work together as a grade, enhancing the sense of community among this group of peers.
As part of the history curriculum, seventh grade students travel to Philadelphia for a trip in the spring, providing students with an opportunity to further their understanding of American history. Potential activities include: the Franklin Institute, Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell and the National Constitution Center.
8th Grade
In October, our eighth grade students travel together on a field trip. Although the destinations may vary, the annual field trip is designed to be a bonding experience for the class.
In the spring, eighth grade students travel to Washington, D.C. to explore important facets of our nation's capital and history. To supplement some of the lessons from history class, students usually visit the war memorials (WW II, Korea, and Vietnam), Arlington National Cemetery, and memorials of FDR, Martin Luther King Jr., Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln. Students supplement their discussions of the Holocaust in both history and English by visiting the National Holocaust Museum. Also, they usually visit the Newseum (which supports discussion of current events and issues of the modern world) and one of the Smithsonian museums, such as Air and Space.
*Field trips for the 2020-2021 academic year may be suspended due to COVID-19.
Middle School Signature Programs
As educators, we know that the intellectual development and emotional growth of our students in grades 6 through 8 is essential to their search for their identities as they define themselves in terms of new relationships and roles with peers and adults.
Both in and beyond our Middle School classrooms, learning for our students includes a strong social and emotional foundation as we deepen their awareness of self and others, and help them form a sense of how they might contribute to and flourish in the world. Our Signature Programs promote that development in ways that reinforce and build on traditional learning models. Through our Signature Programs, your child will be inspired to explore, discover, and act.
Current Middle School Signature Programs:
Middle School Signature Programs
MBS provides students in 7th and 8th grade with intensive writing workshop periods that supplement their regular English classes.
Each Middle School class suspends its normal activities for a portion of the year to offer your child a mini-semester (a “mini-mester”) on financial literacy.
Each year, the Middle School provides students with formally and informally structured occasions to reflect upon their personal and interpersonal growth.
In this Middle School program, students confront the constraints of technological learning tools as well as the remarkable horizons they can open.
This Middle School program fosters an awareness that classroom learnings have a place in the world at large.