Middle School Academics

A Truly Personalized Learning Experience

Welcome to a safe and exciting learning environment that is part fun, part serious, and always active!

In all disciplines, middle school courses focus on skill acquisition. Coursework progresses from the concrete to the abstract as a student moves from sixth through eighth grade. Dedicated Derryfield teachers make themselves fully present in their students’ classes and their lives to challenge, nurture, and support them as they navigate the social, emotional, physical, and intellectual challenges of early adolescence.

Portrait of A Derryfield Graduate

From the moment 6th graders sit down in their first Middle School Skills class to that far-off day when seniors ring the Lockwood Bell signaling their graduation from Derryfield, each experience at Derryfield is designed to cultivate this Portrait of a Derryfield Graduate. Along the way, students consistently engage with real-world learning in a project-based curriculum that emphasizes not just the acquisition of knowledge and skills, but their application in authentic experiences.

Students and faculty embrace the Core Value of Aiming High as they pursue the Portrait of a Derryfield Graduate as partners in learning, but the Derryfield values of Balance and Individuality are just as important in the Academic Program. The School encourages students to seek a balance of challenge and support in their Academic pursuits and to discover and nurture their passions. Student voice and choice from choosing from a wide range of course offerings to exploring individual passions in a project-based curriculum help transform the Portrait of a Derryfield Graduate into the Portrait of this Derryfield Graduate.

Middle School Curriculum

Academic Support

Creative Arts

English

History

Leadership, Ethics & Development

Mathematics

Science

STEAM X

World Language

STEAM

Because Derryfield believes that engagement with the latest technology and facility with design thinking are essential to life in the 21st-Century, a required strand of Computer Science and Design Thinking moves through the Middle School beginning with an introduction to Design Thinking and Coding in 6th grade. Each year, these courses introduce Middle Schoolers to the languages of design and coding and set the foundation for STEAM education in the Upper School and beyond.

Nuts & Bolts

Leadership, Ethics, and Development

The LEAD program is designed to foster each student’s social, emotional, physical, and ethical growth. Through intentional and age appropriate curricula, students develop skills to confidently navigate adolescence and prepare them to be purposeful citizens in any community.

Changing the Pace

Derryfield’s block schedule makes time for what we value: relationships, community, exploration, and excellent teaching and learning. The eight-day schedule offers predictability and consistency: a student will have the same courses and experience each Even or Odd Day. This schedule creates longer classes of 75 minutes, time for student centered learning, applying knowledge as you learn, innovative problem solving, and time to develop new strategies and experiences in collaboration, communication, media literacy, creativity and critical thinking.

The Support You Need

Faculty have embedded coordinated skills instruction through the middle school curriculum. The Academic Support team maintains close communication with classroom teachers and advisors to identify students needing academic support. Additional resources include skills development in sixth grade LEAD class, extra help with a teacher, academic power class, and tutoring.

STEAM

Explorations

Explorations are designed to immerse students and faculty in experiences and pursuits that inspire new interests, broaden skills, and sharpen awareness of the community outside of the classroom. Rooted in academic and real-world skills, they are designed on a pass/fail basis to encourage students and faculty to take risks, to be playful, and to venture into new territory.

Middle School Faces

David Baroody

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Students explore different methods used to solve real life crimes.

Students are introduced to the world of robotics.

Open to any student with an interest in singing.

Students role play international negotiations and learn about current world issues.

Check out this up-and-coming new racket sport.

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Middle School Academics

A Truly Personalized Learning Experience

Middle School Curriculum

Academic Support

Creative Arts

English

History

Leadership, Ethics & Development

Mathematics

Science

STEAM X

World Language

Nuts & Bolts

Leadership, Ethics, and Development

Changing the Pace

The Support You Need

STEAM

Middle School Faces

David Baroody

Explore Middle School

MS Overview

Arts

Athletics

Middle School

Grade 6: Coder X I

Grade 7: Coder X II

Grade 8: Finance Literacy and Entrepreneurship

Leadership, Ethics, and Development

Changing the Pace

The Support You Need

STEAM

Crime Scene Investigation

Robotics

Chorus

Model UN

Introduction to Pickleball

Middle School Faces

David Baroody