Your school provides this course curriculum guide as a means of assisting students and parents in understanding and planning their course of study. Students are encouraged to carefully select related arts courses during the registration process. Your school's guidance counselors and teachers stand ready to assist them. Parents are invited and encouraged to actively participate by assisting their student.
Related arts classes are scheduled based upon student requests. However, due to schedule conflicts and changes in course offerings, the staff cannot guarantee that students will be scheduled for all courses they request. In addition, be aware that the school builds a master schedule and employs teachers based on students' requests; therefore, schedule changes will only be considered on a very limited basis.
Online Registration was implemented in 2004. It allows parents and students to request related arts courses for the next school year from home via the Internet. Families who do not have access to the Internet will be given opportunities to use school computers to register online. Parents and students should understand that requesting a related arts course through online registration does not guarantee that the student is placed in the course the next school year. Final placement in a course is dependent upon enrollment, scheduling feasibility, and teacher allocation. Schools will post the courses that they will be offering the next school year in a course curriculum guide which will be located on the school's website. Parents without Internet access at home will receive a printed copy of the course curriculum guide by request. The window for students to select related arts courses online is posted by the school on the school's website and in parent newsletters. Schools will provide instructions on accessing the online registration tool.
Riverside Middle School Registration
Rising 6th Graders
The transition to Middle School is an exciting time when students begin to experience more opportunities and independence. Middle school is also a time when students begin to take on more responsibility for their own education. The first step toward a positive middle school experience is successfully completing student registration.
Greenville County Schools utilizes a process that allows students to register for classes on-line for the next school year. The on-line registration system provides students and parents with the opportunity to work together to request related arts classes and to review academic course recommendations made by the current teacher(s).
Academic course placement in English, Math, Science, and Social Studies classes are determined by teacher recommendations based on district set criteria for each of these classes. The elementary school teachers are responsible for completing recommendations for their students so that when the students go on-line to register, only the recommended courses are available to them. It is the parents’ responsibility to review all academic course recommendations for accuracy and to assist their children in registering for these classes. If parents have any concerns with academic recommendations, it is their responsibility to contact the current teacher(s) during the registration window. Elementary registration for rising sixth graders occurs at the elementary school March 4th-8th. Once the student registration window closes academic placement is finalized.
Related Arts courses are scheduled based on requests, enrollment, teacher allocation, and class size. Due to these constraints, students may not be enrolled in the courses that they request. The related arts course offerings listed in the course catalog are tentative, and could change due to decisions made about the budget at the state and district level. As students rank their related arts courses, they should choose the courses that interest them the most, while keeping in mind that there are NO GUARANTEES that they will be placed in these courses next school year.
Everyone at Riverside Middle School is excited for our rising 6th graders to join us for the 2013 - 2014 school year. We hope that students are beginning to anticipate the opportunites and challenges that are in their near future and getting prepared to succeed as a middle school student. We encourage our rising 6th grade parents to begin setting goals with their children concerning their education and to nurture a love of learning within the home. Parental involvement is a major component in middle school success.
Riverside Middle School
2013 – 2014 Registration
Important Dates and Information for Rising 6th Graders
Thursday, January 24th at 6:30 pm--Curriculum Night
Curriculum Night offers parents an opportunity to receive information about their child’s courses for the upcoming school year and to learn about the registration process.
January 28th at 9:00 AM--Rising 6th Grade Tour/Visitation
Beginning at 9AM, elementary schools will come to Riverside to tour the building and attend a presentation by Riverside students and administration.
Friday, March 1st--Teacher Recommendations Completed
March 4th-8th--5th Grade Student Registration
Student registration will be completed at their elementary school.
If parents have concerns about any of their child’s recommendations, they should contact the 5th grade teacher that made the recommendation.
NOTE: Each individual elementary school will set deadlines for required registration paperwork to be turned in by students. Please be sure you are aware of the deadline for turning in registration paperwork.
Academic Course Placement Policy
Students are recommended for their academic courses by their current teachers using district mandated criteria. The Greenville County School District develops course placement criteria based on students’ grades and standardized test scores using many years of research and experience. These criteria are created with student success as the highest priority. In the occasion that parents have concerns about their child’s placement, it is the parents’ responsibility to contact the teacher that made the recommendation and set up a conference.
6th Grade Academic Courses
All academic courses require a teacher recommendation, which is based on district set criteria. During on-line student registration, students must select the recommended courses to add them to their course requests. Students will be able to see all courses available, however, the courses requiring a recommendation that have not been recommended will be grayed out. Students will only be allowed to click on the recommended courses.
