Academics

Middle School

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Middle School (Grades 7-8)

Adolescence is a critical plane of development; the final walk in the Harborlight journey towards adulthood. It is during this phase when Harborlight relies on what we call “The three-legged stool” model, The: Teacher – Parent – Student Triad. Middle schoolers grow deeper social relationships and develop a greater sense of autonomy. They desire more personal responsibility and take risks that employ real-world problem-solving and critical thinking skills. It is a period of transformation, growth, and development. It is why our small school model is known for exceptionally preparing middle schoolers for their next school and adventures.


Students Take an Active Role in Learning

Middle School students are active participants in their education. Teachers introduce essential concepts, ask challenging questions, provide instruction and feedback, and then give students opportunities to investigate, practice, discuss, create, revise, and apply what they have learned.
 
Rather than emphasizing the simple coverage of information, the curriculum prioritizes depth of understanding and mastery of essential skills. Students learn to think critically, communicate clearly, solve problems, manage complex assignments, collaborate with others, and make connections across academic subjects.

Learning That Connects to the Real World

Adolescents learn especially well when their work has an authentic purpose. At Harborlight, academics extend beyond textbooks through interdisciplinary projects, hands-on learning, science and field experiences, service learning, practical life experiences, microeconomy, community partnerships, and day and overnight trips.
 
Students encounter situations that require them to use academic knowledge in meaningful ways: researching questions, managing budgets, presenting ideas, solving problems, working as a team, meeting deadlines, and contributing to their community. The result is rigorous learning that students can understand in the context of the larger world.

Teachers Who Know and Challenge Each Student

Our small Montessori Middle School community allows teachers to know students as learners and as individuals. Teachers serve not only as instructors, but also as guides, mentors, and coaches who help students recognize their strengths, identify areas for growth, and develop strategies for becoming increasingly capable learners.

Students experience both independence and accountability. They regularly review their progress, organize assignments and deadlines, reflect on their learning, seek feedback, and set new goals. They build essential academic skills, including effective note-taking, planning and managing multi-step projects, research, and study habits. Through project-based work, students strengthen public speaking and presentation skills as they share ideas, explain their thinking, and present meaningful outcomes to authentic audiences. 

Students Learn by Teaching and Leading

As students grow in knowledge and confidence, they are given opportunities to become teachers, mentors, and leaders within the school community. Middle School students share their research, demonstrate skills, lead discussions, and present their learning to classmates, teachers, families, and students in younger grades. They may teach a lesson, explain a scientific concept, share expertise developed through a project, or help younger students master a new skill.

Preparing to teach others requires students to organize their thinking, communicate clearly, answer questions, and understand a subject deeply. These experiences also reinforce an important part of Montessori education: learning is not only something we accomplish for ourselves. What we know and what we can do become resources we can contribute to our community.

Learning Made Visible

Learning is measured by more than completing work or earning a test score. Students are asked to demonstrate their understanding through writing, discussion, problem-solving, projects, presentations, performances, research, and other authentic applications of knowledge. Revision is an important part of that process. Students learn that strong work often develops through feedback, reflection, persistence, and improvement.
 
By the end of Grade 8, students are not simply preparing to enter high school with academic knowledge. They are learning how to learn: how to ask meaningful questions, manage their time, advocate for themselves, collaborate with others, communicate their thinking, and take responsibility for the quality of their work.

Preparing for High School and Beyond

Harborlight's Middle School program prepares adolescents for the expectations of high school while preserving something equally important: their curiosity and sense of purpose.

Students leave Harborlight increasingly able to say:
 
I know how I learn. I know how to ask for help. I can organize my work. I can think deeply about difficult questions. I can contribute to a group. I can explain and defend my ideas. And I know that the quality of my work is ultimately my responsibility. This combination of academic preparation, independence, confidence, responsibility, and real-world experience is at the heart of a Harborlight Middle School education. (Check out our Alumni Stories!)

Middle School (Grade 7-8) Curriculum

List of 5 items.

  • Practicals

    Purposeful work and real-life learning take place in the classroom environment as well as beyond the walls of the school and campus. The adolescent takes great pride in their work to acquire the real-life skills that they can share with the school and greater community. Practicals include the ‘stock-market game’, culinary courses, recycling and composting, greenhouse, the pizza business (microeconomy used for fundraising), and service learning projects.

