Seventh Grade Curriculum

Seventh Grade students show an increasing interest in the wider world. Their capacity for critical thinking continues to develop while their emotional life is often tumultuous during this period of intense growth.

Seventh Graders feel enthusiasm for learning and their newly developing capacities for causal thinking. The Seventh Grade curriculum meets the students’ increasing awareness of and interest in the broader world. As the students enter a period of intense growth and change developmentally, their capacity for critical thinking deepens. Students study the Age of Exploration and Colonization, including the significance and contributions of the peoples and cultures of the Americas and Africa, the European Renaissance and Reformation; Geography; Physics (mechanics); Inorganic Chemistry, Physiology, Health and Nutrition, Creative Writing, Pre-Algebra and Geometry, and grammar, spelling, and literature in Language Arts. Paralleling the early-modern period studied in History, students study perspective drawing in their Art classes.

In Seventh Grade, a formal Creative Writing block introduces the students to poetry and other forms of expressive writing. Students are encouraged to use language to express mood, tone, and point of view. Additionally, the Seventh Grade writing curriculum includes learning the structure of an essay and how to construct a thesis statement. Student writing follows more of a process than before: they write drafts and take responsibility for editing and revising their work, incorporating feedback and corrections, and rendering final versions of their compositions. Seventh Graders continue to develop research skills, presenting reports and biographies in class that complement the Morning Lesson content. Reading and discussion skills are developed through vocabulary-building and comprehension, using class readers or individually assigned literature.

The Middle School Math Specialist teaches Seventh-Grade Math courses. Students study percentages and ratios, irrational numbers, statistics, and word problems involving various concepts such as metric measurement and rate. Seventh-Grade Geometry focuses on Euclidean constructions, the golden ratio, angle theorems, proofs, perspective drawing, and other geometric constructions requiring measures. Students calculate the area and perimeter of circles and polygons. 

Seventh-Grade Science studies expand to include Inorganic Chemistry, Physiology, and Physics. Investigation in these fields continues with the addition of mechanics and the exploration of simple machines. Students now specialize in one World Language (German or Spanish), which is studied three times a week throughout the year to encourage a greater level of proficiency. In Music, students sing as a class choir and participate in a Strings ensemble or a Woodwinds group. Field trips throughout the year support academic and social development, and students actively participate in fundraising as a class to offset the costof future trips.

Outside of the curriculum carried by the class teacher, Seventh Graders receive instruction in Handwork, Eurythmy, Games and Movement, Farming and Gardening, Music, and Social–Emotional Learning.