Welcome, ECFS families
Department Chair
Abena Koomson-Davis | akoomson-davis@ecfs.org
In Middle School ethics classes, we work to build skills of critical inquiry and self-examination at each stage of development, so that a student’s social, emotional, and academic development are addressed alongside moral development.
As students navigate the transition from childhood to adolescence, they have opportunities to explore their social identities and examine issues of integrity in decision-making. Our process and content are student-based and consist of peer-to-peer learning through coordinated teaching between both teachers and selected and trained Upper School student leaders.
Our goal at every stage is to challenge students to consider issues through multiple ethical lenses, excavate and develop their own belief systems, cultivate critical literacy, and grapple with questions they find relevant and engaging.
Descriptions by Grade Level
The 6th Grade Ethics curriculum focuses on helping students to develop self-esteem and self-awareness, and to increase their capacity for empathy. Students meet once a week throughout the year to participate in a range of experiences that foster effective communication, cooperative learning, and strategies for resolving conflict.
Our theme for the year is building a healthy community. The Ethics curriculum provides tools for 6th Grade students who are exploring advoacy and ally-ship, and considering the social justice causes they want to support. The overarching goal is to develop strong capacities for cooperative learning, empathy, mindfulness, and to build a healthy self-concept.
In addition to weekly class meetings, 6th Grade students also participate in a student-to-student peer mentorship program (STS) that meets twice a week for one quarter. In STS, Upper School students, under the direction of faculty supervisors, facilitate small discussion groups, as well as introduce identity-related concepts that 7th Grade Ethics will later explore.
6th Grade STS
- STS leaders meet twice per week for one quarter
- Leaders meet with their teachers twice per week to prep, debrief, and reflect
- Students play experiential games while meeting in both small and large groups
- 6th Grade students meet with a classroom teacher once per week for the entire year
- The goal of STS is to successfully integrate 6th Grade students into the Middle School by providing opportunities to work together, develop strategies to address conflict, prevent bullying by responding to negativity, and interrupt microaggressions. STS helps build community, as the key themes we address revolve around developing effective communication skills.
The goal of STS is to successfully integrate 6th Grade students into the Middle School by providing opportunities to work together, develop strategies to address conflict, prevent bullying by responding to negativity, and interrupt microaggressions. STS helps build community, as the key themes we address revolve around developing effective communication skills.
Students in STS will address the following questions, among others:
- What is the power of mindfulness?
- What impact does stress have on our lives, both positive and negative, and what tools can we use to address it?
- What role can service learning play in our attempt to build community?
- How do I build empathy and self awareness?
- What current events are taking place and how can I be an activist and advocate for what is just and right?
The 7th Grade Ethics curriculum explores issues of identity, diversity, and social justice. 7th Grade students participate in a student-to-student peer mentorship program (STS) that meets twice a week for one quarter.
In STS, Upper School students, under the direction of faculty supervisors, facilitate small discussion groups. Building on concepts explored in 6th Grade Ethics, students work to identify effective ways to maintain self-esteem and integrity in the midst of defining who they are and how they want to represent themselves.
Thinking critically about ethical issues and building community within and beyond the Ethics classroom are key components of the course. Students read about and discuss the core cultural/social identifiers, including age, gender, class, race, ethnicity (including nationality and first language), family structure, sexual orientation, ability, religion, and pertinent 7th Grade social issues.
7th Grade students submit reflections about their experiences in class activities, as well as insights from group discussions, assigned readings, videos, and their choice of contemporary news or popular media pieces.
The overarching goal of the course is to recognize how a deeper understanding and respect for the various components of one’s own identity compels one to act with integrity and inclusion in respecting the identities of others.
7th Grade STS
- STS leaders meet with student twice per week for one quarter
- Leaders meet with their teachers once per week to prep, debrief, and reflect
This course features trained STS leaders (juniors and seniors) who design lessons focused on identity, diversity and social justice. Classroom teachers also lead sessions with students exploring social identities and issues that arise particularly around popularity and cliques.
Using the Big 8 (age, abilities, ethnicity, gender, race, religion/faith/spirituality, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic class) and other core cultural identifiers (family structure, immigration, language, etc.), leaders and their teachers select which identifiers will be featured in the coursework based on continuity and current events.
Affinity groups are used as a modality to promote affirmation, connection, and reflection. 7th Grade students explore social identities and issues such as cliques, popularity, citizenship and immigration, language, privilege, family structure, power, and advocacy.
The 8th Grade Ethics curriculum covers a variety of topics related to independent, values-based decision making. 8th Grade students participate in a student-to-student peer mentorship program (STS) that meets three times a week for one quarter.
In STS, Upper School students, under the direction of faculty supervisors, facilitate small discussion groups. Building on concepts studied in 6th and 7th Grade Ethics, 8th Grade students examine ways to proactively deal with the growing challenges of academic and social stress, manage conflict effectively, and navigate complex decisions related to substances and relationships.
In continuing their work on identity, diversity, and social justice and building their capacity for empathy and understanding, students reaffirm the importance of appreciating that there are many differing family, cultural, and experiential perspectives. In daily activities and discussions complemented with written assignments, 8th Grade students in Ethics explore their understanding of integrity and ways in which they can continually show respect — both for themselves and others — as well as developing healthy strategies for facing a variety of social challenges.
The overarching goal is to help students continually deepen their self-awareness, employ their ability to empathize, and improve their capacity to manage their conflicts healthfully — now and in the future.
8th Grade STS
- Meets three times per week for one quarter
- Leaders meet with their teachers once per week to prep, debrief and reflect
8th Grade STS focuses on building empathy and respect for oneself and each other with a focus on self-esteem. The lessons explore dilemmas concerning autonomy, integrity, academic and social stress, privilege and microaggressions, gender, body image, sexual orientation, sexuality and relationships, and substance use/abuse through the lens of value-based decision making.
Students learn about making responsible choices and maintaining integrity. Middle School students work to understand the impact of stress and how it manifests in poor decision-making (cheating, lying, use of substances, eating issues, exploration of sexual activity, etc.).
