Chapter 4: Middle School Curriculum

Few things are as complicated and debated as middle level curriculum. Whether the debate pertains to junior high school, interdisciplinary, or integrative ways of knowing, the debate around which is the best approach for young adolescents continues. This paper focuses on historical antecedents to contemporary ways of doing curriculum in middle school. Attention is given to the first and second Turning Points documents as means to developing contemporary middle school curriculum. Comparisons are then made between traditional, interdisciplinary, and integrative curriculum. Implications are drawn for future research that draws upon the voices of middle level students to better understand the place that middle level curriculum has in the daily lives of students and teachers.