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Seventh Grade

ACADEMIC OVERVIEW

 

Bible

The objective of 7th grade Bible class is to read, discuss and apply biblical Truth, train students to understand and defend their faith and challenge them to think about present and future life choices through the lens of a Christian worldview.  Studies focus on apologetics, biblical understanding and the differences between a Christian and non-Christian worldview.

Major topics:

  • Identifying Jesus Christ and his claims
  • Testing the reliability of the claims of Jesus
  • Testing evidence for the death and resurrection of Jesus
  • Identifying a Christian worldview
  • Identifying different non-Christian worldviews

Classwork includes PowerPoint lectures, discussions, Bible studies, vocabulary building, Bible commentary understanding and Bible passage memorization.  The primary text is the Quest Bible.  The Case for Christ (Lee Strobel) is used for apologetics training and Counter Cultural Christians (Chuck Colson and Tracey Lawrence) is used for worldview understanding.

An Old Testament major research project is assigned during the second quarter of the school year and completed during the fourth quarter.

 

English/Language Arts

The primary goal in English-language arts is to develop 21st century skills in these four areas: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Students read a mixture of classical literature, modern literature, and nonfiction text. Through these studies, students are taught to be critical readers and responders of literature and nonfiction text by asking the right questions, and through their developing skills in text analysis and interpretation. Students are also introduced to academic talk for the purpose of becoming mature listeners and speakers through Socratic seminars, vocabulary usage, and text accountability.

Major Units:

  • Poetry
  • Classic Novel
  • Persuasion
  • Research Paper
  • Novel

Classwork and homework include responses to literature or nonfiction text in a class notebook, independent home reading, annotation, vocabulary, essays, and group projects.

Major projects:

  • Literary Analysis Essay
  • Narrative Essay
  • Research Paper
  • Persuasive Essay

 

History (World)

Seventh grade World History students discover connections between western history, non-western history, and contemporary American life. Class studies seek to assist students in developing an appreciation of specific events as related to emerging stories and historical themes.  While students grow as independent, critical thinkers, they also master study skills that may be relied upon throughout high school, college and adult life.

Major units:

  • The “Fall of Rome” and Rise of Islam
  • Traditional Kingdoms of Sub-Saharan Africa
  • Pre-Columbian Native America
  • Traditional Asian Empires
  • The Crusades and Emergence of the European Town
  • Protestant Reformation and Renaissance
  • Age of Revolution and Rise of the Victorians

World History class work consists of discussion, analysis of historic persons and events, PowerPoint presentations, historic map analysis, student projects (e.g. political cartoons and architectural renderings of historic building types), and evaluation of class and textual materials.

During seventh grade, students will also be expected to regularly demonstrate mastery of political world geography.

 

Mathematics

Pre-Algebra is an introduction/foundation course for Algebra.  Students explore integers, variables, and expressions.  They learn to solve equations and inequalities and apply the rules of exponents.  They discover the connection between fractions, rational numbers, ratios, percents, proportions, and probability.  Students also receive an introduction to geometry, by studying right triangles and computing measurement, area, and volume.

Algebra builds on prior knowledge from pre-algebra. In addition, students are expected to master many skills which they will need in order to be successful in future math courses.  Algebra students solve equations and inequalities while exploring linear functions.  They understand the solutions of systems and rules of exponents.  Most of the course is spent studying polynomials, including multiplying, dividing, adding, subtracting, factoring, graphing and solving.

Geometry is an advanced level course which requires students to be independent thinkers and apply their knowledge to real life situations.  Students first learn geometry vocabulary, terms, and reasoning.  Next they explore parallel & perpendicular lines and properties of triangles.  Students learn ways to prove triangles are congruent, rules of right triangles, and triangle similarity.  Next they move on to discover attributes of polygons.  Students also receive an introduction to trigonometry and examine perimeter, circumference, and area.  Lastly, students learn and have fun with probability.

 

Science

In 7th grade Life Science the objective is to prepare students for high school biology. Students are introduced to concepts such as genetics and cell theory. The study of concepts like these increases their ability to analyze data and gain an understanding of how the human body and nature work.

Major units:

  • Genetics: The Science of Heredity
  • Earth’s History
  • Structure and Function in the Human Body
  • Viruses and Bacteria
  • Cell Structure and Function

Classwork includes lectures, discussions, group projects, presentations, field trips, and reading assignments, along with homework.

A science fair project will be assigned where students must complete a finished project and include an abstract, logbook, written report and oral presentation.

 

Spanish

All middle school students at CCS take Spanish 1A (7th Grade) and 1B (8th Grade). This is a high school level class that provides students with an introduction to the Spanish language by practicing a variety of vocabulary topics and grammatical structures in the target language. Students also learn about different countries and cultures where Spanish is spoken, making connections and comparisons with their own.

Students are engaged in reading, writing, listening and speaking, and hands on projects to be able to communicate in Spanish on various topics such as: introducing/describing oneself and family, school activities and subjects, school supplies, clothing and food, ordering food at a restaurant, housing and furniture, sports, healthy choices and the body, and extending invitations among others.