Middle School

Below are the semester elective courses (and their descriptions) that are offered at Northern Lights ABC for the 2025-26 School year.

 

Biology Animals of the World: Students will explore the diversity of the animal kingdom by region and biology, study animal behavior, classification, and adaptations, and learn about conservation efforts around the globe.

 

Debate: Students explore multiple perspectives and research and defend a variety of positions and issues while developing strong reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills. The study and practice of academic debate will strengthen various language arts and civic skills, including: argument construction, evidence analysis and evaluation, organization, outlining, persuasion, effective word choice, citation, research competence, media literacy, reading comprehension, summarization and outlining, public speaking, ethics and civility.

 

Literature and Recreational Reading: 7^th and 8^th graders are exploring Literacy and Recreational Reading by voting on and reading books as a group. We engage with the books through deep, group discussions of plot, vocabulary, theme, literary devices, and collectively answering questions related to any of the above. Students work in groups to create projects related to the books, and guest speakers from the community are invited to talk to the class about topics related to the books (i.e. If we read a mystery novel, a detective may discuss solving crimes). In the Fall 2025 Semester, students voted for The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin and Alone by Megan Freeman. What will we read next!?

 

Spanish 1B (year-long): This is the second year of Middle School Spanish designed to give students a general overview of Latin American culture and the Spanish language. We will be singing, dancing, cooking, learning about geography, planning trips, and exploring the culture and language of Latin America and Spain. The emphasis in this class is on basic communication and cultural etiquette in the present tense with vocabulary building through interactive activities and projects. 

 

World Cultures: Students learn about different societies around the globe by exploring how geography, history, government, and economics have shaped their distinct traditions and ways of life. Students compare these diverse global cultures to their own to develop a broader understanding of the world and appreciate its rich variety. Lessons use interactive and hands-on activities, covering topics like food, celebrations, and language.