Junior High

English includes creative and expository writing, literature, grammar, spelling, vocabulary, and public speaking. Students gain fluency in written expression through writing frequently in a variety of forms, including letters, journals, essays, poems, research reports, speeches, and visual presentations. The focus is on the writing process from start to finish: telling ideas orally, brainstorming, journaling, writing drafts, revising, editing, proofreading, and receiving peer and adult feedback.

A deeper understanding of poetry as craft is built through guided reading and writing. Students often read aloud, present their final work to peers, and publish in-class anthologies.

Students also read a variety of literature throughout the year that is connected to the Humanities topics. They begin to learn to include analysis of themes and symbols, backing up statements with evidence from the text. They engage in discussions and small-group activities to help them understand and enjoy their reading.

Students participate in theme-based studies that inspire engagement through
student-generated data and interdisciplinary connections while working towards individual
mastery of algebraic objectives.

Mathematics includes a consistent emphasis on data collection, exploration, and
representation, as well as a heavy focus on logarithmic phenomena. Students develop skills in
algebraic manipulation while unpacking the mysteries of exponential and radical functions. Adolescents discover and apply properties including: product of powers, power of quotients and power of powers. Radical simplification and denominator rationalization are also explored, as well as
binomial expansion and trinomial factoring with Algebra Tiles and various other methods.

Students have daily independent practice work individually tailored to match their skill level
through the use of IXL’s learning platform.

Humanities is an exploration of the Human Story through integrated studies, with the theme of each year flow from the Odyssey trip. Through these themes, students practice skills such as
discussing, questioning, analyzing, researching, notetaking, outlining, and many forms of writing. Students complete projects that are formal research papers, oral and slideshow presentations, visual timelines, and other creative types of presentations.

Social Studies includes history, anthropology, geography, current events, and
economics. We unveil the human story through lessons and activities and share in the telling
and analyzing through student projects and in-class seminars. Students read from historic texts,
primary sources, and current events magazines and discuss their findings in seminar format. Students are encouraged to ask questions, to create discussion guides, and to answer questions thoughtfully. 

Science includes application of scientific methods and reasoning, building qualitative and quantitative observation and analytical skills, and experimenting within the many scientific fields of study. Students work to understand the development of the practice and philosophy of science over time and connect it to other developments in society.

Outings, visits by experts, land connections, and student-generated data provide rich and meaningful contexts as students engage in various branches of scientific pursuit. Science units cover ecology, sound, waves and light, cell biology, and the nature of science and the scientific method. The format for each unit of study will follow a sequence of direct instruction and guided lab activities for the first three weeks, culminating in a formal assessment. The following three weeks focus on individual research and presentation on a subtopic of the student’s choosing, with the instructor’s guidance.

Junior High students build upon their Elementary 2 Art experience to further develop their understanding of the elements and principles of design, composition, and visual language. Working with a variety of media and working methods, they study both contemporary and historical works of art and culture.

It is important for the adolescent to have an authentic connection to the work they create in order to develop their sense of self and identity and further develop their skills in visual problem solving, self-expression, and appreciation for the world around them.

Junior High students attend art class once per week and are able to participate in Open Art Studio throughout the week. In addition, students have the opportunity to join the Friday Exploration Class that emphasizes trips to local art museums. 

Music & Theatre are performance based. Students continue the ensemble work begun in
Elementary 2 with a connection to their historical studies. Improvisation and scene study are
explored in conjunction with the Interim play.

Junior High students attend music class once per week and are able to participate in Open Music Studio throughout the week. In addition, an all-year elective choir is offered during the school day.

Physical Education offers team and individual sports along with a unit in social dance. An aerobic
and fitness component is a part of every class. Students continue to develop as leaders and
peer teachers by running class warm-ups, arranging teams for play, and coaching in areas of
expertise. 

Junior High students participate in Physical Education twice per week and are able to participate in Open Gym Studio throughout the week. 

