In Kehoe-France, students are at the center of learning during these formative years. With a challenging academic curriculum supported by social-emotional guidance, we help adolescents grow into creative, confident critical thinkers.
Learning
Environment
As a candidate school for the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP), our fifth through seventh graders make connections between their subjects and the real world through a rigorous curricular framework. Students develop the knowledge and skills needed in order to take responsible action for the future. Action, learning by doing and experiencing, and service are valued components of the MYP.
Our teachers work with students to guide them to their fullest potential. They receive ongoing professional development to better their pedagogy as well as constantly reflect on their teaching practices to better student learning.
In their seventh grade year, students are required to participate in a seventh-grade community project that culminates all the skills they have learned at their years at Kehoe-France to help others.
Learning at KFS
Middle School Curriculum
Preparing adolescents to thrive now and in the future.
English Language Arts
In fifth through seventh grades, students explore literature across genres, including Greek literature and poetry, connecting readings to real-world issues to build critical thinking. Using strategies like Socratic seminars, literature circles, and mentor texts, students read, write for purpose, and develop their own perspectives.
Mathematics
The math program equips students to value mathematics, build confidence, and become enthusiastic problem-solvers who can communicate and reason mathematically. In fifth grade, students focus on fractions, decimals, operations, and volume, while sixth and seventh grades extend to ratios, negative numbers, expressions and equations, statistical thinking, and geometric relationships.
Science
The science program emphasizes hands-on learning, inquiry, and experimentation. In fifth grade, students study life and physical sciences, exploring the growth, diversity, and interdependence of living things and the universe. Sixth grade focuses on physical science and investigations of the unseen world, while seventh grade emphasizes life science, including dissections, microscopy, and DNA studies, highlighting the connections among living things and their environments.
Individuals & Societies
In fifth through seventh grade, students build on historical fundamentals and deepen their study of history. Fifth graders examine early explorations through the post-Revolutionary War period. Sixth graders explore ancient civilizations, analyzing their rise, interactions, contributions, and relevance to the modern world. Seventh graders study American history from the Revolution to the present, including U.S. governmental and economic systems, and demonstrate understanding through research-based projects.
Design
The design course focuses on four key concepts—community, communication, development, and systems—while engaging students in STEM projects, visual literacy, presentation and blogging skills, digital citizenship, and basic programming. Students take a hands-on approach to solving real-world problems, developing critical thinking and collaboration skills. Seventh graders also design, build, and program Lego Mindstorm EV3 robots.