SEVENTH GRADE HIGHLIGHTSSEVENTH GRADE HIGHLIGHTS
RELIGION: The Christ our Life series continues as students grow in their awareness of Jesus as the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Service projects that deepen student understanding of how to apply the Beatitudes, the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy, and other messages of the Gospel enhance the text.
ART: Seventh grade uses a wide variety of materials. They are able to create works that show perspective. They are able to use critical thinking to solve art problems. They are able to create and understand a work that is aesthetically pleasing and also to critique works of art. They are familiar with some American and European artists. They can recognize some careers in art such as painter, sculptor, graphic artist and commercial artist.
COMPUTER: Students use time in the lab to work on classroom projects. They learn all about the internet - the history, search techniques, etc. in order to apply this to research assignments they might have. Presentation projects (Power Point) apply this to research. The level of computer skills and software are determined by the grade level and computer knowledge of the students. At all grade levels, time in the lab is used to reinforce skills of the basic curriculum. Computers are also available in the classroom for students to use.
ENGLISH/SPELLING: Concentrates on identifying parts of speech, sentences, and writing skills using introductions, supporting statements, and conclusions in narrative, descriptive, and personal paragraphs and essays.
HISTORY: American history beginning with Southern Empires of the Maya, Aztecs, and Incas through the spirit of reform (1820-1860).
LITERATURE: Reading encompasses 5 genre: short story, nonfiction, drama, poetry, legends, folk-tales, and, myths supported by videos and music CDs. Outside reading and listening skills include Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Native American Legends, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, My Brother Sam is Dead, and I Know What You Did Last Summer.
OUTSIDE READING: Weekly library classes utilizing the Scholastic Reading Counts Program. Students are responsible for reading and completing quizzes on 5 reading counts books per quarter from the school library based on lexile level and teacher approval.
MATH: The curriculum is Pre-Algebra. Topics include number sense, order of operations, decimals, fractions, geometry, graphing, and problem-solving skills
PHYSICAL EDUCATION: A Specialist works with all students. The program is designed to spiral so that a student may progress through different skills, from emerging to proficient levels in an activity unit. Students develop individual and team skills that can be used in lifetime, recreational activities and group sports. The strategies of various games are emphasized.
SCIENCE: Using the Science Plus series, supplemented with outside materials that include supplemental texts, FOSS kits, and the internet, students study aspects of Life Science, Earth Science, Physical Science, and the history of Science. Areas of concentration include the study of astronomy, atoms and molecules, environmental awareness issues, volcanoes and earthquakes, rocks, minerals, the plate tectonic theory, and others.