Middle School Arts
Visual Arts
The fourth through sixth grade Visual Arts program is a sequential, progressive experience designed to challenge students and inspire an understanding and enjoyment of art, craft, and design. Activities bring together the art process, artists, history, materials, tools, technology and skills with connections to the world, community, and home. Students are able to showcase their work in small group presentations and in the annual school-wide Emerging Artists' Exhibition in the Kissick Pavilion. The artistic components of grade specific theatrical performances, including set, props, and costume design are created in art class.
Music
Fourth grade students experience a wide variety of music from different cultures and historical periods. Students develop knowledge of the elements of music through listening, movement, singing, and playing a range of instruments. Skill in both reading and writing music is a foundational part of the curriculum. Students are taught to use their voices to perform music from many different traditions and showcase their mastery in two school-wide concerts: the Holiday Concert in December, and the Grandparents' Day/Spring Concert in May. The musical components of grade specific theatrical performances ("Going West" in fifth grade and "Returning to Ithaca" in sixth grade) are also taught in music class.
Students wishing to excel in the art of vocal performance may audition for, and participate in the Curtis Choir. Similarly, students who wish to pursue an interest in, and excel in instrumental music may participate in the extra curricular orchestra program.
Performing Arts
While all Curtis students participate in school-wide concerts, the fifth and sixth grade take a year-long Performing Arts class to develop the performance skills necessary to communicate story and character to an audience through theatre, music and movement. With these skills, students also gain a greater appreciation of the performing arts forms throughout the world and history. Through memorization and performance of classic scenes and monologues, students will also gain confidence in public speaking. Finally, in alignment with this year's focus on reading comprehension, students will spend class time reciting, analyzing, and dramatizing various theatrical masterpieces.
Middle School Science
Our science curriculum teaches foundational scientific method, theory, content and concepts and encourages inquisitiveness about the world around us. We foster curiosity through hands-on labs, experiments, and real world fieldtrips. Students engage in thematic discussions and activities that help them to see the connectivity of all scientific knowledge. Fourth Grade students study earth systems and electrical circuits and fifth grade students explore meteorological concepts and human biology. Sixth grade students learn about cellular structures and functions, are introduced to classification and taxonomy, and the structures and functions of the reproductive system. Sixth grade science students participate in a Science Fair through which they are able to showcase their independent research projects. Health concepts are also incorporated into the science curriculum and aim to encourage students to accept personal responsibility for their own lifelong whole body health.
