Grade 7

In seventh grade, we focus on reading, writing and critical thinking. As students actively read short stories and novels, they recognize the significance of setting, plot and characterization. Literary elements and identification of theme form the basis of class discussions, Socratic seminars and literary essays. Poetry and other forms of creative writing round out our writing program. Grammatical instruction focuses on sentence structure and style. Vocabulary study is drawn from the class literature.

Students examine several significant periods of European history spanning the Middle Ages through the Age of Exploration then finish the year with the Up-stander project. Throughout the course, students will develop class participation skills, research skills, active reading strategies, collaborative skills with peers, note-taking from assigned readings and from lectures, organization of materials, test-taking skills, persuasive and expository essay writing, and how to be an effective discussant.

The 7th grade math program blends topics from Math in Focus Course 2 and Course 3 into a Course 2 Accelerated to provide students with a solid grounding in Pre-Algebra and Geometry. Topics include operations with integers and real numbers, algebraic equations and inequalities, exponent properties and operations, introduction to lines, topics in 2-D and 3-D geometry including the Pythagorean theorem, and basic probability. Emphasis on intensive problem solving prepares our students for standardized testing and our rigorous Algebra 1 course in 8th grade.

Students build on the experiences and practices of sixth grade by continuing to observe the world around them. By following the steps in the scientific method as an overarching theme and furthering their learning on how to set up the experimental variables, students will uncover an array of new possibilities. Students will then continue to recognize how human activity impacts Earth’s systems. Students will explore concepts related to the physical and biological sciences.

Students continue to enhance their speaking, listening, reading, writing and culture awareness skills in their target language (French of Spanish) and acquire basic grammar concepts. Extensive and frequent peer interaction in the target language is central to the curriculum.

The Latin curriculum in Grade 7 is designed to give students a thorough grounding in fundamental Latin vocabulary and grammar. Students begin their study of Latin grammar with concrete, readily accessible concepts, including basic sentence structure, case usage, and the present and imperfect verb tenses. Emphasis is placed on English derivations from Latin roots. From the first day, special care is taken to develop reading and translation skills. Students focus on cultural topics pertaining to the founding of Rome, early governments, and development of social classes.

In the seventh grade, students focus on character development and tools for the actor by learning how to find clues in the text about their characters and how to create a character from different body postures. Students will practice writing in the voice of their characters and perform both improvised and scripted scenes as their characters. This work culminates in the performance of a character monologue for their classmates. 

The seventh grade curriculum builds upon the sixth grade curriculum and expands their technical skills. Students are introduced to complex moving bass lines, more complex guitar strum patterns, piano parts with chordal and melodic components, and drum fills. In addition to learning about the performance and historical sides of music, students are introduced to the engineering side as well. Students learn about microphones and microphone placement and are introduced to the basics of mixing and editing their song using GarageBand. The final project is a recorded cover that they have also mixed and mastered in GarageBand.

In the Upper School visual arts program, emphasis is placed on balancing fundamental skill development, individual creativity and hands-on experience with a wide variety of materials and techniques aimed at opening as many creative and inspirational doors as possible. In the seventh grade, students transition to working with three-dimensional form and texture in the context of ceramics. Students will learn the basic hand-building techniques involved in creating slab-based constructions. These skills are practiced and developed through a series of exercises and brought together in a culminating work of art that will require students to apply their developing technical skills as well as challenge them to exercise creative problem solving and employ critical thinking skills within the evolution of their work. 

*All students’ finished work will be showcased in the annual art show.

The primary aim of Speech class is to develop students’ communication skills. This course will familiarize students with the preparation and delivery of various styles of speeches including declamation, interpretive, informative, and persuasive. Students will research, outline, write and deliver speeches. By delivering speeches that build on the skills of previous speeches, in a variety of locations throughout school, students will become more comfortable speaking in front of an audience. Additionally, students will learn how to provide feedback to their classmates and incorporate feedback into their own work.

The goal of the curriculum is to develop versatile movers with the confidence to learn new skills and the desire to engage in physical pursuits on a lifelong basis. The three areas of focus include lifetime fitness and activities, traditional sports and an outdoor challenge course unit. Students are encouraged to take more responsibility for their own personal fitness and manage their own games and activities. Some of the activities include team handball, ultimate Frisbee, basketball, volleyball, floor hockey, pickleball, and the climbing tower.