Grade 5

The curriculum introduces students to narratives set in Afghanistan (The Breadwinner), Poland (Boy on the Wooden Box), the US (Bud, Not Buddy), and the Panama Canal Zone (Silver People). Offering inclusive perspectives on major events from the 20th century, these novels contextualize an integrated humanities program in which each setting and time period inspires a unit of inquiry in history class. Students use close reading strategies, including inferring, questioning, visualizing, and predicting. Each student creates a record of his thinking (wonderings, questions, feelings, and conclusions.) about each novel through annotation and reflection. Students engage in a variety of daily writing practices to develop vocabulary and build grammatical fluency. Writing instruction focuses on sentence and paragraph composition, often based on prompts from the class novels. From simple and complex sentences to single- and multi-paragraph assignments, the boys develop a strong foundation in expository and creative writing.

Grade 6

Grade 6 students are exposed to a number of major literary forms—myths, legends, novels, drama, and poetry—and the terms with which we talk about them. There are intentional points of contact with Grade 6 history throughout the year, as English uses history’s focus on Greek and Roman civilizations as a jumping off point for our literary exploration of how societies view journeys. Students learn the elements of the analytical paragraph to build a solid foundation for critical writing, focusing on topic sentences, outlines, and the incorporation of quoted material. Lessons in sentence structure and mechanics reinforce basic writing skills, and concerted, consistent work with vocabulary expands boys' word choice. The boys demonstrate their learning through performance from short plays to memorization projects.

Grade 7

Focusing on the themes of personal and collective identity and what it means to be a man, artwork (painting, photography, and sculpture), poetry, personal vignettes, plays, and novels give boys differing perspectives on these themes. The boys continue to develop their close reading skills and grammar. We continue to work with the analytical paragraph and introduce boys to other structures for critical writing to prepare the boys to make arguments that extend beyond a single paragraph. In creative writing, we focus on character description and short fiction.

Grade 8

Grade 8 boys learn to read closely and contextually. To read closely is to lavish attention upon the intricacies of the verbal structures and to grasp the structural innerworkings in order to see the literary work as an aesthetic object. To read contextually is to discern, recover, and appreciate the various contexts that influenced the work’s initial creation as well as consider the reader’s response. Essentially, students read and respond to historically and culturally significant literary works to discover the multiple ways of seeing and being and to consider ideals of citizenship and leadership. Through frequent critical and creative writing assignments alongside regular grammar and vocabulary exercises, students gain perspective, confidence, and voice.

Grade 5

Beginning with a structured approach in the fall, students gradually assume greater responsibility for the inquiry process; by spring, they have the freedom to choose their topic as well as the form of project, performance, or original piece that most effectively demonstrates their learning. Developing the skill to create and effectively employ open- and closed-ended questions informs all facets of this work.

Inquiry units are inspired by the setting of each novel featured in the English curriculum—the rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan in the late 90s (The Breadwinner); World War II Resistance movements in Europe (The Boy on the Wooden Box); The Great Depression in the US (Bud, Not Buddy); and the construction of the Panama Canal (Silver People). The integration of English and history allows students to deepen their engagement with each discipline.

Grade 6

The study of ancient Greece and ancient Rome introduces Grade 6 boys to the foundations of Western civilization. The study of ancient China introduces students to non-Western cultures and allows them to compare the achievements of different societies spread across great distances. These cultures' art, architecture, literature, politics, government, warfare and geography are studied as map, note taking and analytical essay writing skills are emphasized throughout the year. Topics include Athenian democracy and the development of the Athenian Empire, the Greco-Persian Wars, the Roman Republic and Empire, the Punic Wars, the Qin, Han, and Tang Dynasties, and the major religion and philosophies of ancient China.

Grade 7: American History and the Atlantic World, Part I

This course begins a two-year sequence for Grades 7 and 8 and allows students to further develop reading comprehension and analytical essay writing as well as drawing inferences and detecting bias in sources. Emphasis is placed on using primary source materials along with a variety of reference books. Students consistently examine how history is shared, which stories are emphasized and which are, at times, harder to identify. Context is established by exploring the factors that brought the civilizations of the Americas, Africa, and Europe to create a “new world.” Next, students examine the causes of the revolutions that swept the Atlantic World in the late 18th and early 19th century while focusing on the American Revolution. The United States Constitution and the establishment of the Republic are studied in depth.

