Exploris Middle School - Curriculum and Structure

			207 East Hargett St. Raleigh , NC 27601 Telephone: 919.821.3168 Fax: 919.836.9768 Email:School@exploris.org

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Curriculum & Structure

Background:
Exploris Middle School, chartered as an independent public school in 1996, is a division of the Programs Department of Exploris, a global museum complex in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina. The school opened its first year with only one group of sixth grade students, added a seventh grade the next year, and became a full middle school in its third year of operation.

Admissions are based on a lottery system. There are no academic requirements for admission. Siblings of current students or children of staff members are admitted automatically.

Basic Structure:
Each grade level consists of sixty students, four core teachers, and a suite of two classrooms with full Internet wiring and ten multimedia computers. Although there are no "homerooms," each core teacher has responsibility for a Prime Group of fifteen students. These groups meet daily, with the teacher taking responsibility for assessment, parent notification, and general student support of his or her particular group.

In addition, an administrator runs the office, serves as test coordinator and parent contact, and teaches one class of algebra. A cross-categorical resource teacher, two world language teachers - French and Spanish - and one Health and Well-Being teacher round out the staff at the school. The administrative leadership of the school is comprised of a Director of Students and Faculty who oversees the day-to-day functioning of the school and leads the faculty. The Vice President for Programs serves as a liaison between the school and museum and the President of the Exploris is the school's Executive Director. Both are responsible for setting policy and strategy.

Themes:
Exploris Middle School curriculum is based on Exploris' understanding of how young adolescents learn best. With an integrated, interdisciplinary approach in all areas other than mathematics, Exploris strives to create independent learners, critical and creative thinkers, and active and responsible participants in a global society. As a division of Exploris Museum, whose mission is to engage people in our changing and interconnected world, the school's global focus is strengthened by the availability of the museum's global exhibits, programs and films.

Academic disciplines and basic skills are approached through broad-based themes and projects. Teachers base the direction of the themes on four areas: a school matrix that outlines broad categories for learning in each grade level, questions students ask about themselves and their world at the beginning of each year, National and State Standard Courses of Study, and teacher specialties and interests. Thus, while the broad themes in each grade level might be similar from year to year, the specific design of the theme is not.

Each grade level plans its four or five yearly themes using a common theme-planning guide. The themes each include components incorporating language arts, social studies, science, the arts, and if possible, a connection with the museum. Students are generally required to complete an individual, small group, and a large group project during each theme. During the daily "theme time, " instruction usually involves research, group activities, and independent work time. The more traditional, teacher-directed lessons occur, as they are needed.