Middle Grades Content Areas
Middle Grades Mathematics
Mathematics questions make up one-fifth of each Quick Recall round. The Mathematics Written Assessment exam has balanced proportions from each category.
- Number Theory
- Sequences and Patterns
- Absolute Value, Integers, Rational Numbers
- Ratio, Proportion and Percents
- Problem Solving
- Systems of Measurement
- Geometry: Angles, Parallel Lines, Polygons, Circles, Geometric Solids
- Geometry: Measurement (Perimeter, Circumference, Area, Surface Area, Volume)
- Indirect Measurement (Similar Polygons, Pythagorean Theorem, Special Right Triangles, Trigonometry)
- Statistics and Data Analysis
- Probability: Independent/Dependent Events, Permutation, Combinations
- Inequalities and Absolute Value
- Polynomials, Polynomial Factoring, Algebraic Fractions
- Relations, Functions and Variations
- Linear Equations and Functions
- Radicals and Exponents
- Quadratic Equations and Functions
Middle Grades Science
Science questions make up one-fifth of each Quick Recall round. The Science Written Assessment exam has balanced proportions from each category.
- Matter: Chemical and Physical Properties, Compounds, Elements, Mixtures
- Motion and Force: Inertia, Changes in Speed/Direction, Waves
- Transfer of Energy: Heat Predictability, Electromagnetic Spectrum, Electricity
- Living Systems’ Structure and Function: Uni/Multicellular Organisms, Specialization
- Regulation and Behavior: Obtaining and Using Resources, Stimuli
- Reproduction and Heredity
- Diversity and Adaptation of Organisms; Populations and Ecosystems: Food Webs, Sunlight & Energy, Carrying Capacity
- Earth’s Subsystems: Lithosphere, Atmosphere, Hydrosphere, Climate, Resources
- Solar System and Beyond: Objects, Events, Gravity/Inertia, Constellations
- Scientific Process: Experiments, Data Interpretation, Variables, Hypotheses, Laboratory Safety and First Aid (Written Assessment only)
- 1950 to Present: Science, Technology, Fields of Study, Tools of Science
- Plants: Resources/Uses, Diversity, Ecosystems, Evolution, Life Cycles
- Animals: Diversity, Ecosystems, Evolution, Life Cycles
- Fungi, Viruses and Bacteria
- History of Science: Scientists, Inventions/Inventors, Technology
- Health and Nutrition
Middle Grades Social Studies
Social Studies questions make up one-fifth of each Quick Recall round. The Social Studies Written Assessment exam has balanced proportions from each category.
- Current History: People and Events from 2010 to the present
- U.S. Geography: Physical and Political
- World Geography: Physical/Political Geography, Maps
- Geography: Climate, Land, Resources, Map Skills
- World Civilization: Ancient Africa and Egypt, River Valleys, Fertile Crescent, India and China
- World Civilization: Greece and Rome
- World Civilization: Middle Ages
- World Civilization: Age of Exploration – Emphasis on European Explorers
- U.S. History: Prehistory, Native American Cultures, Exploration
- U.S. History: Colonial Period (1500-1775)
- U.S. History: Becoming a New Nation (1775-1815)
- U.S. History: The Nation Grows (1815-1860)
- U.S. History: Civil War and Reconstruction
- U.S. History: Presidents and Great Political Figures
- U.S. Government (Major Documents and Citizenship)
- Economics: Principles, Practices, Money/Banking, Economic Systems
Middle Grades Language Arts
Language Arts questions make up one-fifth of each Quick Recall round. The Language Arts Written Assessment exam has balanced proportions from each category.
- Classic American Novels (Early American to 1900)
- Newbery Award Winners
- Classic Children’s Novels
- Award-winning Contemporary Young Adult Literature
- Award-winning Contemporary Young Adult Nonfiction, Famous Speeches
- Famous Poets and Poetry (including Contemporary)
- Famous Plays and Playwrights (including Contemporary)
- Short Stories: Authors, Titles, Characters, Themes
- Characters in Fables, Folklore, Tall Tales
- Grammar: Types of Sentences, Phrases, Clauses, Mechanics, Language Usage
- Grammar: Punctuation, Sentence Structure, Capitalization
- Parts of Speech and Their Usage
- Vocabulary: Spelling and Definitions
- Vocabulary: Greek and Latin Affixes and Roots
- Common Foreign Words and Phrases
- Literary Devices and Techniques
Middle Grades Arts and Humanities
Arts and Humanities questions make up one-fifth of each Quick Recall round. The Arts and Humanities Written Assessment exam has balanced proportions from each category.
- Visual Arts: Elements of Arts, Principles of Design, Media, Processes, Purposes of Art
- Visual Artists and Their Works – Emphasis on Cole, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Caravaggio, Picasso, David, Monet, van Gogh, Rembrandt, Pollock, O’Keeffe; Historical/Cultural Aspects of Art
- Architecture — Emphasis on Ancient Greece and Rome; Architects – Emphasis on Michelangelo, Thomas Jefferson, Frank Lloyd Wright, Eero Saarinen, I. M. Pei, Christopher Wren
- Elements of Music: Rhythm, Tempo, Harmony, Form, Dynamics, etc.
- Composers and their Works: Classical, Baroque and Romantic – Emphasis on J.S. Bach, Handel, Vivaldi, Monteverdi, Beethoven, Mozart, Haydn, Schubert, Chopin
- American Composers and their Works
- Musical Instruments and Families (including traditional folk instruments)
- Purposes and Styles of Music—Latin musical styles, Medieval (e.g. Gregorian chant), gospel, popular, ballads, etc
- Dance: Elements, Movements, Famous Dancers and Choreographers
- Dance: Historical/Cultural Aspects
- World Religions and Holidays, Religious Leaders and History
- Mythology: Greek and Roman Gods, Goddesses and Characters
- Drama/Theater: Elements, Format, Production Terms
- Drama/Theater: Historical/Cultural Aspects, Broadway Plays
- Drama/Theater: Musical Theatre
- Cultural Icons 1990-present
