1. Shoal River Middle School Mustang Learning Community Shaping Our World

2. The vision of the Mustang Learning Community is to empower the learner to develop career-minded, problem solving skills necessary to be successful leaders in a competitive global society. VISION

3. The mission of the Mustang Learning Community is to facilitate 21 st century, student-relevant curriculum that is research based & technology-advanced. Diverse learners will develop and attain independent and cooperative problem solving skills through community and stakeholder relationships. MISSION

4.  Problem/Project Based Learning and Real-World Application  Diverse Population  Integrated Curriculum  Learning is FUN  Positive Character Development MLC Traits

5. The population of the community will reflect the general population of SRMS.  All Ability Levels  All Learning Styles  Grades 6-8 Learning from and working with other students provides the opportunity for all students to interact and receive recognition for their individual contributions. DIVERSITY

6.  Real World Relevance  Hands-On Problem Solving  Planning/Research, Collaboration, Presentation  Integrated Core Curriculum taught through thematic units called Quests PROJECT BASED LEARNING

7. The majority of the core curriculum will be integrated and taught through thematic units called Quests.  Science  Social Studies  Language Arts  Math Applications  Fine Arts Core math curriculum will be taught separately at the student’s ability level. INTEGRATED CURRICULUM Research shows students retain information better when it is not taught in isolation but presented multiple ways in multiple classrooms with real-life application.

8. Language Arts, Social Studies, Science, & Math Applications will be taught through thematic units called Quests.  3 Tiers of Learning: Acquisition, Application, Simulation  Required curriculum will be presented in a theme that is relevant to the student 1 st Quarter: Rights, Respect, & Responsibility 2 nd Quarter: Healthy, Wealthy, & Wise QUESTS

9. Skills Most Prized by Fortune 500 Companies  Teamwork  Problem Solving  Interpersonal Skills  Oral Communication  Listening  Personal & Career Development  Creative Thinking  Leadership  Goal Setting & Motivation  Writing These skills, even more so than content knowledge, empower a learner to be successful in our competitive global society. SKILLS

10.  Partnerships with businesses and community leaders  Presentations by business members to students and students to business members  Projects or products that give back to our community  Real-world connections SERVICE LEARNING