Pre-K - Grade 9 Curriculum at The Fessenden School

Students are exposed to a wide variety of both physical and cultural geographical information, all while attempting to answer the question, “How does geography play a role in cultural development?” The course focuses on the Middle East and East Asia. Students explore how imperialism and colonization have historically shaped these regions, while simultaneously looking at current events which highlight each area in order to gain a better appreciation for what is going on in the world around them today. 

While technology is appropriately woven into the fabric of our entire Middle School curriculum, we also offer the following courses: ​Ciongoli Center for Innovation Bootcamp (Gr. 5) and Middle Makers (Gr. 6). Each semester-long course, taught in the Ciongoli Center for Innovation, consists of a series of “design challenges” created to familiarize students with the tools and applications most frequently used in the CCI — design software, 3D printers, programming, coding, vinyl cutters, and other design and fabrication tools. Students track their progress through the use of a digital portfolio.

Explore Fessenden’s Ciongoli Center for Innovation

Middle School English classes use a collaborative teaching style to help students become effective communicators. The curriculum supports students as they increase their reading and writing skills and learn to read and write with expanded interpretation and craft. Strategies for bridging the gap between literal and inferential understanding of texts are taught, modeled, and practiced throughout the year. Techniques for crafting well-written stories, essays, and reports are explored and applied to a variety of writing pieces. The ability to communicate thoughts, ideas, opinions, and knowledge is further supported through grammar study and vocabulary building. Study skills are also a strong focus of the program as students work to develop time management, public speaking, research, and test preparation skills.

The Middle School Latin curriculum provides an introduction to Latin vocabulary and grammar while exposing students to the history and culture of the Ancient Mediterranean. Students engage with the language actively. Alongside the traditional activities of reading and translating, they also listen to, speak, and write in Latin each day. Students build up a Latin vocabulary of several hundred words and phrases and learn fundamental grammar, much of which is relevant not only to Latin, but also to English and other foreign languages. 

The Middle School librarian collaborates with teachers to integrate library and information skills across the curriculum. The librarian also works directly with students to help develop the skills of creativity, critical thinking, communication and collaboration, as well as the character qualities of mindfulness, curiosity, courage, resilience, ethics, and leadership. Students are supported in the research and inquiry process with curated resources, and they receive lessons on note taking, citation, and evaluation of print and web-based materials. They are also assisted in organizing knowledge, creating content, and pursuing their personal reading interests.

Explore Fessenden’s Wheeler Library.

Grade 5 and Grade 6 Life and Leadership are social-emotional learning courses designed to help students develop essential life skills. Students increase self-awareness and learn strategies to manage their emotions and make responsible decisions. Interactive activities such as role playing, games, and simulations are used to engage students and help them apply the concepts they are learning. Group discussions allow students to share their experiences, perspectives, and insights with one another. Individual reflection exercises, such as journaling and self-assessments, help students identify their own strengths and areas for growth. 

Topics covered in the course include naming emotions, managing stress, setting goals, and building positive relationships with others. The course concludes with a service learning unit where students engage in topics concerning homelessness, food and clothing insecurity, and hygiene. Parents volunteer to help students address these issues in the local community.

Our Middle School’s Math in Focus program is an authentic Singapore Math® curriculum. It places problem solving at the center of math learning and teaches mathematical concepts progressing from concrete to pictorial to abstract through real-world, hands-on experiences.

Grade 5 math focuses on fraction relationships, the number system, expressions and equations, decimals and the four operations, and geometry. Fessenden students in Grade 5 tackle two large project-based learning units throughout the year in conjunction with their science, social studies, English, and language courses. 

In Grade 6, the emphasis is on positive and negative numbers, rational and irrational numbers, ratios, rates, proportions, and challenging problem solving. The course also uses visual modalities  such as bar models and number lines that lead students to use variables in algebraic expressions, equations, inequalities, and formulas.

Teachers make math fun by challenging boys to use their skills to answer real-world questions. Students might be asked to figure out if a billion one dollar bills could fit in the classroom, or to calculate how much rain would fall on our 41-acre campus if we got two inches of rain.

Boys attending Fessenden’s Middle School are encouraged to explore a variety of musical pursuits before honing and focusing their talents when they reach the Upper School. Our talented teachers, many respected musicians in their own right, help guide and inspire our boys every step of the way.

