Upper School Division (Grades 7, 8, and 9)
Berkshire Country Day School’s Upper School consist of Grades 7, 8, and 9
Highlights
- Curriculum engages and challenges students’ minds while preparing them intellectually, socially, and personally for secondary school and beyond
- Students gain fundamental skills for successful learning: research, critical analysis, organization, listening, speaking, and writing across integrated curriculum areas
- Modern Foreign Language classes conducted entirely in the learned language; Latin as the second required foreign language. Students garner impressive scores on the National Latin Examination
- English classes focus on short stories, poetry, ancient and modern classics, Shakespeare, novels, and essays, with writing assignments focused on descriptive, narrative, and expository prose, poetry, and analytical essays
- History curriculum stresses analysis and understanding of American history through Reconstruction (Grade 7), the shaping of Western society and the development of European culture (Grade 8), and modern world history (Grade 9)
- Rich and expansive arts program (visual, industrial, choral, instrumental, and theatrical)
- Film program using state-of-the-art, industry leading video cameras and editing work stations
- Lab-based science curriculum with physics (Grade 7), physical science (Grade 8), and biology (Grade 9)
- Accelerated Math concentrating on pre-algebra, algebra, and geometry. The geometry course is based upon extensive use of technology, using the Geometer’s Sketchpad software
- Extended curriculum-based field trips
- After-school team sports: soccer, basketball, alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, and lacrosse
- Student access to teachers with a strong advisory program in which faculty members monitor their advisee’s academic and personal progress, and counsel and advocate for success
- Student leadership and citizenship is developed through membership in Student Council and a variety of service learning projects