Grade 8: American History and the Atlantic World, Part II

The continuation of the Atlantic World and American History I course challenges students to evaluate a variety of sources and to draw connections between history and current affairs. Students study newspaper and primary sources and read short narratives. Writing assignments often ask students to present and explore their work with these sources and major assessments ask students to articulate a clear line of reasoning and to synthesize insights from a variety of sources. Units of study may include: the industrial revolution, the slave trade, abolitionism and human rights, imperialism, globalization, the women’s movement, immigration, world wars, alliances, electoral democracy, and civil rights.

Grade 5

Grade 5 math begins with whole numbers and their operations. Visual models and games are incorporated to enhance number sense and mathematical reasoning. Students will also explain the reasoning behind their problem-solving process. The boys work on fractions, decimals, and percentages. Tests, projects and math lab activities allow students to demonstrate and deepen their understanding of the subject. Resource: Math in Focus, Grade 5.

Grade 6

In Grade 6, the mathematics vocabulary and fluency with rational numbers continue to expand, and terms dealing with symbols and notation are presented. Variables, expressions, equations and inequalities are learned with an emphasis on modeling relationships to solve problems. In addition, the application of more sophisticated statistics and geometry topics grows and the emphasis on the boys justifying their conclusions and communicating their ideas continues. Resource: Math in Focus, Course 1 supplemented with Course 2.

Grade 7

Seventh grade students work extensively with the Rational Number System and further develop the skills necessary for understanding algebra and more advanced arithmetic concepts, including exponents. Continuing to build on their work with rational numbers, variables, equations, and inequalities leads to the use of algebraic expressions, modeling problems, an exploration of linear relationships and equations, and proportional relationships. Students’ understanding of geometry expands to include Angle Properties, Circles, Volume and Surface Area. Supporting one’s conclusions and communicating ideas clearly is threaded throughout the year. Resource: Math in Focus, Course 2 supplemented with Course 3.

Grade 8: Algebra I

This first-year algebra course covers a deeper analysis of linear equations and functions, linear inequalities of one and two variables, linear systems, polynomial operations (including factoring) and equations, rational expressions and equations, radical expressions and equations, and quadratic functions. Applied problem-solving is emphasized heavily throughout the course in order to promote the appreciation of mathematics as a language used to describe real-world phenomena. Text: Sullivan, Elementary and Intermediate Algebra 4th Edition

Grade 5

The Grade 5 Science course focuses on the process of science, properties of matter, properties of waves, energy transfer in ecosystems, the interactions among Earth's spheres, and Earth's place in the universe. Students will engage in learning experiences that explore identifying and describing different types of scientific variables, developing models to illustrate matter as tiny particles, and investigating the outcomes of mixing substances. They'll delve into how waves interact with materials, how energy from the sun supports ecosystems, and how plants make food by using resources from sun, air, and soil. Students will research and learn about different biomes, discerning the unique adaptations of organisms to their habitats. Additionally, students will model the interactions within Earth's spheres, examine the distribution of Earth's water, analyze weather patterns, and understand the geologic time scale and its impact on Earth's surface. This course emphasizes hands-on learning and evidence-based analysis to cultivate a deeper understanding of scientific concepts. As scientists, students will also present an independent project at the STEAM Expo.

Grade 6

The Grade 6 Science course delves deeper into the process of science focusing on experimental design, data analysis, and scientific reasoning. Students will plan investigations to explore the relationships among energy transfer, type of matter, mass, and changes in particle motion and temperature. They'll develop models to predict changes in particle motion and state of a substance when thermal energy is added or removed. Students will also investigate the conservation of matter during heating, cooling, or mixing substances, providing evidence for this fundamental principle. They'll explore the cellular composition of living organisms, constructing models to describe cell function and the interconnectedness of cellular systems within the body. Students will study Earth's systems, including the cycling of water, uneven distributions of resources, atmospheric and oceanic circulation patterns, and the analysis of natural hazards to forecast and mitigate future catastrophic events. As scientists, students will also present an independent project at the STEAM Expo.

