Junior High School at BCA opens up a whole new learning environment for our students. Upon arriving in 6th Grade, the students move down to the high school end and are introduced to new students, teachers, and learning space. Walking into a completely different surrounding can be a difficult transition, but our culture is such that is inviting to the newcomers and challenging in a positive direction.
Students entering Junior High will learn a variety of new and exciting courses, including the following.
JUNIOR HIGH MATH
Grade 6 Math is a year that bridges elementary and middle school concepts. The goal of this course is to produce a student who is fluent in the language of math (operations, signs, basic numerical definitions). A higher level of independence and critical thinking is being fostered as basic concepts move to more complexity.
In Grade 7 Math, there is an emphasis on describing the real world in terms of mathematical concepts. Through explorations of patterns, statistics and equations, the student begins to bridge the gap between elementary usage of operations and more complex algebraic thinking.
The importance of entering high school algebra with a solid foundation of basic, rational number operations and a comfort with thinking in terms of patterns cannot be overstated. This course serves to solidify and enhance known operational mathematics. It also lays the groundwork of pattern thinking that will be built upon in subsequent high school math courses.
Materials covered in these courses are:
- Ratios and Proportional Relationships
- The Number System
- Expressions and Equations
- Geometry
- Statistics and Probability
- Functions (Grade 8 only)
JUNIOR HIGH SCIENCE
In Grade 6, students will explore everything from the tiniest forms of microscopic life to the vast movements of tectonic plates. Activities and projects will help guide them through discovering many aspects of the changing earth, while developing the skills of observation and critical thinking.
In Grade 7, students will continue to learn about how and why life flourishes on the planet, as well as the rules of force and motion which govern not only how plants, animals and humans move and interact, but also planets, stars and solar systems. Assignments are designed not only to capture the imagination, but also to reinforce the principles of good research by working within the scientific method.
In Grade 8, students will discover how our atmosphere works and learn what factors affect weather and climate, as well as be introduced to the chemical building blocks that make up the world in which we live. Projects and lessons explain how science relates to everyday life, all while learning and working within the context of the scientific method.
JUNIOR HIGH HISTORY
In Grade 6, students receive a comprehensive US History course covering the geography of North America, wars including the Revolution, and the founding of the US Nation
In Grade 7, students receive a comprehensive World History course with an emphasis on the Ancient Civilizations until approximately the 5th Century.
In Grade 8, students receive a comprehensive US History course covering Civics and US Government, the American Revolution and Civil war, and political science focus covering history up until the 19th century
