Seventh Grade Curriculum

Religion

The focus of religious study in seventh grade is on the New Testament.  Through the study of the New Testament, students will recount key events of salvation history, learn to how God reveals himself to us in our lives and through the New Testament.  Students will be asked to read the Bible and reflect upon the life of Jesus and how God through the ministry and teachings of his son Jesus Christ offers us salvation. They will be able to discuss how God calls us to eternal life and describe and discuss obstacles to salvation.  Students will combine action with the course of study through five required community service hours a quarter and participation in weekly mass. 

Text:   Loyola Press, Christ Our Life God Calls a People Workbook, 2002
          Catholic Book Publishing Co., The New American Bible, Saint Joseph Edition, 1992

Social Studies

In seventh grade social studies, students learn about the geography, history, and cultures of the Western Hemisphere.  The course places particular emphasis on the study of North America, Central America, and South America.  As students study these regions, they will gain a deeper understanding of the physical and human geography of the earth.  Students who successfully complete the class will 1) gain a deeper understanding of the different civilizations and cultures in the Western Hemisphere and 2) gain insights into their own culture and their place in this world.  This class will help students build their reading, writing, and communication skills and will strengthen their critical and creative thinking skills.  Building on the knowledge students learned in sixth grade, the class lays the foundation for the social studies courses students will have in eighth grade and in high school. 

Text: Glencoe, The World and Its People: Western Hemisphere, 2005

Language Arts

In language arts the focus is on writing, literature, grammar and vocabulary. The students write essays (expository, persuasive, descriptive, and narrative) as well as research papers, poetry, letters, and plays. The students take a diocesan persuasive writing test in the spring.  We read fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and drama. Grammar is taught through writing as well as with our textbook and workbook.  The vocabulary program challenges the students and prepares them for standardized tests.  Students practice speaking and listening by giving oral presentations and participating in class discussions. 

Texts:  EMC Corporation, Literature and the Language Arts Exploring Literature, 2003
            Loyola University Press, Voyages in English, 2006
            Exercises in English Grammar for Life, 2003 Loyola Press
            Heath and Company, Write Source 2000,1995

Supplemental Books:
           

            The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi
            My Brother Sam is Dead by James Collier and Christopher Collier
            Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse
            Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell

Science

Students begin with a look at the interactions among earth, moon and sun.  Then they expand their focus to look at the solar system and all of its bodies, and then they expand again to include galaxies and the universe.  Students also focus on earth and look at plate tectonics and the results including earthquakes and volcanoes.  They study streams, rivers, and oceans, then the water cycle and weather.  Students finish by looking at the rest of the human body including the circulatory, respiratory, excretory, immune, reproductive, and nervous systems.  In addition, the students are required to do a science fair project in January. 

Text: Prentice Hall, Science Explorer Series, 2005

Math

The seventh grade mathematics curriculum begins with several basic algebraic concepts: powers and exponents, order of operations, algebraic properties and sequencing. Students analyze data through a study of frequency tables, line plots, stem and leaf plots, bar graphs, histograms, and single and multiple bar graphs.  The second unit concentrates on the study of integers which include absolute value, comparing and ordering integers, and becoming proficient using the four operations with integers. A study of the coordinate plane is an extension of this.  The second half of this unit focuses on solving linear equations and inequalities.  The concept of slope with linear functions is also introduced.

Analyzing the relationship between decimals, fractions, and percents begins the third major unit of study.  Included in this is a review of and application of prime factorization, greatest common factor, least common multiple, and comparing and ordering rational numbers.  It then concentrates on adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing rational numbers. Finally, the students' knowledge of solving equations with integers is extended to rational numbers. 

The fourth major area studied is ratio, proportion, and percent with emphasis on applying percents to discounts, sales tax, commission, and simple interest.  Students solve these problems proportionally and by setting up equations.  Geometry is the final unit of study for the seventh grade.  In addition to classifying angles and polygons, students learn how to transform figures in the coordinate plane.  The classification of triangles is extended to include the Pythagorean Theorem.  The study of area includes all quadrilaterals.  This course of study concludes with finding the area and volume of three-dimensional figures.

Text:  Glencoe Mathematics, Application and Concepts - Course II, 2004

Pre-Algebra

The pre-algebra course of studies concentrates on several algebraic concepts:  simplifying and evaluating algebraic expressions, solving algebraic equations, graphing linear equations, solving and graphing inequalities, and finding and graphing slopes of lines.

A major focus of study centers on computational skills with positive and negative integers.  There is also a special emphasis on exponents and scientific notation.  Solving percent problems and exploring relationships between fractions, decimals, and percents constitutes another portion of the curriculum.  Other topics include ratio, proportion, and scale drawings.  Graphing ordered pairs and transformations on the coordinate plane are fun topics for the students as well as learning how to create stem and leaf plots, scatter plots, box and whisker plots, and histograms.  The geometry unit explores 3-D figures and space figures, finding volumes and surface areas.  Other geometric topics include the Pythagorean Theorem, similar and congruent figures, and circumference and area of circles.  A statistics and probability unit centers on measures of central tendency and permutations and combinations.

Text: Glencoe Mathematics, Pre-Algebra,  2004.