Grade 7 Curriculum

LANGUAGE ARTS 

The purpose of the grade seven language arts curriculum is to further develop life-long readers through personal growth in the skills of independent readers who can communicate effectively in both written and oral language. The program explores high-quality, appealing, traditional, and contemporary literary selections both in the literature text and in notable young adult literature.

MATH

In grade 7, the focus will be introduction of the foundational algebraic concepts in three critical areas: (1) developing understanding of and applying proportional relationships; (2) developing understanding of operations with rational numbers, working with expressions and linear equations, and solving linear equations; (3) solving problems involving geometric constructions, and working with two- and three-dimensional shapes to solve problems involving area, surface area and volume. 

SOCIAL STUDIES

Seventh graders study the origins of human beings in Africa and the early civilizations that flourished in the Mediterranean area. They study the religions, governments, trade, philosophies, and art of these civilizations as well as the powerful ideas that arose in the ancient world and profoundly shaped the course of world history. These ideas include monotheism, democracy, the rule of law, individual worth, personal responsibility, the alphabetic principle for a writing system, and scientific reasoning.

SCIENCE

The goal of the middle school science program is to instill an enthusiasm for science.  As stewards of the world, students learn they play an integral part in the preservation and improvement of the earth’s resources and technology.  Subject matter is presented as a way of thinking and problem solving and not as a collection of facts.  The inquiry–based, hands-on format encourages students to develop the critical thinking skills needed to become the problem solvers of the future.  To foster these skills, the scientific method of observation, testing, analysis, drawing conclusions and discussion is utilized. 

Additional educational resources such as The Wildlife Sanctuary of MA, Project  Noah (which combines the resources of National Geographic and the National Park Service) The Ocean Research Project partnered with The Smithsonian and NASA, and NASA astronauts in space, are sources of field work and virtual study.  Teaching formats include lectures, discussions, demonstrations, experiments and cooperative activities and blogs.  STEM projects and technology are integrated within each of these formats.

Life Science / Space Science-Intermediate/Technology & Engineering Integrated / STEM Biodiversity
The Audubon- Wildlife Sanctuary: Sampling fish above and below tidal restrictions to determine the impact of these restrictions on fish
NASA - space station:  affects of no gravity to human life, research what it is like to live there
Living on the moon – requirements for sustaining human life
Project NOAH -  ocean life; Myrmex and BioBlitz programs
Ocean Research Project – protecting the plant and animal life in the oceans.  Blogs with the researchers
Classification of Organisms
Systems in Living Things
Reproduction and Heredity
Living Things and Their Environment
Energy and Living Things
Changes in Ecosystems Over Time - The Audubon Project
Students create a science journal throughout the year by reporting weekly on relevant news topic