OUR LADY STAR OF THE SEA SCHOOL
7th GRADE ACADEMIC STANDARDS & CURRICULUM
Archdiocese of Washington Academic Standards define what students in Catholic Schools should know and be able to do at each grade level.
PO Box 560 / 90 Alexander Lane, Solomons, Maryland 20688
Phone (410) 326-3171 | olssschool@comcast.net | Fax (410) 326-9478
MATH - PRE-ALGEBRA
Series used: Saxon Math
7th grade Math reviews numeration and the basic operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division of integers, decimals, and fractions, but the primary focus is on Algebra, Geometry, Data Analysis, and the properties & operations of numbers. Word or thought problems are incorporated into each and every lesson. The Saxon math curriculum constantly reviews concepts taught in previous lessons, which reinforces and monitors progress.
1) Number Sense: Students use scientific notation and square roots, and convert between fractions and decimals.
2) Computation: Students solve problems involving integers, fractions, decimals, ratios, and percentages.
3) Algebra & Functions: Students express quantitative relationships using algebraic terminology, expressions, equations, inequalities, and graphs. They use variables and appropriate operations to write an expression, formula, equation, or inequality that represents a verbal description.
4) Geometry: Students deepen their understanding of plane and solid geometric shapes by construction shapes that meet given conditions and by identifying attributes of shapes. They understand coordinate graphs and use them to plot shapes, find lengths and areas related to shapes, and find images under translations, rotations, and reflections. They learn the Pythagorean Theorem.
5) Measurement: Students compare units of measure and similarity to solve problems. They compute perimeters, areas, and volumes of common geometric objects, and use the results to find measures of less regular objects.
6) Data Analysis & Probability: Students collect, organize, and represent data sets and identify relationships among variables within a data set. They determine probabilities and use them to make predictions. They analyze, interpret, and display data in bar, line, and circle graphs, and analyze data displays.
7) Problem Solving: Students make decisions about how to approach math problems. They analyze problems by identifying relationships, sorting relevant from irrelevant information, sequencing, prioritizing, and observing patterns. They use strategies, skills, and concepts in finding and communicating solutions.
ADW 7th Grade Math Standards
LANGUAGE ARTS
READING
1) Word Recognition, Fluency, & Vocabulary Development: Students use their knowledge of word parts and word relationships, as well as context cues, to determine the meaning of specialized vocabulary, and to understand the precise meaning of words. They identify and understand idioms and comparisons, such as metaphors and similes, in prose and poetry.
2) Reading Comprehension: Students describe and connect essential ideas, arguments, and perspective of text by using their knowledge of text structure, organization, and purpose. They analyze the structural features of informational and technical materials.
LITERATURE
3) Literary Response & Analysis: Students read and respond to historically or culturally significant works of literature that reflect and enhance their study of history and social science, and connect their ideas to other literary works. They discuss the purposes and characteristics of different forms of text, such as short stories, poetry, folklore, myths and drama. Strategies of note taking and summarizing to demonstrate comprehension of main ideas are assessed primarily using book reports. Creative writings, detailed notes, personal logs and journals, and classroom activities are compiled into a collection of Original Poetry and Drama Packets.
WRITING & SPELLING
4) Writing Process: Students discuss, list, and organize writing ideas, and focus on writing clear, coherent, focused essays of 700 -850 words, with an awareness of purpose and audience for each essay. Grammar and sentence construction are taught in order to provide students with tools necessary for producing quality work. Students progress through the four stages of the writing process: drafting, proofreading, editing, and revising. Spelling words are given out every week, with tests at the end of the week.
5) Writing Applications: Students write narrative, expository, persuasive, and descriptive texts. They are introduced to biographical and autobiographical narratives and to writing summaries or materials read.
6) Written English Language Conventions: Students write using Standard English conventions. They properly place modifiers and use the active voice. They identify and use infinitives and participles, and make clear references between pronouns and antecedents. They identify all parts of speech and types and structure of sentences, and learn more advanced punctuation.
LISTENING AND SPEAKING
7) Skills, Strategies, & Applications: Students evaluate the content of oral communication, and deliver focused, coherent presentations using traditional speech stages, including narration, exposition, persuasion, and description.
ADW 7th Grade Language Arts Standards
SOCIAL STUDIES
1) History: Students study early civilizations and societies in Africa and Asia to 650AD, and major civilizations in Africa, Asia, and the Southwest Pacific from the 18th-21st centuries, focusing on historical, geographical, economical and cultural relationships. They examine the major movements, events and figures that contributed to the development of these regions.
2) Civics & Government: Students examine the foundations of governments in Africa, Asia, and the Southwest Pacific, comparing early governments of Egypt, Sumer, the Zhou Dynasty, and the effects of Confucianism on government of China and Korea. They compare the various routes to independence and colonial rule in those regions.
