Greene Hill Middle School students in the garden

Middle School

The Middle School is dedicated to continuing the progressive approach to education that students experience in the lower grades. Our focus is on engaging children as active participants in and initiators of their own learning. Using a constructivist approach, students work to develop an understanding of a concept through investigation and experimentation. We encourage middle schoolers to investigate real-world problems and develop problem-solving and critical-thinking skills in the process.

6th - 8th Grade Curriculum

  • Greene Hill Middle School Humanities

    HUMANITIES

    Supports the development of the traditional skills of critical reading, persuasive writing, analytical thinking, and research, within the context of learning about the past.

  • Greene Hill Middle School Social Studies

    SOCIAL STUDIES

    Students learn to analyze history from a critical lens, and look for the perspective of the other, marginalized groups whose stories are not told.

  • Greene Hill Middle School Literacy

    LITERACY

    Middle schoolers to take ownership over all aspects of the writing process.

  • Greene Hill Middle School Math

    MATH

    Allows students to build their knowledge of mathematics through exploration of real-world problems, engaging math activities, and opportunities to construct their own understandings of mathematical concepts.

  • SCIENCE

    Taking on authentic problems, students will interpret data and use evidence to support their scientific conclusions.

  • SPANISH

    Our language program is geared toward increasing tools for interpersonal communication and fostering a global perspective.

  • OPEN WORK

    Middle school students have many opportunities to follow their interests and delve into independent projects across the curriculum.

  • SOCIAL AND ACADEMIC SUPPORT

    Advisory, Independent Work, and Health and Wellness

  • HIGH SCHOOL PREP

    Students graduating from Greene Hill are prepared to attend any of the broad range of excellent NYC high schools, both independent and public.


Humanities

Our humanities curriculum supports the development of the traditional skills of critical reading, persuasive writing, analytical thinking, and research, within the context of learning about the past. These skills help students analyze situations through a historical lens. Humanities classes in the Middle School include content and skills from both literacy and history based on the premise that students become more engaged readers and more prolific writers if they are deeply immersed in their curricular content. History and social studies continue to be at the core of the curriculum as students engage in in-depth investigations of cultures from around the world. One goal of the Middle School humanities curriculum is to tie together contemporaneously occurring events around the world. In the Middle School, students study global and U.S. history through the lens of power and justice. Overarching questions include: Whose story is being told? How does conflict shape history? What are the roles and responsibilities of being a member of civil society? How has technology changed history? Course topics may change from year to year based on teacher and student interest.

Social Studies

Literacy

Reading and writing are embedded as part of our interdisciplinary humanities program in the Middle School. Teachers provide many opportunities for students to engage in analytical reading and model strategies for reading comprehension and analysis. Students express themselves creatively within the social studies content and beyond it. Throughout the sixth through eighth grade years, students write poetry, personal narratives, literary essays, research papers, and short stories. The emphasis of the curriculum is on encouraging middle schoolers to take ownership over all aspects of the writing process. Vocabulary development and the rules of spelling and grammar are incorporated into lessons; students are encouraged to recognize the importance of self-editing. Students read fiction and nonfiction independently and in small groups, and share their thinking about reading with their peers.

Math

Our Middle School uses the Connected Math Project (CMP3) program, which is a natural extension of the constructivist curriculum from the Lower School. This program allows students to build their knowledge of mathematics through exploration of real-world problems, engaging math activities, and opportunities to construct their own understandings of mathematical concepts. The focus is not on rote memorization of algorithms, but rather on determining strategies and finding different routes to the solution of a problem. We encourage students to reason abstractly, persevere in problem solving, and explain their solutions clearly. Math is another lens through which to see the world as students explore questions that address authentic applications such as economics, statistics, and architecture as well as societal inequities and scientific analysis.

The four math strands that are taught throughout the Middle School years are: 

  • Number and Operation

  • Geometry and Measurement

  • Data Analysis and Probability

  • Algebra and Functions

Each year builds upon what was learned in the prior year with the concepts and skills deepening as students progress. Teachers emphasize a growth mindset and encourage all students to consider themselves able to problem solve and persevere through complex problems. 

Science

Middle School Science is based on in-depth investigations of the natural world. Students participate in inquiry-based units of study where they ask questions, make hypotheses, gather evidence, and share their findings. These investigations create a foundation of science knowledge that students will build upon in high school and beyond. Students explore topics within the core fields of earth, life, physical and chemical sciences, and engage in activities that spark curiosity and promote their interests. Taking on authentic problems, students will interpret data and use evidence to support their scientific conclusions. By the time students leave Middle School, they will be able to create and conduct scientific experiments independently, including analyzing their data and presenting their discoveries.

Spanish

Our language program is geared toward increasing tools for interpersonal communication and fostering a global perspective. It addresses the 5Cs: communication, culture, connections between disciplines, comparisons between languages, and communities of language speakers. Our language program focuses on Spanish because it is a language that students encounter in daily life in New York City. Middle School Spanish becomes more immersive over the course of the three years. We expect students to be able to engage as fully as possible with the people they encounter; our aim is for students to be proficient Spanish speakers by the end of Middle School.

Open Work

Middle school students have many opportunities to follow their interests and delve into independent projects across the curriculum. Examples may include research projects on civilizations during the Middle Ages, exploration and creation of an object based on colonial craft-making techniques, or a multimedia presentation on a civil justice issue. Students also explore areas outside of the curriculum through weekly independent work time. Projects may include writing a literary magazine, creating a Rube Goldberg machine, or researching a topic of interest. Students also participate in electives on a variety of topics such as: fiber arts, zine-making, running, spike ball, and musical script-writing.

Advisory

Each student is a member of a small advisory group that provides ongoing academic and social support. Advisory groups ensure that all students are connected to one of the adults in the community as well as to a smaller subset of their peers. We address the developmental needs of each student by assisting them in being well-organized, comfortable with routine study practices, responsible for their own work, and respectful in their social interactions. Advisory is also a place where we attend to the needs of the ever-changing social sphere of young adolescents. Students meet with their advisory once a week.

Independent Work

Middle school students have many opportunities to follow their interests and delve into independent projects across the curriculum. Examples may include research projects on civilizations during the Middle Ages, current events presentations on topics of interest, or a multimedia presentation on a civil justice issue. Students also explore areas outside of the curriculum through weekly independent work time as well as electives.

Health and Wellness

Our health curriculum addresses the physical, social, and emotional stages of early adolescence. The focus is on providing students with clear information regarding adolescent development and answering questions they may have. Students discuss their changing bodies, interpersonal relationships, and issues of self-identity.

Greene Hill School High School Prep

High School Prep

Students graduating from Greene Hill are prepared to attend any of the broad range of excellent NYC high schools, both independent and public. Our commitment to instilling critical-thinking enables our students to think deeply, communicate effectively, and transition to high school smoothly. In seventh grade, we offer a formalized high school preparation program so that students are ready to take any necessary standardized tests in eighth grade. In addition, we support students in their collection of any portfolio materials they may need. Our small size enables us to support families in the high school admissions process and advocate on behalf of our graduates with high school admissions officers. Our graduates attend a wide range of selective public, independent, boarding, parochial and charter schools.