COURSE NAME: SJ Pre 7th: Math & English
AGE GROUP: St. John’s students entering 7th grade
COURSE DESCRIPTION
The Pre-7th Summer Studies Program, for students entering the seventh grade at Saint John's in the Fall, is designed to solidify the educational background in English and Mathematics and to acquaint students with the demands of a college preparatory middle and high school curriculum.
It is strongly recommended to and encouraged for all incoming members of the SJ Class of 2029.
In addition to acclimating students to the demands of a college preparatory middle school curriculum, students will engage in further curriculum, lessons on study skills, and a library orientation.
Lastly, a focus on community building will be present in this course to help rising SJ 7th graders begin their journey into the SJ Brotherhood. This will help them enter St. John’s with a greater sense of confidence and comfort due to the relationships created with fellow classmates and staff members.
Pre-7th Program - Math:
This course is designed to reinforce the concepts and skills covered in the 6th grade mathematics curriculum (if needed) and also to extend their knowledge into various Pre-Algebra and Algebra topics that they will encounter in 7th grade at SJ. This will give students a true “leg up” for their 7th grade math course.
The goal of this course is to solidify the student’s foundation of mathematics prior to starting at Saint John’s as a Grade 7 student in the fall but also give opportunities to extend and challenge his conceptual abilities and skills. Students will encounter lessons grounded in science and engineering topics to practice math skills, and they will also get to use interactive websites and teacher-lead games during lessons.
Topics include: Order of operations, evaluating variable expressions, one-step equations, two step equations, Positive/Negative integer operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division), and introduction to exponents rules. Additional topics for advanced students may include more exponent rules, combining like terms, the distributive property, multi-step equations, and linear inequalities.
Pre-7th Program - English
This course aims to prepare students entering 7th grade to shift from reading for a storyline to advanced reading for a theme. Students will practice the fundamentals of close reading and annotating literary works to build their comprehension skills. Using high-interest short stories, we will also practice discussing and interpreting literature and examine the process and components essential for effective essay writing. We will spend time strengthening basic skills: grammar, sentence structure and composition, vocabulary, and study techniques to give students an authentic experience of Middle School English.
The primary focus of Pre-7th English is strengthening basic skills: grammar, sentence structure and composition, vocabulary, reading comprehension, and study techniques. We will use a variety of short stories, poetry and other types of writing in order to explore the different elements of English literature and language.
This course provides students with the skills that will enable them to meet the challenge of a college preparatory English program with confidence and ability.
COURSE LENGTH: Two Weeks
COST: $525. (Pioneer Cares Financial Aid is available, upon application to Lynn Cronin (lcronin@stjohnshigh.org)
SCHEDULE: Monday, June 26 - Friday, June 30th & Wednesday, July 5th - Friday, July 7th: Eight total weekday classes from 8:30 AM - 12 PM.
INSTRUCTOR BIOGRAPHY
Ms. Kristen Outler (Math): Ms. Outler is a current middle school science and STEM teacher at St. John’s and this will be her second summer teaching this SJ Pre-7th course. Ms. Outler has taught for 11 years in New Jersey and Massachusetts. She has worked at the Middle School Division at St. John’s since it opened in the fall of 2020. Ms. Outler enjoys teaching any STEM subjects, and she likes to use technology and hands-on experiences to allow her students to explore new concepts. When she is not teaching, Ms. Outler likes to read psychological thrillers, listen to crime podcasts, spend time with her two little girls, and dream up new lessons for the future. Ms. Outler is excited to spend time with our incoming students this summer!
Mrs. Sara Provost (English): Mrs. Provost is a current middle school Social Studies at St. John’s and this will be her third summer teaching this SJ Pre-7th course. Mrs. Provost has lived and worked in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the United Kingdom. She has been fortunate to teach at all boys, all girls, and co-educational schools - this has allowed her to experience first-hand the differences between young men and women and their learning styles. Her favorite book is War and Peace, and upon entering any museum or gallery, she heads straight to the Renaissance collection. If Mrs. Provost had not fallen in love with teaching, she would have spent her time curating exhibitions.
INSTRUCTOR CONTACT INFO