Middle School Curriculum

For the Middle School English program, we follow the Common Core Curriculum applied in the United States of America. The common core curriculum focuses on understanding the relations among different branches more closely, thus ensuring that courses are designed to offer specific and pragmatic skills. Such a different approach to education supports creative methods and, knowing the strengths and weaknesses of students, offers opportunities that will lead all students to success.

The units covered in lessons are based on the principle of Understanding by Design (UbD). Understanding by Design is a framework to increase the success level of students. Our teachers cooperate to design courses in line with basic and interesting questions. Our students gain the skills of grammar, speaking, writing, reading and listening to deeply analyze complicated theories, form their own arguments and express themselves according to high academic standards. Our unit subjects are reviewed and updated by our department each year.

Assessment and Evaluation

Final assessments include creative writing, drama performances, presentations, essays, debates, research tasks as well as exams on reading and grammar. These assessments are a part of our daily curriculum. During the process of learning, we emphasize the process that will bring success to students. Each day, students obtain feedback related to their grade assessments while developing their skills during lessons. Each task and exam is assessed according to a rubric once it is explained to the students how to use it correctly. It is one of the priorities of the English department to teach self-assessment to students.

Information Technologies and Software

The objectives of our Information Technologies and Software course for Grades 5-8 are determined individually for each level, based on the readiness of our students. Our IT and Software classes are held in the computer lab at our Middle School and taught for 2 hours per week in all grades across the middle school level. We primarily aim to raise the awareness of our students on the following topics that are included in our curriculum for the academic year: “Digital Citizenship, Digital Literacy and Internet Safety”. We also give our students the chance to improve their interests and skills in various areas of information technology, which will optimize their readiness for the requirements of the 21st century. As such, we prioritize interdisciplinary studies, projects as well as national and international contests, performed and held throughout the year, in the areas of “Information and Communication Technologies”, “Communication, Research and Collaboration”, “Ethics and Safety”, “Digital Product Design”, and “Problem-Solving and Algorithm Development”.

Hisar applies its own curriculum, which is based on the curriculum of the Ministry of National Education and enriched in line with the UbD plan. Upon determining the students’ level of readiness, we aim to enable them to discover all the concepts included in the curriculum on their own by following an investigative approach. We expect each student to understand that there is a mathematical truth behind each concept or method mentioned in the course. While covering the math lessons, we also pay attention to using English and provide the relevant terminology in each unit.

When introducing a topic, we carry out preliminary activities to increase students’ awareness about the relevant subject. While selecting those activities, we try to choose examples from our daily lives which to make the subject more interesting and memorable for students. We support critical thinking with leading questions.

We prepare and carry out activities for students to practice what they learn and to develop a different perspective on concepts while covering the lessons. During these differentiated class activities, we check the work of each student individually and give them personal feedback. While conducting differentiated class activities, we also make use of peer learning.

In math lessons, we use different activities for students with different learning speeds. With the help of advanced math activities in and out of class, we provide opportunities for students who want to research topics related to math, increase their knowledge of math and improve themselves in this field of study.

Before the exams, we aim to increase the awareness of students by sharing an exam outcome table with them. Exam self-assessments applied after exams provide an opportunity for students to assess their exam outcomes and improve their skills. To address the needs of each student individually, our teachers give additional tasks after exam assessments. These are personal assignments that focus on the subjects that a student did not understand quite well.

Assessment and Evaluation

We frequently use quizzes and exit cards as part of our process-oriented assessment. Exit cards measure the content of the lesson while quizzes are more comprehensive. Applied as an assessment and evaluation tool, tests are designed to improve the students’ skills related with the subject at hand.

Transfer activities at the end of units are crucial for establishing the relationship between the topics covered in that unit and daily life. Our transfer activities, which are based on the UbD approach, are designed to answer the following question: “Where can I use this in my daily life?” Our activities support critical thinking since they consist of open questions which both cover the content of the subject and also lead the student to arrive at their own conclusions.  

As necessitated by our curriculum, many units covered in previous years are repeated in future years. However, with our refreshment works, students’ knowledge from previous years is refreshed and reinforced.

“Closing the Gap Booklets” provided at the end of units consist of questions about the covered unit. By directing students to solve these booklets, we aim to repeat the covered unit and close the relevant gaps.

We give and follow assignments regularly in order to reinforce the students’ knowledge and encourage them to research by themselves and gain new knowledge during the learning process.

We support our students with the extra study times we schedule on a weekly basis so that they can repeat the subjects. In addition to those studies, we also provide extra study time for math to meet the individual needs of students.

Each environment that supports teamwork and active learning is a learning environment. We also make efficient use of technology to support learning environments. We have made the necessary adjustments in our curriculum for distance learning and use methods to facilitate the learning process of our students when they are not present in school. We have enriched the process with applications used for learning.

