Grade 7 Curriculum

Language Arts

Recitation and drama of increased length and complexity is introduced in grade 7, with romantic poetry and lyrical ballads being a central focus. Students develop the capacity to recite alone and to give a short talk on a prepared topic, using short notes only as a prompt. Grammar study continues, with review, practice, use and expansion of previous ideas. At this stage, the teacher may introduce tools of simile, metaphor, personification, image, analogy, proverb, aphorism and euphemism. Students develop note-taking skills following a daily review of main lesson material and expositional writing with a study of compound and complex sentences is required. Students express their thoughts and feelings in creative writing and experiment with styles. Readers are selected to broaden the students’ horizons regarding other peoples and cultures and the class play based on a late Medieval or Renaissance theme or literary work that was studied is performed. Book reports take a written, oral and artistic form and on-going language and grammar work permeates daily activities. Language arts skills are studied in a weekly track class. Student writing may include personal diary, description evoking a specific mood, a formal letter, an adventure story and a short poem. They may begin working on essay writing on a theme discussion and books are used for novel study, reading aloud, comprehension, independent reading, reference and book reports.

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Math

Students continue practice in mental math and review four rules in natural and positive rational numbers.

There is an introduction to negative integers and four processes and rules with negative numbers.

Students continue with order of operations, working with brackets and recurring decimals; deriving Pi. Students build understanding and comparing of decimal places and significant figures and compound interest and more business math. Simple statistical data rendered in graphical form and deductions there-from, as well as line, bar, circle and picture graphs, including mean, median and mode.

Students continue percentage work, including % of a #, % of one number to another, % increase and decrease. They will learn simple equations using brackets, fractions and negative #’s, as well as the Golden rule. They will learn practical applications to solving problems and powers and roots of numbers, with exact evaluation of square roots. Ratio and proportion is studied, as well as geometry including: further calculation of area of geometrical shapes through construction, area of circle, deriving and using Pi by cutting circle into pieces. Pythagoras theorem covers area proof, division of circle into 5, golden section/rectangle and spiral, perspective drawing, theorems of congruent triangles, properties of parallel and intersecting lines.

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Science

In Grade 7 the study of physics builds upon the complexity of those phenomena studied in Grade 6-acoustics, optics, thermal physics and electricity and now also includes the study of mechanics. In mechanics, the mathematical formula is developed that can be used to predict how to bring mechanical forces into equilibrium through work with levers.

In chemistry, combustion, the lime cycle and acids and bases are studied. The block pivots around the lime cycle with the building of a lime kiln, where possible, and the burning of lime. This kind of hands-on experience continues to be an essential part of all our programs.

The study of physiology is introduced in Grade 7. The students learn about nutrition, the digestive, respiratory and circulatory systems, with an emphasis on care of the skin, the lungs and diet.

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History

Students study European history from the late Middle Ages through to the Renaissance and the Reformation.  Many important biographies are told from many different spheres of life.  Such as: science – Copernicus, Galileo, explorers – Columbus, Magellan, artists – Da Vinci, Michelangelo, religion – Martin Luther.  The Northern Renaissance with an emphasis on Henry the Eighth and Elizabethan England is also studied.

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Geography

The students now study the vast continent of Africa which begins with the physical layout of mountains, rivers, plains, deserts etc. and then proceed to the economic and political boundaries.  The ever-changing political boundaries requires frequently updated maps.  The students also study the diversity and richness of African culture.

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French

With the importance of French in Canada as one of its official languages and the wish to prepare students for high school and mandatory French in Grade 9, We work with texts, grammar and vocabulary in a more structured way through a French textbook and the accompanying exercise book. This provides a wide range of exercises which support individualized practice, allows students to learn how to work with a textbook (a skill they will need in high school), and gives them a tangible sense of achievement, something that can’t be underestimated in the early adolescent years. The material of the textbook is complemented, in various degrees, with examples from literature, poetry, history and geography from the ‘Francophonie’. In addition to guided and structured work we aim to develop in students the confidence and skill to write their own texts, to make little presentations in French. Text comprehension is practiced on increasingly more complex texts and students learn how to use the resource material that has been developed in class, or is available through their textbook.

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Music

In Grade 7, the students are introduced to the tenor and bass recorders. These instruments are used during ensemble work where they now begin playing in four parts. The students read more complex notation in both singing and instrumental work.  In senior choir, the students continue to develop singing competence, working in unison, two-part, and four-part harmony with an emphasis on listening, blending, dynamics and variations in tempo.

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Movement

In Grades 6, 7, and 8 the students are exposed to as many forms of movement as possible. The lesson begins with running or skipping for cardiovascular stamina and muscle strength. Spatial dynamics exercises are continued for coordination, flexibility and grace. Ball work becomes specialized and techniques improve with annual repetition. The complexity of rules increases with the developing students each year. In addition, team work is nurtured; the Grade 7 and 8 classes come together to compete in an annual Basketball Tournament. Grade 7s and 8s are challenged with swimming and spring board diving during the Spring term. Activities that work against the effect of gravity such as these allow for the development of courage and achievement.

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Visual Arts

Students will do wet-on-wet paintings for history, geography, Industrial Revolution and seasonal projects. They will use coloured chalk pastels for Renaissance reproductions, physics and astronomy and

coloured pencil crayons (perspective drawing, main lesson books, history and geography).

They will also make Geometric string cards  to support their math, geometry and measurement study.

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Practical Arts: Handwork

Wet and dry felting; work from formless (light, fluffy wool fleece) and gradually create form with felting needles and soap felting; express creativity and explore colour.

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Practical Arts: Woodwork

Carved bowl; substantial challenge in terms of level of difficulty and amount of time required to hand carve a bowl; requires commitment and perseverance as well as keen observation and problem solving skills; often students learn to deal with surprises and disappointment; develops appreciation for the hand crafts and everyday practical objects.

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Class Trips

Some freedom in grade 7 for major trips; some teachers take the students on a week-long trip to Ottawa and Quebec City; others might choose a dog sled trip to Algonquin in the winter and a spring trip to Quebec City. There can be many day trips to correspond to the curriculum as well as a trip to Stratford to see a Shakespeare play. 

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