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Seventh Grade Curriculum Summary
ENGLISH:
In seventh grade English, students read various literary genres, examining the theme of change in each type. Example titles include: Tangerine; Things Fall Apart; The Giver; Ties that Bind, Ties that Break. Short stories, folktales, poetry, film and drama are also incorporated into the seventh grade English curriculum. Students study basic plot elements as well as figurative language and abstract literary devices. In conjunction with the Social Studies curriculum, students examine the influences of culture, religion, government, and economy in literature and in the real world.
Vocabulary development is addressed with the study of high-frequency SAT words and with analogy exercises. Words encountered in reading selections are an important part of vocabulary study. Parts of speech and sentence diagramming are reviewed with an emphasis on types of sentences and ways to combine sentences with transition words and correct punctuation.
Writing skills and the writing process are a central focus throughout Middle School. Seventh graders review descriptive writing, learn to develop paragraphs, and incorporate transitions within essays. They work on persuasive and expository writing with emphasis on editing and revising.
Students develop listening and speaking skills by participating in daily class discussions and occasional presentations.
SOCIAL STUDIES:
In Seventh Grade students explore the history and cultures of Africa and Asia. The class identifies particular themes concerning power, economics and social organization. With a focus on the universal theme of change, the course divides history into three basic periods - Indigenous, Colonial, and Modern - which invites the students to compare and contrast and to search for patterns in cause and effect. Research and writing are emphasized, but the students also enjoy hands-on projects and immerse themselves in foreign cultures. In the spring, Seventh Graders work on an integrated project on global hunger that brings together topics in English and Science, as well as Social Studies, and develops the students' sense of place and responsibility in the world.
MATHEMATICS:
Most Seventh Graders study Pre-Algebra using a textbook from Prentice Hall. Topics addressed include: algebraic expressions and integers; solving one-step equations and inequalities; decimals and equations; factors, fractions and exponents; operations with fractions; ratios, proportions and percents; solving equations and inequalities; linear functions and graphing; spatial thinking; area and volume; right triangles in algebra; data analysis and probability; nonlinear functions and polynomials. Some of these topics are extensions of concepts covered in Sixth Grade math while others are introduced and revisited in subsequent years. While the use of technology is integrated in Middle School math, the focus is on continued development of conceptual understanding and effective application of math skills and facts. Teachers may allow students to use calculators at times but not always.
SCIENCE:
The Middle School science curriculum is based on the FAST program developed by the University of Hawaii (Foundational Approaches to Science Teaching). The constructivist philosophy of this program requires students to engage in experiential, hands-on learning. Investigations are carefully sequenced and connected to previous experience both in- and outside school to help students build their knowledge. FAST investigations are conducted in small groups that share data, ideas, and experiences. Group members interact in planning and executing investigations, discussing and validating hypotheses, and summarizing and drawing conclusions. They must identify the kind of problem, formulate hypotheses, conduct experiments, and report their findings for critical review by their peers. Class discussion following each investigation identifies and clarifies common conclusions. Through this process, students develop scientific researching skills, becoming producers rather than receivers of information.
In Seventh Grade the sequences of laboratory investigations focuses on the flow of matter and energy through the biosphere. This course explores, in the field and laboratory, the transfer of matter and energy through ecosystems. Through investigations, students learn that all living organisms are part of a complex, interdependent biosphere. Topics covered include the study of heat and light, the atmosphere and weather, photosynthesis and respiration, and interactions of producers, consumers, and decomposers.
Examples objectives include:
- To distinguish between temperature and heat
- To determine the relationship between temperature and heat
- To develop an operational definition of heat
- To investigate the properties of light
- To investigate the relationship between light and heat
- To understand how light and heat affect weather
- To describe the composition, organization, and physics of the atmosphere
- To identify photosynthesis as the primary process by which the energy of sunlight is converted into stored chemical energy in the biosphere
- To establish a model of a producer
- To identify respiration as the process by which all living organisms oxidize biomass to simple substances and release stored chemical energy for use by organisms
- To establish a model of a consumer
- To understand relationships between producers and consumers
- To develop the concept of cycling of matter in and the flow of energy through the biosphere
SPANISH:
In Seventh Grade Spanish, students encounter the equivalent of the second half of a high-school level Spanish I course. The year begins with a review of the first half of Spanish I (Sixth Grade Spanish) for everyone. For students new to Spanish in Seventh Grade, this review represents a high-speed introduction to Spanish. Most students use an online version of Holt Rinehart's text, Ven Conmigo I, that includes additional resources and listening exercises in every chapter. While students practice listening, speaking, reading and writing, the emphasis is on developing a growing level of communication skills. In addition to reviewing Sixth Grade Spanish, new topics covered include: talking on the telephone; extending and accepting invitations; making plans; getting ready; declining an invitation and explaining why; talking about meals and food; commenting on and describing food; ordering dinner in a restaurant; making polite requests; asking for and paying the bill in a restaurant; discussing gifts; asking for and giving directions; commenting on clothes; making comparisons; expressing preferences; asking about prices and paying; talking about what you are doing right now; asking for and giving opinions; asking for help and responding to requests; telling a friend what to do; talking about past events; making suggestions and expressing feelings; talking about moods and physical conditions; saying what you did; talking about where you went and when; making future plans; discussing what you would like to do on vacation; saying where you went and what you did on vacation
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