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Middle School

TIS Middle School - At a Glance

The middle school program at TIS places students in active group learning environments that support the development of Learning skills including collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and problem-solving. 

Middle School has always been a time of growth and discovery for young people. Not only are Middle School students expanding their learning in the classroom, but they begin to try new things, meet new people, and forge the path that will lead them into adulthood. Throughout the three years students spend in Middle School, they are given the opportunities to expand their thinking and sharpen their skills all in a safe environment that promotes internal growth and experimentation. Students at TIS Middle School should walk out of these doors not only ready for High School, but with an idea of who they are, who they want to become, and a fundamental knowledge of how to get there. At TIS MS we are helping build 21st century adults and the future of TIS MS will continue to adapt to an ever-changing world so our students will be ready.

Jeffrey Tempel
Director of Instruction

A primary component of our middle school program are 21st century skills. Developing these skills helps our student to prepare for a rapidly changing future. Through project-based learning, our students are engaged in authentic, real-world learning situations.

The academic environment is focused on kids growth, with customized learning plans when necessary and tailored opportunities for kids to ensure academic challenge. We also love that TIS is part of the CEESA network, allowing for enriching opportunities to  exchange with other schools in the region, engage with other kids and their families, and appreciate diversity and cultural difference.

TIS Parent

Middle School & Secondary Classroom Peaks

11YO: Dramatic Arts

World Puppetry Day is commemorated every year on 21 March. This year’s 11-year-old Dramatic Arts class has finished a puppetry unit with a celebratory performance for elementary students. In groups, they wrote scripts, constructed shadow puppets, and rehearsed in front of each other a few weeks ago before sharing with the elementary students this week. They strengthened their collaboration skills and performance skills with this show. The elementary students who attended did a wonderful job being audience members!

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SEC: IB Visual Arts

In the IB Visual Arts class, students tried their hand in mixed media, exploring collage and transferring techniques. They first researched a social issue they are passionate about, then completed a piece where they communicate their concerns visually. The selected pieces convey comments on issues like child marriage, corruption and abuse.

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MS: 11YO Violin

The 11-year-old violin students have started the unit "Solo/ ensemble performance". In this unit, the students are learning how to perform solo or in an ensemble and to develop their violin skills. They are practicing and focusing on some important points: on intonation, rhythm accuracy, harmony, and dynamics. 

The pieces they are learning in this unit are from classical and modern composers.

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SEC I: Who's Hungry?

Sec I students in AP Human Geography are learning about rural land-use and agricultural practices. Students used manipulatives to learn about von Thünen’s model to explain agricultural production at various scales of analysis.

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MS/SEC: German

German I/II Students have been working on a beautiful colorful project about the Life and Works of the famous artist Hundertwasser. Friedensreich Hundertwasser is one of the most important contributions in the art history of post-war modernism. His goal in the art of graphics was to create variations within one edition, with the result that each sheet of an edition is unique, different in color and design from all others. Throughout his life, he developed his art and ecological ideas to offer new utopian and imaginative ways of thinking about human interconnectedness with the natural world. The Secondary students were very exited discovering and working about this amazing unique artist.

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