The program for the seventh grade emphasizes self-exploration, social interaction, skill development, competence, and achievement. The curricular offerings provide opportunities for students to learn skills which will be important throughout secondary and higher education and to experiment with new "identities" as young writers, scientists, and so on. Family and inclusiveness are important themes for this year, which is highlighted by the students' experiences in the Peer Leadership Program. Coursework includes the following:
English
The seventh grade English program encourages students to interact with and grow through language. In literature, students complete a thematic unit on the family followed by a study of literacy genres—the short story, poetry, and the novel, with emphasis on historical fiction. Among the authors read are Cisneros, Dickens, Irving, London, Twain, Saroyan, and Buck. Students offer oral presentations in conjunction with the literature unit. In composition, assignments relate to class readings and range from the paragraph to the longer essay with correct mechanics and diction stressed. In grammar, students complete units on the sentence, parts of speech, and punctuation. Students use the literature context as well as a developmentally sequential program to increase vocabulary.
History: Immigration – The American Mosaic
This examination of the major immigrant groups of the nineteenth and twentieth century United States enables students to develop an understanding of the economic, political, and cultural contributions of each group, as well as the degree to which they were “accepted” by resident Americans. An in-depth study of tolerance in America will follow in the third trimester.
Mathematics: Pre-Algebra
The purpose of this course is to develop the student's skills in order of operation, solution of equations, inequalities, exponents, and radicals. Students learn to graph inequalities and linear equations. The course emphasizes a problem-solving approach, and students use calculators to verify answers.
Religion
The seventh grade religion course is the study of the story of Jesus. Students examine the life of Christ from four perspectives: what Catholics believe; how Catholics worship; how Catholics live; and how Catholics pray. This thematic approach is a unique introduction to the life of Jesus which includes background on the cultural landscape and history, writers and parts of the New Testament, timelines, activities which prepare the student for a better understanding of the Gospel message of Jesus Christ. The students have opportunities to learn about the seasons of Advent, Lent, Christmas, and Easter and liturgical feasts through a variety of experiences. Activity-based learning experiences provide a unique vehicle to foster learning at this middle school level.
Science: Life and Environmental Science
Through this course students explore the basic principles of life, starting from the most basic cells through the most complex organisms. The students have the opportunity to compare types of life and understand the basic heredity patterns. The students apply the principles of life to the topics within environmental science, connecting the living world and the Earth. This course will expose the students to environmental issues that shape the world today. As students explore these areas of science they learn how science is studied by putting the scientific method into practice.
Latin—Grades 7 and 8
The Latin curriculum serves as a basis for future studies in Latin and the Romance Languages. It introduces students to important lexicon and syntax that will assist in English. While considering a linguistic system different from their native one, students increase their flexibility to think critically about alternate solutions to problems in other areas. The pedagogical approach is holistic. Students learn to read for global meaning while acquiring knowledge of alternate sentence structures and important productive processes. Since Latin is lexically close to the Romance languages and English, students build vocabulary and learn to decode new words without a dictionary. In 7th and 8th grade Latin, students learn declensions and conjugations as tools for reading simple Latin texts, parsing sentences and discovering language patterns all within the context of the rich history of the Roman culture.
Spanish or French—Grades 7 and 8
Foreign language courses at this level focus on listening comprehension, accurate pronunciation, vocabulary building, and correct use of elementary grammatical structures through reading and writing. Through the dynamic nature of these classes, students discover that French and Spanish are living and changing languages. Films, music, songs, storytelling and magazines are an integral part of the course. As students build their linguistic skills through a functional approach, they tackle increasingly complex grammar topics. When feasible, projects in French or Spanish will be combined with other courses.
The language department selects either French or Spanish as the beginning language in a given year. These courses are open only to students with prior knowledge of French or Spanish.
Physical Education
The seventh and eighth grade physical education program follows the National Standards set forth by the National Association of Sport and Physical Education. This program implements a wide variety of activities to support student learning in the development of sport skills, lifetime health fitness, critical thinking and responsible social behavior. Each trimester there is a team sport, an individual or dual sport, a fitness focus and a fitness performance activity. The program provides opportunities for enjoyment, challenge, self-expression and social interaction in the context of a physical activity setting. Team sports rotate each year and may include soccer, volleyball, team handball, basketball, wiffle ball. Individual and dual sports may include tennis, badminton, paddle ball, Project Adventure activities, track, and orienteering.
In addition to the seventh grade core, students take cycle courses in art, computer literacy, dance, music and health.