Building upon lessons focused on vocabulary expansion and grammatical structures in Elementary 2, Junior High students' French learning shifts toward practical and meaningful communication and cultural connection.

Students explore Francophone cultures in greater depth, reflect on social issues within those cultures, and connect language learning to global citizenship.

To put their lessons in practice, Junior High students have the opportunity to travel to France every other year. 

Junior High students have French class three times per week.

The Odyssey is a two-week bus and camping trip at the beginning of each school year for the entire Junior High class. This experience sets the stage for the formation of the community and the academic tone for the first semester of the year. Odyssey trips operate on three-year cycles, with Junior High students experiencing two of the three trips offered. 

Odyssey East
Traveling to Williamsburg and Washington D.C., students learn about the creation of a nation and Colonial America, the foundations of democracy, weather, phenology and human genetics, and early American Literature.

Odyssey South
Traveling to the Gulf Coast Research Lab in Mississippi, students learn about marine biology, civil rights, the Civil War, Reconstruction, and 19th and 20th century American Literature.

Odyssey West 
Traveling to Crow Canyon Archaeology Center in Colorado, students learn about the first humans in North America, the needs of early peoples, and the effects of climate on their lives, as well as the science of archaeology, geology of the western United States, and the art and literature of Indigenous cultures.

Land School faculty welcome Junior High students for a transformative three-week Farm Stay experience, living and working together in small groups at the Land School.

Students take on real-world responsibilities in agriculture, land stewardship, and sustainability, while managing their own micro-economy project, producing goods for the larger school community.

This immersive experience embodies Maria Montessori’s vision of adolescent education rooted in purposeful work and social development. Through shared responsibility and community living, students blossom into confident, capable adolescents, grounded in purpose and connection.

Core Concepts: Independence, collaboration, economic understanding, identity development

Supporting the adolescents’ developmental need for self-expression, January serves as a month-long theatrical experience that offers an immersion into another time and place through theater.

Working in crews, students participate in every aspect of creating, staging, and acting in a major performance for the school community. Crews include: costume, dramaturgy, lighting & sound, props, and set design. All Junior High faculty support this endeavor, led by the E2/JH Music & Theatre Specialist. 

An annual rotation of genres generally includes Shakespeare or other classical play and a musical.

The school year ends with a five-day, 100-mile bike and camping trip around Minnesota and Wisconsin. The trip is a significant physical and community effort that requires the adolescents to be reliable and responsible while supporting each other to throughout the trip.

Every spring, Junior High students present a Project Fair to the entire LCS community. The fair operates on a three-year cycle with the following themes:

Marketplace
This project challenges students to create their own businesses and to learn economic independence. Students must become entrepreneurs and take the risks involved in creating and running a business. They advertise, pay rent, create inventory, set prices, pay taxes, create an attractive booth, and become salespeople. All students are required to have a significant handmade component of their business, which is then presented to the LCS community, who can purchase the goods made by the students. 

Medieval Fair
Donning costumes, accents, props, and sets, Junior High students transform their spaces into a medieval fair, teaching visitors about the time period through immersive experiences and thoughtful research. 

MEST Fest
MEST (Math, Engineering, Science, Technology) is a project fair in which small-groups present their findings on a particular experiment or topic related to any/all of these academic areas. 

Lake Country offers a variety of athletics and clubs, all of which are settings where students learn to respect themselves, each other, and the team as a whole. 

League Athletics
Basketball, Cross Country, Volleyball
Intramurals
Archery, Badminton, Floor Hockey
Clubs
Chess, Choir

See Athletics & Clubs

Affinity Groups
Junior High students also have the opportunity to annually create affinity groups based on their represented identities. Affinity groups in the past have included those for students who identify as BIPOC and LGBTQ+. These groups provide support, a sense of belonging, and encourage students to develop leadership skills as they navigate conversations around their identities and experiences.

Lake Country's Community Kitchen is both a fully outfitted commercial kitchen and a cooking classroom. Junior High students are encouraged explore culinary curiosities through project-based learning with the support of the Kitchen Coordinator.

