ACADEMICS
The academic programs at Poplar Middle School places an emphasis on every aspect
of student growth and development while helping to ensure each student receives the individualized attention and support they need.
Check out the images of student work in the gallery below, and scroll down to learn more about the academic programs offered at Poplar Middle School.
GALLERY OF STUDENT WORK
TUTORING
Students are encouraged to seek afterschool academic assistance from individual teachers or participate in general scheduled tutoring sessions. SCROLL DOWN to the core subject sections below to access fun and engaging links for students looking to improve their academic skills.
SUMMER SCHOOL
Poplar Schools is happy to provide this learning opportunity for our currently enrolled students in Grades K-4 and 5-8. Classes are academically centered with an emphasis placed on reading, writing, math, science, coding, and Istation.  The 2021 summer school program will be conducted June 7 - June 30, and registration is open through May 31.
REMOTE EDUCATION
Coordinator:Â Sheryl Kohl
The middle school remote learning program started in August 2020. Our students utilize Google Classroom and Acellus. Learning is supported with exploratory activities and independent reading.
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TRAILS
Transitioning to Realistic Academics through Individualized Learning Success
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Coordinator: Mrs. Sheryl Kohl
The TRAILS program provides students an alternate setting for academic success that may not be attainable in the traditional classroom. Our curriculum includes online instruction, small group projects, independent reading, and opportunities for community service.
Enrollment in the program is via administrative referral or parental request.
CHANTE' PROGRAM
Building Bright Futures
The Chante' Program is a pilot grant funded by the Department of Education. The word Chante' means "heart" in Dakota and Chande in Nakoda. We are currently in our third year of this five year grant. This academic year we will be implementing MAPS Media Institute as well as tutoring with Sylvan Learning. Molly Redpath is Chante’s School Coordinator at Poplar Schools. Her office is in the middle school room 302 and she is available to assist teachers and staff. The Chante' Project Grant serves middle school and high school students in career planning as well as academic achievement.
ASSESSMENT
Committed to Education
Click the link below to access testing and assessment resources made available through the Montana Ofiice of Public Instruction (OPI) for parents/guardians and educators. Learn more about the the Montana Comprehensive Assessment System (MontCAS) and the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). A"Parents Corner" section is provides information for parents and families about ways to get more involved with their child's education.
COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
ART
Art is where we aim to problem solve creatively, see that mistakes are an opportunity to learn and explore materials to discover what we enjoy working with the most. We hone in on the elements of art (line, shape, color, texture, form, space, and value) and practice techniques together. This year every student will have a sketchbook that they can take home, and everyone is encouraged to draw daily. Just don't forget to bring it back to school on your class days! : )
MUSIC
Band Students will learn how to read music and play an instrument. Students will also have the opportunity to perform at least 2 concerts during a normal year.
AGRICULTURE
The Introduction to Agriculture class will cover many areas of agriculture. We will briefly cover breeds of livestock and types of crops.  The class will also cover plant and flower types and systems along with the development of public speaking skills and leadership qualities.
FAMILY AND CONSUMER SCIENCE
Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) Education helps prepare students for family life, work life, and careers in Family and Consumer Sciences by providing opportunities to develop the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors needed through character development, creative and critical thinking, interpersonal communication, practical knowledge, and career preparation.
INDUSTRIAL ARTS
Industrial Arts is a hands on class that mostly focuses on woodworking and construction based classes. Projects depend on skill levels in each class but vary from as small as a bird house and go up to sheds. The main goal of the class is to better prepare the students for high school technology classes and real world experiences.
TECHNOLOGY
The primary focus of this newly reinvigorated technology class is to provide basic computer skills with an emphasis on typing, learning to navigate the Google applications that are relative to academics, and exploring technology and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math).
LIBRARY SCIENCE
In library science class, students will learn to use the library to find books, access reference materials and do research. They will also learn to identify different genre, develop problem solving skills and read for enjoyment.
PHYSICAL EDUATION
In Grades 5-8 Physical Education, students work on motor skills in class with physical activities.
NATIVE LANGUAGE
Coming Soon
ADVISORY GRADES 7-8
Coming Soon
READING GRADES 7-8
Coming Soon
LANGUAGE ARTS GRADE 8
The StudySync curriculum is used by the language arts department, and includes reading of short stories, answering questions based on readings and skills lessons related to the story on things like the author's point of view, theme, etc. There are opportunities for students to write essays and longer written answers to questions. Outside of the curriculum students will be working on grammar and punctuation and research projects. Other units/activities to help in preparing for high school such as writing a resume and job preparedness are also planned.
MATH GRADE 8
The topics covered in Grade 8 math are: Real Numbers; Equations with One Variable; Equations with Two Variables; Functions; Triangles and the Pythagorean Theorem; Transformations; Congruence and Similarity; Volume and Surface Area; Scatter Plots and Data Analysis. This class will prepare the students to enter Algebra I in high school.
