Our Middle School Teachers:

Kim Kinne        Science         kim.kinnie@stjosepherie.com
Barb Bonkoski    Mathematics     Barb.Bonkoski@stjosepherie.com
​Amy Cousino      English         amy.cousino@stjosepherie.com

Mathematics
  Our Middle School Math Curriculum is based on computation and mental math skills, textbook rigor, problem solving activities, personal finance and consumer literacy skills. Real life examples and hands on activities  help students daily to a deeper understanding of math concepts. Our smaller class sizes allow for students to receive individual help and guidance to meet their highest potential. 
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Challenge Group
  We have an eighth grade Challenge Group that works at a faster pace.  These students have the opportunity to test out of Algebra 1 before they begin ninth grade and enter high school in Tenth grade math.  

Our eighth grade Albebra 1 Textbook / Students will work as a whole group or in an Accelerated Challenge Group.

These nine eighth grade students took the Algebra 1 Semester Exam at Smcc. They may test out of ninth grade math and enter high school in tenth grade math. They are ambitious and motivated students!

Our seventh grade students learn Pre-Algebra. They use this textbook and with Teacher guidance they achieve their highest potential.

Our seventh grade created Tiny Houses. This is a Geometry Project using their learning about area, perimeter and more to create their unique Tiny House!

Creative Ideas for our Tiny Houses!

Our sixth grade are practicing mental math computation skills and having fun as well!

Fifth grade students working on math facts with multiplication war.

Seventh grade practicing math facts

Our Consumer Literacy and Personal Finance Unit Lessons based on projected "Life Choices" such as High or College Degrees, Housing, Budgeting, Credit and Insurance options.

   Science 
  The middle school Science curriculum includes investigative labs and hands-on activities that teach students to explore and learn by applying scientific principles.  By following the scientific method, students learn using critical thinking and applied knowledge to discover the world around them.  Topics covered in the middle school range from parts of a cell, chemical reactions, volcanoes, and the ocean floor. 

The fifth grade are doing a lab on air pressure. They learned that air can lift heavy things.

   Our Eighth grade did three labs with static electricity.  Afterward they hung balloons on the hallway wall.  

Seventh grade created a poster all about an element of the periodic table. An extra challenge was given to build a 3D model.

  English
  The middle school English curriculum at Saint Joseph is writing and grammar intensive, as the two go hand in hand. Our students are challenged to think outside the box, writing critically and for fun. Grammar is a big part of that. Our students learn to mesh the two together to become highly skilled writers, communicators, researchers, proofreaders, and speakers. 

  The fifth through eighth graders journal write every Friday. The topics are thought provoking, challenging, and fun. This gets students thinking critically or creatively. Afterward, they are able to share their entries with the class.

Students in the upper grades, write a different type of essay each month. Writing is a big part of our curriculum. We go through the entire writing process for each type of writing. Our students are amazing writers, often placing in honors English in high school!

  When students learn a new grammar topic, they get to practice applying that rule to our English language. Students enjoy using our Smartboards everyday for learning.

  Our students enjoy participating in writing their own Young Author story each year. They work very hard to apply the writing process to complete an entire book with story and illustrations.

Social Studies
  The middle school Social Studies curriculum covers a wide scope of history and geography beginning with the Indigenous Peoples of North America, exploring world geography, understanding world history, and circling back to examine our American government. Additionally, emphasis is placed on developing basic skills in interpreting text, data, graphs, maps, basic citizenship, and discussion skills.
​  5th grade students begin their study of American history with the Indigenous Peoples before the arrival of European explorers and concludes with creating a new government and a new Constitution.

  5th grade students researched Native American tribes and used their research to tell the story of the tribe on "buffalo hide".  Pictures and symbols were used to show what type of shelter they lived in, what they hunted and farmed, and what family life was like.

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  The 6th grade Social Studies curriculum focuses on world geography, civics, government, and economics of the Western Hemisphere.
6th graders started the year learning about relative and absolute location.  Students had fun researching exactly where they are located in this world with a "Me on the Map" project.  The class learned facts about their cities, counties, and state, then continued finding their location all the way through to planet Earth!

  The 7th grade Social Studies curriculum teaches world history, civics, and geography focusing on the Eastern Hemisphere.

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​  7th grade students created their own sets of trading cards.  After researching a variety of European leaders and newsmakers, each student created 15 cards detailing the people they found most interesting.  Trading cards included a picture, facts about their lives, and a few interesting facts that we may not have read about in our History book

  Finally, the 8th grade Social Studies curriculum circles back to U.S. History pre 1620, Colonization and Settlement, the American Revolution, and concluding with The Civil War and Reconstruction.

 


​  8th grade students created a newspaper detailing the events of the American Revolution. Students presented articles written about various battles, political cartoons, era related advertisements, and even advice columns.