Middle School Curriculum
The table below outlines the structure of the program. It consists of two distinct Cycles. Sixth Grade is viewed as a year of adaptation. It is the culmination of Cycle 3, a gentle. age appropriate preparation for the rigors and more sophisticated expectations of Cycle 4.
By Middle School the students are competent balanced bilinguals and are primed for accelerated third language studies (in Spanish, Italian, Mandarin or Arabic).
In France, Middle School (Collège) is a four year program of study, continuing to troisième, the equivalent of Grade 9 in the US system. At the end of troisième students in French schools all over the world take national examinations called the Brevet des collèges. Most of our 8th grade students continue in our French Track at the International High School and take the Brevet, the poetic culmination, and validation, of a ten year bilingual quest!
Going Deeper: Middle School Cycles
Grade 6: Cycle d'Adaptation
Grades 7 and 8: Cycle Central
Middle School Program Highlights
Two mother tongue literature classes
Third languages and associated linguistic trips
Two cultural perspectives on mathematics
History and Geography taught together
Hands-on sciences taught in French integrated with digital technology
Interscholastic athletics, leadership, and the creative arts
Climactic exchange to Paris
This genuine exchange is a rite of passage that takes place just before graduation. Our families have already hosted their French “correspondents” before the entire grade embarks for Paris in May. Many of our students initiate lifelong friendships and connections during this time. The Paris Exchange truly represents the culmination of Middle School and a ten-year bilingual quest for each one of our students.