Academics 
Language Arts
In seventh grade, the formal study of grammar is continued with an emphasis on complete mastery of identification of parts of speech and how they are used in sentence structure. Sentence diagramming is used for practice and to gage mastery. Vocabulary words are chosen from the various forms of literature being read and students are expected to know the definitions and be able to use the words properly in their writing. At the beginning of the school year, paragraph structure is reviewed. Students are then given instruction in writing formal analytic essays. This process is broken into five or six steps, each of which is reviewed and critiqued both by fellow students and the teacher. Although at various times throughout the school year, students are given the opportunity to write in other forms, such as creative writing and descriptive writing, the majority of writing and the focus is on literary analysis and persuasive writing.
The students are exposed to a wide variety of literary genres including the short story, poetry, plays, and novels. A fair amount of class time is spent in analysis and discussion of the traditional literary components and how the authors use them effectively. A portion of the literature is chosen because of its relevancy to this age group.
Texts: Adventures in Reading, Book Two - Holt, Rinehart, Winston, 1996
English - Houghton Mifflin, 1990
Middle School Handbook - Holt, 1995
Literature: White Fang, Jack London
Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare
The Old Man and the Sea, Ernest Hemingway
A Separate Peace, John Knowles
The Giver, Lois Lowry
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry,
Mathematics
The seventh grade math curriculum is a shift in emphasis from a curriculum dominated by memorization of isolated facts, procedures, and proficiency with paper-and-pencil skills to one that emphasizes conceptual understanding, mathematical modeling, and mathematical problem solving with engagement in mathematical thinking and constructing, symbolizing, applying, and generalizing mathematical ideas.
The seventh grade math program covers a variety of topics. Students are taught algebraic expressions and integers, solving equations and inequalities, decimals and equations, factors, fractions, and exponents, operations with fractions, rations proportion and percents, linear functions and graphing, data analysis and probability, spatial thinking, and right triangles in algebra.
Students are provided and American-European model of education. Emphasis is placed on the advantages, such as the efficiency and general applicability, of various methods.
Text: Pre-Algebra - Prentice Hall, 2004
Science
In seventh grade, students begin to link advance scientific principles to their extensive basic knowledge. Students begin to study the basic concepts behind physical science; although slightly more lecture based than in previous years, students still back up each topic with a practical overview of what they have studied.
The main topics for study in seventh grade are matter, motion, forces and energy, electricity and magnetism, and sound and light.
Text: Exploring Physical Science - Prentice Hall, 1997
Social Studies
The seventh grade curriculum is based on the California Curriculum and Standards. The course is world based in it explores various cultures and societies around the world at roughly the same time period. This period is approximately the years 500 AD to the late Eighteenth Century. It is a period in which the world is moving from ancient to modern. Units covered include: the fall of the Roman Empire, the rise of the Byzantine Empire, the birth and growth of Islam, the empires and civilizations of western and southern Africa, China from the Han Dynasty to the Ming Dynasty, the empires and civilizations of the Indian subcontinent, and Europe from the Medieval period to the Scientific Revolution. Depending on the progress of the class, the Enlightenment and the civilizations of Meso-America are also covered. The intention of the course is to allow students to view the shift from the ancient world, where societies developed in more or less isolation, to the modern world, where societies and cultures become increasingly interconnected and ideas are diffused around the world. This will in turn bring students to a closer understanding of the contributions of many different cultures in shaping their current world.
The course is skill based in that the cultural and historical information is presented as a medium through which various skills can be taught and reinforced. These skills again follow the recommended skills for this grade level in California. They include outlining and prewriting skills, research organization, note taking and listening skills, reading for main idea, recognizing detail, evaluating historical sources, interpreting historical perspective, understanding the difference between fact and reasoned judgment, and opinion. The course is designed to involve the students in more critical thinking experiences. To that end, research projects and papers are assigned on a regular basis and skills to accomplish these projects are stressed throughout the year.
In addition to the textbook, the students will be presented with various primary and secondary sources to broaden their historical understanding. Students are presented with these resources to increase their awareness of the process of constructing history. The exposure to these first-hand accounts allows students to build a more intimate relationship with their past. My goal is to bring history home to the students so they may understand the value of historical and cultural studies to their lives.
Text: Across the Centuries - Houghton Mifflin, 1999