  • Social-Emotional Learning

    Using a balance of programs including 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens (Covey) and The Heroic Journey(Campbell) middle school children have guided and independent lessons and projects that develop skills of: self-awareness, self-management, responsible decision making, social awareness and relationship skills.

  • Language Arts

    This curriculum builds on the strong foundation developed in: spelling, rich vocabulary, knowledge and use of grammar, and apply these skills toward their writing. Middle school language arts follows the topics of studies in Humanities and includes literature, writing, research, and oral communication. Aligned with Common Core standards for reading, literature study has two overarching goals: 1. Using literature to deeply the topic of study from many perspectives. Children read high-quality, full-length literature.  Timeless works with universally relevant conflicts and meaningful themes are carefully selected to deepen their understanding of history, other people, global current events; 2. Literary study brings children to experience reading as an exciting journey with characters to meet and to explore conflict, cultural values, and moral choices.

  • Math

    Middle school math is flexible to small group learning and supports each student moving into a course of study when ready rather than waiting for the next term or new school year. Math continues the spiral of content from standard materials, including text books, online course supports for independent study of math, pre-algebra, algebra and geometry.

  • Science

    The middle school science curriculum is a two-year course of study that focuses on both process and content with an emphasis on applying principles of math, observation, and experimentation to their research and hands-on lab or field experiments. Comprehensive science topics include earth science, life science, human biology, chemistry, and physics. Science requires an engagement in the process, learning how to apply the scientific method, take notes and write lab journal entries, present research and conduct field studies on environmental impact.

List of 5 items.

  • Social World

    Designed to expand upon prior learning, Social world introduces advanced study of geography and world cultures. This two-year course of study helps children master important concepts in physical and human geography. Comprehensive and organized by region the course includes a deep understanding of the Earth’s physical and human diversity. Topics include population and settlement patterns, evaluation of human activities that modify the physical environment, fundamental human needs and comparison of development, standards of living, systems of government, and economic factors across the globe. Social World bring a rich understanding of global cultures and historical influences that shape the world and modern issues.

  • Physical Education

    Group games and activities allow middle schoolers to set and work towards individual physical goals as well as develop positive relationships through encouraging and supporting peers to set and meet their goals. A highlight experience is the downhill skiing and snowboarding winter term when the class works on an abbreviated/4-day academic schedule affording them a full-day for physical education.

  • Visual Arts

    A robust visual arts course is offered in middle school that inspires them to express their thoughts, ideas, and feelings. At the beginning of each new topic to explore, the art teacher brings a microlesson in art history, art appreciation, critical thinking and criticism to the group. Children expand on their elementary foundation in understanding and skills in the visual arts in an exploratory manner consistent with the 
    Montessori philosophy and curriculum. Creative expression in visual arts through drawing, sculpting, painting, ceramics, and digital media are presented in the art show.

  • World Languages

    Middle school is a time to enhance proficiency in the World Language (Mandarin or Spanish). Individual and small group work will focus on the study of grammar, interpersonal communication, and culture. Activities will expand listening comprehension, oral fluency, written expression and ability to communicate about real-world experiences on a variety of topics.

  • Performing Arts

    The performing arts curriculum includes Concert Band, Chorus, and Theatre Arts. Beginning in grade 4, children may choose between Concert Band and Chorus. Both music classes are year-long electives. Chorus is a study of the voice as an instrument to create music. Included in the Chorus elective is learning proper singing, singing alone and in a group, reading music, and performance techniques. Beginner Band is for students between 4th and 8th grade who are little to no experience with a band instrument. They are introduced to the instruments of the band and will learn through both individual and ensemble lessons. Advanced Band is for students 4th through 8th grade with 1-3 years experience on their instrument or with the Director’s approval. Both groups concentrate on teaching the many aspects of instrumental music and performance. Concerts on and off campus during the year are scheduled seasonally. Theatre Arts is designed to learn theatre games and have the chance to explore a variety of repertoire and roles of acting, design and production, musical theatre. Performances on and off campus provide the opportunity to apply techniques learned in the course in productions both small and large. Two opportunities for performing arts competitions are presented to middle schoolers in alternating years: Massachusetts Middle School Drama Festival and Destination Imagination.

Contact

243 Essex Street
Beverly, Massachusetts, 01915
Phone: (978) 922-1008
Fax: (978) 922-0594

About Harborlight

Harborlight Montessori is a non-profit, private, independent, school for students from Preschool through Grade 8.

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