7th Grade

Reading and Language Arts

Students in seventh and eighth grade will utilize a reading resource called Prentice Hall Literature, Common Core Edition within their literacy block. This reading resource is fully aligned to the Common Core State Standards. Instruction within each lesson has been adapted to meet the demands of content standard and follow the progressions found within the Common Core. Furthermore, lessons within each unit have been designed to meet several standards across the key literacy domains. Students participate in Literary Analysis Workshops that break down the Common Core English Language Arts (ELA) standards, teach and model the standards through the use of increasingly more complex exemplars texts, and provide immediate opportunities for students to apply standards with independent practice. Children demonstrate mastery through completion of performance tasks at the end of each unit. Children will also participate in whole group, small group, and independent reading practice. In addition to Prentice Hall Literature, students will read, write, and discuss various novels during their reading block.

Common Core State Standards

Illinois, along with 45 other states, adopted the Common Core State Standards to be used to guide teachers in what students at each grade-level need to learn in English/Language Arts. Each set of grade-level standards consists of literature, informational text as well as listening and speaking standards. The primary grades have standards for foundational skills. Grade-level standards build on knowledge and skills learned the previous year and create a stair-step progression across the K-8 instructional years.

Reading: Literature

7.RL.1 - Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
7.RL.2 - Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.
7.RL.3 - Describe how a particular story’s or drama’s plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.
7.RL.4 - Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone.
7.RL.5 - Analyze how a particular sentence, chapter, scene, or stanza fits into the overall structure of a text and contributes to the development of the theme, setting, or plot.
7.RL.6 - Explain how an author develops the point of view of the narrator or speaker in a text.
7.RL.7 - Compare and contrast the experience of reading a story, drama, or poem to listening to or viewing an audio, video, or live version of the text, including contrasting what they "see" and "hear" when reading the text to what they perceive when they listen or watch.
7.RL.9 - Compare and contrast texts in different forms or genres (e.g., stories and poems; historical novels and fantasy stories) in terms of their approaches to similar themes and topics.
7.RL.10 - By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 6-8 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

Reading: Informational Text

7.RIT.1 - Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
7.RIT.2 - Determine a central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.
7.RIT.3 - Analyze in detail how a key individual, event, or idea is introduced, illustrated, and elaborated in a text (e.g., through examples or anecdotes).
7.RIT.4 - Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings.
7.RIT.5 - Analyze how a particular sentence, paragraph, chapter, or section fits into the overall structure of a text and contributes to the development of the ideas.
7.RIT.6 - Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and explain how it is conveyed in the text.
7.RIT.7 - Integrate information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words to develop a coherent understanding of a topic or issue.
7.RIT.8 - Trace and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, distinguishing claims that are supported by reasons and evidence from claims that are not.
7.RIT.9 - Compare and contrast one author’s presentation of events with that of another (e.g., a memoir written by and a biography on the same person).
7.RIT.10 - By the end of the year, read and comprehend literary nonfiction in the grades 6-8 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

Writing

7.W.2 - Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.
7.W.3 - Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.
7.W.4 - Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade- specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1-3 above.)
7.W.5 - With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.
7.W.6 - Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of three pages in a single sitting.
7.W.7 - Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and refocusing the inquiry when appropriate.
7.W.8 - Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources; assess the credibility of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and providing basic bibliographic information for sources.
7.W.9 - Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
7.W.10 - Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and sequence.

Link to Common Core State Standards Website: http://www.corestandards.org

Mathematics

Big Ideas Math is a complete middle school math program developed with the Common Core Standards for Mathematical Content and Standards for Mathematical Practice as its foundation. Additionally, Big Ideas Math has been developed using learning and instructional theory to ensure quality math instruction takes place as learners’ progress through aligned math pathways. A combination of direct instruction and guided practice allow students to gain a deeper understanding of math concepts by narrowing their focus to fewer topics at each grade level. Students master content through inductive reasoning opportunities, engaging activities that provide deeper understanding, concise stepped-out examples, rich thought-provoking exercises, real-life examples and application, and a continual building on what has been previously taught. Big Ideas Math delivers a unique curriculum providing a balanced instructional approach of discovery and direct instruction through print and online supplementary materials. This approach opens doors to abstract thought, reasoning, and inquiry as students persevere to answer the Essential Questions that drive instruction.

