Grade 7 Curriculum

Curriculum Standards Grade Level 7

 

Language Arts

Language Arts - literature, writing, speaking and listening, and grammar and mechanics - is an important part of the communication process. Making meaning from text and communicating that meaning effectively are literacy goals that the curriculum supports. Students in the seventh and eight grades need to be able to read, write, listen, and speak in order to process their learning in content areas and apply it to real world situations.

 

Literature/Oral Language

·         Review of summer reading

·         Study of the Short Story covering the literature elements of plot, character, setting, and theme

·         Study of Drama: understanding dialogue and a screenplay

·         Study of non-fiction in the literature genres of biographies, memoirs, autobiographies, and essays

·         Study of narrative and lyrical poetry

·         Study of novels

·         Reading for enjoyment and producing written book reports

·         Students read purposely, actively and critically from functional, informational, and literary texts

·         Vocabulary: done on a weekly basis in connection with Latin Roots tests

Writing/Speaking/Listening

·         Use of six traits writing process (ideas and content, organization, voice, word choice, sentence fluency, mechanics)

·         Expository writing: summary paragraphs, research reports, essays, persuasive essays

·         Creative/Narrative writing: descriptive paragraphs and stories

·         Poetic writing

·         Literary analysis

·         Research writing

·         Review of spelling strategies

·         Formal speeches

·         Use and enhancement of listening skills: establish purpose of listening, note taking skills and focusing attention to important details and ideas

·         Students effectively use comprehension strategies before, during and after listening

·         Students listen purposely, actively, and critically in a variety of settings

·         Students determine main concepts, supporting details, bias, and persuasion techniques in media

·         Students analyze functional, informational, and literary medial for meaning and effectiveness

·         Students design and create coherent presentations with a clear controlling idea, adequate detail, and appropriate consideration of audience, purpose, and situation

·         Students select, organize, or produce visuals to enhance presentations

·         Students use appropriate strategies to analyze and evaluate speeches/presentations

·         Students use appropriate communications skills in group settings

Grammar and Mechanics

·         Review of proper sentence structure

·         Identify kinds of sentences, subjects and predicates

·         Analyze and develop compound and complex sentence structure

·         Review of parts of speech: nouns, verbs, pronouns, modifiers, types of phrases (prepositional, verbal, participles, gerunds, and infinitives), clauses (independent and subordinate)

·         Development and refining of composition skills in the forms of paragraphs, dialogue, creative stories, personal narratives, business and persuasive letters, and research papers

 

Social Studies

Students will study physical and cultural geography for the first semester. The areas of emphasis are the United States Europe and the Middle Eastern countries. Students will study European history for the second semester. The areas of emphasis are the Russian Revolution, WWI, WWII, current political and physical country boundaries, and the current political climate.

Geography

·         Investigate the areas of the world through the approach of the five themes of geography: location, place, human/environment interaction, movement and region

·         Investigate the areas of the world describing its culture, climate, physical features, history, trade, transportation and economics

European History

·         European History studies including the events leading up to, during, and as the result of the Russian Revolution

·         European history studies: WWI, WWII, cultural, political, economic changes leading up to, during, and as the result of these wars

 

Science

Science is a way of knowing, a process for gaining knowledge and understanding of the natural world. Students will participate in a hands-on active curriculum where they "do" science, not simply read about science to emphasize the importance of science in their daily lives. Students will work through the scientific process by observing, inquiring, questioning, formulating and testing hypotheses, and analyzing, reporting and evaluating data. The emphasis of seventh grade science is natural science.

 

Science Methods

·         Experimental Design

·         Study of measuring systems

·         Students participate in data collection, graphing/technology of their findings

·         Students learn and participate in laboratory techniques

·         Using SI units

·         Conversions

Characteristics of Living Things

·         The Origin of Life

·         Needs of Living Things

·         Chemistry of Living Things

Cells

·         Cell Theory

·         Structures and Function of Cells

·         Cell Processes

·         Cell Growth and Division

·         Cell  Specialization

Genetics

·         Probability

·         DNA

·         Chromosomes

·         Inherited Traits

·         Adaptability

Plate Tectonics

·         Plate Tectonic Theory

·         Convection

·         Plate Boundaries

Volcanic Activity

·         Volcanic structures

·         Magma Types

·         Types of Volcanoes

Earthquakes

·         Stress and Strain

·         Faults

·         Related Technology

Mountain Building

·         Crust and Mantle Relationships

·         Convergent-Boundary Mountains

·         Types of Mountains

Weather and Erosion

Paleontology: Prehistoric Life/Plan and Animal Adaptations/Taxonomy

·         Geologic Eras

·         Darwin's theory of natural selection

·         Index fossils

·         Radioactive dating

·         Comparison of mammal and marsupial evolution

·         Defining plant and animal adaptations

·         Color and light absorption

·         Structural , behavioral, physiological adaptations

·         Habitats

·         Seven Kingdoms

Human Body Systems

·         Understanding of the skeletal, muscular, digestive, circulatory, respiratory, excretory, nervous and endocrine systems, reproductive and immune systems

