English Language Arts

Metropolitan is excited to launch the new ELA curriculum resource – Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s (HMH) Into Literature series. Into Literature is a Language Arts curriculum that is a comprehensive, standards-based core literacy program that engages teachers and students through compelling, real-world content. HMH’s Into HMH Literature 6-12 is designed to foster a longstanding culture of learning that helps students to grow and continue growing year after year.

  • HMH Into Literature 6-12 provides engaging and rigorous texts to build intellectual stamina while developing analytical readers, independent thinkers, and proficient writers. High-interest, relevant materials motivate students and serve to build a growth mindset. The program provides a clear course of study in terms of tools, texts, and choices to support students in achieving mastery and reaching their learning goals.
  • The program was developed with careful attention to principles for quality English language arts instruction: Students are engaged in relevant topics and issues, with opportunities to discuss concepts across subject areas while focusing on the key skills of reading, writing, listening, and speaking in English. Ongoing assessment opportunities can help educators adapt instruction and find those just-right resources for their particular classroom context and learners.
  • HMH Into Literature 6-12 was carefully designed to prepare students for college and careers. Into Literature, resources equip students with active and self-directed learning skills and the lifelong learning mindset needed to thrive. To encourage the culture of collaboration and responsibility demanded by the 21st-century workplace, the program features learning activities that are social, active, and student-owned.

One of the key features of the Into Literature resource is the focus on both writing and presentation skills. In different units, the students are required to complete varied tasks including extended, writing tasks or presentations where students need to successfully bring together what they know about the topic at hand.

To prepare for these tasks, students read, research, discuss, dramatize, draw, and write so that they acquire strong and specific content and background knowledge, as well as the literacy skills that they need to do so. Starting 2022-2023, Middle School students will be organized into flexible learning groups within each grade level, based on their level within the ELA curriculum. The curriculum is designed in a way that as the lessons in each unit progress, the teacher has the opportunity to check in on students’ progress carefully. Students will have multiple opportunities to demonstrate their progress towards or master standards through the various assessment points within the curriculum. Homework set is pre-reading, completion of work for students who need more time to complete tasks, or research/writing tasks.

As students progress into High School, the overall ELA curriculum will include Advanced Placement (AP) course options. In Grade 10 students have the opportunity to select Pre-Advanced Placement English (Pre-AP). The higher-level expectations of this course further prepare students for the required rigor of the AP Language and Composition course (offered to G11 in 2022-2023) and AP Literature and Composition (will be offered to G12 in 2023-2024).  

For further details on the HMH Into Literature materials, visit https://www.hmhco.com/programs/into-literature#overview

 Information on Advanced Placement courses can be found at https://ap.collegeboard.org/

Mathematics

Metropolitan will also launch a new curriculum resource for G6-12 in math, with the introduction of McGraw Hill’s Reveal Math series.

Derived from research on how students learn best, Reveal Math is designed to improve student engagement and deepen student understanding of key math concepts. Reveal Math focuses on conceptual understanding and seeing math as a dynamic set of problem-solving strategies, instead of the application of memorized procedures. To facilitate this process, students must learn key mathematical concepts fully, but then apply what they have learned to real-life problems and use appropriate strategies or procedures to find solutions. Reveal Math provides scaffolded support for students as they learn and multiple ways for students to demonstrate their ongoing learning progress or mastery of concepts.

Reveal Math focuses on the requirements of the Common Core State Standards at each level with the necessary skills to progress to higher level math courses later in High School. Students are provided with online resources through the McGraw Hills learning platform.

As with the ELA curriculum, High School provides opportunities for students to study math courses leading to their specific college majors. Grade 11 students this year will choose between Advanced Algebra and Pre-Calculus, with the option of Statistics and Accounting or Calculus for those students in grade 12. AP Calculus AB, a college-level course, will be introduced in the 2024-2025 academic year, based on student readiness and interest.

Information on Reveal Math resources can be found at https://www.mheducation.com/prek-12/program/reveal-math-k-12/MKTSP-GIP20M0.html Information on Advanced Placement courses can be found at https://ap.collegeboard.org/

Science

The science curriculum in middle school and high school is aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)—the most broadly adopted science standards in the United States. Designed by a partnership between the National Research Council, the National Science Teachers Association, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and others, these standards employ a three-dimensional learning model that emphasizes science practices, science content, and crosscutting concepts. These standards provide more than just a comprehensive understanding of science content. They also help students to develop skills such as communication, collaboration, inquiry, problem-solving, and flexibility—which are transferable across disciplines and highly sought after in the global marketplace.

HMH Science Dimensions

The HMH Science Dimensions curriculum is designed so that our middle school students master the science of our time. The curriculum consists of 12 topical modules that cover Earth Science, Life Science, Physical Science, and Engineering.

HMH Science

In high school, the HMH Science curriculum provides meaningful learning experiences to prepare students for college and beyond. Our dynamic program offers students courses in Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science (will be offered in 2023-2024), and Physics. As students progress into the upper-grade levels of high school, science offerings will include Advanced Placement (AP) course options.

Arabic

At Metropolitan we focus on setting a strong Arabic language foundation from an early age. Students are exposed to Arabic literature, poems, and heritage.

Objectives of the Arabic curriculum:

1) To instill a love of learning a language, developing strong presentation skills from an early age, and comprehending the intricacies of the Egyptian language.

2) ensure students can read and write proficiently and communicate with others using correct Arabic terms and expressions.

3) To develop an artistic taste for language and understand all aspects of the uniqueness of the language.

4) To develop the student’s handwriting and dictation skills.

5) To aid the students in comprehending the complexity of Arabic grammar.

The objectives are met through:

1) Reading Arabic stories and the syllabus

2) Reading and interpreting Arabic sayings, adages, and proverbs

3)  Rules of dictation

4)  Composition and reading paragraphs

5)  Planning for free reading

6)  Lesson practices

7)  Activities and exams

French

In Metropolitan we believe foreign language programs should be available to all students. Foreign language acquisition provides the vision and skills necessary to be a global citizen and develops critical thinking skills. We offer the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, often referred to as CEFR or CEFRL.

The CEFR/CEFRL is an international guideline used to describe the achievements of learners of foreign languages. It was established by the Council of Europe. Its main aim is to provide a method of learning, teaching, and assessing.

The CEFR/CEFRL defines levels of language proficiency that allow learners’ progress to be measured at each stage; Basic, Independent, and Proficient. These broad bands are further broken down into six global levels of performance A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, and C2. Each global level can be further ‘branched’ into sublevels in order to suit local needs and yet still relate back to a common system. It describes the skills and knowledge that language learners need to communicate effectively through understanding (listening and reading), speaking (production and interaction), and writing.

The approach of the CEFRL develops the KG1-Grade 12 curriculum for French foreign language programs and professional learning resources and facilitates the DELF assessment and certification. DELF (Diplôme d’Etudes en Langue Française, Diploma in French Language Studies) is a Life-long certification awarded by the French Ministry of Education to certify the competency of candidates from outside France in the French language.