Science

Life Science

Animal Adaptations

Physical Science

Energy: Light, and Sound

Earth Science

Dynamic Changing Earth: Inside Earth

During the 2013-2014 school year, a science learning team will be launched to evaluate next generation standards.

By the end of 7th grade, students will be able to:

Describe the cell as the basic unit of structure and function in all living things
Create a cell metaphor representing an understanding of cell organelles and their functions; compare and contrast plant and animal cells
Compare and contrast how different forms and structures reflect different functions in specialized cells
Construct an explanation of how organisms changed over time using supporting evidence from Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection and using evidence from comparative anatomy, physiology, and the fossil record
Determine the age of the earth using geologic layers and radioactive dating of rocks and meteorites
Justify the claim of increasing complexity of organisms using evidence gathered from comparative anatomy, physiology, and the fossil record
Model light interaction with matter
Measure the wavelength, frequency, and speed of a wave
Model the relationship between color, wavelength, and frequency
Predict the angle of reflection based upon the angle of incidence
Devise simple experiments to compare some of the characteristics of visible and infrared light
Apply an understanding of lenses in the design and construction of a simple telescope and/or microscope
Justify scientific claims using supporting evidence
Formulate a hypothesis based upon analysis
Collect and organize qualitative and quantitative observations

Social Studies

Overarching Themes:

Manifest Destiny and expansionism including methods of acquiring land (treaty, war, settlement, purchase), and reasons people went west (push/pull factors: gold, religious persecution, job opportunities
The shift from an agrarian society to a manufacturing society including the growth of corporations and urbanization, efficiency of production, and the emergence of the US as industrial power with a diverse society
Industrialization which led to prosperity and then to economic downfall (riches to rags) and the changing role of governmental intervention in society
Civic responsibility including how the rights, roles, and responsibilities of citizens changed as a result of World War II; how government intervenes to ensure civic responsibility
Economic gain at the expense of others and how individuals are shaped by time, place, and perspective
Human interaction with the environment and the resulting societal change.
Rebuilding a nation after the Civil War and struggles with the challenges of integration; how individuals affirm their place in American society

Units of Study

Westward Expansion
Industrialization and Immigration
The Roaring 20s and The Great Depression
World War II on the Home Front
Slavery
The Civil War
Civil Rights

By the end of 7th Grade Students will be able to:

Assess how historical events helped or hindered the growth of America
Research and identify evidence of the effects of events from the past on current day society
Support with evidence a critical stance on historical issues
Analyze primary documents and take a position on a topic that is supported with evidence
Write persuasively and justify why an individual or historical event in U.S. history should be included in a museum
Interpret and create political cartoons
Analyze how individuals and groups interact with and within institutions and examine issues involving rights, roles, and status of individuals
Make inferences about historical events using primary documents
Analyze the impact of political actions, technological advancements, and wars on production and consumption
Compare and contrast historical artifacts with current artifacts from the present
Explore the causes, consequences, and possible solutions to persistent contemporary and emerging global issues

Physical Education

The physical education curriculum emphasizes fitness, movement, team building, and safety. Units of instruction include soccer, fitness, cross-country, challenge education, team handball, flag football, basketball, gymnastics, line dance, floor hockey, creative lance, badminton, volleyball, circuit training, track and field, softball, and tennis. Topics in health include character education, healthy relationships, alcohol/tobacco/drug education, and sexuality.

Art

Visual arts students will enjoy complete immersion in sculpture. Clay, paper mache, and various other additive and subtractive mediums are primarily used in this course. Students are encouraged to take careful note of process in order to insure successful outcomes of sculpture createdthroughout the course.

Drama

Students will develop skills by working in the genres of drama games, pantomime, improvisation, puppetry, children's theatre, and creation of original theatre pieces. They will gain confidence and skill in speaking, performing, collaborating, and providing constructive feedback to others. They will learn about the history of the theatre and the role of drama in our culture and the culture of others. Students will take risks and develop responsibility in relation to their own role and as a member of a supportive ensemble.

Music

Through classroom listening experiences, the elements of music (melody, harmony and rhythm) will be reinforced. Emphasis will be placed on the story and influence of traditional Western music. Basic guitar playing skills will be taught. Technological applications are incorporated.

Digital Literacy

Students will focus upon electronic publishing tools. Digital literacy is reinforced as students research and prepare a school journalism publication. They will use Google Drive and Microsoft Office for productivity, as well as several web 2.0 tools for web publishing.