Students at this Level
Adolescence is an age of explosive growth and change-physically, socially, emotionally, and intellectually. Our Montessori Middle School blended with the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme challenges students to reach beyond themselves and their communities to the world-at-large through programs with other schools, peer cultural interaction, and guest lecturers.
The Montessori Method and Westwood Middle School
According to Dr. Maria Montessori, the focus of education for students at this level should help them find their place in society. They want meaningful ways to contribute, real-world work opportunities, and chances to truly plan and test their ideas. Socially, they want to be a part of a community and feel secure in building their skills as leaders.
International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (MYP)
As part of the IB Programme, our students produce a portfolio of their work including process journals and reflection journals as they undertake projects.
The Westwood School core curriculum offers in-depth work in the following areas:
Literature and Language Arts: Westwood fosters a love of language at all levels. In Middle School, the emphasis is on reading and critical analysis of literature.
The study of classics such as The Odyssey, Beowulf, Fahrenheit 451, and works by William Shakespeare, empowers our students to understand some of the basic questions and challenges of life. As they explore how literary characters handle various circumstances and challenges, students can apply these lessons to their own lives.
Creative writing and publication, formal research and documentation, oral communication, and vocabulary enrichment using “What’s the Word?” and Latin study 
complete the curriculum.
Continued involvement in the annual performance of a Shakespeare play is also part of the Middle School Literature and Language Arts program as students experience the challenge of producing classic plays. Learn more about Shakespeare University.
Mathematics: This course is designed to develop within each student a positive attitude toward mathematics as well as an appreciation for the usefulness of the subject. Further, the course raises the awareness of how mathematics has influenced cultures and perspectives of societies throughout history, providing knowledge of the international dimensions and multiculturalism of the subject.
MYP math courses integrate the five branches of mathematics-number theory, geometry, algebra, statistics, and probability-as well as discrete mathematics.
Science: Part of a completely integrated curriculum, the MYP science curriculum extends 
students’ learning experiences to current events and scientific concepts and discoveries on a global level. Students apply the scientific method-collect, graph, and interpret data from laboratory investigations-and participate in a variety of competitive projects.
During their Middle School years, students study Sanitation and Safety, Life Science, Dissection, Geology, Botany, Human Anatomy and Physiology, Physical Science, Chemistry, Meteorology, and Ecology.
Further, competition in the national engineering contest, Future City, provides students with a thorough knowledge of city planning, energy production, medicine, housing, economics, agriculture, and waste management for future generations.
Social Studies and History: This course integrates social studies concepts of geography, history, cultural studies, economics, and political systems, moving
chronologically from the Middle Ages through the 20th Century. In-depth study is made of the Civil War, World War I, and World War II, including causes and consequences. Weekly current event sharing encourages lively discussion.
Throughout the course, students use technology to research and present information. Emphasis is placed on the recurring themes of interconnectedness and patterns in history as well as the impact of the forcible occurrences of cultural changes.
Foreign Languages: Latin Book Two of the Cambridge Latin Course facilitates continued study of the history of the Roman Empire and its occupation of Great Britain. Emphasis is placed on translation and acquisition of vocabulary as well as grammar.
- Spanish Students continue their command of the language at this stage, practicing their skills through conversation and exercises in writing and grammar. Special cultural units further understanding of cultural authenticity and students’ knowledge of the Hispanic world.
- Mandarin Oral exercises as well as literature bring a deeper understanding of China and its history.
Physical Education: Students at this level continue daily outdoor or gym activity. In formal classes, they continue to hone their skills in volleyball, basketball, badminton, and other group activities. They begin to establish individual programs for Core Athleticism that will enable them to participate in any athletic endeavor.
The focus in class is to learn new skills, to treat others with respect, to honor sportsmanship and fair play, and to have as much participation as possible. Students become competent in a variety of activities, thereby increasing the likelihood of being 
active for life.
Visual Art: Students increase their ability to translate visions to various media by studying perspective, light, and other visual concepts. Their portfolios include examples of their proficiency in still life, weaving, pottery, and watercolor as they meet the challenges of self-expression.
Music: At this level, the emphasis is on reading music and composition. Recognition of different styles and pieces of music helps students to find common themes among musical works. Classroom competitions organized to identify works and compose music based on particular rhythms result in great fun!
Photography: Students learn the basics of composition and light as they create their own photographic records and original works. They also explore the basics of filming and photographing movement in preparation for the Westwood High School film class.
Middle School Trips: The Adventure Leadership Program for Students (ALPS) revolves 
around the idea that both the urban and the outdoor world are worthy of exploration.
The program offers students a broad array of urban and outdoor experiences (e.g., rock climbing, SCUBA diving, and wilderness trips) that challenge them to safely push and expand their emotional, mental, and physical boundaries to develop the skill of collaborative decision-making and to reflect on and develop their own style of leadership.
Urban trips take the students to an American historical site, such as Washington, D.C. or Boston.
