Grade School

Grade school

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3rd Grade

4th Grade

5th Grade

6th Grade

7th Grade

8th Grade

After School Care

CURRICULUM

7th Grade

Higher Academics with a Creative Voice

Many seventh graders look forward to the social and learning opportunities this year as sailors about to embark on a voyage.

In seventh grade, students are introduced to the art of Perspective Drawing. Through this subject, the students learn the exacting application of geometric laws and accompanying artistic skill to draw what they see in a scientific way. Geometry has immediate practical value. To make an accurate drawing of a house, of the interior space of a room, or specific details of a staircase requires perspective constructions. This develops an awareness and sense of objective observation. The atmosphere that is created in this block allows room for the sharing of ideas and encourages students to work together, thus creating a peer learning environment.

In history, students cover the European Renaissance, which highlights human strengths and weaknesses. From Joan of Arc’s astounding courage to one of  the geniuses of this era, Leonardo Da Vinci, students are inspired to create intricate and beautifully detailed main lesson books.  The masters Botticelli, Michelangelo, Raphael, Tintoretto, and Durer inspire students to perform at their highest level. Other periods of cultural breakthrough such as the Harlem Renaissance may also be brought. 

The Age of Exploration, which meets the students’ inner drive to see over the next ridge and to find a path no one has ever found before is a block that encourages each student to broaden their view and consider new possibilities. Explorers from around the world are introduced and their complicated legacies are engaged with. Scientific discovery and the rise of modern science is also covered through the biographies of people who pushed beyond the bounds of what was known and promoted a new way of thinking.

In the science realm, seventh graders study Chemistry and Physics. In Chemistry, students observe the qualities of combustion by building a fire and are introduced to the lime cycle and the effects of acids and bases. In Physics, they embark on the study of Mechanics and explore Electrical, Warmth and Visual phenomena by looking at how materials mediate our sense experiences. In learning the practical uses of the lever, students may  lift major boulders and even picnic tables with seventh graders sitting on them! 

Building on the Physical World Geography of Sixth Grade, Cultural Geography is a main focus this year and each student is given windows into a range of cultures from around the world. In Math, algebraic concepts are introduced and practiced in preparation for eighth grade Algebra. The basics of Euclidean Geometry are also introduced. In Language Arts, each student immerses themselves in words and draws inspiration from within and without. A balance is negotiated between the range of forms (rhyme, meter, and style) and the creative voice of each student writer.

One might liken seventh grade to a long journey at sea, in which all of one’s capacities are challenged, thus awakening new skills.