The Middle School Explorers program operates under the guiding principle of a parallel curriculum, when possible.  This means that students study the same content as their non-Explorer peers, but in a deeper and broader sense.  So, in the area of Social Studies, for example, if all of 6^th grade in Walla Walla are studying Egypt, Explorers do too but go deeper in their understanding of the culture as well as participating in hands-on learning and enrichment.  Furthermore, all students will study reading strategies, but the content used to study it is different (see book list below).

7^th/8^th grade Explorers literature classes focus on both classical and contemporary literature.  The following novels will be read by all grades:

Explorer Book List

A Separate Peace by John Knowles  (7/8, A)

"Twelfth Night" by Shakespeare  (7/8, A)

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (7/8, A)

Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain (6)

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson (6)

The Giver by Lois Lowry (6)

The Open Boat and other short stories by Stephen Crane (7/8, B)

28 Assorted short stories (7/8, B)

The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett (7/8, A)

Lord of the Flies by W. Golding (7/8, A)

Enders Game by Orson Scott Card (6)

Enders Shadow by Orson Scott Card (7/8, B)

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (7/8, A)

Eva by Peter Dickinson (7/8, B)

The Positronic Man by Isaac Asimov (7/8, B)

Utopia by Sir Thomas Moore (7/8, B)

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster (6)

Immigrant Kids (nonfiction) (6)

Short Stories by Edgar Allen Poe  (7/8, A)

Farenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (7/8, B)

Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne (6)

Note:  2009-10 school year is Year B.  The number after the book indicates the grade in which it will be studied.  7^th and 8^th graders are in a combination class.

Explorer students also have the unique opportunity to compete in the Future Problem Solving competition.  This is an international  writing competition which teaches a problem solving process and has the students studying scientific and social issues.  Below are the topics for the 2000-10 school year:

Finally, Explorers at Garrison Middle School publish the school newspaper (Year A) and complete a year-long, in-depth study of Economics in Year B.

Here is a link for the Garrison Explorer teacher's website: 
http://resources.wwps.org/garrison/bclearman/