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Middle School Curriculum (Grades 6–8)
At Ai², middle schoolers engage in full-year and half-year courses that build a strong academic foundation, paired with Ventures that grow teamwork, creativity, and problem-solving.
Foundations: Core Courses (Innovators Track)
Literature & Writing
In this learning experience, learners read deeply and write daily—sharing drafts, giving feedback, and refining their work together. Through stories, essays, and creative expression, they build the habits of clear writing, thoughtful discussion, and confident communication.
Literature & Writing (2025–26)
Read Deeply. Write Boldly. Speak with Purpose.
At Ai², Literature & Writing isn’t about worksheets or grammar drills—it’s about encountering great works, wrestling with ideas, and finding your own voice.
In this yearlong learning experience, learners explore classics, poetry, plays, and essays that have shaped human thought across time. Through reading, daily discussion, and writing practice, they sharpen both their understanding of literature and their ability to communicate with clarity and conviction.
We dive into questions of:
  • Identity: What makes a voice authentic?
  • Justice: How does literature reflect or challenge society?
  • Expression: What makes words powerful?
  • Imagination: How do stories shape the way we see the world?
Writing is a daily craft here. Learners share their ideas and drafts with peers each day, giving and receiving feedback that strengthens both their writing and their confidence. Every piece goes through a cycle of discussion, revision, and reflection—preparing learners to share their work with real audiences.
What makes this course different:
  • Learners explore influential texts while bringing their own questions, perspectives, and creativity into the conversation
  • Writing and discussion are daily practices—drafting, sharing, and refining work together in a collaborative studio setting
  • Inquiry and peer feedback drive growth, helping learners strengthen analysis, argument, and storytelling
  • Integrated with Ventures and humanities themes, so writing connects to real-world challenges and projects
  • Public sharing of work—through exhibitions, publications, and presentations—gives writing an authentic audience and purpose
  • Learners build a portfolio that reflects both personal voice and academic mastery
Our goal?
To equip young people with the tools to think critically, write powerfully, and speak confidently—skills that open doors for a lifetime.
Humanities
Learners explore stories, texts, and ideas from across time and cultures, connecting them to the big questions of today. Daily discussion, reading, and writing help them see how ideas shape people and societies—and how their own voice can shape the future.
Global Themes (2025-26)
Ask Big Questions. Connect Ideas. Understand the World.
At Ai², Global Themes isn’t about memorizing facts from a textbook—it’s about exploring the forces, choices, and stories that shape people and societies.
In this yearlong learning experience, learners investigate essential questions across history, civics, philosophy, and culture. They work with primary sources and relevant documents to understand past and present, ask bold questions, and see how ideas still shape our world today.
We look at themes of:
  • Identity: How do cultures and communities define themselves?
  • Conflict: What causes people or nations to clash?
  • Justice: What does fairness look like in different times and places?
  • Change: How do ideas and movements spread—and how do they last?
Through daily discussion, reflection, and writing, learners don’t just study history and civics topics—they interpret, question, and apply them. They combine evidence and creativity to produce arguments, projects, and presentations that bring their learning to life.
What makes this course different:
  • Learners work with primary sources and relevant documents instead of textbooks, asking their own questions and making connections
  • Daily dialogue and collaborative inquiry turn history into an active conversation, not a passive lesson
  • Projects and debates encourage learners to test ideas, challenge assumptions, and practice civic engagement
  • Integrated with Ventures and global themes, linking history to current issues and real-world problem-solving
  • Exhibitions, publications, and presentations give learners a platform to share insights and spark discussion beyond the classroom
  • Focus on moral development and responsibility, helping learners see history as a guide for shaping their own choices today
Our goal?
To equip young people with perspective, ethical insight, and the courage to engage as thoughtful citizens in their world.
Mathematics
Learners move through a three-year cycle that builds number sense, algebraic thinking, geometry, and problem-solving. Emphasis is on reasoning, discovery, and applying math in real-world contexts.
Highlights include:
  • Level 6: Fractions, decimals, business math & percents, introductory geometry.
  • Level 7: Ratios, irrational numbers, intro to algebra, Golden Ratio & proofs, Pythagorean Theorem.
  • Level 8: Number bases, algorithms, dimensional analysis, stereometry & conic sections, solid
What makes these courses different?
  • Learners uncover math concepts through problem-solving, inquiry, and discovery—not rote memorization
  • Daily practice includes collaborative problem sets, real-world applications, and peer discussion
  • Integrated with Ventures, so math skills are applied to design, entrepreneurship, and civic challenges
  • Encourages multiple solution paths and creative approaches rather than “one right answer”
  • Builds confidence in reasoning, persistence, and tackling complex challenges together
Science
Rotating through life, physical, and earth sciences, learners investigate ecosystems, cells, matter, energy, waves, rocks, tectonics, and the solar system. Inquiry-based labs and projects bring science to life through hands-on discovery.
NGSS Aligned Activities:
  • Life Science: Ecosystems & food webs, cell reproduction (mitosis & meiosis), and protein synthesis.
  • Physical Science: Matter & chemical reactions, motion & energy, and the properties of waves.
  • Earth & Space Science: Rocks & plate tectonics, earthquakes & water systems, and solar system exploration.
What makes these courses different?
  • Inquiry-based labs and projects replace textbook-driven instruction
  • Learners design experiments, collect data, and test ideas collaboratively every week
  • Rotating cycles (Life, Physical, Earth & Space) connect science to real-world issues and big questions
  • Cross-disciplinary projects link science with math, history, and Ventures
  • Public exhibitions and lab reports give scientific work an authentic audience and purpose
Ventures: Real-World Projects
Each session, middle schoolers join in a new half-year-equivalent Venture. These are collaborative, introductory experiences that build confidence, teamwork, and skills across disciplines.
Examples of Middle School Ventures:
Community Leadership & Design
Leadership skills through community-focused projects
Startup Studio: Youth Entrepreneurship
Business fundamentals through student-led ventures
Civic Changemakers
Civics in action through local governance projects
Innovation Lab
STEM exploration through hands-on problem solving
Craftsmanship & Community Impact
Arts with purpose through creative community service
Ideas That Shift Culture
Public speaking through persuasive presentations

Ventures also appear on transcripts, often aligned with subject areas (e.g., Civic Changemakers in Social Studies, Ideas That Shift Culture in ELA).
Records & Transcripts
Middle school transcripts list courses as Full-Year or Intensive Half-Year with course titles (not credits). This format translates seamlessly into high school records.
Example:
👉 Middle school at Ai² emphasizes not only strong academic foundations, but also teamwork, initiative, and character virtues that prepare young people for high school and beyond.
Sample Sixth Grade Record:
Full-Year Courses
Literature & Writing 6 (ELA)
Humanities: Ancient Civilizations (Social Studies)
Mathematics Level 6
Physical Science
Half-Year Intensive Courses
Community Leadership & Design
Startup Studio: Youth Entrepreneurship
Civic Changemakers (Social Studies)
Innovation Lab (STEM)
Craftsmanship & Community Impact (Fine Arts)
Ideas That Shift Culture (ELA)
Ai² admits students of any race, color, national or ethnic origin, sex, or age, and is committed to reasonable learning accommodations in line with our mission and design.
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