Course Catalog

Mission Academy 2022 – 2023

MIDDLE SCHOOL

  • English 6

    • Transcript Category: English
    • Description: English 6 delivers instruction, practice, and review designed to build students’ communication and reading comprehension skills. Reading comprehension lessons strengthen students’ critical analysis skills as they study how nonfiction and literature can be used to share ideas. Writing lessons combine free-response exercises with drafting strategies and exemplars to help students communicate clearly and credibly in narrative, argumentative, and informational styles. To develop skills specific to public discourse, speaking and listening lessons guide students as they evaluate one another’s speeches and adjust to new audiences and situations. In language lessons, students build foundational grammar skills they need to articulate their ideas and understand challenging words.The two-semester course is arranged in units that each center on a set of skills or a broad topic. Each unit has four lessons: three instructional lessons and one lesson of assessment. The instructional lessons include a variety of activities, such as direct instruction, assignments, discussions, and both formative and summative assessments. The assessment lesson presents the unit test after giving students a chance to review. Throughout the course, students engage with the subject matter in an interactive, feedback-rich environment as they progress through standards-aligned content and demonstrate their learning through computer- and teacher-scored applications.

  • English 7

    • Transcript Category: English
    • Description: English 7 delivers instruction, practice, and review designed to build students’ communication and reading comprehension skills. Reading comprehension lessons strengthen students’ critical analysis skills as they study how nonfiction and literature can be used to share ideas. Writing lessons combine free-response exercises with drafting strategies and exemplars to help students communicate clearly and credibly in narrative, argumentative, and informational styles. To develop skills specific to public discourse, speaking and listening lessons guide students as they evaluate one another’s speeches and adjust to new audiences and situations. In language lessons, students build foundational grammar skills they need to articulate their ideas and understand challenging words.The two-semester course is arranged in units that each center on a set of skills or a broad topic. Each unit has four lessons: three instructional lessons and one lesson of assessment. The instructional lessons include a variety of activities, such as direct instruction, assignments, discussions, and both formative and summative assessments. The assessment lesson presents the unit test after giving students a chance to review. Throughout the course, students engage with the subject matter in an interactive, feedback-rich environment as they progress through standards-aligned content and demonstrate their learning through computer- and teacher-scored applications.

  • English 8

    • Transcript Category: English
    • Description: English 8 delivers instruction, practice, and review designed to build students’ communication and reading comprehension skills. Reading comprehension lessons strengthen students’ critical analysis skills as they study how nonfiction and literature can be used to share ideas. Writing lessons combine free-response exercises with drafting strategies and exemplars to help students communicate clearly and credibly in narrative, argumentative, and informational styles. To develop skills specific to public discourse, speaking and listening lessons guide students as they evaluate one another’s speeches and adjust to new audiences and situations. In language lessons, students build foundational grammar skills they need to articulate their ideas and understand challenging words.The two-semester course is arranged in units that each center on a set of skills or a broad topic. Each unit has four lessons: three instructional lessons and one lesson of assessment. The instructional lessons include a variety of activities, such as direct instruction, assignments, discussions, and both formative and summative assessments. The assessment lesson presents the unit test after giving students a chance to review. Throughout the course, students engage with the subject matter in an interactive, feedback-rich environment as they progress through standards-aligned content and demonstrate their learning through computer- and teacher-scored applications.

  • ELL Foundations Level I

    • Transcript Category: English (ELs Only)
    • Description: The ELL Foundations: Level 1 course offers 32 multicultural reading selections over two semesters, in the following genres: myths and legends, biographies, poetry, short stories, and articles. Instructional materials are written at levels aligned to The Lexile® Framework for Reading, a scientific approach to reading measurement that provides a common scale for matching reader ability and text difficulty. It links your ability to read to the linguistic complexity of the selections provided. Alignment to the Lexile® Framework allows you to monitor your progress within the Lexile® scale.