LANGUAGE ARTS REQUIREMENT – 1 Required
Language Arts Resource 6 (Inclusion)
Language Arts Strategies 6
Language Arts Studies 6
English GT 6
MATH REQUIREMENT – 1 Required
Math 6 Resource (Inclusion)
Math 6/7
Math 6/7/8
SCIENCE REQUIRMENT – 1 Required
Science 6
SOCIAL STUDIES REQUIREMENT – 1 Required
Social Studies 6
NOTE – Any concerns regarding academic placement must be addressed with the current teacher after receiving your child's registration form. This process must be completed at the student's elementary school.
6th Grade Related Arts Courses
Students will have the opportunity to take a variety or related arts courses during their time at Riverside Middle. Our six period day includes four core academic periods and two periods of related arts courses (four semesters). Some related arts courses are one semester long and others are year long (two semesters) courses. A required PE course will consume one of the four semesters. Students will rank, in order of preference, the following related arts course offerings.
NOTE: Student related arts classes are scheduled based on requests, enrollment, teacher allocation, and class size. Any related arts course a student requests could be on their schedule as a course for next year.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION – Required
Phys Education 6 (semester)
YEAR LONG ELECTIVE COURSES
Band 6
Strings 6
ESOL (teacher recommendation required)
· NOTE – Band and Strings student must provide their own instruments, and in order to participate in middle school, students must begin in 6th grade.
SEMESTER LONG ELECTIVE COURSES
Art 6
Career Education 6
Computer Tech 6
Drama 6
French 6 Beginner Level
Gateway to Technology 6
Guitar 6
Literature 6
Music 6
Spanish 6 Beginner Level
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English
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Title:
English GT 6
10013200
Course Number:
Unit Credit:
0.00
Duration:
Grade Level:
6
Short Title:
Prerequisite:
Identified as GTA (Gifted and Talented Academic)with a MAP RIT score >236
This course is designed to meet the needs of academically gifted and talented students who were identified through the standard measures implemented by The School District of Greenville County. The curriculum designed specifically for this course meets the guidelines set forth by the South Carolina State Department of Education as criteria for Gifted and Talented instruction. Students should expect to find the curriculum challenging in a number of ways: text complexity, analytical writing, problem solving, creative endeavors, and accelerated pace.
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Title:
Lang Arts Strategies 6
10013600
Course Number:
Unit Credit:
0.00
Duration:
Grade Level:
6
Short Title:
Prerequisite:
Students should meet one or more of the following criteria: Teacher recommendation; PASS score of Not Met in 4th grade; 5th grade MAP RIT scores of <213
This course is designed to meet the needs of students transitioning from elementary to middle school instruction in language arts, writing and research. Instruction will continue to reinforce foundational skills and provide ample scaffolding for those students whose skills are still developing.
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Title:
Language Arts Studies 6
10013700
Course Number:
Unit Credit:
0.00
Duration:
Grade Level:
6
Short Title:
Prerequisite:
Students should meet two or more of the following criteria: Teacher recommendation; PASS score of Met in 4th grade; 5th grade MAP RIT scores of 213 - 236
This course is designed to meet the needs of those students whose writing skills are sufficient to allow them to write fluently and cohesively. The students in this course do not require foundational instruction in writing strategies; however, they will continue to receive instruction in more sophisticated practices preparing the student for different modes of writing. Students can expect instruction to move at an accelerated pace.
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Title:
Literature 6
10014000
Course Number:
Unit Credit:
0.00
Duration:
Grade Level:
6
Short Title:
Prerequisite:
Students should meet two or more of the following criteria: Teacher recommendation; PASS scores of Met or Exemplary in 4th grade; 5th grade MAP RIT scores >211 in Reading
This course is designed to meet the needs of those students whose reading skills are sufficient to allow them to read more difficult texts, analyze what they have read more deeply, and respond without difficulty to the text in writing. The students in this course do not require foundational instruction in reading strategies; however, they will continue to receive instruction in more sophisticated reading practices that prepare the student for complex literary analysis. Students can expect instruction to move at an accelerated pace.
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Title:
Reading Assistance 6
10240000
Course Number:
Unit Credit:
0.00
Duration:
Grade Level:
6
Short Title:
Prerequisite:
Guidance Placement
This course offers students remediation and additional assistance in reading skills in support of on grade level instruction in the regular Language Arts and/or Literature classroom.
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Math
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Title:
Math 6
11100600
Course Number:
Unit Credit:
0.00
Duration:
Grade Level:
6
Short Title:
Prerequisite:
Teacher recommendation
This standards-based sixth-grade course is designed to help students begin the transition from arithmetic to algebraic thinking. It includes concepts, operations, and problems solving with decimals, fractions, and percents in addition to an introduction to integers and ratios. Students will develop algebraic thinking through the investigation of patterns, the use of simple equations and inequalities to represent relationships, and the use of tables and graphs to solve problems. Throughout the course there is an emphasis on the process standards of problem-solving, communication, reasoning, representations, and connections.
