Common+Core


 *  English 7: **

This year, the 7th grade has fully engaged with the Common Core State Standards. In ELA, Ms. Berman and Mr. Nichols adapted one of the modules based on Linda Sue Park's novel A Long Walk to Water. The 7th grade was able to meet Ayuen Ajok, a Lost Boy of Sudan, which enhanced their understanding of the plight of Southern Sudanese refugees. Mr. Nichols and Ms. Berman have used what they have learned from this module to write modules of their own. They are currently working on an ethics unit. Students will also learn about literature structure and poetic devices via a short story unit and a poetry unit, as well as a unit on primary source documents from the Civil War era. The ELA state test is early this year: April 1st.


 * Math 7/ Hetero/ 7 Accelerated: **

In math, students are also using the modules to engage with the Common Core curriculum. They too will be taking a 3-day state assessment beginning on April 30. The overarching goal of seventh grade math is to develop the idea of ratios and proportions in many contexts.

In 7th grade math and 7th grade heterogeneous math, we are learning about expressions and equations in the third of six modules published by Engage New York. Our focus for the past two weeks has been on applying properties of mathematics to write equivalent expressions, and next week we will move on to writing and solving equivalent expressions. The Common Core Standards push students to think about the meaning behind mathematical symbols, so there is a heavy focus on practical applications of the skills students have learned this year. We are pushing students to think deeply about mathematics, and they are applying sophisticated methods that will serve as early preparation for more challenging mathematical courses, such as calculus and statistics.

Seventh graders have explored the real number line and properties that apply to positive and negative integers and rational numbers. Earlier this year, students learned about ratios and how they are related to graphs of proportional relationships. This theme will return after the February break when we study percentages and their relationship to proportions. Our last unit before the state test will be on statistics and probability, which will feature many fun and memorable activities for the students. After the state test, we will move on to a unit on geometry which will help the students prepare for eighth grade math.

Students in accelerated math will notice many of the same themes as their peers, though these students will be exposed to the seventh and eighth grade curriculum to prepare them for algebra next year. We began the year with a unit on the real number line, followed by an exploration of exponents and their properties. After studying exponents, we worked on solving equations, which will remain in our class content from here on out. We have studied basic properties of geometry and angle relationships, and are now practicing graphing linear equations. We will be covering percentages and solving inequalities before the test.


 * Social Studies 7: **

In social studies, 7th graders study the history of the Americas, from the indigenous peoples up through the Reconstruction. Their study of the Civil War will dovetail with their unit in ELA.


 * Science 7: **

7th grade science is life science. Students study everything from simple classification to more complex topics like genetics and biotechnology. Underlying it all is a focus on how the scientific method is used to support our understanding of the living world.


 * Fieldtrips: **

We have several trips planned this year. Students will be visiting an organic dairy farm in the spring to understand the day to day operations of a working, local farm. Each team also has an end of the year field trip and picnic.