SCIENCE GRADE 8
In Grade 8 physical science about 50% of the year is spent doing labs while the other 50% is in an actual classroom.  The most popular lab is the annual bridge building competition where students use balsa wood to create a bridge that has a mass of around 20 grams, and the bridge needs to hold a minimum of 15 lbs to get a passing grade. To get an A, the bridge must hold a minimum of 40 lbs.
SOCIAL STUDIES GRADE 8
Coming Soon
SOCIAL STUDIES GRADE 7
For this world history course, students study the ancient civilizations of the Roman and Byzantine empires, Medieval Christendom, Medieval Europe, the Islamic World and South Asia, the Civilizations of East Asia and Southeast Asia, Civilizations of the Americas, and the Renaissance and Reformation.  We end the school year with a study of the Modern World.  Students analyze how ancient history and traditions have influenced present-day societies.
SCIENCE GRADE 7
For this life science course, we explore the microscopic world using microscopes; do a Gobstopper Lab to demonstrate diffusion; study various plant and animal structures and how organisms reproduce; use cans and balloons to demonstrate how and why respiration occurs; study genetics using Punnett squares and Sponge Bob genetics; and we study the human body and the systems.
LANGUAGE ARTS GRADE 7
The Buffalo Unity Project is a cross curricular project focusing on the importance of the Buffalo and how it created unity amongst the people.
MATH GRADE 7
The Math Grade 7 standards emphasize a complex representation of conceptual understanding, application, procedural skills and fluency. Student’s build on basic principals related to the concepts and the problems support academic rigor. Academic rigor is not just about harder problems, but making sure that students acquire a deep understanding of mathematical concepts and the ability to apply these in the real world.
SUCCESS FOR ALL GRADES 5-6 (SFA)
Success for All (SFA)® is a whole-school reform model that includes a reading, writing, and oral language development program.  Classroom reading instruction is delivered in daily 90-minute blocks to students grouped by reading ability. Immediate intervention with tutors who are certified teachers is given each day to those students who are having difficulty reading at the same level as their classmates.
SPELLING GRADES 5-6
For Grade 5-6 Spelling, students will learn that word sorts reveal essential similarities and differences among words, and meaningful practice promotes real understanding of how words work. Students will develop writing skills and take weekly tests and standardized tests as well. Students will learn how to use a dictionary and thesaurus. The general weekly procedure is that students will 1) learn the spelling principle for that week, 2) practice spelling list words, 3) match spelling words to definitions, and 4) use context clues and make inferences to complete sentences with spelling words.
LANGUAGE ARTS GRADE 6
In Grade 6 language arts, we use Daily Oral Language to learn grammar and language rules. We also use the Study Sync curriculum in which we read many excerpts from different genres of texts. These mentor texts become a springboard for comprehension work, vocabulary and grammar skills, and writing projects. We work through the steps of writing for our writing projects. We learn how to use Google documents to word process our writing effectively.
MATH GRADE 6
Students will apply math to real world situations. We will be learning how to use the electronic math book. Common Core Standards include ratios and proportional relationships, the number system, expressions and equations, geometry, statistics and probability.
SCIENCE GRADE 6
In Grade 6, students learn about earth science. We cover everything from the center of the earth to the outermost atmosphere and beyond.  Students participate in a rock/mineral lab where, using what they have learned, identify different rocks and minerals. Students also build water bottle rockets as part of there Space science unit.
SOCIAL STUDIES GRADE 6
Coming Soon
LANGUAGE ARTS GRADE 5
Enrichment projects for language arts may range from writing a compare and contrast paper to writing a humorous fairly tale or even writing a story in which the students use critical reading skills to analyze story characters. Students will work with changing points of view and inferring text among many others. From conjunction to transitions to quotations, the projects review the language arts/reading standards in a fun, creative way.
MATH GRADE 5
The Common Core State Standards seek to develop both students' mathematical understanding and their procedural skills so that they may be fully prepared for the future in a global economy. Every lesson supports one or more standard(s). A couple examples of what we will do is recognize that in a multi-digit number, a digit in one place represents 10 times as much as it represents in the place to its right and 1/10 of what it represents in the place to its left. Another would be to read, write, and compare decimals to thousandths.
SCIENCEÂ GRADE 5
In Grade 5 Science, students will 1) follow instructions for an investigation to practice clear communication; 2) plan and conduct an investigation to observe and classify objects; 3) describe how scientific knowledge differs from information gathered in other ways; and 4) explain the relationship between evidence and explanations in science record data. Students will also be making connections with art, math, social studies, and language arts, by completing scientific experiments and drawing connections.
SOCIAL STUDIES GRADE 5
Grade 5 social studies students study the American Revolution and the United States Constitution.