·         Cells: observe and describe cellular structures and functions

Earth Materials and Chemistry

·         Describe the structure of matter in terms of atoms and molecules

·         Accurately measure the characteristics of matter in different states

·         Investigate the  motion of particles

·         Understand the relationship between properties of matter and Earth's structure

·         Mass, volume, and density measurements

·         Minerals

·         Internal structure of the earth

·         Pressure and temperature

Atmosphere and Weather

·         Composition and structure

·         Temperature, pressure, density and movement of air

·         Factors of weather

·         Cloud formation and humidity

·         Air masses and fronts

·         Climate types

·         Climate

Ecology II

·         Ecosystems

·         Biomes

·         Succession

·         Carbon cycle

·         Understanding global changes and personal impact and responsibility to the environment

 

Mathematics

In the seventh and eighth grade, students are tested and tracked into an appropriately challenging math class. These tracks are fluid and account for students different learning styles. Students are continually reassessed to ensure their math class is appropriate and adequately challenging. Much of the content is the same in both tracks, however the biggest difference is in the pace of the class and the breadth that the content is taken.

 

Pre-Algebra:

Skills Review

Algebraic Expressions and Integers

·         Variables and Expressions

·         Order of operations

·         Evaluating Expressions

·         Absolute Value

·         Absolute Value and Opposites

Algebraic Equations and Inequalities

·         Properties of numbers

·         Simplify algebraic expressions

·         Solve equations and inequalities using all operations

·         Solve equations with variables on both sides of the equation

Decimals and Equations

·         Rounding decimals

·         Estimating sums, differences, products , and quotients

·         Mean, Median, and Mode

·         Repeating and terminating decimals

Metric System

Fraction and Exponent Theory

·         Divisibility rules

·         Exponents and order of operations

·         Simplify fractions

·         Factors, GCF, multiples, LCM, LCD

·         Rational and irrational numbers

·         Fraction and exponential operations

·         Scientific notation

·         Prime factorization

·         Mixed numbers and improper fractions

·         Fraction and decimal equivalents

Integers and Expressions

·         Order of operations

·         Distributive Property

·         Variables and expressions

·         Integers and the number line

·         Absolute Value and opposites

Equations

·         One and two step equations

·         Simplify and solve equations

Decimals

·         Rounding decimals

·         Decimals and the number line

·         Division with decimals

·         Repeating and terminating decimals

Ratios/Proportions and Percent

·         Find and compare unit rates

·         Understand proportions and how to use cross products

·         Discover properties of similar figures and use proportions to find the missing measurements

·         Explore maps and scale drawings

·         Model and write percents using rations

·         Convert common fractions, decimals and percent

·         Find percent

·         Use proportions with percents

·         Find percent of change

Patterns and Functions

·         Visual and number patters

·         Functions

Geometry/Measurement

·         Angles, polygons, circles, construction

·         Geometric measure: area, 3D figures, surface area, volume

Graphing

·         Coordinate plane

·         Graph points

·         Graph linear equations

·         Understand slope

·         Experiment with graph slides: translations, reflections, rotations

Probability

·         Find the experimental probability of an event

·         Explore theoretical probability

 

Pre-Algebra/Algebra I (advanced pace)

This course will cover all of the above with the below additions:

Algebraic Expressions and Integers

·         Polynomials

Fraction and Exponent Theory

·         Negative exponents

·         Square roots

Equations

·         Solving systems of linear equations

·         Quadratic equations

·         Absolute value equations

·         Transforming equations

·         Linear programming introduction

Geometry/Measurement

·         Derive formulas

·         Trigonometry

·         Distance Formula

·         Pythagorean theorem

·         Dimensional analysis

Probability

·         Probability of combined events

·         Permutations/combinations

Graphing Calculator Instruction

·         Graph linear/non-linear equations

·         Solve systems of equations

·         Scatterplots/regressions lines

 

Religion

Religion is an integral part of the entire school Day. Through religious education, students' experiences of living and learning achieve their deepest meaning. Relationship to Catholic theology and worship will enhance the spiritual life of all the students. Seventh grade theology is a rotating curriculum shard with the eighth grade year.

Church History

·         The human search for meaning and purpose

·         Faith

·         The early  Church

·         The persecuted Church

·         The Roman Church

·         Medieval/Reformation Church

·         The Modern Church

Introduction to Sacred Scripture: The New Testament

·         The Gospels

·         The Letters of Paul

·         St. John/Revelation

Sacraments, Worship and Prayer

·         Sacraments of Initiation

·         The Eucharist

·         Penance

·         Anointing of the Sick

·         Matrimony

·         Holy Orders

·         Rites of Holy Week

The Apostolic Creed

Understanding the beliefs of the Roman Catholic Church

Morality

Introduction to Sacred Scriptures: The Hebrew Scriptures