Junior High students often utilize the Community Kitchen as an opportunity to work with and mentor younger students, such as working together to prepare food for community events like LCS Gives Week and Kingfield Empty Bowls. 

Regular facilitated discussions addressing identity, power, equity, and social justice are provided in collaboration with the Equity, Diversity & Justice (EDJ) Advisor. The Friday Exploration class includes a rotating cohort of students who study Black exploration and global contributions directly with the EDJ Advisor. Junior High students also have the opportunity to apprentice with the EDJ Advisor throughout the year to deepen leadership and applied equity practice.

Junior High Friday Explorations bring students out of the classroom and into the city— sitting in community spaces, asking questions, listening to stories, and making connections between what they are learning and the world around them.

Friday Exploration classes take place every Friday afternoon with a variety of unique experiences for students to choose from. Past and current Friday Exploration groups include: Indigenous Land Acknowledgement/Action, Disc Golf, Bike Maintenance & Woodworking, Seed Saving, Town Exploration, Art & Museum Visits, and Exploring Black Culture in Minneapolis.

Our Health & Wellness curriculum is designed for students to explore their identities and deepen their knowledge at developmentally appropriate levels.

Junior High students attend presentation by Family Tree Clinic on the following subjects:
• Gender Identity & Sexual Orientation
• Sexually Transmitted Infections & Birth Control
• Consent, Healthy Relationships & Sexual Harassment

• Students also attend Health Class for one quarter with the Wellness Coordinator with further emphasis and exploration of Family Tree Clinic lessons utilizing the Our Whole Lives (OWL) curriculum.

Junior High teachers are in regular communication with our Learning Support & Wellness Team to address student support needs as they arise. If LCS identifies a child who needs more individualized support in the school setting, there are a wide array of options to consider. Based upon a variety of factors, LCS determines what services students with learning and/or mental health challenges will receive from our team of Student Support Specialists. These factors include the presence of a diagnosis, the level and type of need, and the availability of specific types of support.

Support at the Junior High Level

• • Woodcock Johnson Tests of Achievement
  • Work with Learning Support Specialist once per week, if student has a documented learning need by an outside professional
  • Work with Wellness Coordinator 1 time per week or on an as-needed basis (either individually or in a small group)

On a quarterly basis, Junior High students have the opportunity to engage in weekly apprenticeships. 

The purpose of the apprenticeship class is for students to learn about an area or field of work by working with an LCS staff member to complete authentic and necessary work. Students identify areas of interest and a Junior High faculty member will match them to one of the available areas. Students learn more about that area or field of work, develop skills related to the area through practice, and help the adult complete the necessary work. The practical work will be accompanied and enhanced by learning about themselves, their skills and interests, the nature of work, and preparing for work in society.

Apprenticeships offered: Admissions & Development, Business & Accounting, Communications & Marketing, Events & Alumni Engagement, Library & Research, Maintenance.

• Adolescents will see a greater integration of technology for learning platforms, for research, multimedia presentations, and collaboration on student projects
• Students are introduced to and will use a protected LCS email for communication with each other and teachers
• Google Classroom is used to access assignments and turn in completed work
• Students use Google Suite and the IXL Math Program for homework
• Students receive lessons using the Social Institute, an organization that provides lessons and timely topics about safety, etiquette, and a healthy balance with digital technology and social media
• All JH students receive an “Agreement for Responsible and Respectful Technology Use.” Students must read this agreement with their parents, and both the student and their parents/caregivers must sign this agreement

Woodworking offers an introduction to hand tools and the process of choosing, designing, and completing a project in wood.

Junior High students attend Woodworking class on a quarterly basis. 

While Junior High students do not have daily "Work Cycles" like Children's House and Elementary classrooms, Work Studio is held one morning and one afternoon per week. This open work time allows for students to work independently, collaboratively, and/or with their teachers on various assignments, projects, and assessment preparation.