  • ELL Foundations Newcomer

    • Transcript Category: English (ELs Only)
    • Description: The ELL Foundations: Newcomer course consists of 23 thematic lessons in two semesters. Its design facilitates the introduction of basic vocabulary and sentence structure needed by beginning English language learners. These units enable students to experience immediate success in communicating in English while progressively developing skills necessary for success in ELL Foundations: Level 1. Online activities allow students to work independently. These activities can be repeated as often as necessary to ensure the mastery of beginning level reading skills and vocabulary development. Each lesson provides online Tutorials for students to do on their own or in a group as well as an online mastery test. Once students have mastered the Newcomers course, they are ready to begin Level I stories and activities.

  • Reading Skills and Strategies

    • Transcript Category: English or Elective
    • Description: Reading Skills and Strategies is a course is designed to help the struggling reader develop mastery in the areas of reading comprehension, vocabulary building, study skills, and media literacy, which are the course’s primary content strands. Using these strands, the course guides the student through the skills necessary to be successful in the academic world and beyond. The reading comprehension strand focuses on introducing the student to the varied purposes of reading (e.g., for entertainment, for information, to complete a task, or to analyze). In the vocabulary strand, the student learns specific strategies for understanding and remembering new vocabulary. In the study skills strand, the student learns effective study and test-taking strategies. In the media literacy strand, the student learns to recognize and evaluate persuasive techniques, purposes, design choices, and effects of media. The course encourages personal enjoyment in reading with 10 interviews featuring the book choices and reading adventures of students and members of the community.This course is built to state standards and informed by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) standards.This class may be modified for middle school students to prepare them for high school level reading skills.

  • Writing Skills and Strategies

    • Transcript Category: English or Elective
    • Description: Writing Skills and Strategies develops key language arts skills necessary for high school graduation and success on high stakes exams through a semester of interactive instruction and guided practice in composition fundamentals. The course is divided into ten mini-units of study. The first two are designed to build early success and confidence, orienting students to the writing process and to sentence and paragraph essentials through a series of low-stress, high-interest hook activities. In subsequent units, students review, practice, compose and submit one piece of writing. Four key learning strands are integrated throughout: composition practice, grammar skill building, diction and style awareness, and media and technology exploration. Guided studies emphasize the structure of essential forms of writing encountered in school, in life, and in the work place. Practice in these forms is scaffolded to accommodate learners at different skill levels.This course is built to state standards and informed by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) standards.In middle school, this course may be modified to prepare students for high school level writing.

  • Integrated Science 6

    • Transcript Category: Science
    • Description: California Middle School Grade 6 Science delivers instruction, practice, and review to help students develop scientific literacy, deepen conceptual understanding, and apply scientific practices. Students explore concepts such as the flow of energy and matter through both living and nonliving systems, including Earth’s systems; Earth’s weather and climate; the interaction between humans and the environment; the relationship between structure and function; and growth, development, and reproduction in organisms.The two-semester course is arranged in themed units, each with two to three lessons. In each unit, activities make complex ideas accessible to students as they discover the nature of science through focused content, interactive mini-investigations, multi-modal representations, and personalized feedback. Each lesson includes a variety of activities such as direct instruction, application of skills, performance tasks, and formative and summative assessments. Students engage with the subject matter in an interactive, feedback-rich environment as they progress through standards-aligned content and demonstrate their learning through computer- and teacher-scored assignments.This course is built to the Next Generation Science Standards for middle school science.

  • Integrated Science 7

    • Transcript Category: Science
    • Description: California Middle School Grade 7 Science delivers instruction, practice, and review to help students develop scientific literacy, deepen conceptual understanding, and apply scientific practices. Students explore concepts such as the structures and properties of matter; chemical reactions; the flow of energy through systems, including Earth’s living and nonliving systems; and the history of Earth.The two-semester course is arranged in themed units, each with two to three lessons. In each unit, activities make complex ideas accessible to students as they discover the nature of science through focused content, interactive mini-investigations, multi-modal representations, and personalized feedback. Each lesson includes a variety of activities such as direct instruction, application of skills, performance tasks, and formative and summative assessments. Students engage with the subject matter in an interactive, feedback-rich environment as they progress through standards-aligned content and demonstrate their learning through computer- and teacher-scored assignments.This course is built to the Next Generation Science Standards for middle school science.

