GALS Series (Middle School)

The GALS Series curriculum provides GALS students with the tools needed to become more aware of their individual and community identity, the skills to navigate through challenges and decisions successfully, and empowerment to drive them. The GALS Series curriculum encompasses 5 themes: Mindfulness, Wellness, Voice, Relationships and Goal Setting, and classes focus on the continued development of reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills utilizing grade level, Common Core standards.

In the 6th grade GALS Series class, GALS 101, students spend time learning about what GALS is all about and how they fit into this community. By looking at relationships, including family and friends, students will think about their own impact on this community and how they can work to better it. Our main goals of the GALS Series are two-fold. First and foremost, we hope to help students with their own personal growth. Second, the class is meant to positively affect the school community.

6th Grade Content Overview

• Intro to GALS: What makes this school special? What are our expectations for the community?
• Emotional Intelligence: What am I feeling and why? How best can I cope with those emotions?
• Identity: Myself and Others: Who am I? What characteristics, goals, dreams, strengths, etc. do I have? How can I learn from others to better understand myself? What can I learn from strong women throughout history and today?
• Exploring Self: What strengths and areas for improvement do I have? How can I help to better my community through what I know about myself?
• Self Care: What is happening with my body? How can I best take care of myself physically?
• GALS and Family: What sort of identity have I formed through my family? How can I better understand my place in communities through what I know about my family system?
• Friendships: What is a healthy friendship? How can I build strong friendships with others who will support me and help me to be my best? How can I advocate for myself in friendships?

In the 7th grade (“GALS 201”), within 7 units of study units, students build on this learning and also have the opportunity to learn and practice traditional elective subjects including visual arts, dance, foreign language, speech/debate, and theater.

7th Grade Content Overview

• GALS Intro: Overview of academic and social responsibilities as a member of the GALS community.
• Building Emotional Intelligence: Naming emotions and identifying coping strategies.
• Exploring Self: Defining core values and exploring how we see ourselves and are seen by others (race, sexuality, gender, socio-economic status, culture, family, religion).
• Vocal Empowerment: Practicing the use of voice (reading/writing/speaking/listening) to engage in conversation and convey ideas.
• My Body, Myself: Exploring health and wellness; brain/body connection; body image and awareness; sexual health.
• Community Building: Career exploration and financial literacy; gardening; community service; restorative justice.
• Voice Project: A culminating community performance combining learning from previous units.

In the 8th grade GALS Series class, GALS 301, students will work as leaders in the school community to explore personal growth, gain the ability to positively affect school community, create a voice for self advocacy, build positive, healthy relationships, and gain knowledge of personal health.

8th Grade Content Overview

• Identity: Explore personal emotions and origin for emotions. Develop appropriate and healthy coping strategies to use in academic and personal situations. Identify major contributors to personal identity. Discover the role of social media on personal identity and GALS culture.
• Taking a Stand: Explore the influence of media on societal norms set for men and women. Research racial, ethnic and gender stereotypes in modern culture. Determine personal views on major political issues and express views through speech and debate.
• My Body, Myself: Explore personal body image.  Gain an insight into unhealthy coping strategies associated with poor self body image. Gain knowledge on the development and anatomy of the human body. Determine personal boundaries in intimate relationships and practice using voice to express boundaries. Identify outcomes of individuals that are sexually active.
• Facing Challenges: Research an individual’s journey in facing and overcoming challenges. Acknowledge characteristics needed in an individual to persevere through challenges in life.
• Women in the World: Study world issues dealing with gender equity. Determine how people across the world use voice to impact their community. Explore creating change in the GALS community.
• Future Me: Reflect on personal growth throughout middle school. Research school and career options for future. Create goals for future self-growth.