By the sixth grade, students are well into the “logic” stage of the classical curriculum. Junior high school students begin to show more interest in the “Why?” behind the facts. Students are capable of forming abstract thoughts and detecting causal relationships between topics. During these years, children are challenged to rationally explain a particular fact, connect it to another related idea, or even evaluate how significant the fact truly is. Writing composition is a key component of the educational model during these years. Creating thesis statements, paragraph construction, developing supporting evidence, and logically organizing a five-paragraph essay are highly emphasized throughout all of the humanities subjects. Expanding vocabulary is also extremely important in order to handle the rigors of college preparatory, liberal arts High School curriculum. In mathematics, students polish off their algebraic skills in order to take more challenging math courses by the end of high school. Students are also taught how to explain why a particular event or idea in history happened, and why it shaped the way we think today.
Junior High Course of Study
| Grade 6 | Grade 7 | Grade 8 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Theology | Catechesis I Old Testament & Covenants | Catechesis II The Gospels, Acts of the Apostles, & Sacraments | Catechesis III Pauline Letters, Wisdom Literature, & The Church |
| Literature | Good Books I | Good Books II | Good Books III |
| History | Modern History The Making of the Modern World | American History The History of the United States | Church History The Story of the Church |
| Latin | Introduction to Latin | Fundamentals of Latin | Latin I |
| Math | Math in Focus 6 | Math in Focus 7 | Algebra I |
| Science | Earth Science | Astronomy | Physical Science |
| Grammar & Composition | Institute for Excellence in Writing & Analytical Grammar | ||
| Fine Arts | Sacred Music, Art History and Art | ||
| Physical Education | Physical Education or Interscholastic Athletes | ||
Feature: Good Books
This information is taken from our full Mount Royal Academy Humanities Canon_August 2024.pdf . For the Good Books courses, each grade has several required readings, supplemented with with additional novels, short stories, and poems for teachers to choose from. This structure provides both stability and consistency to our curriculum, while allowing our teachers some creative liberty to teach from a place of passion.
| Grade 6 | Grade 7 | Grade 8 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Required |
A Cricket in Times SquareGeorge Selden
Wanderings of OdysseusRosemary Sutcliff
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The GiverLois Lowry
Roll of Thunder, Hear My CryMildred Taylor
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Watership DownRichard Adams
The HobbitJ. R. R. Tolkien
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| Teacher Selection Novels |
A Midsummer Night’s DreamWilliam Shakespeare
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The TempestWilliam Shakespeare
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Twelfth NightWilliam Shakespeare
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The Magician’s NephewC. S. Lewis
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Wind in the WillowsKenneth Grahame
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Little WomenLouisa May Alcott
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Where the Red Fern GrowsWilson Rawls
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Tom SawyerMark Twain
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A Christmas CarolCharles Dickens
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Anne of Green GablesL. M. Montgomery
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Carry on, Mr. BowditchJean Lee Latham
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The Bronze BowElizabeth George Speare
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Tanglewood TalesNathaniel Hawthorne
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The Witch of Blackbird PondElizabeth Speare
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Diary of a Young Girl (the play)Anne Frank
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My Side of the MountainJean Craighead George
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Call of the WildJack London
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Hound of the BaskervillesSir Arthur Conan Doyle
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RedwallBrian Jacques
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Far TravelerRebecca Tingle
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The ChosenChaim Potok
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Golden GobletEloise Jarvis McGraw
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King Arthur and the Knights of the Round TableRoger Lancelyn Green
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Adam of the RoadElizabeth J. Gray
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BambiFelix Salten
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The Adventures of Robin HoodRoger Lancelyn Green
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The Miracle WorkerWilliam Gibson
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Journey to the Center of the EarthJules Verne
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| Teacher Selection Short Stories |
The Legend of Sleepy HollowWashington Irving
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Mythology (excerpts)Edith Hamilton
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Mythology (excerpts)Edith Hamilton
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Rip Van WinkleWashington Irving
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Father Brown MysteriesG. K. Chesterton
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The Gift of the MagiO. Henry
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To Build a FireJack London
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| Teacher Selection Poems |
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy EveningRobert Frost
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The Midnight Ride of Paul RevereHenry Wadsworth Longfellow
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Woods in WinterHenry Wadsworth Longfellow
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The Road Not TakenRobert Frost
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O Captain! My Captain!Walt Whitman
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Rainy DayHenry Wadsworth Longfellow
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Dust of SnowRobert Frost
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As Kingfishers Catch FireGerard Manley Hopkins
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The Wreck of the HesperusHenry Wadsworth Longfellow
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A Prayer in SpringRobert Frost
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When the Year Grows OldEdna St. Vincent Millay
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AftermathHenry Wadsworth Longfellow
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I, TooLangston Hughes
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September, The First Day of SchoolHoward Nemerov
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God’s GrandeurGerard Manley Hopkins
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The DonkeyG. K. Chesterton
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The SchoolboyWilliam Blake
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Death, Be Not ProudJohn Donne
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Casey at the BatErnest Lawrence Thayer
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I Know Why the Caged Bird SingsMaya Angelou
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Composed Upon Westminster BridgeWilliam Wordsworth
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Gathering LeavesRobert Frost
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“Hope” is the Thing with FeathersEmily Dickinson
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The Need of Being Versed in Country ThingsRobert Frost
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Christ’s NativityRobert Southwell
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