  • Integrated Science 8

    • Transcript Category: Science
    • Description: California Middle School Grade 8 Science delivers instruction, practice, and review to help students develop scientific literacy, deepen conceptual understanding, and apply scientific practices. Students explore concepts such as waves and electromagnetic radiation, energy and forces on Earth and in space, genetics and natural selection, engineering design, and the impact of humans on Earth’s resources.The two-semester course is arranged in themed units, each with two to three lessons. In each unit, activities make complex ideas accessible to students as they discover the nature of science through focused content, interactive mini-investigations, multi-modal representations, and personalized feedback. Each lesson includes a variety of activities such as direct instruction, application of skills, performance tasks, and formative and summative assessments. Students engage with the subject matter in an interactive, feedback-rich environment as they progress through standards-aligned content and demonstrate their learning through computer- and teacher-scored assignments.This course is built to the Next Generation Science Standards for middle school science.

  • World History and Geography

    • Transcript Category: Social Studies
    • Description: MS World History and Geography: Medieval and Early Modern Times delivers instruction, practice, and review designed to build middle school students’ knowledge of world history, from the Middle Ages through to the Renaissance and the Enlightenment. By constantly honing their ability to analyze history, students build the depth of knowledge and higher-order thinking skills required to demonstrate their mastery when put to the test.The two-semester course is arranged in themed units, each with three to five lessons. In each unit, activities make complex ideas about world history accessible through focused content, guided analysis, multi-modal representations, and personalized feedback. Each lesson includes a variety of activities such as direct instruction, application of skills, performance tasks, and formative and summative assessments. Students engage with the subject matter in an interactive, feedback-rich environment as they progress through standards-aligned content and demonstrate their learning through computer- and teacher-scored assignments.This course is built to state standards and informed by the History-Social Science Framework for California Public Schools.

  • U.S. History and Geography

    • Transcript Category: Social Studies
    • Description: Middle School U.S. History and Geography delivers instruction, practice, and review designed to build middle school students’ knowledge of U.S. history, from the peopling of North America through the era of Reconstruction. Students engage with the subject matter in an interactive, feedback-rich environment as they progress through standards-aligned content. By constantly honing their ability to analyze history, students build the depth of knowledge and higher-order thinking skills required to demonstrate their mastery when put to the test.The two-semester course is arranged in themed units, each with three to five lessons. In each unit, activities make complex ideas about U.S. history accessible through focused content, guided analysis, multi-modal representations, and personalized feedback. Each lesson includes a variety of activities such as direct instruction, application of skills, performance tasks, and formative and summative assessments. Students engage with the subject matter in an interactive, feedback-rich environment as they progress through standards-aligned content and demonstrate their learning through computer- and teacher-scored assignments.Middle School U.S. History and Geography is built to state standards and informed by the College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards.The two-semester course is arranged in themed units, each with three to five lessons. In each unit, activities make complex ideas about civics accessible through focused content, guided analysis, multi-modal representations, and personalized feedback. Each lesson includes a variety of activities such as direct instruction, application of skills, performance tasks, and formative and summative assessments. as they progress through standards-aligned content and demonstrate their learning through computer- and teacher-scored assignments.Middle School Civics is built to state standards and informed by the College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards.

  • Civics

    • Transcript Category: Social Studies
    • Description: Middle School Civics delivers instruction, practice, and review designed to build middle school students’ understanding of the political and governmental systems of the United States and the roles played by citizens. By honing their ability to analyze civic life, political practices, and government structures, students build the depth of knowledge and higher-order thinking skills required to demonstrate their mastery when put to the test.The two-semester course is arranged in themed units, each with three to five lessons. In each unit, activities make complex ideas about civics accessible through focused content, guided analysis, multi-modal representations, and personalized feedback. Each lesson includes a variety of activities such as direct instruction, application of skills, performance tasks, and formative and summative assessments. as they progress through standards-aligned content and demonstrate their learning through computer- and teacher-scored assignments.Middle School Civics is built to state standards and informed by the College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards.

