Seventh Grade
ENGLISH
The English program covers four areas: literature, composition, grammar and vocabulary/spelling. In addition to a literature anthology, students read Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, The Pearl, Stargirl, Where the Red Fern Grows and Flowers for Algernon. Students begin to study the components of critical literary analysis: various elements of fiction, literary devices and literary terms. Seventh Grade continues an intensive study of English grammar, mechanics and usage. Beginning with the paragraph and developing into the essay, expository composition is stressed. A library research paper is written as a collaborative assignment with history.
MATHEMATICS
An evaluation of each student’s mathematical progress, innate ability and academic motivation is used to select a curriculum which meets each student’s level of mastery. The options are Pre-Algebra or Algebra I. Logic, reasoning and problem solving skills are emphasized in all classes. Understanding, precision and mastery are the goals for all groups.
HISTORY
The Seventh Grade history curriculum investigates the nature of the Classical Age. The political and cultural contributions of the ancient Greeks aand Romans re explored. Reenactments and problem solving activities provide an experiential dimension, bringing the course to life. An investigation of European geography, concentrating on specific areas related to the historical topics, further expands the students’ understanding and awareness of global history. Weekly dialogues and debates on contemporary issues contribute to the students’ perspectives and understanding of history.
SCIENCE
Seventh Grade science is divided into three sections: physical, earth and life science. The physical science unit covers the study of scientific method, optics and physical states of matter. The earth science unit investigates the structure of the earth, plate tectonics, volcanoes, earthquakes and global warming. The life science unit explores the topics of classification, protists, bacteria, fungi, and viruses, focusing on disease and immunity.
Every Seventh Grade student participates in the Middle School Science Fair, during which he/she chooses a topic, researches information and creates a project during class. (Parents are not permitted to help students at home.)
WORLD LANGUAGES
Students have the choice of studying French, Spanish or Latin in Seventh Grade and continuing the study of that language in Eighth Grade.
LATIN
During this year students continue to enhance their English vocabulary through the study of Latin roots. They develop their knowledge of the grammatical structure of language by examining increasingly complex sentence structures which complement the seventh grade language arts program. There is a special emphasis on the study of the daily lives of ancient Greeks and Romans to complement the history curriculum.
FRENCH 7
Seventh Grade French meets three days a week and presents students with the first half of the French I curriculum. This course stresses oral/aural proficiency and is designed to develop a functional body of vocabulary while providing students with an understanding of basic grammatical structures. It is a communication-based program which stresses the importance of active student involvement in all stages of instruction.
SPANISH 7
Seventh Grade Spanish meets three days a week and presents students with the first half of the Spanish I curriculum. This course focuses on oral/aural proficiency and is designed to develop a functional body of vocabulary while providing students with an understanding of basic grammatical structures. It is a communication-based program which stresses the importance of active student involvement in all stages of instruction.
ENRICHMENT SUBJECTS
ART
This course meets twice a week and offers the students the opportunity to work with a wide range of materials including watercolor and digital photography. The emphasis is on the artistic process and creativity. Student artwork is showcased in displays throughout the school. Students explore themes that are relevant to their lives. Art journals are required to document observations of meaning and the development of articis investigations.
MUSIC
This course meets two times a week. It is performance oriented, culminating in the presentation of two concerts per year. The choir also takes part in the Middle School Closing Exercises and other special school events. In addition to training in vocalizing, sight-singing and choral repertoire, students are also instructed in musicianship and theory. Individual students also compete to be in the New Jersey State Junior High Honors Choir.
WOODWORKING
This course meets twice a week, and continues the student’s education, begun in the Fifth and Sixth Grades, in working with wood. Students learn the philosophy behind the use of proper joinery, how and when to use particular joints and how to execute the joints. Design becomes an important step at this stage. Projects such as wooden boxes with dovetailed joints enable students to put into practice the techniques studied.
LIBRARY AND RESEARCH SKILLS
The library curriculum focuses on five areas that are presented to students at age and grade appropriate levels, with different materials and increasingly complex skills introduced. These are:
- The characteristics of information and the information seeker
- How information is organized in a library
- How information is stored
- How libraries function
- How to search for information
In the Seventh Grade students will have the opportunity to learn and experience the research process. The first project has students researching, taking notes and putting together an ancient Greek newspaper and represents a collaboration between the social studies teacher and librarian. The English instructors collaborate with the librarian in having students write a research paper about some aspect of world mythology. Students choose a topic, research and take notes, and construct a paper using the appropriate form for citations in the body of the paper and for a works-cited page. The third project has students creating a world disease brochure using Microsoft Publisher.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION/ATHLETICS
Activities include soccer, basketball, volleyball, floor hockey, softball, baseball and tennis. All students are required to take part in the physical education program. The school fields a boys and a girls team in soccer, track and basketball, a boys baseball and a girls softball team and a coed tennis team. Each team plays in several interscholastic competitions each season. All practices take place during school hours, with contests being held after school.
HEALTH
Weekly health classes are taught by a health educator. Classes in Grade Seven are designed to help students understand the physical, mental, emotional and social aspects of interpersonal relationships. Discussions, debates, films and speakers all serve to deepen the students’ awareness of health issues.
SEVENTH/EIGHTH GRADE UNIT
For approximately one-and-a-half weeks at the end of the second semester, the daily schedule for Seventh and Eighth Graders changes. Students participate in an interdisciplinary unit of study. The Unit focuses on a variety of topics such as the American court system, cooking, Italian art and culture or the production of a Middle School Musical. The Unit program affords the opportunity for research and group work across the disciplines.
