South Korea Middle School 3rd Grade Curriculum - Science/Technology/Home Economics/Informatics

The South Korean middle school curriculum follows a 6-3-3-4 system, with middle school encompassing grades 7-9. The curriculum is designed to provide a balanced education, fostering both academic and personal growth. Middle school students are required to take a variety of subjects, including Science/Technology/Home Economics/Informatics.

Science/Technology/Home Economics/Informatics

This subject cluster combines several related areas into a single, integrated curriculum. It aims to equip students with practical skills and knowledge relevant to everyday life and future careers. The 2015 National Curriculum specifies that Informatics is included within this subject cluster. Informatics education in Korea has been undergoing development and expansion, with a focus on software education and computational thinking.

Curriculum Implementation

Middle schools have some autonomy in deciding the specific scheduling and implementation of the curriculum. However, there are some general guidelines:

• Schools must provide information about the curriculum organization to parents and students.
• The total instructional time for Science/Technology/Home Economics/Informatics is 680 hours over the three years of middle school.
• Schools can adjust the instructional hours within a 20% range for each subject cluster, but Physical Education and Arts cannot be reduced.
• Informatics instruction is allocated 34 hours within the Science/Technology/Home Economics/Informatics cluster.
• To manage student workload, students cannot take more than eight subjects per semester (excluding Physical Education and Arts).

Exam-Free Semester

Middle schools implement a one-semester Exam-Free program to encourage student exploration of aptitudes and career interests. This semester focuses on participatory learning and experiential activities, often in collaboration with the local community. Assessment during this period emphasizes the learning process rather than traditional exams.