Seventh Grade
Curriculum
RELIGION
The seventh grade Religion program is rooted in Scripture,
gradually introducing them to God's word and giving them background knowledge
that prepares them for reading and understanding Scripture. The course is
grounded in teaching moral principles and duties of a Christian.
Some of the topics covered at this grade level include:
- a focus on faith and religion
- coming to know Jesus
- guidelines for Christian living
- prayer styles
- understanding the mass
- understanding the Sacraments
- Christian morality
- the Catholic church today
- celebrating the Church year
- coming to know God
- to believe and have faith
A part of the Religion Curriculum includes a Family Life
program. Topics of study include:
- family living
- personal growth and self-understanding
- respect for life
- Catholic Christian sexuality
- social living
LANGUAGE ARTS
The Language Arts program consists of three main
components: Literature, English, and Spelling.
Literature
The curriculum contains a variety of literature
appropriate to the interests and needs of our children. It provides
practice in developing those skills necessary to understand and appreciate
literature. It relates literature to language, composition and thinking
skills. Students will read short stories, plays, poetry, nonfiction and
novels.
Literacy terms
Students will understand and be able to apply the reading
of the following terms:
- Alliteration - personification
- Characterization - plot
- Connotation/denotation - point of view
- Figurative language - rhyme
- Imagery - setting
- Inference - simile
- Irony - stereotype
- Metaphor - symbol
- Mood - theme
- Foreshadowing - tone
Reading Skills
Students will understand and be able to make use of the
following reading skills:
- recognize cause-effect relationships
- recognize comparison-contrast relationships
- draw conclusions/make generalizations
- distinguish between fact and opinion
- use graphic aids
- make sound judgments
- identify main idea and supporting details
- predict outcomes
- identify author's purpose
- understand sequence of ideas
- summarize
Vocabulary Skills
Students will be able to recognize, understand, or make
use of the following vocabulary skills:
- affixes
- antonyms
- combining forms
- compound words
- context
- dictionary
- etymologies
- homophones
- idioms
- inflected forms
- pronunciation key
- roots
- synonyms
- usage
Thinking Skills
Students will be able to understand and practice the
following thinking skills:
- classifying
- evaluating
- generalizing
- synthesizing
Speaking & Listening Skills
Students will be able to develop the following:
- compose orally
- read orally
- participate in discussion
- deliver a speech
- listen for understanding and meaning
- interpret a selection individually or participate in
group oral interpretation
English
Written and oral communications are integrated throughout
the curriculum.
Grammar - Sentences:
- subjects and predicates
- avoiding fragments
- avoiding run-ons
- clauses
- participles
- gerunds
- infinitives
Grammar - Nouns:
- singular and plural
- possessive
- abbreviation
- appositive
- collective nouns
Grammar - Verbs:
- action verbs
- linking verbs
- main and helping verbs
- present, past, future, perfect tenses
- regular and irregular verbs
- direct objects and indirect objects
- transitive and intransitive verbs
- predicates and adjectives
- using complements
- active and passive voice
Grammar - Pronouns:
- subject and object
- antecedents
- possessive, interrogative, demonstrative
- indefinite, reflexive, intensive
Grammar - Adjectives & Adverbs:
- predicate
- comparisons
- phrases
- avoiding double negatives
Prepositions, Conjunctions & Interjections Introductory
phrases
Writing; students will:
- know and use the stages of the writing process
- write a news article
- use precise, descriptive vocabulary
- use figurative language
- organize a book review
- outline a research report
- write a research report
- outline/map main ideas before writing
- write dialogue
Writing; students will write/edit for:
- syntax
- paragraphing
- word usage
- punctuation
- capitalization
- spelling
Listening & Speaking Skills; students will:
- participate in drama activities
- present for a variety of purposes and audiences
- identify rhythm in poetry
- identify various forms of poetry
- give a speech
- develop interviewing techniques
Study/Reference Skills; students will:
- develop dictionary skills
- develop thesaurus skills
- develop and apply test taking techniques
Spelling
Spelling words are phonetically based lessons. High
frequency words and words drawn from a variety of curriculum areas are included.
Students are encouraged to use these words in their daily writing.
