7th Grade Religion:

Seventh Grade Religion focuses on the New Testament. The class studies the parables of Jesus and looks to the scripture to establish the precedent for the celebration of the sacraments. During Lent, the class focuses on the Passion of Christ, and in the Easter Season studies Jesus’ final days on earth before his ascension. The study of the Easter Season ends with a study of Pentecost. Seventh Grade Religion also focuses on the historical Church in the Medieval Period and the Renaissance, which matches the Social Studies curriculum.

7th Grade Social Studies:

Seventh Grade Social Studies focuses on Medieval and Early Modern World History. The course begins with fall of the Western Roman Empire and the rise of the Byzantine Empire. It then shifts outside of Europe to the Arabian Peninsula and examines the rise of Islam in Arabia, and its expansion into the Middle East, the Mediterranean World, and into West Africa. The course then shifts gears and moves to East Asia where the focus becomes the dynasties of China after the Han Dynasty and the foundation of feudal Japan and the Shogunate. The course then shifts back west to Europe where the class spends three chapters examining the start of the Middle Ages, the end of the Middle Ages, and the Renaissance. The class ends with an exploration of East and Southern African society and their interactions with the Europeans in the Age of Exploration and the civilizations of Mesoamerican.

7th Grade Language Arts:

Students will read, reflect, and respond to various forms of literature. Special attention will be given to the setting and era and how these impact content.  Comparing and contrasting various samples of writing and how these compare to real events during the same time and place will be a focus. In addition, various examples of informational texts will be read.  The class will supplement its reading with both the use of technology and more traditional forms of writing, including books/novels and anthologies.  

Comprehension strategies will include individual and class reflection, knowledge and understanding of authorial techniques, recognizing an author’s purpose, and focusing on specific word choice including connotative meaning and its impact on the writing. Students will grow to understand what is implied by certain word choice versus what is stated explicitly. 

Our writing will continue to develop the use of a well-constructed thesis statement to support an argument. A special focus will be on the use of using counter-arguments to support a claim.  Finding and using credible sources to develop and defend an argument and knowing how to cite the source correctly is the goal. In addition, students will continue to develop skills in summarizing and paraphrasing, which will be emphasized when responding to texts.

A continuous focus across grade levels will be developing correct use of the conventions of writing, more specific and vivid vocabulary, and organization of writing.

7th Grade Science:

In 7th grade, our students are taught the California State Standards which emphasize Life Science. Our school uses CK-12.org as our main curriculum. Each student uses their school-issued ipad to gain access to this exciting, updated program. These standards explore the many concepts and ideas of all living things. We start the year by learning about our cells and construct a 3D model of a cell. Next we learn about genetics, evolution and the geologic time scale. The class moves onto viruses, bacteria and fungi. This is an exciting time on our lab because we grow bacteria and fungi from organic fruits and vegetables! Then we dive into the plant and animal units, learning all about their life cycles and genetic structures. Our last unit covers the human body where we study all the body systems and what makes us unique. This is a favorite topic of past students. There are SO many good questions out there of how and why our bodies work in the way they do!