Grade 7

This course is an introduction to the life sciences. Boys develop a deeper understanding of the underpinnings of the study of life: heredity and change; evolution; and identification and classification of simple organisms, plants, animals and the human body. Boys use inquiry work in the lab to reinforce the increasingly detailed study of biological systems as well as a variety of modeling projects. Students will also have the opportunity to study local ecosystems and biology through the school’s collaboration with Black Rock Forest. The students will spend two days in the forest, participating in surveys, trail maintenance, and invasive species removal; they will share an overview of their project at the STEAM Expo.

Grade 8

This course is an introduction to physical science and develops the formal aspects of physics and chemistry within a broader context of big data in the physical world. The language, methods, and concepts of physical science are refined with attention paid to the relationship between mathematics and science in experiment and theory. Motion, forces, energy and thermodynamics form the backbone of the physics concepts, which link to chemistry through the study of atomic structure, the Periodic Table of elements, chemical formulas and chemical reactions. At the end of the year, students will use large public data sets to create an infographic about a topic of their choosing to share at the STEAM Expo.

Grade 5

French

Grade 5 French introduces boys to practical vocabulary and basic conversational skills. The grammatical component emphasizes counting, telling the time and date, basic verb conjugations, the notions of gender and number as applied to nouns and adjectives, and interrogative words and expressions. Vocabulary and grammatical work is punctuated by units on the culture and history of French-speaking countries. Boys further explore culture and values by reading a short novel. This class meets three times a week.

Spanish

Grade 5 Spanish introduces boys to practical vocabulary and encourages them to develop basic conversational skills. The grammatical component emphasizes counting, telling the time and date, basic verb conjugations, the notions of gender and number as applied to nouns and adjectives, and interrogative words and expressions. Vocabulary and grammatical work is punctuated by units on the culture and history of Spanish-speaking countries. Boys further explore culture and values by reading a short novel.

Grade 6

Latin 6

MS Latin at Browning is a multifaceted experience. At this introductory level, students encounter the language through the reading approach of the Cambridge Latin Course, along with excerpts of authentic and unedited Latin, Greek, and Hebrew literature about the Romans, as they learn the basics of Latin nouns and verbs - along with a robust list of English derivatives of Latin vocabulary - through stories about ancient Pompeii in Unit 1. Cultural topics include daily life, the diversity of the population in this port town, and the history of enslavement in the Roman world, with regular trips to the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Greek & Roman galleries.

French

Students study vocabulary related to the family, the classroom and leisure activities. The class covers the present tense, the near future, negative and interrogative expressions, adjective agreement, the possessive forms, and the definite and indefinite articles. Cultural units focus on daily life, and a major project on the art, history, literature or geography of a French-speaking country is completed, based on Reporters 1B by Klett World Languages. Reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills are all developed.

Spanish

This course begins with a detailed review of greetings, numbers, date, time and weather, moving on to the study of vocabulary related to school, the home and the marketplace. The present indicative, negative and interrogative expression; possessive adjectives, and the gender and number of nouns, adjectives and articles are introduced. Boys are encouraged to speak and write in the target language and develop their listening skills through various listening comprehension exercises.

Grade 7

Latin

Latin in the seventh grade will follow the sixth grade curriculum for the 2024-25 school year.

French

French 7 begins with the novel Jean-Paul et ses bonnes idées as students review the grammar and vocabulary covered in Grade 6 French, and discover cultural aspects of France. The class moves onto the novel La France en danger et les secrets de Picasso. Each chapter of the book includes a related grammar, cultural, and vocabulary lesson. Over the course of the year, students will study the basic elements of language (the present tense, the futur proche, adjective agreement, articles, interrogative, possessive and demonstrative adjectives, how to ask a question, and negation) and vocabulary related to everyday activities. Students develop reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills, as well as cultural competency.