MATHEMATICS
The goal of the mathematics curriculum is to have students
learn to value mathematics, become mathematical problem solvers, become
confident in their ability to do math, and learn to reason and communicate
mathematically. concepts are taught through real-life situation and the
use of a variety of tools, manipulatives, and materials. Students
participate in instructional activities based upon the following strands:
- read, write, and order whole numbers and decimals
expressed as standard numerals and vice versa, through 15 digits
- to write expanded numerals for whole numbers and
decimals expressed as standard numerals and vice versa, through 10 digits
- to compare and order, round, add, subtract, multiply,
and divide whole numbers, money amounts, decimals, like and unlike fractions,
mixed numbers, and integers
- to estimate sums, differences, products and quotients
of whole numbers and decimals
- to multiply or divide a decimal by a power of 10
- to determine if a number is divisible by 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,
7, 8, 9, or 10
- to find the square roots of perfect numbers
- to find the least common multiple and greatest common
factor of up to 3 numbers by prime factorization, with exponents
- to fid the value of numerical expressions using the
rules for the order of operations
- to check that the solution answers the question and
formulate sensible question to solve questions
- interchange decimals (terminal and repeating),
tractions and percents
- use formulas in solving rate, distance, and percentage
problems
- compute percent and interest; use rations and
proportions to solve problems
Measurement:
- to choose the appropriate metric or customary unit of
length, mass, or capacity
- to measure length to the nearest centimeter and
millimeter
- to change between measures of length, mass, volume, or
capacity in the metric and customary systems
- to add or subtract with regrouping i the customary
system
- to find temperature changes (Fahrenheit and Celsius)
- to add, subtract, or change between units of time
- to find elapsed time within and across time zones
Statistics & Probability:
- to collect and record data by making a table, bar
graph, broken-line graph, circle graph, or pictograph
- to find the mean, median, mode, and range
- to list the elements of a sample space for an
experiment
- to find the probability of simple, independent, and
dependent events
- to use information from a scatter gram to solve
problems
- to interpret information from graphs and statistics
Algebra:
- to write and evaluate 1-step and 2-step algebraic
expressions
- to write, solve, or graph the solutions of equations in
two variables
- to name or locate an ordered pair in a coordinate plane
Geometry:
- construct geometric figures
- to name points, lines, line segments, and rays and to
identify parallel and perpendicular lines
- to name, measure, and classify angles and to find the
complement or supplement of an angle
- to classify triangles according to the measure of their
angles or sides and to find the measure of an angle given the measures of the
other two angles
- to identify and name polygons and to identify the parts
of a circle
- to identify congruent figures and lines us symmetry
- to solve problems involving corresponding parts of
similar polygons
- to identify translations, rotation, or reflections
- calculate perimeter, area, circumference, surface area,
and volume
- to recognize solid figures
SOCIAL STUDIES
The fundamental goal of the Social Studies curriculum is
to enrich student awareness of important ideas. In seventh grade students
explore world civilizations and European history from the fall of Rome to the
Enlightenment. Some of the major themes covered this year include:
- World regions and their historical, cultural, economic
and political characteristics
- Developing an appreciation for the rich complexity of
society's culture and an understanding of how the parts of a culture
interrelate.
The major topics studied in the seventh grade are:
- contributions of Ancient Rome
- rise of the Islam religion and civilization
- West Africa and the empires of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai
- Asian civilizations: Mongols, Ottoman Empire, Mughal
Empire, China, and Japan
- Medieval societies of Feudal Europe and Japan
- Europe: rule, religion, and conflict
- Renaissance and Protestant reformation
- contributions of Mayan, Aztec, and Inca civilizations
An important part of the Social Studies program is the
development of study skills. This year students will:
- organize information from reference sources to address
issues or problems
- understand and use locational terms; locate places and
positions on a map or globe
- use maps and geographic models
SCIENCE
Students will study Life Sciences, which includes the
following subjects:
Cell Biology
- Parts of the cell
- Process of mitosis and meiosis
Structure & Function in Living Systems
- Plant and animal physiology and anatomy
- Primary purpose of the human body systems
Diversity of Life
- Classifications and kingdoms
Genetics
- Genes, DNA, and Inherited traits
Evolution
- Darwin's Theory of Evolution
- Fossils and geology
Physical Principles in Living Systems
- Properties of light
- Sound waves
Scientific Method, Investigation & Experimentation
- Demonstrate the steps on the scientific method
- Construct models and labeled diagrams
- Select and use tools and technology to perform tests
- Record data using the metric system
Study materials include the student science textbook,
directed reading workbook, quiz sheets, review questions, video tapes and
CD-ROM's.
The Science curriculum provides many opportunities for
students to develop and maintain the essential skills that form the basis for
lifelong learning. The Scientific Method skills are essential for
investigating the natural world. Students learn to ask a question, form a
hypothesis, experiment and analyze results. The curriculum integrates
science with reading, writing and math skills through meaningful activities and
strategies.
The scientific skill and knowledge gained in the seventh
grade Life Science are building blocks for high school level science.