Specialist Curriculum

SIXTH GRADE
Learning Expectations

Getting along with others
How can I express feelings in healthy ways? 
How can I learn to be more respectful of others? 
How can I prevent & manage stress? 
What makes someone a good friend?

Bullies and Bystanders
What is bullying? 
What can I do if bullying happens to me or someone else? 
How can I stand up for myself and others?

Keeping Healthy 
How can I keep myself healthy? 
What do I want to know about the body system and puberty?

What should we eat? 
How healthful is my eating? 
What are healthful snacks to choose? 
What makes it hard to make healthy choices?

Students will:

Practice the following health life skills: Decision-making, Goal Setting, Communication Skills, Resisting Peer Pressure, Assertiveness, Knowing, Recognizing & Managing Emotions, Anger & Stress Management, Relationship Skills, Social Awareness & Empathy, Appreciating Diversity, Using Resources, Analyzing Influences and Health Advocacy.

SEVENTH GRADE
Learning Objectives

Feelings and Life Skills 
How do I see myself? 
How can we deal with feelings and stressful social situations? 
How can I make new friends? 

Resolving Conflicts and Preventing Bullying 
Does the media make us aggressive? 
What can I do when I’m angry? 
When is it bullying/sexual harassment and when is it just fooling around? 
How can we handle bullying and sexual harassment? 

Understanding Substances 
What harm is there in using tobacco, alcohol or marijuana? 
Why do some teens use substances and others don’t? 
How do advertisers manipulate teens?

Students will:

Practice the following health life skills: Decision-making, Goal Setting, Communication Skills, Resisting Peer Pressure, Assertiveness, Knowing, Recognizing & Man-aging Emotions, Anger & Stress Management, Relationship Skills, Social Awareness & Empathy, Appreciating Diversity, Using Resources, Analyzing Influences and Health Advocacy.

EIGHTH GRADE
Learning Objectives

Transitions to High School 
What are my hopes and dreams for high school? 
What do I want to know about high school life? 
How can I turn my dreams into reality? 

Healthy Relationships 
What are the signs of an unhealthy relationship? 
How can I handle bullying and sexual harassment? 
How can I help a friend? 

Eating Well 
How healthy is my eating? 
What makes it hard to make healthy choices? 
How can I maintain a healthy weight? 

Know Your Body* 
What do I need to know to be sexually healthy? 
How can I say no to risky sexual behavior? 
What questions do I have about dating? 

* Requires parent/guardian permission

Students will:

Practice the following health life skills: Decision-making, Goal Setting, Communication Skills, Resisting Peer Pressure, Assertiveness, Knowing, Recognizing & Managing Emotions, Anger & Stress Management, Relationship Skills, Social Awareness & Empathy, Appreciating Diversity, Using Resources, Analyzing Influences and Health Advocacy

SIXTH GRADE

Learning Objectives

Literature Appreciation: continue to grow as life-long readers and build their repertoire of reading strategies 
Online Literacy: how to communicate and collaborate in an online community safely and appropriately 
Information Literacy: how to think critically to find, evaluate, use and share information for a purpose

Students will:

• Collaborate and communicate with students and teachers using GoogleDocs
• Access current technology tools to interact and learn from the global community
• Utilize a variety of devices and platforms to accomplish tasks
• Explore library resources in new media formats 24/7

SEVENTH GRADE

Learning Objectives

Literature Appreciation: continue to grow as life-long readers and build their repertoire of reading strategies 
Online Literacy: how to communicate and collaborate in an online community safely and appropriately 
Information Literacy: how to think critically to find, evaluate, use and share information for a purpose

Students will:

• Collaborate and communicate with students and teachers using GoogleDocs
• Access current technology tools to interact and learn from the global community
• Utilize a variety of devices and platforms to accomplish tasks
• Explore library resources in new media formats 24/7

EIGHTH GRADE

Learning Objectives

Literature Appreciation: continue to grow as life-long readers and build their repertoire of reading strategies 
Online Literacy: how to communicate and collaborate in an online community safely and appropriately 
Information Literacy: how to think critically to find, evaluate, use and share information for a purpose

Students will:

• Collaborate and communicate with students and teachers using GoogleDocs
• Access current technology tools to interact and learn from the global community
• Utilize a variety of devices and platforms to accomplish tasks
• Explore library resources in new media formats 24/7

Welcome to the DVUS. P.E. webpage. We look forward to a fun and exciting year for your child in Physical Education.

Mission
The Health and Physical Education Department offers courses that teach students to make healthy decisions and develop lifelong physical fitness. Our students are provided with an educational setting through which they can gain knowledge and understanding of themselves physically, socially and emotionally. Our program is based on themes of character and value that teach students lifelong lessons on which they can use in the larger school community and in their personal lives.

Meet the Physical Education Teacher
Mr. Burgess has been teaching in the Cambridge Public Schools for the past 27 years. He has also coached numerous sports as soccer, baseball, and hockey the past 30 plus years. He is currently the assistant hockey coach at Suffolk University as well as the assistant director of Tomorrow Stars Clinics in Cambridge.

Email Mr. Burgess

Art
All students will take Art three days a week for a semester. They will learn to experiment with a variety of media and techniques, observe their world in new ways by finding art in the everyday, and explore the elements and principles of design. Students will develop a portfolio of art pieces, including some for exhibition for either the Winter or Spring Arts Nights

Drama
Students will have the opportunity to take Drama as either an in-school or after-school electice. These classes introduce the students to the basic principles of theatre. The students will study: team building; speaking with confidence; dramatic literature analysis; introductory elements of technical theater; and preliminary directing and playwriting.

Music
Upper school students will get to explore and experiment in different genres of music discovering them through singing, playing, listening, and composing. Students will have the opportunity to take either Band, Chorus, Orchestra, or General Music. Each of these classes will meet twice a week for the whole year. Students in Band, Chorus, or Orchestra will perform as part of the Arts Nights in both January and May.