We frequently use “Google Classroom” to communicate with students for math lessons. Here, we have all the announcements, assignments, answer keys, books and other resources relating to the class of the relevant student.

Oral points given to students at certain intervals are determined each term based on their work, results of mid-term evaluation, assignment results and class participation. Within the framework of process-oriented assessment, these oral points may change positively as a result of the student’s diligence and effort.

Tournaments

We organize Handball, Floorball, Futsal, Streetball, Volleyball, and Korfball tournaments for our Middle School students.

Hisar School Sports and Friendship Festival

Each year, in the last week of the first term, we hold the “Hisar School Sports and Friendship Festival” (7th festival was held this year) which lasts for 3 days with the participation 12-14 private and state schools. During these 3 days, 700-800 students take part in the activities. We also include our Students’ Unions into this process and cooperate with them as necessary for this event.

School Teams

After-school training sessions for the school teams are carried out 2 days a week, between 15:40-16:30. The school teams represent Hisar Schools in competitions held in the district and city, as well as in the special games. School teams are registered according to the age limit for the licensing of the year.

General Categories are determined according to grade levels for related age groups:

• Juniors: Grades 5 and 6
• Juniors: Grades 7 and 8
• Youth: Preparatory – Grade 12

We ensure the participation of our school teams in the special and official sports competitions starting from October. Our school teams participate in 130-140 off-campus competitions in a year. In addition to these competitions, we also organize other events for our Primary School, Middle School and High School students, such as water games, Datchball, Head Soccer, Fun Athleticism, Tug-of-War, Dodgeball, and Student-Teacher Tournaments, in different periods throughout the year.

At our department, we emphasize that science is a way of thinking and aim to make our students scientifically literate. As such, the course gives weight to activities that will encourage students to internalize the ability to research and question scientific information and use this skill throughout their lives. We carry out scientific research and projects so that our students can acquire the skill of discovering valid and reliable resources. Thus, we make an effort for our students to gain the skills of analyzing, interpreting, and finding solutions to real-life problems, which they are expected to use not only during the course of their studies but also later in their adult lives. Designed with the approach of Understanding by Design (UbD), our syllabus offers experiences that will ensure all the information and skills learned in Science classes can be applied in real life. We also provide the opportunity for teamwork in our lab to underline the importance of cooperative learning.

While designing and applying syllabuses intended for permanent learning (UbD), we make use of innovative learning methods such as STEM and Engineering Design. Thus, we create learning environments in which students will actively learn by engaging with a context.

Middle School Science classes are taught in two languages, English and Turkish. We aim to teach scientific concepts in English and encourage our students to use certain fundamental scientific phrases in English. For the purpose of testing our students’ knowledge and skills in Science in English with comparison to the international scale, we make them take the ISA Scientific Literacy test and then we plan the content and level of our course based on their test results. We also provide our students with bilingual textbooks of Science Units, which are designed by the branch teachers to include the enriched content for each unit covered throughout the year. We ensure that students can take part not only in national science competitions but also in international competitions, which gives them the opportunity to write and present their research and experiment reports in English.

In the Science class, we also implement differentiated learning activities for our students. Practices through which students are monitored individually and provided with personal feedback include Tailoring Science activities that are designed for students with different learning speeds, lab activities with rubrics at different levels, mini-projects, and Science Reinforcement Activities (SRA) which are created specifically for each student according to their exam grades. Thus, we offer various opportunities for students to discover their potential, as specified in our school’s mission.

We plan interdisciplinary activities with the courses of Information Technologies, Math, and Visual Arts, thus encouraging students to use their knowledge and skills in various areas. Students also have the chance to participate in a wide range of competitions with their projects and observe different learning environments and products.

We benefit from many iPad applications in order to diversify the learning materials of Science lessons. Moreover, we make efficient use of Google Classroom to follow announcements and process-oriented activities. We provide the students who are interested in the subject with the technological devices they need to complete their projects and support their efforts.
In Hisar Middle School, there are two Science labs that were renovated in the academic year of 2018-2019. Throughout an academic year, we organize nearly 250 experiments and activities in our labs which are designed as flexible learning environments by our branch teachers to accommodate the needs of a 21st-century learner. Our learning environment is enriched by various visuals to increase our students’ interest in science as well as their questioning skills. Our labs and constantly updated lab materials are also available for use of the students who carry out Science projects after school hours.

Assessment and Evaluation

The assessment policy of Hisar Schools focuses on process-oriented assessment in addition to written exams. Therefore, we apply, among others, mini-tests, retake tests, additional studies, optional Science projects for the term, Science Reinforcement Activities, daily and weekly homework, lab activities, pre/post-tests, exam outcome forms, and exam self-assessment forms to remind the students that they own their learning process.

