Curriculum

• Gaining knowledge from materials that make extensive use of elaborate diagrams and data to convey information and illustrate concepts
• Evaluating the argument and specific claims in written materials or a speech, and distinguishing claims that are supported by reasons and evidence from claims that are not
• Presenting claims and findings to others orally, sequencing ideas logically, and accentuating main ideas or themes
• Writing brief reports that examine a topic, have a clear focus, and include relevant facts, details, and quotations
• Conducting short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources, and sharpening the focus based on the research findings
• Reviewing and paraphrasing key ideas and multiple perspectives of a speaker
• Determining the correct meaning of a word based on the context in which it is used (e.g., the rest of the sentence or paragraph; a word’s position or function in a sentence)

• Understanding ratios and rates, and solving problems involving proportional relationships (e.g., if it took 7 hours to mow 4 lawns, then at that rate, how many lawns could be mowed in 35 hours?)
• Dividing fractions and solving related word problems (e.g., how wide is a rectangular strip of land with length 3⁄4 mile and area 1⁄2 square mile?)
• Using positive and negative numbers together to describe quantities; understanding the ordering and absolute values of positive and negative numbers
• Working with variables and expressions by generalizing the way numbers work (e.g., when adding numbers, the order doesn’t matter, so x + y = y + x; likewise, properties of addition and multiplication can be used to rewrite 24x + 18y as 6(4x + 3y), or y + y + y as 3y)
• Writing equations to solve word problems and describe relationships between quantities (e.g., the distance D traveled by a train in time T might be expressed by an equation D = 85T, where D is in miles and T is in hours)
• Reasoning about relationships between shapes to determine area, surface area, and volume

Michigan’s science standards are organized by grade level K-5, and then by grade span in middle school and high school. 
 
Download and read more about the Michigan K-12 Standards Science from the Michigan Department of Education.

The purpose of social studies is to promote the knowledge, skills, intellectual processes, and dispositions required of people to be actively engaged in fulfilling their responsibility of civic participation. 
 
The expectations are outlined in the Michigan K-12 Standards Social Studies provided by the Michigan Department of Education. 

• Physical Education (half year)
• Art (half year)
• Band (yearlong)
• Choir (yearlong)
• Student Focus (required, yearlong)

• Citing several sources of specific evidence from a piece when offering an oral or written analysis of a book, essay, article, or play
• Organizing and focusing his or her own writing, including supporting statements and conclusions with evidence and showing that the evidence is accurate and reliable
• Conducting research in response to a specific question by drawing on evidence from several credible literary or informational sources to support an analysis or reflection
• Avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citations (e.g., footnotes, bibliography)
• Evaluating a speaker’s key points and reasoning, asking questions, and stating his or her own well-supported ideas in discussions
• Presenting claims and findings to others emphasizing main points, making eye contact, speaking loudly enough, pronouncing words clearly, and using formal English when the situation calls for it
• Using common, grade-appropriate Greek or Latin affixes and roots as clues to defining the meaning of a word (e.g., semi-, semiannual, semicircle)

• Analyzing proportional relationships (e.g., by graphing in the coordinate plane), and distinguishing proportional relationships from other kinds of mathematical relationships (e.g., buying 10 times as many items will cost you 10 times as much, but taking 10 times as many aspirin will not lower your fever 10 times as much)
• Solving percent problems (e.g., tax, tips, and markups and markdowns)
• Solving word problems that have a combination of whole numbers, fractions, and decimals (e.g., a woman making $25 per hour receives a 10% raise; she will make an additional 1⁄10 of his or her salary an hour, or $2.50, for a new salary of $27.50)
• Solving equations such as 1⁄2 (x – 3) = 3⁄4 quickly and accurately, and writing equations of this kind to solve word problems
• Solving problems involving scale drawings
• Using statistics to draw inferences and make comparisons (e.g., deciding which candidate is likely to win an election based on a survey)

Michigan’s science standards are organized by grade level K-5, and then by grade span in middle school and high school. 
 
Download and read more about the Michigan K-12 Standards Science from the Michigan Department of Education.

The purpose of social studies is to promote the knowledge, skills, intellectual processes, and dispositions required of people to be actively engaged in fulfilling their responsibility of civic participation. 
 
The expectations are outlined in the Michigan K-12 Standards Social Studies provided by the Michigan Department of Education. 

• Physical Education (half year)
• Future Focus (required, 1 semester)
• Art (half year)
• Band (yearlong)
• Choir (yearlong)

• Citing the evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what is explicitly stated and/or implied from a book, article, poem, or play
• Analyzing where materials on the same topic disagree on matters of fact, interpretation, or point of view
• Building writing around strong central ideas or points of view; supporting the ideas with sound reasoning and evidence, precise word choices, smooth transitions, and different sentence structures
• Planning and conducting research projects that include several steps and use many credible and documented print and digital sources
• Analyzing the purpose of information presented in diverse media (e.g., print, TV, web) and evaluating its social, political, or commercial motives
• Presenting findings and claims to others, emphasizing key points with relevant evidence and sound reasoning, adapting speech to the audience and the formality of the setting, and responding to questions and comments with relevant observations and ideas
• Using strong, active verbs to create a clear picture for the reader (e.g., walk, skip, meander, lurch, limp)
• Interpreting figures of speech (e.g., irony, puns) and developing a large vocabulary of general academic words and phrases

• Understanding slope, and relating linear equations in two variables to lines in the coordinate plane
• Solving linear equations (e.g., –x + 5(x + 1⁄3) = 2x – 8); solving pairs of linear equations (e.g., x + 6y = –1 and 2x – 2y = 12); and writing equations to solve related word problems
• Understanding functions as rules that assign a unique output number to each input number; using linear functions to model relationships
• Analyzing statistical relationships by using a best-fit line (a straight line that models an association between two quantities)
• Working with positive and negative exponents, square root and cube root symbols, and scientific notation (e.g., evaluating Ö36 + 64; estimating world population as 7 x 109 )
• Understanding congruence and similarity using physical models, transparencies, or geometry software (e.g., given two congruent figures, show how to obtain one from the other by a sequence of rotations, translations, and/or reflections)

Michigan’s science standards are organized by grade level K-5, and then by grade span in middle school and high school. 
 
Download and read more about the Michigan K-12 Standards Science from the Michigan Department of Education.

The purpose of social studies is to promote the knowledge, skills, intellectual processes, and dispositions required of people to be actively engaged in fulfilling their responsibility of civic participation. 
 
The expectations are outlined in the Michigan K-12 Standards Social Studies provided by the Michigan Department of Education. 

• Athletic Performance
• Lifetime Recreation
• Art
• Modern Business (HS Credit)
• Band (yearlong)
• Choir (yearlong)
• Spanish  (yearlong, HS Credit)
• French (yearlong, HS Credit)