Seventh Grade

Seventh graders prepare for the increased independence and intellectual rigor of the Prep School. The curriculum includes both contemporary and classical works from a diverse group of authors and highlights a range of styles. In our short story unit, students learn to dig beyond the main idea of a text and uncover how an author’s craft enhances the story’s content.  After analyzing the themes, structures, and techniques of these stories, students then tackle their own original narratives, focusing on building conflict by showing rather than telling.  Literature is the starting point for writing, conversations, and projects that engage and challenge students and reward careful attention to detail. Building on skills honed in sixth grade, seventh graders continue to write in many forms with increased emphasis placed on analytical essays. Students develop incisive thesis statements and cite the text to support their analyses in well-organized and fluid paragraphs. In addition to learning how to write a powerful argument, the seventh grade mock trial project challenges students to enhance their argumentative reasoning through public speaking. The year concludes with a study of Romeo and Juliet during which students display deep understanding of a complex text through a dramatic presentation of a scene from this iconic play. With increasingly challenging texts and writing assignments, students deepen their critical thinking skills one step at a time.

In seventh grade, students learn the fundamental physical and chemical properties of matter. Students engage through hands-on, project-based learning units that foster independent thinking, inquiry, communication and procedural skills. They learn to distinguish among mixtures, elements and compounds and recognize the underlying principles governing physical and chemical changes. At the mid-year point, students undertake the boat project, a comprehensive unit where students work in teams to apply their understanding of density and displacement in order to design, build, and test a boat that can carry a teacher across the school's pool. As the year continues, atomic theory is examined and applied as students learn their way around the Periodic Table of Elements. Students build and test windmills to apply their understanding of subatomic particles and electricity generation, and they hone their communication skills in science through written and oral presentations. They collaborate with classmates as they interpret data and form substantiated conclusions. Students culminate their seventh grade science exploration by learning how to write a formal laboratory report, paying close attention to the purpose and intent of the various steps involved.

Using religion and human geography as overarching themes, students examine the ancient and pre-modern civilizations of Greece, Rome, the Americas, the Islamic world, Western Africa and the European Middle Ages. Using both primary and secondary sources, students explore the connections among different aspects of each civilization; including connections between culture and religion, social and political life and each civilization’s relationship to its natural environment. Teachers expand on students’ note-taking, and research skills. By completing expository and creative works and preparing for debates and presentations, students enhance their critical thinking, writing and public speaking skills. Through study, research, interdisciplinary projects and class discussions, students refine their ability to evaluate the past from multiple perspectives.

In seventh grade science class, students create life-size cardboard boats and test their seaworthiness in our full-size swimming pool. In technology class, students use 3D design software to create a virtual model of their boat, use photo-editing software to create a logo and create a blog with photos to keep a running record of their entire project. In another STEAM interdisciplinary project, seventh graders create pinhole cameras to observe the behavior of light. To edit their pinhole camera photos, students use photo-editing software and build a website using HTML and CSS to showcase their work. In addition to building upon and applying real-world mathematics and science skills during both of these projects, students learn how to create websites using HTML, edit photographs using various programs, create 3D models on SketchUp and code and design elaborate virtual reality environments.

The Middle School World Languages program develops confident communicators and a deep appreciation for the language’s culture. The Language 7 program includes courses in Chinese (Mandarin), French, Japanese, Latin, and Spanish. This class engages students in meaningful activities which foster interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational skills. Lessons are crafted around thematic vocabulary units and designed to expose students to a wide variety of cultural practices and perspectives. Students make comparisons between the target language and English, and acquire a solid foundation of knowledge and skills which will be further developed the Prep School program.

Civic education is an indispensable part of democracy and constitutes the core building blocks that make for a good citizen and ultimately a good nation. As Thomas Jefferson once wrote, “If a nation expects to be ignorant and free…it expects what never was and never will be.” Indeed, it is difficult to understand how we can realize our full potential as a nation if our citizens lack a firm understanding of our political history, its leadership, governmental institutions and practices, and the evolution of our political system. What citizen can be truly informed in casting a vote, leading an organization, voicing an opinion or joining a protest movement without a sound background in civic education? Most importantly, as we make this journey as a class to become more informed and better prepared citizens, we will also place a high premium on the obligation for each of us to respect one another as individuals and to further respect and to even show empathy for the opinions and views that each of us hold and voice. 
 

The Middle School art program introduces students to a wide range of media and techniques while encouraging individual expression and artistic growth. Over the course of three years, students participate in a variety of disciplines including drawing, painting, printmaking, ceramics, mixed media, sculpture, digital art and photography and stop-motion animation. Students follow the benchmarks for scope and sequence curriculum in general art. By seventh grade, students experience smaller class sizes and semester-long art classes providing them with the opportunity to master specific art skills and techniques each semester.

Middle School students participate in an art integrated curriculum with other core content subject areas. It is an approach to teaching in which students construct and demonstrate understanding through an art form. Students engage in a creative process which connects an art form to another subject area and achieves evolving objectives in both. Based on a standard in seventh grade science, students learn the concept of matter and compounds through the work of American glass sculptor, Dale Chihuly. His works of blown glass are explored as students study the chemical compound of glass and notice the physical change which occurs in the process. Students have the opportunity to create their own interpretation of Chihuly’s art as they experiment with plastic shapes and forms creating their own hand-blown, deconstructed art work

Library in seventh grade is officially called Research and Digital Literacy, and students learn research skills and to be critical users of information. The curriculum focuses on online information literacy, intellectual curiosity and responsible information use. Library is integrated into English, history, science, math, art and language classes to support a deeper understanding of how all subjects are connected as well as a love of reading across all genres and topics. The library collection is regularly updated, based on the needs and interests of students, to reflect current issues and information, and to best support learning in and out of the classroom.

For one semester during their sixth or seventh grade year, students take drama. Participating in drama helps students gain self-confidence, imagination, empathy, cooperation, memory and communication skills. The curriculum is divided into four units: developing the actor’s instrument through voice and movement; introduction to basic acting with exercises focused on concentration, listening and motivation; storytelling as a solo performer using freestyle rap and moth storytelling; and collaborating to write and perform a two-person scene using a location as a foundation.

All Middle School students at every skill level take general music, focusing on active music making and creation. Seventh graders build on prior music literacy skills, developing music technology skills including electronic notation, recording and editing so that their creative work can be mixed and produced to share with others. Music teachers work collaboratively with classroom teachers to create interdisciplinary and cross-curricular lessons, integrating text and concepts from English, history and STEAM classes. Students who elect to participate in Band, Chorus or Orchestra, receive additional, specialized instruction.

The Middle School physical education curriculum focuses on a variety of team sports activities with a strong emphasis on fitness concepts to improve students’ individual health and athletic skills. In addition to various fitness challenges, some of the sports units and games covered throughout the year are soccer, volleyball, football, basketball, diamond games and badminton. The program is designed to expose students to a level of functional fitness training and gameplay that encourages them to collaborate, increase sports knowledge, develop leadership skills and lead healthy lifestyles.

Our Middle Schoolers use their Meeting class time to discuss issues related to their social, emotional and physical development, as well as to share thoughts about the various academic challenges and triumphs they experience day to day. Discussion activities are designed to build self-awareness and a sense of community help students work on their listening, planning, communication, collaboration and problem solving skills. In an open circle forum, our students are provided with consistent opportunities to contribute, reflect and take responsibility for how their group feels and operates.