Sixth, Seventh and Eighth Grade
At Canton Country Day School, students in grades six through eight engage in a well-rounded program designed to prepare them for success beyond the middle school years. They gain the knowledge, skills, and habits that support academic achievement, leadership, and personal growth.
The curriculum spans science, social studies, mathematics, language arts, public speaking, and Spanish, and is enriched with reading, grammar, technology, art, music, drama, and physical education.
Through a balance of individualized instruction, collaborative projects, leadership experiences, and extracurricular opportunities, students are encouraged to explore their creativity and curiosity. Along the way, they develop strong study skills, time management strategies, and research abilities, which are all critical tools for success in high school, college, and beyond.
Equally important is our emphasis on character education, which helps students develop integrity, empathy, and respect for others. Through morning advisory, community service, and daily interactions, they learn the value of kindness, responsibility, and good citizenship.
Creating The Leaders of Tomorrow
Sixth grade serves as the bridge into Middle School, offering students both new responsibilities and exciting opportunities. At Canton Country Day, sixth graders build on their strong academic foundation with deeper study in mathematics, literature, writing, and the sciences. They are encouraged to think more independently, manage long-term projects, and collaborate with peers in meaningful ways. Social studies introduces broader historical perspectives and global awareness, while enrichment opportunities in the arts, technology, and athletics support the development of well-rounded learners. Sixth graders gain confidence as they adjust to Middle School expectations and discover their own unique strengths.
Sixth Grade Curriculum Overview
View The Core Educational Offerings Canton Country Day Offers To Our Sixth Grade Students
Students explore the elements of reading and writing and develop the ability to create and respond to the written word. Students continue to progress throughout middle school in reference to exposure to literature, writing, grammar, vocabulary, spelling, research, and speaking. In sixth grade, an emphasis is placed on the Holocaust, Greek mythology, elements of the short story, poetry, and the hero’s journey.
Sixth grade Math is split into three major strands: number sense, data analysis, and geometry. The number sense strand focuses on students mastering fraction and decimal operations, ratios and proportional thinking, and probability and statistics. The data analysis strand focuses on students mastering measures of center and appropriately using data tables and graphs. Finally, the geometry strand focuses on area, perimeter, surface area, and volume of various shapes.
Sixth grade Social Studies focuses on the ancient world. Students learn about the beginnings of mankind and the human story. They explore the great early civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt and the Middle East, India, China, Greece, and Rome, and connect how these ancient cultures continue to influence our modern world.
Sixth grade Science focuses on hands-on learning through situational experiences. The topics covered include rocks and minerals, cells, animals, motion and forces, and basic chemistry. The students will use the scientific method to carry out experiments and to explore the world around them. Students are assigned a school issued Chromebook and consistently develop skills in browsing, keyboarding, creating various documents, presentations, and videos using google docs, Canva and google slides. Technology topics include an introduction to online research, internet safety, coding, and Google Classroom/Docs/Slides/Sheets. Students will also utilize the School’s 3D printers to create and print their own designs.
Physical Education, Music, Visual Art, Dance, Esports, and Health Class
Middle School students are immersed in several elective arts classes throughout the year, including concert band, world drumming, choreography, filmmaking, digital photography, and sculpture. Read more about the arts at CCDS here
Seventh grade is a year of exploration and growth as students continue to develop their academic, social, and leadership skills. At Canton Country Day, seventh graders take on more rigorous coursework in core subjects, advancing in critical thinking, analysis, and problem-solving. Writing and research become more sophisticated, while science emphasizes experimentation and discovery. Students also take on greater responsibility in extracurriculars, leadership opportunities, and community-building activities, helping them strengthen independence and resilience. Seventh grade is a pivotal year where students learn to balance academics with personal growth, preparing them to become confident leaders in their final year of Middle School.
Seventh Grade Curriculum Overview
View The Core Educational Offerings Canton Country Day Offers To Our Seventh Grade Students
Students explore the elements of reading and writing and develop the ability to create and respond to the written word. Students continue to progress throughout middle school in reference to exposure to literature, writing, grammar, vocabulary, spelling, research, and speaking. In seventh grade, an emphasis is placed on grammar and mechanics, short stories, the Middle Ages, and Shakespeare.
Seventh grade Math is split into three major strands: number sense, geometry, and algebraic thinking. In the number sense strand, we focus on students mastering the concepts of order of operations, operations with negative integers, percentages, probability, irrational numbers, and proportional thinking. In the geometry strand, students will master finding the volume of various prisms, angle measure, the Pythagorean theorem, and the bisection of various shapes. The algebraic thinking strand focuses on beginning to solve one and two step equations and inequalities in order to prepare them for the high school level algebra that they will encounter in eighth grade.
Seventh grade Social Studies focuses on the medieval world and beyond. Students delve into the history of civilizations from Europe, Africa, and the Middle East to Asia and the Americas.
In seventh grade Science, students will investigate different forms of energy as they learn about physical science. They will expand on their understanding of atoms, matter, and the periodic table, and also explore the relationships of living organisms and their environment. The students will use the scientific method to carry out experiments and to explore the world around them.
Physical Education, Music, Visual Art, Dance, Esports, and Health Class
Middle School students are immersed in several elective arts classes throughout the year, including concert band, world drumming, choreography, filmmaking, digital photography, and sculpture. Read more about the arts at CCDS here
Service Learning
At Canton Country Day School, we strive to instill a passion for community service in our students that will lead to a lifetime of actively engaging in their greater community. Our Middle School program provides students with these opportunities here on the CCDS campus and in our surrounding community.
Eighth grade represents both a culmination and a new beginning as students prepare to transition into high school. At Canton Country Day, eighth graders refine their academic skills through challenging coursework in mathematics, literature, science, and social studies, while continuing to strengthen writing, public speaking, and problem-solving abilities. Leadership opportunities—whether in student government, athletics, or service projects—allow them to set an example for younger peers. The program emphasizes independence, responsibility, and readiness, ensuring students graduate with the confidence, skills, and character to excel in high school and beyond. Eighth grade at CCDS is both a celebration of achievement and a launchpad for future success.
Eighth Grade Curriculum Overview
View The Core Educational Offerings Canton Country Day Offers To Our Eighth Grade Students
Students explore the elements of reading and writing and develop the ability to create and respond to the written word. Students continue to progress throughout middle school in reference to exposure to literature, writing, grammar, vocabulary, spelling, research, and speaking. In eighth grade, the emphasis is placed on the Holocaust, poetry, immigration, short stories, social consciousness, and Shakespeare.
In eighth grade Algebra, students encounter high school level content. Students will begin by mastering multi-step equations and inequalities. They will then begin to analyze functions to learn how to create and analyze input/output tables and identify whether or not an expression is a function. They will then focus on linear equations and their graphs, and how to identify the slope, and x and y intercepts using various formulas. Finally, students will master polynomials, their factorization, and use of the quadratic formula. In Geometry, students explore proof-writing and begin to work on abstract thinking with shapes. Triangle congruence is an important topic covered in this class, and general formulas involving circles and polygons will finalize the students’ studies. Students use Khan Academy to help enrich their experience and to build on learned knowledge.
Eighth grade Social Studies focuses on the United States through industrialism. This course takes students through the powerful history of the United States from its earliest foundations to the age of industrialism.
Eighth grade Science includes a range of topics including biology, chemical reactions, and the interior and surface of Earth. Students will also investigate bioengineering, genetics, and forensic science. The students will use the scientific method to carry out experiments and to explore the world around them. Real-world applications of science topics will be applied to daily learning.
INSTITUTIONS OF CCDS ALUMNI