Spanish

The goal of this course is for students with prior knowledge of basic Spanish to develop their listening, speaking, reading and writing skills. Students begin to expand their use of the language in a variety of contexts. They are encouraged to speak and write in the target language and develop their listening skills through various listening comprehension exercises. In grammar, the class covers negative and interrogative expressions, possessive adjectives, ordinal numbers, the forms and uses of ser and estar, the present tense of stem changing, irregular, intransitive and reflexive verbs, the rules of the infinitive, and the past tense of regular verbs. Enrichment of vocabulary and cultural awareness is emphasized. Additionally, the boys further explore language and culture by reading the short novel Brandon Brown Hace Trampa.

Grade 8

Latin

Latin I aims to bring the student’s reading comprehension to a high novice level on the ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) scale, by deepening the student’s internalization of Latin grammar, syntax, and vocabulary. Students continue to develop their faculty for speaking, hearing, writing, and especially reading the language through extensive reading of level-appropriate, comprehensible texts, while simultaneously furthering their study of Rome’s history and cultural influence. The main text is Cambridge Latin Series Unit One and the beginning of Cambridge Latin Series Unit Two.

French

The course continues to introduce boys to the richness and culture of French-speaking countries through a representative sampling of various situations from daily life through material in Reporters 2 by Klett World Languages. Emphasis is placed on oral and writing skills. Comprehension of the fundamental structures of the language is the aim of this program. Object and relative pronouns are introduced, and the goal is for students to finish the year with a fluent command of the present, future and past tenses of regular and irregular verbs. In addition, special attention is given to basic French expressions and verbal idioms, with reference to their English counterparts. This class meets four times a week.

Spanish

Students are expected to master beginning Spanish grammar and simple oral and written expressions. The class focuses its efforts on the four basic skills: reading, writing, speaking and listening in Spanish. The first part of the course is a thorough review of previous grammatical topics. During the second part of the year, boys explore the uses of direct and indirect object pronouns, and the preterite tense. Vocabulary enrichment and cultural awareness are emphasized through the study of Spanish speaking countries, famous people of Hispanic descent and several short stories. Additionally, the boys further explore language and culture by reading the short novel Vidas impactantes.

Grades 5 and 6

These courses are devoted to enhancing each student’s creativity, technical ability and work ethic, while at the same time teaching the elements of good design and composition. Boys explore art using two- and three-dimensional media. Activities within each unit include drawing, painting, printmaking, and ceramics. For their main project, 5th grade students will create a clay shoe and the 6th graders will make a plaster mask. Each unit is broken into phases designed to improve the understanding of the individual elements and principles of the process. Content for these units uses visual aids and imagery produced by historically significant as well as contemporary artists. There are also a number of cross-curricular components which further enrich the program.

Grades 7 and 8

The Grade 7 and 8 art courses derive their content through a survey of historical art movements including Ancient Art, Impressionism, Cubism and Abstract Painting. The related projects include ceramic sculpture and acrylic painting. A main project in 7th grade is working with clay to build their own car. Boys in Grade 8 focus on figurative painting and sculpture. They use clay to create a ceramic hand from observation and create self-portraits from life, considering what makes them unique as individuals and expressing that in their paintings. Frequent critiques of their work develop critical thinking skills. There are also a number of cross-curricular components which further enrich the program.

Grade 5: Radical Empathy

The Radical Empathy course helps boys value understanding and sharing the feelings of others while teaching them how to be actively empathetic in their daily lives. After exploring the differences between sympathy and empathy, the boys experience a storytelling unit that teaches the skills associated with deep listening. The course culminates with the Panther Tank program in which student teams design non-profit organizations that address needs in New York City and present them to a panel of judges.

Grade 6: Panthers Connect

Panthers Connect builds on skills learned in the Radical Empathy course. Based on the research of Niobe Way, Judy Chu, and Matthew Lieberman, the boys study the effects of friendship on health and wellness After exploring why connection matters as well as the forces that interrupt or minimize connection, the boys engage in a “social school” project with the goal of constructing physical models of spaces at Browning that could be redesigned to fuel connection to others.