3) Geography: Students identify countries and use latitude and longitude to locate capital cities in Africa, Asia, and the Southwest Pacific. They locate major mountain regions, bodies of water, deserts, and climate regions of these areas.
4) Economics: Students study international trade, and how trade affected the history and development of countries in Africa, Asia, and the Southwest Pacific. They compare standards of living in these countries using a variety of data.
ADW 7th Grade Social Studies Standards
SCIENCE
1) Nature of Science & Technology: Students further their scientific understanding of the natural world through investigations, experiences, and readings. They design solutions to practical problems by using a variety of scientific methodologies. They identify important contributions to the advancement of science and technology, and how technology has influenced the course of history.
2) Scientific Thinking: Students use instruments and tools to measure, calculate, and organize data. They use computation, estimation, manipulation, and observation.
3) The Physical Setting/Earth & Space Science: Students collect and organize data to identify relationships between objects, events, and processes. Earth Science topics include the processes that shape the Earth, such as how climates have changed as a result of changes in the Earth’s crust, how heat flow causes earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, how heat energy carried by ocean currents influences climates around the world.
4) The Living Environment: Students learn the fundamental difference between plants and animals, and understand its bases at the cellular level. The areas of emphasis begin at the cellular level and progress to the more complex organs and organ systems with a focus on organisms. Students use microscopes to view the microscopic world. They create “edible cells” as a project. An overview of genetics and the importance of genetic variation are explored. Students create and synthesize information from Punnett Squares. Linnean Classification of all seven taxonomy groups is presented. Processes such as photosynthesis, respiration, mitosis, meiosis, and fermentation are studied.
5) The Mathematical World: Students apply mathematics in scientific contexts, and use math ideas and the use of logical reasoning in the representation and synthesis of data.
ADW 6th-8th Grade Earth & Space Science Standards
ADW 6th-8th Grade Engineering Standards
ADW 6th-8th Grade Life Science Standards
ADW 6th-8th Grade Physical Science Standards
RELIGION
Series used: Sadlier Religion’s “We Believe”
The 7th grade religion curriculum focuses on the early beginnings of the Church through Pope Benedict XVI. A strong emphasis is placed on how to live out the eight Beatitudes and the Ten Commandments in our world today. Students learn about many saints, holy people, and Catholic organizations, and observe specific feasts and liturgical seasons. Students are given an opportunity to coordinate the weekly Liturgy on a rotational basis, being responsible for choosing the music, acting as lectors, song leaders, and gift bearers.
ADW 7th Grade Religion Standards
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
1) Movement Forms: Students have mastered basic movement skills and begin to put them into combinations of increasing complexity.
2) Motor Skills: Students apply more advanced movement strategies in their sports activities. They learn physic concepts such as action-reaction, trajectory, lever, and linear velocity that are effective in sports activities.
3) Physical Activity: Students learn about the physical, emotional, and psychological benefits of healthy lifestyle activities.
4) Responsible Behavior: Students demonstrate an awareness of rules for safe participation in physical activities.
Skill developing is worked on through soccer, football, basketball, hockey, badminton, paddleball, volleyball, lacrosse, and softball-type games. Additional physical activities include jump roping, frisbee, parachute play, scooter play, and tag games.
ADW 7th Grade Physical Education Standards
SPANISH
Students engage in written and spoken conversations on a variety of topics, and participate in conversations emphasizing previously learned material. They expand their vocabulary and improve their reading skills in Spanish, and put into practice the present tense of regular and irregular verbs. They explore cultures of Spanish speaking countries, and examine the relationships among the practices of another culture and their own.
ADW 7th Grade Foreign Language Standards
MUSIC
Students sing a variety of repertoire, independently and in ensembles, with attention to breath control, pitch, tone quality, and dictation. They explore music history beginning with Medieval, Baroque, Classical, and Romantic time periods, and focus on composers, famous compositions, and historical events. Advanced musical concepts of syncopated rhythms, compound meters, and score reading/notations are developed.
ART
Students observe, select, and utilize a range of subject matter, symbols, and ideas in their work, and produce artwork that reflects their personal ideas, experiences, and emotions. They apply elements and principles of design in their work, discriminating between types of shape, colors, textures, space, balance, and the use of proportion, rhythm, variety, repetition, and movement. A variety of art media is explored, including drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, and mixed media.
TECHNOLOGY
Mrs. Sarah Sullivan
Mrs. Sullivan received her bachelor’s degree in Classical Studies from Seton Hall University with minors in Catholic Studies and Archaeology. She is currently studying Elementary Education at the College of Southern Maryland. This is her 3rd year teaching at OLSS.
Email: grade7@olsss.org