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As our oldest students continue to advance in their studies at Christ the Teacher Catholic School, they are also preparing intellectually and spiritually for life in high school and beyond. The 6th, 7th, and 8th grades, also known as the Upper Cluster, change classes for each subject area, allowing the students to interact with many different teachers and groups of learners. The Upper Cluster participates in a one-to-one technology initiative with the students having personal Chromebooks that they bring to and from school each day. Through the use of the Google Education suite of products, technology is woven into each subject area. Students also choose from more than twenty electives that give the students an opportunity to study or participate in new activities throughout the year.
Topics of Study, Special Programs, and Traditions for Grades 6 to 8 include:
Grade 6:
- Religion curriculum focuses on the Old Testament and Sacred Scripture
- Diversity Club membership is open to students in Grades 6 to 8
- Grades earned in sixth grade begin the process for high school eligibility
- Grades earned in sixth grade help students to become eligible for the CTTCS Honor Society in seventh-grade
- Social Studies lessons focus on the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, China, Greece, and Rome
- Field trips to Dover for Vocation Awareness Day and Fort Delaware for a Delaware history lesson
- Science focus is on scientific inquiry, ecology, forces, and energy
- Participation in essay writing contests
Grade 7:
- Students become eligible for participation in the CTTCS Honor Society
- Focus on preparation for high school becomes greater with seventh grade report cards being sent to high schools at the beginning of eighth grade
- Religion curriculum focuses on the life and teachings of Jesus
- Field trip to historic Philadelphia with visits to the Constitution Center, the Liberty Bell, and Independence Hall
- Participation in the United States Constitution Amendment Project
- Science focus is on the diversity of life, cells, and heredity
- Learning to write research papers and participation in essay contests sponsored by Mary Knoll and the Anti-Defamation League
- Seventh graders are introduced to long-term studying through final exams
Grade 8:
- Students work with the Assistant Principal on goal-setting through the lens of high school preparation as they explore their options for selecting and previewing various schools
- Students are trained and certified in CPR
- In preparation for high school, eighth graders have research papers, mid-terms, and finals
- Religion curriculum focuses on the history of the Catholic Church and modern Catholic faith teachings
- Field trip to Washington, D.C.
- Science focus is on an introduction to chemistry, physics, and biology
- Collaborative reading of Night, by Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor
- End of year spiritual retreat in preparation for high school