Curriculum
Loiederman Middle School's curriculum includes all of the regular MCPS middle school curriculum, as well as a number of accelerated courses and specialized arts courses. Students currently take 8 classes, divided into a block schedule.
Like any other middle school student, Loiederman students will take English, math, science, world studies, and physical education/health. Many students take a reading course, and students who need additional support in math or reading may take a class that meets daily. All 6th graders take an introductory arts course called Perspectives in the Fine Arts. In addition, students may choose from a number of electives in their sixth, seventh, and eighth grade years, including Spanish, Spanish for Spanish Speakers, Visual Art, Theater, Reader's Theater, Dance, Choral Music, Instrumental Music, and Digital Music.
Course Sequence and Offerings
A number of Loiederman courses are designed to accelerate the MCPS Middle School curriculum, both to provide more academic rigor for students and to offer them a chance to take several high school credit or high school preparatory classes. Students are not required to take any of these courses, but are encouraged to do so if their parents or teachers make that recommendation. These accelerated classes include:
- AP Preparatory United States History, an accelerated 8th grade history course designed to prepare students to take Advanced Placement coursework in high school
- English Acceleration for eighth graders
- Algebra 1, Geometry, and Algebra 2 with Analysis, which are math courses traditionally taken in the 9th, 10th, and 11th grades
- Spanish 1, Spanish 2, Spanish 3, Spanish for Spanish Speakers 1, and Spanish for Spanish Speakers 2
- Fundamentals of Art, Theater 1, Concert Band, Concert Orchestra, Chorus, and Dance as a Fine Art
Students may receive high school credit for all of these courses except the AP Preparatory US History course. Below is the full list of courses offered at Loiederman Middle School as of the 2007-2008 school year. Please note that courses marked with an asterisk are courses for which a student may receive high school credit. Click on the image for a larger, more readable version.
Arts Curriculum
Every student at Loiederman takes a sixth grade arts survey course, Perspectives in the Fine Arts. While most MCPS sixth graders take a survey course of different art forms, Perspectives students experience dance, art, theatre and music all within the same space. Students explore these different forms of creative and performing arts while developing skills of observation and personal response to art, art criticism, creative expression, and understanding of the historical, cultural, and social context of art. Students are also able to specialize in one or two art forms through their elective courses. The images below outline the themes in the various arts courses offered at Loiederman.
Visual Arts
Dance
Instrumental Music
Instrumental Music for 6th Graders
- Band 6
- Beginning Band
- Orchestra
Beginning Band
- Piano
- Clarinet
- Violin
- Trumpet
- Percussion
Vocal Music
Theatre
Perspectives in the Fine Arts
