Academic Courses

This course focuses on reading, writing, listening, and speaking, where students will be reading 3-4 class novels this year. Additionally, students will be asked to choose novels or e-books to read independently throughout the year. We want our students to live a "reading life"! Students will also be writing 3-4 essays in class with guided writing strategies, feedback, and editing skills.

Students participating in the honors program are expected to be self-motivated, well-organized, and apt to work independently for extended periods. Students read above grade level, engage in higher-level critical thinking, consistently complete and submit assignments on time, and extend their learning by voluntarily going beyond the parameters of the assignment. Honor's students should enjoy learning, have a keen interest in the subject matter, and make connections between subjects and the larger world. Honors Agreement Required.

The 7th Grade English class addresses reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills, while reading from a variety of fiction and non-fiction texts. Students produce writing in a variety of genres, such as narrative and argumentative essays, and poetry. Technology is incorporated into both writing and research. Students will also learn grammar and grade-appropriate vocabulary. In addition, students will build presentation skills through Book Talks.

This course is designed to be a stimulating, standards-based course that challenges students to demonstrate deeper thinking and analysis. Students will engage in independent as well as collaborative work wile improving their writing, speaking, and critical thinking skills. Honors students are expected to regularly demonstrate clear effort, positive attitude, and high-quality work. Additionally, honors students frequently contribute to class discussions, submit work on time, and read independently. Throughout the year, the course will focus on multi-genre novel studies, argumentative speaking and writing, research, literary analysis, and attention to vocabulary and grammar. Students should be reading at above grade level. Students will be expected to read multiple novels throughout the year. Honors Agreement Required.

This standards-based course addresses reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills, while reading from a variety of fiction and non-fiction texts. Students produce writing in a variety of genres, such as narrative and argumentative essays, poetry, and research papers. Technology is incorporated into both writing and research. Students will also learn grammar and grade-appropriate vocabulary.

This course is designed to be a stimulating, standards-based course that challenges students to demonstrated deeper thinking and analysis. Students will engage in independent as well as collaborative work while improving their writing, speaking, and critical thinking skills. Honors students are expected to regularly demonstrate clear effort, positive attitude, and high-quality work. Additionally, Honors students frequently contribute to class discussions, submit work on time, and read independently. Throughout the year, the course will focus on multi-genre novel studies, argumentative speaking and writing, research, literary analysis, and attention to vocabulary and grammar. Students should be reading at above grade level and will be expected to read multiple novels per quarter. Honors Agreement Required.

This course is designated for first-year EL students who are in the beginning stages of learning the English language. The focus on this course is to develop basic foundational skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Considerable time is spent on phonics, decoding skills, vocabulary building, and the fundamental language needed to give and ask for information; to express throughs and feelings; and to express wants and needs in a safe learning environment.

This course is a supplemental course specifically designed to support Newcomers during their first year in the United States and to give students ample time to practice the skills they are acquiring in their core ELD English Newcomer class. The focus is primarily on developing listening and speaking skills through call and response exercises, choral readings, and presentations.

This course is designated for second-year EL students who are still in need of acquiring fundamental, foundational skills needed for English proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The focus of this course is to continue developing students' phonemic awareness, strengthening students' decoding and comprehension skills, while offering more reading, speaking, and writing opportunities.

This course is a supplemental course specifically designed to support EL students during their second year in the United States and to give students ample time to practice the skills they are acquiring in their core ELD English 1 class. The focus continues to be primarily on developing listening and speaking skills through call and response exercises, choral readings, and presentations. More attention is given to sentence structure, language mechanics, grammar, and basic paragraph structure.

This course helps students build their reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills in English. Students read short stories and informational texts while practicing fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Students learn to write clear paragraphs in different genres, including narrative, opinion, and informational writing. The class includes daily language practice, such as sentence building, grammar, and academic vocabulary. This course prepares students to become more confident readers and writers as they work toward higher English proficiency.

This course allows students extra time to practice English in a smaller, focused setting. Students work on grammar, vocabulary, and sentence skills to develop clarity in speaking and writing. Students also practice writing and speaking in complete sentences when asking and answering questions, and giving short presentations. Activities include constructing longer sentences, learning new language patterns, and using English in different classroom situations. This class supports students’ confidence and strengthens their language skills in the ELD II core class.

This is a stand-alone course that continues to develop and strengthen students’ reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills while working with more complex texts and academic vocabulary. Students read grade-level articles and stories, identify main ideas and text structures, and learn new word meanings using context and parts of speech. Students also practice discussions, listening skills, and note-taking to prepare for academic classes. This course supports all four ELPAC domains and provides targeted practice to help students improve their overall English proficiency and move closer to reclassification.

this course is designed for Long-Term English Learners (LTEL) who were born in the U.S. or have been in U.S. schools for seven or more years and still need focused support in academic English. Students read fiction and nonfiction texts to build comprehension, identify text structures, and expand vocabulary through context and word parts. They write multi-paragraph essays in different genres and practice using stronger grammar, transitions, and more precise wording. The class includes regular speaking and listening activities, such as presentations, discussions, and note-taking to strengthen academic communication. This course identifies gaps in language skills and provides intensive practice in all four ELPAC domains to help students move toward reclassification.

This course explores Earth’s past and ancient civilizations through the lens of reading and literacy development using the Third Quest curriculum. While students dive into geography, science, myths, innovations, leaders, and the daily lives of people from the past, they’ll also be building critical reading and thinking skills. With a strong foundation in evidence-based reading instruction and arts/history-integrated learning, students will grow as confident, capable readers while exploring the wonders of Earth’s past and the ancient world.

