Ethel Walker SchoolGrade 6
The 6th grade Wellness seminar meets weekly for one trimester. This seminar is a discussion-based class where students focus on social emotional learning and emotional well-being. Adolescence is a time when emotions can be confusing and overwhelming. The goal of this class is to help students recognize, understand, and manage their emotions (emotion regulation). We practice mindfulness and learn to apply its lessons to a variety of situations. Prompts are provided for journaling and discussion.
Grade 6
Walker’s History is an introductory course about the history of The Ethel Walker School. It gives students an in-depth look at the origins of the campus and surrounding area, including Ms. Ethel Walker herself. Collaborating with archivists, students will be able to comb through the archives, looking at photographs, mementos, letters, etc. Each student will then create their own scrapbook that shows the history of their lives that they would like to share, thereby getting hands-on experience in creating a history of themselves.
Open to Grades 6-8
This ensemble is for Middle School students who are interested in preparing and performing orchestral music. The Middle School Orchestra performs at Middle School concerts. This experience will prepare the musician for the Upper School Orchestra. All musicians at any level are welcome.
This course explores the basic modes of visual expression, which may include drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, photography, animation, textile arts, and ceramics. Coursework is designed to help each student develop their own identity through art, as well as self-confidence and independence. The curriculum connects with the Middle School program of study whenever possible and provides a well-rounded artistic basis for Upper School-level visual art courses.
Grades 6-8
Middle School music classes meet once per week within grade levels, and once per week as a full Middle School. The grade level class includes singing and choral activities, folk dancing, rhythm training, music theory, musical theater/theater exercises, sight-singing, and audition preparation. There is continued emphasis on listening and skill development, as well as music appreciation. The full Middle School music meeting is called Choristers. All Middle School students participate in this choral group, which performs in the Holiday and Spring Concerts, as well as all-school Chapels.
The Middle School dance program concentrates on the development of technical skills, and the appreciation of the art form. An annual dance performance is included in the yearly activities.
Grade 6
The 6th grade Study Skills seminar meets weekly for one trimester. Students focus on study skills and executive function strategies, such as sustained attention, task initiation, working memory, planning, and organization. Students work on skill-building activities from the SMARTS Executive Function Curriculum developed by the Research Institute for Learning and Development.
Have you ever wondered how your body systems are affected by participating in sports, how the honey bee populations are affecting our food supply, or why we get storms in New England? We will explore questions like these in STEAM 6. STEAM is an integration of science, technology, engineering, art, and math. This course allows our students to practice the science and engineering skills that professionals use every day, engage in hands-on exploration, and design projects as they explore the natural world. Students in STEAM 6 will use real-world phenomena such as athletic concussions, Lyme disease, honey bee populations, animal habitats, and destructive weather to deeply explore the topics of human body systems, reproduction and growth, energy transfer and weather, and climates and human impacts. Students will learn how to develop scientific and engineering questions that can be investigated within the scope of the classroom, outdoor environment, and museums and other public facilities with available resources. They will also learn how to frame a hypothesis based on observations and scientific principles, specify relationships between variables, clarify arguments, and begin to make models that lead into basic experimentation.
This course is for students who have completed Foundations of Mathematics or an equivalent course. Topics include further exploration of decimals, factors, fractions, integers, exponents, ratios, proportions, and percents, as well as graphing on the coordinate plane, linear equations, algebraic expressions, and solving algebraic equations and inequalities.
Prerequisite: Foundations of Math or department placement
Basic computational skills are reviewed, and problem-solving, patterns, estimating, and mental math skills are emphasized. Topics introduced include decimals, fractions, exponents, scientific notation, ratios, rates, proportions, percents, measurement, graphing in the coordinate plane, and an introduction to variables and solving algebraic equations.
Prerequisite: Department placement
This course serves as an introduction to the Spanish language through reading, writing, speaking, and listening. By the end of the year, learners will be able to talk about very familiar topics: themselves; the weather; their likes, dislikes, and preferences; their families and homes; and their favorite pastimes and hobbies. Learners will also discover the many places in the world where Spanish is spoken through music, video, artifacts, and projects.
This course serves as an introduction to the French language through reading, writing, speaking, and listening. By the end of the year, learners will be able to talk about very familiar topics, including: themselves; the weather; their likes, dislikes, and preferences; their families and homes; and their favorite pastimes and hobbies. Learners will also discover the many places in the world where French is spoken through music, video, artifacts, and projects.
Open to Grades 6-12
This course provides students with an opportunity to learn and improve vocal technique and to experience a repertoire of various styles. Enrollment in Choir is not required. Voce Felice, a fine vocal ensemble, is formed from members of this class. Individual singers have the opportunity to perform as soloists at the end of the school year concert. All singers are welcome.
Private lessons are offered for many instruments. Numerous recitals and assemblies involve the music program, and public performance opportunities continue to expand the musical experience here on campus.
Financial Commitment: Private lessons are billed through the Business Office. The Music Instruction Agreement must be signed by a parent/guardian and returned before lessons can begin. Please contact the Business Office for additional details.
The theme for sixth grade is “Laying Foundations,” and there is no better way for students to grapple with this theme than by learning about the foundations of humankind. Sixth Grade Humanities is an investigation into ancient civilizations through the lenses of history, geography, literature, the arts, belief systems, technology, architecture, and customs and traditions. Cultural sensitivity and ethical exploration are core principles of this hands-on, project-based class. Among other activities, students participate in an archaeological dig; create a mini-museum; design a 21st-century version of Babylon’s legendary hanging gardens; and prepare a Greek feast fit for the gods of Mount Olympus. Field trips to local historical societies and museums, coupled with outdoor excursions for native materials for projects, bring the research aspect of this class to life. Reading global mythologies and identifying the stories around which they have shaped their own lives helps students to connect with children of long ago and with those who live throughout the world today — including their own classmates.
