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Academics » Academics » Middle School » DMS CurriculumDMS CurriculumArts and Enrichment | Community Service | Language Arts | Math Outdoor Education | Physical Education and Sports | Science Shop Classes | Social Studies | Spanish | Study Skills Arts and EnrichmentAfternoon classes are structured around enrichment experiences that encourage students to develop their creative, moral, and problem-solving faculties. Every afternoon, students of all grade levels receive instruction in visual and performing arts including music, performance, and visual arts, as well as unique courses including calligraphy, mask-making, block printing, cartooning, radio theater and more. Professional musicians, dramatists, and artists from the community teach many of these classes. On Fridays, two-house workshop-style electives range widely across the diverse interests of our faculty and visiting artists. A typical year of Friday offerings might include yoga, fly-casting, bird watching, kite building, HTML programming, doll making, sewing, model making, and local history. 
Students have a chance every afternoon to receive instruction in any number of artistic endeavors
Community ServiceThrough our mandatory community service program students learn the meaning of "service". Our students visit convalescent homes, volunteer in social service agencies, and support holiday charities. 
Community service is mandatory and
often involves visiting senior citizens Language ArtsThe language arts curriculum involves a three-year program integrating thinking, listening, speaking , language, reading and writing. This program is coordinated with the social studies themes of ancient civilizations, American studies, and world history. Student writing is collected in portfolios so that progress can be evaluated and recognized. Students learn through reading journals, writing groups, acting, cooperative projects, discussions and other creative activities. 
Students have a number of writing and research projects throughout the year involving all areas of study at school
MathQuestions – Connections – Experience. Questions are at the heart of DMS mathematics classes. The middles school years are very important years for asking questions that waken students to the wonders of mathematics. Over three years of sequenced studies students explore numbers, computation, measurement, geometry, patterns and functions, statistics and probability, logical reasoning, algebra, and discrete math. Outdoor EducationDMS takes two Outdoor Education trips per year. During the week long fall trip, students hike and study in places such as the Mojave Desert, Sierra Nevadas, or Santa Catalina. The spring trip usually centers on exploring the unique mountain and coastal areas of Santa Barbara County and the Los Padres National Forest. Depending on the year, activities include hiking, backpacking, and climbing, camping, snorkeling, kayaking and ecological study. Physical Education and SportsOur sports and P.E. programs are built around the principle that children at this age have widely varying physical abilities and interests, some competitive, some not. The P.E. requirement may be met through competitive team sports or through P.E. class. The P.E. class has a rotating emphasis on primarily non-competitive exercise and conditioning activities such as biking, jogging, swimming, climbing and track and field. The Dunn School campus has exceptional year round athletic facilities. Depending on student interest and ability, girls and boys may have the opportunity to participate in volleyball, basketball, tennis, softball and track at the Santa Ynez Valley Middle School League level. 
In P.E. students learn how to pass in Lacrosse
ScienceDuring their three years, students learn the methods of science with the freedom to follow topics wherever they lead. Emphasis is always on first-hand observation, asking open questions, doing independent experiments, keeping careful records, and writing proper lab reports. The DMS science lab is also the school workshop and students are often called upon to improvise and build their own lab equipment for experiments. Graduates of our science program are regular winners in local science fairs and a significant number pursue their studies in college and beyond. 
Students are encouraged to build their own equipment,
such as this giant catapult, for Science experiments Shop classesStudents take beginning and intermediate levels of drafting, research and development and tools and materials classes. Students gain a safe level of comfort and skills with hand tools, plans and drawings, and project planning. They create everything from skim boards to carved spoons. Social StudiesSocial studies investigate the place of humans in history, politics, geography, culture and religion. First person perspectives are emphasized with primary historical documents, moral dilemmas, simulations, journals, and dramatizations. Twice a year, students undertake month-long research projects. Spring research projects culminate in our Spring Festival with costumes, presentations, food, and fun. SpanishThe Spanish program is a two-year program that surveys basic skills learned in a Spanish I course at the high school level. The goals is to expose students to fundamental grammar and vocabulary through creative activities and exercises. Hands on projects, such as the annual El Mercado (marketplace) entails exploration of Latin American and Hispanic cultures. 
The annual El Mercado is a celebration of Spanish-
speaking countries and Latin culture Study SkillsEvery sixth grade student is required to take Study Skills to help them organize their homework, to benefit from individual and group assistance, and hone their "studentship" — the groundwork for future academic success. This course covers learning styles, relaxation and concentration techniques. Practice includes test taking strategies, short and long term planning, problems solving, note taking, and cooperative work. 
Students are encouraged to study and assist
each other in groups in all subjects back to top |
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Dunn School | P.O. Box 98 Los Olivos, CA 93441 (805) 688-6471 | Fax (805) 686-2078 | email: admissions@dunnschool.org |