  • Math 6

    • Transcript Category: Mathematics
    • Description: Math 6 delivers instruction, practice, and review designed to develop computational fluency, deepen conceptual understanding, and apply mathematical practices. Course topics include ratios and rates, fraction and decimal operations, and signed numbers. Students continue to build their algebra skills by plotting points in all four quadrants of the coordinate plane and solving equations and inequalities. Geometry topics include area, surface area, and volume, and statistical work features measures of center and variability, box plots, dot plots, and histograms.The two-semester course is arranged in themed units, each with three to five lessons. Each lesson includes a variety of activities such as direct instruction, application of skills, performance tasks, and formative and summative assessments. Students engage with the subject matter in an interactive, feedback-rich environment as they progress through standards-aligned content and demonstrate their learning through computer- and teacher-scored assignments. By constantly honing the ability to apply their knowledge in abstract and real-world scenarios, students build the depth of knowledge and higher-order skills required to demonstrate their mastery when put to the test.This course is built to state standards.

  • Math 7

    • Transcript Category: Mathematics
    • Description: Math 7 delivers instruction, practice, and review designed to develop computational fluency, deepen conceptual understanding, and apply mathematical practices. Throughout the course, students gain a deep understanding of proportions and their use in solving problems. They extend their fluency with operations on rational numbers and translate among different forms of rational numbers. Algebra topics include simplifying and rewriting algebraic expressions and solving more complex equations and inequalities. Students also sketch geometric figures and explore scale drawings, investigate circle properties and angle relationships, and deepen their understanding of area, volume, and surface area. They see how statistics uses sample data to make predictions about populations and compare data from different data sets. Students gain a fundamental understanding of probability and explore different ways to find or estimate probabilities. The two-semester course is arranged in themed units, each with three to five lessons. Each lesson includes a variety of activities such as direct instruction, application of skills, performance tasks, and formative and summative assessments. Students engage with the subject matter in an interactive, feedback-rich environment as they progress through standards-aligned content and demonstrate their learning through computer- and teacher-scored assignments. By constantly honing the ability to apply their knowledge in abstract and real-world scenarios, students build the depth of knowledge and higher-order skills required to demonstrate their mastery when put to the test. This course is built to state standards.

  • Math 8

    • Transcript Category: Mathematics
    • Description: Math 8 delivers instruction, practice, and review designed to develop computational fluency, deepen conceptual understanding, and apply mathematical practices. In this course, students focus on understanding functions — what they are, how to represent them in different ways, and how to write them to model mathematical and real-world situations. In particular, students investigate linear functions by learning about slope and slope-intercept form. Students’ understanding of linear functions is extended to statistics, where they make scatter plots and use linear functions to model data. They solve linear equations and equations involving roots, and explore systems of linear equations. Additional topics include exponents, powers of ten, scientific notation, and irrational numbers. Students learn about transformations, and extend that understanding to an investigation of congruence and similarity. Other geometric concepts explored include the Pythagorean theorem, angle relationships, and volumes of cylinders, cones, and spheres. The two-semester course is arranged in themed units, each with three to five lessons. Each lesson includes a variety of activities such as direct instruction, application of skills, performance tasks, and formative and summative assessments. Students engage with the subject matter in an interactive, feedback-rich environment as they progress through standards-aligned content and demonstrate their learning through computer- and teacher-scored assignments. By constantly honing the ability to apply their knowledge in abstract and real-world scenarios, students build the depth of knowledge and higher-order skills required to demonstrate their mastery when put to the test.This course is built to state standards

  • Algebra 1

    • Transcript Category: Algebra A-G /Mathematics
    • Description: Algebra I builds students’ command of linear, quadratic, and exponential relationships. Students learn through discovery and application, developing the skills they need to break down complex challenges and demonstrate their knowledge in new situations.Course topics include problem-solving with basic equations and formulas; an introduction to functions and problem solving; linear equations and systems of linear equations; exponents and exponential functions; sequences and functions; descriptive statistics; polynomials and factoring; quadratic equations and functions; and function transformations and inverses.This course supports students as they develop computational fluency, deepen conceptual understanding, and apply mathematical knowledge. Students discover new concepts through guided instruction and confirm their understanding in an interactive, feedback-rich environment.A variety of activities allow for students to think mathematically in a variety of scenarios and tasks. In Discussions, students exchange and explain their mathematical ideas. Modeling activities ask them to analyze real-world scenarios and mathematical concepts. Journaling activities have students reason abstractly and quantitatively, construct arguments, critique reasoning, and communicate precisely. And in Performance Tasks, students synthesize their knowledge in novel, real-world scenarios, make sense of multifaceted problems, and persevere in solving them.This course is built to state standards. Throughout the course, students are evaluated by a variety of assessments designed to prepare them for the content, form, and depth of state exams