Grade 7: The Listening Project

The aim of The Listening Project is to foster listening, curiosity, learning, connection, and a sense of common humanity among and between individuals and communities. In the course, students study and learn to employ a semi-structured method of interviewing developed by New York University’s Project for the Advancement of our Common Humanity. Once students have the chance to observe and practice the method of interviewing, they pick a person in their own lives that they would like to know more about and lead a series of three interviews with them.

Grade 8: Boys Care

Boys Care is designed to explore the meaning of care, develop essential skills and dispositions for self-care and caring for others, such as sewing, cooking, healthy sleeping, and personal finance, and critically examine the impact of gender norms on the development of these skills. For the final project, students each choose a skill, interview a male role model who has demonstrated the ability to care for themselves and others effectively, and take actions to master that skill.

Grade 5

In Grade 5, boys explore responsible and ethical use of technology, focusing on digital citizenship and cyberbullying. Also, students will gain a foundational understanding of engineering through a hands-on cardboard construction project. Additionally, students will transition from block-based programming to mastering the basics of programming with text commands using Codesters, a Python-based platform. Students will design and develop their own games and animations.

Grade 6

In Grade 6, boys will engineer and program Lego Spike Prime robots. They will problem solve, troubleshoot, and learn logical thinking as they work on team building exercises as they collaboratively build and program their robot through a variety of challenges. They will apply real-world applications, like geometry, to the mechanics of programming their robot in the physical world.

Grade 7

In Grade 7, coding is approached as an important and evolving form of literacy. Throughout the semester-long course, students will use Micro Bit and cover topics including programming, problem-solving, and physical computing. Students will learn about building their own websites using HTML and CSS. Skills crucial to success in multiple settings are built into this class so that students develop the communication, collaboration, and resourcefulness useful for computing.

Grade 8

In Grade 8, students will have the opportunity to learn more about physical computing by building their own robotic animals using Hummingbird Bit Bot. Students will gain a deeper understanding of the design thinking cycle and user-centered design. They will develop the skills needed to conduct meaningful interviews for data collection and analyze this data to design a product tailored to a real-life client. This process will foster perspective-taking, empathy, and the ability to create meaningful and impactful products throughout the course.

Grades 5 and 6

During the fall, the students may play on an interscholastic soccer team, which practices twice a week on Randall’s Island with a double period of physical education (PE), or remain at school for their regular PE class. In the winter, boys may play on an interscholastic basketball team, or they will join the intramural program that runs twice a week, as well as participate in the regular physical education program. Boys on the team practice during their scheduled class period and play games after school. For the boys continuing in the regular program, the coaches present a variety of activities to promote skill development for other sports. In the spring, the boys may participate in an optional intramural baseball program which takes place on Randall’s Island twice a week with a double period of PE.

Grade 7 and 8

Boys in Grades 7 and 8 have the option of playing on an interscholastic athletic team or participating in the physical education (PE) program each semester. If a boy joins a team, he does not attend PE classes until the season has concluded. Boys taking PE have class four days a week and participate in a variety of activities in school, including indoor soccer, volleyball, basketball, lacrosse, floor hockey, team handball and wiffle ball. Boys also continue to develop their skills for each of these sports. Beginning in Grades 7 and 8, the boys are introduced to the Fitness Center one day each week. They learn how to exercise properly with cardiovascular machines and weights and how to design an exercise program for their specific needs.

Team Sports

Grades 5 and 6 participate in interscholastic competition in basketball and intramural competition in soccer, basketball and baseball. Grades 7 and 8 participate in interscholastic competition in soccer, cross country, squash, basketball, baseball, table tennis, tennis, golf and track.

Grades 5 and 6

In this one semester course, students will focus on the three foundational dimensions of health and wellness: physical, mental, and social wellness. Students will cultivate skills to create health enhancing goals, analyze external influences, access valid information/facts about health, think critically to make responsible decisions, and enhance their personal communication skills including healthy technology use.

Grade 7 and 8

In this one semester course, students will continue deepening their understanding of themselves, others, and the world around them through the physical, emotional, social, financial, intellectual, occupational, and multicultural dimensions of health. Students will routinely engage in individual reflection, class discussion, and projects in order to best apply the skills they learn throughout the semester.