Crest Middle School

All students at Crest Middle School are required to take core courses. These courses consist of Mathematics, Science, Language Arts, and Social Studies. An outline of goals and requirements for each course is provided by the North Carolina Standard Course of Study. Teachers use the NCSCS as a guide for instruction.

Our school uses the Saxon math series along with other supplemental materials in the 6th grade. This series is based on the philosophy that students learn by doing and concepts are not learned when introduced but by practicing and repetition of the concept within practice sets. Students advance through this series based on their abilities and skill mastery. Our 7th and 8th grade math students use the Holt Middle School Math series. Advanced math students have the opportunity to complete Algebra I while at Crest Middle School.

Our Language Arts (Communication Skills) teachers use a variety of materials and methods. Teachers combine Four Blocks, the McDougal-Littell Language Arts Curriculum, and their own personal style of teaching to organize their available classroom time. Four Blocks is composed of four communications components that integrates the reading and writing curriculum. The four components are Teacher Read Aloud, Self-Selected Reading (which includes Teacher-Directed Reading), Writing and Reading Connection and Word Skills. Teachers use Accelerated Reader and Reading Plus Software for enrichment and additional skills practice.

Middle School social studies focus on three areas of world culture, history, and geography. Sixth grade curriculum is based on a study of ancient civilizations, economy, government, culture, and the physical environments of the people in Europe and Northern Asia. The seventh grade curriculum is based on a study of the historical foundations, traditions, geography, and the modern culture of Africa, Asia, and the Pacific Realm. Eighth grade curriculum is based on a study of North Carolina within the history of the American nation. Their study spans the national experience, beginning with the founding of the Carolina colony and reaching into contemporary times.

Throughout the science curriculum in all three grades there are four basic strands or unifying themes that relate the science context: the nature of science, science as inquiry, science and technology, and science in personal and social perspectives. The focus for sixth grade is Patterns and Cycles which includes a study of the lithosphere, ecosystems, solar system, and energy. The focus for seventh grade is Interactions and Limits which includes understanding the atmosphere, cell theory, heredity, genetics, and matter. The focus for eighth grade is Constancy and Change which includes a study of the hydrosphere, population dynamics, constancy and change in organisms and landforms, and motion and forces.

For a more detailed look at our curriculum, including links to NC Standard Course of Studies by subject and Teaching Teams click on the appropriate grade level below.

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Crest Middle School

315 Beaver Dam Church Road

Shelby, NC 28152

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