Students will learn the content through a variety of techniques, including guided instruction, group projects, art integration strategies, and individual research and study practices.  Students will also extend their learning through the examination of primary sources.

Students are expected to be self-motivated, well-organized, and apt to work independently for extended periods. Students read above grade level, engage in higher-level critical thinking, consistently complete and submit assignments on time, and extend their learning by voluntarily going beyond the parameters of the assignment. Honor’s students should enjoy learning, have a keen interest in the subject matter, and make connections between subjects and the larger world. Honors Agreement Required.

Students will learn the content through a variety of techniques, including guided instruction, group projects, art integration strategies, and individual research and study practices.  Students will also extend their learning through the examination of primary sources as well as requisite analysis. Students will also learn how to successfully engage with argumentative writing and how historians prove theories with primary source evidence.

Students will learn the content through more independent practice.  Honors students are expected to be self-motivated, well-organized, and able to work independently for long periods of time.  In addition to group projects, art integration strategies, and individual research and study practices, honors students will extend their learning through analysis of primary sources, class discussions, and class debates.  Finally, honors students will engage with a variety of above-grade-level historical and historical fiction texts to gain a deeper understanding of the content they are learning. Honors Agreement Required.

Students will learn the content through a variety of techniques, including guided instruction, group projects, art integration strategies, and individual research and study practices.  Students will also extend their learning through the written examination and evaluation of primary and secondary sources. The course will also regularly make connections between America’s past and present to more deeply understand the causes and effects of historical events.

All 6th-grade students are enrolled in CCSS 6.  There is no acceleration for 6th-grade math at Barrett.

This course engages students with the Math 7 standards.

This is a rigorous, FAST-PACED class that involves covering all of Grade 7 Standards and half of Grade 8 Standards.  Students who are successful in XL7 Math continue to MS Integrated Math 1 in 8th grade.  Students in this class should be AT OR ABOVE GRADE LEVEL on all standards assessments, maintain a grade A or high B average (4's or 3+'s) in 6th-grade math, and have high effort.  Students must also have good attendance to keep up with the pace of this class.  Teacher recommendations are also considered in the criteria for this class.

All 8th-grade students are enrolled in CCSS 8, unless they were previously successful in XL7 or have a teacher recommendation for a different level.

Must have taken XL7 Math, or have a teacher recommendation - This is a rigorous, FAST-PACED class that involves covering the remaining Grade 8 Standards and all of the Integrated Math 1 Standards.  Students who are successful in XL7 Math continue to MS Integrated Math 1.  Students in this class should be at or above grade level on all standards assessments, maintain a grade A or B average in XL7 Math, and have high effort.  Students must also have good attendance to keep up with the pace of this class.  Teacher recommendations are also considered in the criteria for this class. **It is not recommended to skip CCSS 8 and take IM1 due to foundational skill building for higher levels that are taught.

This class covers Earth science topics, such as plate tectonics, earthquakes, volcanoes, weather and climate, the water cycle, Earth's geological history, and astronomy. Students practice using middle-school science resources such as engineering materials and text sets. 

Students are expected to be self-motivated, well-organized, and apt to work independently for extended periods. Students read above grade level, engage in higher-level critical thinking, consistently complete and submit assignments on time, and extend their learning by voluntarily going beyond the parameters of the assignment. Honor’s students should enjoy learning, have a keen interest in the subject matter, and make connections between subjects and the larger world. Honors Agreement Required.

Students will learn the content through a variety of techniques, including guided instruction, group projects, art integration strategies, and individual research and study practices.  Students will also extend their learning through the examination of primary sources as well as requisite analysis. Students will also learn how to successfully engage with argumentative writing and how historians prove theories with primary source evidence.

Students will learn the content through more independent practice.  Honors students are expected to be self-motivated, well-organized, and able to work independently for long periods of time.  In addition to group projects, art integration strategies, and individual research and study practices, honors students will extend their learning through analysis of primary sources, class discussions, and class debates.  Finally, honors students will engage with a variety of above-grade-level historical and historical fiction texts to gain a deeper understanding of the content they are learning. Honors Agreement Required.

Students will learn the content through a variety of techniques, including guided instruction, group projects, art integration strategies, and individual research and study practices.  Students will also extend their learning through the written examination and evaluation of primary and secondary sources. The course will also regularly make connections between America’s past and present to more deeply understand the causes and effects of historical events.

Honors students are expected to be self-motivated, well organized, and able to work independently.  This independence is fostered in the class design through weekly student teaching (where students teach the class) as well as developing critical thinking skills through hands-on research in short essays about questions that they develop themselves. Finally, honors students will engage with a variety of above-grade-level historical textbooks and historical fiction texts to gain a deeper understanding of the author's perspectives and how different events can be understood through a variety of different lenses. Honors Agreement Required.

Our Physical Education program helps students build skills, confidence, and a lifelong love of movement. Through a variety of activities and sports — including basketball, volleyball, soccer, flag football, pickleball, dance, fitness, and more — students develop fundamental skills, game knowledge, and overall fitness.

Beyond physical skills, we focus on personal growth by emphasizing teamwork, cooperation, accountability, kindness, and social responsibility. Students set goals, challenge themselves, and learn to support one another in a positive, inclusive environment.