English
In seventh grade, students receive their Language Arts instruction during two daily periods, one for Reading, one for Language Arts.
Reading
The Reading curriculum is designed to help students learn and use a variety of strategies to comprehend and interpret grade-level texts. These text types include: fiction (personal narratives, memoirs, poetry, science fiction, historical fiction and realistic fiction) and nonfiction (articles, essays, biography and content reading/textbooks). Seventh grade reading expectations include:
- Applying a variety of strategies to determine meanings of words, including synonyms and antonyms, using context clues and word parts
- Making inferences, drawing conclusions, and generalizing, using textual support
- Identifying or explaining stated and implied main ideas
- Summarizing text
- Making text-to-text connections
- Describing and interpreting: purpose of text (narrative, informational, poetic, persuasive); organizational patterns (e.g., sequencing, comparison/contrast); and relationships among literary elements (character, setting, plot, theme)
- Identifying and explaining the effect of figurative language (e.g., simile, metaphor) and point of view
- Describing and interpreting the use of fact and opinion in nonfiction
- Identifying and analyzing bias and propaganda in nonfiction
- Comparing and explaining the sequence of steps in a list of directions
- Interpreting and analyzing graphics, charts, and headings
Reader’s Handbook, by the publisher Great Source Education Group, is used as the textbook resource for reading strategy instruction.
In addition, seventh grade teachers use National Geographic Explorer and PSSA Reading Coach. National Geographic Explorer is a middle-level magazine with short, contemporary, nonfiction articles. PSSA Reading Coach has targeted practice for the PA Academic Standards in Reading. Teachers use these two supplemental resources to target reading skills and to provide guided practice in reading.
The following is a sample of the texts that are used in the reading curriculum.
- The Watsons Go to Birmingham 1963 by: Christopher Paul Curtis
- The City of Ember by: Jeanne DuPrau
- Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key by: Jack Gantos
- Among the Hiddenby: Mary Peterson Haddix
- The Art of Keeping Cool by: Janet Taylor Lisle
- Hatchetby: Gary Paulsen
- Soldier's Heart by: Gary Paulsen
Since reading is part of the state assessment in seventh grade, the curriculum prepares the students for the Reading PSSA. Students take a benchmark reading test, called 4Sight, four times a year. The data gathered from these tests is used to monitor the progress of the students' reading performance throughout the year. Teachers use 4Sight to analyze strengths and weaknesses of their students’ reading performance. This data helps teachers plan instruction that targets what their students need to learn. Parents receive their students’ scores from the seventh grade Reading PSSA in early fall of the students’ eighth grade year.
Language Arts
The seventh grade language arts curriculum consists of two major components: writing and the study of literature. The seventh grade year is the transition year as students begin to study literature. This study is more complex than just reading and understanding a story. This year of learning begins the more sophisticated literature study, involving the interpretation and analysis of pieces of age-appropriate literature. Students will read highly acclaimed novels, plays, poetry, and short stories.
The following is a sample of texts that are included in the language arts curriculum.
- Stargirlby: Jerry Spinelli
- Where the Red Fern Grows by: Wilson Rawls
- A Christmas Carol by: Charles Dickens (a dramatic adaptation)
- Rikki-Tikki-Tavi by: Rudyard Kipling
- After Twenty Years by: O. Henry
- Selected poetry by: Robert Frost, Robert Service, Edgar Allan Poe, Lewis Carroll, Shel Silverstein, and Langston Hughes.
- Seventh Grade by: Gary Soto
Prentice Hall Literature: Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes is the text used for the study of many of these pieces of literature.
Students use a resource called Write It Out to learn and practice writing high quality responses to literature.
Students also focus on essay composition. Informative, personal narrative, and persuasive essays are three main types of writing that students learn and practice. Students also use the writing process: pre-writing, drafting, revision and editing. In seventh grade there is an emphasis on learning vocabulary, grammar, and punctuation.
The seventh grade year is an important one for developing accomplished readers and writers. It also marks the transition to literature study, a study that will continue through high school and into college.
Math
The Prentice Hall text is used in seventh grade. This book is set up to assist students with vocabulary, lesson quizzes, and chapter tests by providing online web help. Codes are listed throughout the book for student accessibility. It is our goal with parental assistance to provide students with the skills necessary to succeed in today’s continually changing world.
The seventh grade curriculum is aligned with the state anchors and standards. Our units of study consist of the following:
- Fractions, Integers, Rational Numbers
- Equations and Inequalities
- Percents, Probability, and Proportions
- Plane Geometry
Technology also provides added assistance for student success. Programs such as Plato and Study Island have been incorporated into the learning process to aid students in their review and mastery of essential concepts.