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Title:
Math 6/7
11100700
Course Number:
Unit Credit:
0.00
Duration:
Grade Level:
6
Short Title:
Prerequisite:
Must meet district criteria including Teacher recommendation
This standards-based course is designed to help students begin the transition from arithmetic to algebraic thinking. It includes all of the grade 6 standards and half of the grade 7 standards. Topics include operations and problem-solving with decimals, fractions, integers, ratios, proportions, and percents. Students will develop algebraic thinking through the investigation of patterns, the use of one-and two-step equations and inequalities to represent relationships, and the use of tables and graphs to solve problems. Throughout the course there is an emphasis on the process standards of problem-solving, communication, reasoning, representations, and connections.
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Title:
Math 6/7/8
11100800
Course Number:
Unit Credit:
0.00
Duration:
Grade Level:
6
Short Title:
Prerequisite:
Must meet district criteria including Teacher recommendation
This standards-based course is designed to help students begin the transition from arithmetic to algebraic thinking and to prepare them to take Algebra 1 in grade 7. It includes all of the Number and Operation Standards from grades 6,7 and 8. It also includes selected standards from the 6-8 Standards of Algebra, Geometry, Measurement, Data Analysis and Probability. Topics include operations and problem-solving with decimals, fractions, integers, ratios, proportions, and percents. Students will develop algebraic thinking through the investigation of patterns and by exploring the merits and limitations of graphical, symbolic, tabular, and verbal representations of relationships. Students will use tables, graphs, one-, two-, and multi-step equations and inequalities to represent relationships and solve problems. Throughout the course there is an emphasis on the process standards of problem solving, communication, reasoning, representations, and connections.
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Title:
Math Assistance 6
11010000
Course Number:
Unit Credit:
0.00
Duration:
Grade Level:
6
Short Title:
Prerequisite:
Guidance Placement
This course offers students remediation and additional assistance in math skills in support of on grade level instruction in the regular math classroom.
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Science
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Title:
Science 6
12010000
Course Number:
Unit Credit:
0.00
Duration:
Grade Level:
6
Short Title:
Prerequisite:
None
The focus for science in sixth grade is to provide students with inquiry based experiences that develop science concepts in the following areas: Structures, Processes and Response of Plants-structure and function of plants; Structures, Processes and Responses of Animals-structure and function of animals; Earths Atmosphere and Weather-atmospheric properties and processes; and, Conservation of Energy-properties of energy, work, and conservation of energy.
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Social Studies
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Title:
Social Studies 6
13010000
Course Number:
Unit Credit:
0.00
Duration:
Grade Level:
6
Short Title:
Prerequisite:
None
Sixth grade social studies expands students’ understanding of history through the study of people, places, and events to the era of European exploration and settlement. Students focus not only on facts about various cultures but also on the significance of geography in history, their everyday lives, problems, and accomplishments of people, and their roles in developing the social, economic, and political structures of major civilizations. Instruction should emphasize the elements of social studies literacy—the tools, strategies, and perspectives necessary for understanding how history, geography, economics and government are interwoven.
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Arts
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Title:
Art 6
15010000
Course Number:
Unit Credit:
0.00
Duration:
Grade Level:
6
Short Title:
Prerequisite:
None
The purpose of this course is to enable students to communicate ideas and concepts through a variety of artwork, including drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, arts, and crafts. A study of artists and their work will help students understand the techniques, skills, and diverse intentions of artists from many cultures and times. Students will focus on developing creative problem-solving skills, visual literacy, and personal expression.
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Title:
Drama 6
15210000
Course Number:
Unit Credit:
0.00
Duration:
Grade Level:
6
Short Title:
Prerequisite:
None
This course explores theater arts through the use of creative dramatics, diction, vocal expression, improvisation, dramatization, technical theatre, audience etiquette, and theatre appreciation. Performances will be an outgrowth of study.
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Title:
Band 6
15310000
Course Number:
Unit Credit:
0.00
Duration:
Grade Level:
6
Short Title:
Prerequisite:
None
This course provides beginning-level instruction on brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. No previous musical experience is required. The curriculum includes the development of fundamental skills, concepts, composition, cooperative learning, music as it relates to history and culture, and band techniques. The class will include an expectation for the purchase or rental of an instrument and individual practice at home. Concert performances will be an outgrowth of the study of musical concepts.
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Title:
Strings 6
15510000
Course Number:
Unit Credit:
0.00
Duration:
Grade Level:
6
Short Title:
Prerequisite:
None
This course provides beginning-level instruction on violin, viola, cello, and string bass. No previous musical experience is required. The curriculum includes the development of fundamental skills, concepts, composition, cooperative learning, music as it relates to history and culture, and string techniques. The class will include an expectation for the purchase or rental of an instrument and individual practice at home. Some larger instruments are available at the school, and parents should coordinate with the director for their use. Concert performances will be an outgrowth of the study of musical concepts.