Middle School Music Courses

• Chorus
• Middle School Band
• Orchestra
• Percussion Ensemble
• String Ensemble
• Private Instrumental Lessons

Middle School science uses a hands-on approach to encourage students’ curiosity and wonder about the world around them, while introducing them to a scientific way of understanding the phenomena they observe. Through this active learning method students build key skills such as scientific thinking, observation, analysis, and reporting.

In Grade 5, Fessenden students are asked to contemplate their "Place in the World”, covering topics such as ecology, birds, magnetism and electricity. Students develop the skills required to conduct their own investigations and analyze the data. They also develop and sharpen the critical thinking skills necessary to formulate their own hypotheses and ideas about how they can influence the natural world around them. Emphasis is placed on collaborative group project-based learning with multiple opportunities for the boys to work in small groups on real world science scenarios.

Grade 6 students explore the central question, “What is going on inside my body?” They develop an understanding of all of the human body systems and how they are incorporated into the amazingly dynamic human-machine. Students also explore foundational topics of the sciences field including the scientific method and metric system. Additionally, Grade 6 students participate in an intensive Engineering and Structures unit, culminating in a bridge design challenge. During the final third of the year, students explore the ways in which humans rely on water resources to sustain life. Students trace the human relationship with water through both fresh and saltwater ecosystems and contemplate our broad impact on the Hydrosphere. 

The title of this course, Statehood & The Nation State, refers to how the character of nation-states reflects that of its individuals. Through a thematic exploration of self-interest, students reckon with mistakes nation-states (a collective of individuals) have made across generations and how they dealt with the consequences. Critical thinking skills are paramount as students grapple with the nuances of economic systems and forms of government, while asking themselves, “How do decision-makers wield their power?” Accountability can be an effective check against self-interest, but our study demonstrates that accountability has not always been applied equally across race, gender, and socioeconomic status. To apply the knowledge and skills students have curated, the curriculum culminates in two year-end collaborative projects: Create Your Own Country and Diplomacy (a geopolitical simulation designed to give students the experience to "run" a nation-state in teams).

Students in the Middle School learn the Spanish language and study various Latin American cultures primarily through reading and storytelling. The focus is on communication using the most common vocabulary words and sentence structures in the language. Boys engage in an active learning process of reading, writing, and acting out short stories in Spanish as they develop their listening and speaking skills within an appropriate context. The lessons are presented in Spanish and carefully designed to develop communication skills in the target language.

Middle School theater arts at Fessenden introduces students to the practical techniques and strategies of theatrical performance. In Grade 5, boys explore units on theater games, improvisation, and basic stagecraft refining their performance skills through theater games and improvisation exercises. The course culminates with the boys taking the stage in a Grade 5 dramatic production, showcasing all they have learned. By Grade 6, boys move on to writing short one-act plays. Working in small groups starting with a simple prompt, the boys refine their plots, dialogue, and characters to compete for the opportunity to have their play produced onstage at the end of the course.

Explore Fessenden’s Theatre Arts Program.

In Middle School, boys explore a variety of visual art mediums such as drawing, painting, three-dimensional sculpture, and ceramics. Boys express their thoughts with images, colors, and textures through an iterative process, and articulate their process through verbal reflection. They also have opportunities to showcase their work to the Fessenden community throughout the school year.

Explore Fessenden’s Visual Arts Program.

Fessenden’s English Language Learners (ELL) program can accommodate two levels of English speakers: intermediate and upper-intermediate. ELL boys take English literature, English language, world and U.S. history, and field study courses designed to accommodate their language proficiency. All ELL students take math and science classes, as well as electives, clubs, and affinity groups with their grade-level Fessenden peers.

Explore Fessenden’s English Language Learners Program.

Athletics are an integral and required part of the Fessenden educational experience. We offer 16 team and individual sports at the interscholastic, intramural, and recreational levels in the fall, winter, and spring. From mountain biking to sailing, hockey, soccer, football, basketball, and many more, our offerings for Middle School boys are unparalleled.

Explore Fessenden’s Middle School Athletics Program.

Homeroom teachers also serve as Middle School students’ advisors. Boys meet with their advisors for support in navigating any academic, social, or life challenges they might encounter.

Fessenden students who share a common identity, purpose, or interest are invited to join any of the faculty led affinity and multicultural groups designed for their age-group. 

Explore Fessenden’s Affinity and Multicultural Groups.

The Middle School Club program offerings range from Beach Chair Book Club to rock climbing, to escape room challenge The diverse offerings of the program allow boys to further pursue academic, athletic, or social interests. Our independent boys school also encourages students to develop their own ideas for clubs and to pursue faculty mentorship.

Explore Fessenden’s Middle School Clubs.