In the 21st century, when mass media develop with a dizzying speed and access to information becomes increasingly easier, we apply a constructive and structured education model in our lessons which are designed in consideration of the fact that we are surrounded by scientific and unscientific information, normative and informative propositions, and personal opinions & views and facts. Generally, the fundamental and basic concepts of the course as well as the knowledge of facts and events are taught through the analysis of texts and visuals (pictures, caricatures, etc.) in the unit booklets designed by our department. We make comparative readings on texts, thus encouraging students to find theses and antitheses. We hold discussions between groups of opposing views. Students carry out mind mapping activities to demonstrate causal relations between events/situations. Reading and writing activities are completed to enhance students’ history literacy in line with their relevant level. For collective learning, we organize activities in small and large groups.

Assessment and Evaluation

In evaluation, we make use of a process-oriented assessment method that focuses on what and how students learn, rather than their results. For the purpose of collecting data on the readiness level of our students and their development in time and adjusting learning processes in line with needs found as a result of this data, we require assignments, tests, and quizzes and hold in-class discussions as well as reading and writing activities.

For the Turkish Course, our students read a selection from the distinguished works of the Turkish literature and the world literature in consideration of their level of readiness each year. These readings are completed through guidance (reading as accompanied with a teacher in class, also involving activities) and the student’s reading performance (students read by themselves and apply what they learn).

Learning outcomes of grammar, reading-comprehension, speaking and writing are acquired with the help of a holistic approach by making associations with texts in a helical structure. This process is carried out with “Birikim” (meaning accumulation in English) booklets which are designed and constantly revised by our department teachers in compliance with the curriculum of the Ministry of National Education. Our course is designed to diversify education by using methods such as teamwork, drama, written and oral exposition, presentation as well as reading techniques and methods.

Our students can proactively follow relevant information such as studies, assignments, activities and course announcements by using an iPad via Google Classroom throughout the year and prepare their research, presentations, assignments and projects via an iPad.

Assessment and Evaluation

We take into consideration all the work, effort and preparation of our students during the evaluation process. In addition to a written exam required each term for assessing and evaluating the success of our students, we also conduct process evaluation activities in order to observe their development during the process. The results of process evaluation are determined by following the students’ progress regarding texts in Birikim booklets and the guided reading processes, starting from the beginning of the term, and by evaluating their grammar skills. Our purpose in assessment and evaluation is to observe the development of students with their work accomplished during this whole process and grade their last work which will be shaped with the chance given to them to adjust/improve it in their written exposition activities.

As part of Visual Arts lessons, Hisar Middle School provides:

• 1 hour of Visual Arts class per week in Grades 5, 6, 7 and 8
• 2 hours of Technology and Design class per week in Grades 7 and 8
• Color Painting Techniques Club and Ceramics Club classes designed for different levels.

The course content is as follows:

Visual Arts

The education program for the Visual Arts course is designed to accommodate various aspects consisting of visual communication and forming, cultural legacy, art criticism, and esthetics learning area as well as other skills which increase in parallel to the grade. Naturally, the program supports vertical planning and is oriented towards permanent learning.

The program focuses on internalizing what is learned during the program and interpreting artworks more knowledgeably, and sharing personal values and ideas while praising arts; analyzing and assessing how artists use figures, materials, and symbols in their works; researching, analyzing, and discovering the creative process which leads to the creation of an artwork, designing with the use of traditional and modern art materials in line with art equipment and design principles, developing a visual arts language, researching the significance and value of arts; and making simultaneous use of different techniques while creating visual artwork.

Perception  The basic skills intended for the students to gain are:

• Analysis
• Use of Information Technologies
• Evaluation
• Multiple-Perspective Thinking
• Critical Thinking
• Hand-Eye-Brain Coordination
• Artistic Sensitivity
• Visual Literacy
• Cultural Legacy
• Ethics of Art
• Self-Awareness
• Design & Media Literacy
• Observation
• Use of Materials
• Synthesis
• Creative Thinking

Technology and Design

The basic skills intended for the students to gain are:Technology and Design course aims to equip individuals with literacy in this area and help them become life-long learners who can apply what they have learned in real-life, make use of technology and design processes for the benefit of both themselves and their community, and understand, interpret, manage and assess the process of technology and design. Within that framework, we aim for the students who complete the course of Technology and Design to be able to observe and interpret the objects, events and facts in their surroundings from an analytical perspective, define problems and offer innovative, unique and alternative solutions to these problems, assess the validity of their solutions and decide which one is best suited for the matter at hand. In this course, we also aim to teach students that technology and design have both positive and negative effects on daily life, and help them become individuals who have gained awareness out ethical rules in practices of technology and design and know that their technology and design products must have a minimum negative impact.

• Self-confidence
• Analysis
• Observation
• Environmental sensitivity
• Responsibility
• Analytical thinking
• Discovery of innovative and unique solutions
• Ability to cooperate