  • Pre-Algebra

    • Transcript Category: Mathematics
    • Description: Pre-Algebra provides a curriculum focused on foundational concepts that prepare students for success in Algebra I. Through a “Discovery-Confirmation-Practice”-based exploration of basic concepts, students are challenged to work toward a mastery of computational skills, to deepen their understanding of key ideas and solution strategies, and to extend their knowledge through a variety of problem-solving applications.Course topics include integers; the language of algebra; solving equations with addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division; fractions and decimals; measurement; exponents; solving equations with roots and powers; multi-step equations; and linear equations.Within each Pre-Algebra lesson, students are supplied with a scaffolded note-taking guide, called a Study Sheet, as well as a post-study Checkup activity that provides them the opportunity to hone their computational skills by working through a low-stakes, 10-question problem set before starting formal assessment. Unit-level Introductory Algebra assessments include a computer-scored test and a scaffolded, teacher-scored test.The course is built to state standards and informed by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM).

  • Physical Education A

    • Transcript Category: Physical Education (Sexual Health)
    • Description: Physical Education combines the best of online instruction with actual student participation in weekly cardiovascular, aerobic, and muscle toning activities. The course promotes a keen understanding of the value of physical fitness and aims to motivate students to participate in physical activities throughout their lives.Specific areas of study include: Cardiovascular exercise and care, safe exercising, building muscle strength and endurance, injury prevention, fitness skills and FITT benchmarks, goal setting, nutrition and diet (vitamins and minerals, food labels, evaluation product claims), and stress management. The course requires routine participation in adult-supervised physical activities. Successful completion of this course will require parent/legal guardian sign-off on student-selected physical activities and on weekly participation reports to verify the student is meeting his or her requirements and responsibilities.Physical Education is built to state standards and informed by the Presidential Council on Physical Fitness and Sports standards.

  • Art Appreciation

    • Transcript Category: VAPA||VAPA A-G
    • Description: Art Appreciation is a survey of the history of Western visual arts, with a primary focus on painting. Students begin with an introduction to the basic principles of painting and learn how to critique and compare works of art. Students then explore prehistoric and early Greek and Roman art before they move on to the Middle Ages. Emphasis is placed on the Renaissance and the principles and masters that emerged in Italy and northern Europe. Students continue their art tour with the United States during the 20th century, a time of great innovation as abstract art took center stage. While Western art is the course’s primary focus, students will finish the course by studying artistic traditions from Africa, Asia, Oceania, and the Americas.Coverage of each artistic movement highlights historical context and introduces students to key artists that represent a variety of geographic locations. Throughout the course, students apply what they have learned about art critique to analyze and evaluate both individual artists and individual works of art.This course is built to state standards and informed by the Consortium of National Arts Education Associations standards. It encompasses a variety of skills to enable students to critique, compare, and perhaps influence their own works of art.This course may be modified for middle school students.

  • Attack the CAASPP

    • Transcript Category: Elective
    • Description: Attack the CAASPP is a 5 credit course designed to support students to prepare to test their best on the CAASPP exams. The course focuses on building three key capacities in student participants: procedural knowledge of the technological interface of the SBAC testing platform, including question types and embedded tools, conceptual knowledge of key ELA and Math standards and content, and mental and emotional perseverance through challenges and stress.

  • Music Appreciation

    • Transcript Category: VAPA || VAPA A-G
    • Description: Music Appreciation introduces students to the history, theory, and genres of music, from the most primitive surviving examples through the classical to the most contemporary in the world at large. The course is offered in a two-semester format. The first semester covers primitive musical forms and classical music. The second semester presents the rich modern traditions, including American jazz, gospel, folk, soul, blues, Latin rhythms, rock and roll, and hip-hop.The course explores the interface of music and social movements and examines how the emergent global society and the Internet bring musical forms together in new ways from all around the world.This class may be modified for middle school.