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Title:
Music 6
15610000
Course Number:
Unit Credit:
0.00
Duration:
Grade Level:
6
Short Title:
Prerequisite:
None
This is a course providing students with the opportunity to explore musical concepts and further their understanding of music through listening, singing, playing instruments, and engaging in creative activities.
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Title:
Guitar 6
15995200
Course Number:
Unit Credit:
0.00
Duration:
Grade Level:
6
Short Title:
Prerequisite:
None
This course provides beginning-level instruction in guitar. No previous musical experience is required. The curriculum includes the development of fundamental skills, concepts, composition, cooperative learning, music as it relates to history and culture, and string techniques. The class will include an expectation of the purchase or rental of an instrument and individual practice at home. Concert performances will be an outgrowth of the study of musical concepts.
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Foreign Language
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Title:
French 6 Beginner Level
16100000
Course Number:
Unit Credit:
0.00
Duration:
Grade Level:
6
Short Title:
Prerequisite:
None
Aligned with the district's vision, philosophy, and goals for world language education, this beginner course introduces students to the second language through high-quality learning experiences. Not only do students gain an understanding of what it means to learn a new language, they also experience progress over time and are likely to be motivated to continue language study. Students learn enough language to ensure that they will not be total beginners when they take another course in the same language. The goal of this course is to develop some language competence.
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Title:
Spanish 6 Beginner Level
16500000
Course Number:
Unit Credit:
0.00
Duration:
Grade Level:
6
Short Title:
Prerequisite:
None
Aligned with the district's vision, philosophy, and goals for world language education, this beginner course introduces students to the second language through high-quality learning experiences. Not only do students gain an understanding of what it means to learn a new language, they also experience progress over time and are likely to be motivated to continue language study. Students learn enough language to ensure that they will not be total beginners when they take another course in the same language. The goal of this course is to develop some language competence.
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Physical Education
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Title:
Phys Education 6
14400000
Course Number:
Unit Credit:
0.00
Duration:
Grade Level:
6
Short Title:
Prerequisite:
None
Enrollment in this course fulfills the regulation that all students will complete one quarter of physical education each year in grades 6 – 8. Course content focuses on teaching students the four SC Middle School PE Student Performance criteria as mandated by the SC Department of Education. Students will demonstrate the abilities, concepts, knowledge, and skills required to:
1) demonstrate competence in modified versions of activities in three movement forms as identified in the SCPEAP standards;
2) demonstrate knowledge of the five components of fitness and the F.I.T.T. principle on a written test;
3) participate regularly in health-enhancing physical activity outside the physical education class;
4) meet the gender and age group health-related physical fitness standard as described by the National Association for Sport and Physical Education.
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Career and Tech
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Title:
Career Education 6
18300000
Course Number:
Unit Credit:
0.00
Duration:
Grade Level:
6
Short Title:
Prerequisite:
None
This course introduces the students to the careers that are available to them after their education. Students are given a chance to research and explore various careers as well as learn about the skills that are needed for a particular occupation. During this time, the students are also introduced to the career clusters that are used in the district.
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Title:
GTT6DesignModel
28410000
Course Number:
Unit Credit:
0.00
Duration:
Grade Level:
6
Short Title:
Prerequisite:
Teacher Recommendation
This unit uses solid modeling (a very sophisticated mathematical technique for representing solid objects) to introduce students to the design process. Utilizing this design approach, students understand how solid modeling has influenced their lives. Students also learn sketching techniques, and use descriptive geometry as a component of design, measurement, and computer modeling. Using design briefs or abstracts, students create models and documentation to solve problems.
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Miscellaneous
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Title:
Computer Tech 6
17010000
Course Number:
Unit Credit:
0.00
Duration:
Grade Level:
6
Short Title:
Prerequisite:
Keyboarding skills
This course provides the student an opportunity to work with word processing, spreadsheets, and PowerPoint presentations.
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English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)
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Title:
ESOL 6
17990300
Course Number:
Unit Credit:
0.00
Duration:
Grade Level:
6
Short Title:
Prerequisite:
Guidance Placement
This course is designed for the student who has a primary language other than English, and is not proficient in listening, speaking, reading, writing, or comprehension in the English speaking classroom. Instruction will be provided in the areas of listening, speaking, reading, writing, and comprehension to assist students in classrooms where English is the language of instruction. Students will receive skills to aid in the transition to all academic areas, as well as help in the preparation for middle school formal tests. Limited English proficiency should be determined by an approved language assessment instrument.
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