7th Grade

Religion:

Religion study at this grade level is centered on the study of the life of Jesus Christ. This study includes the time period from the birth of Christ through His resurrection. Students in the 7th grade prepare an elaborate presentation of the Living Stations of the Cross. Through this process students are immersed in scripture, the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Throughout the year we will study the virtues and relate them to our daily lives. The students will also study the lives of the saints and use them as role models for maturing into adulthood.

Finally, we are very blessed at Holy Trinity to maintain a weekly time for meditation with the Lord in our Adoration Chapel.

Math Course 2

7th Grade students at Holy Trinity School participate in a "Math Hour".

Students are placed in math courses appropriate for their academic level. Students that partake in Course 2 will cover the following.

*Decimals, Algebra, and Statistics

*Integers

*Fractions

*Proportional Reasoning

*Geometry and Measurement

Math Course 3

Glencoe's Course III Math program offers the student an overview of the following areas: Algebra, Geometry, and Statistics. In each of these three major units, students learn different concepts that they can apply to their lives, while using a sprialing curriculum that will offer the student extra practice in previously learned skills. In the algebra unit students focus on integers, rational numbers, and linear and non-linear functions. In Geometry, students learn how to find the area and volume of different shapes and objects. In Statistics, students will focus on finding the mean, median, and mode of different numbers, while also learning to disect different word problems to find the importance of learning these concepts.

During each unit, students use group projects, paired work, and independent practice to enhance student learning. Students also have access to work on-line, with a SmartBoard, and use of manipulatives in the classroom.

Pre-Algebra

7th grade students studying Pre-Alebra will cover the following:

The Tools of Algebra, integers, equations, factors and fractions, rational numbers, proportion and percent, equations and inequalities, functions and graphing, real numbers and right triangles, two dimensional figures, three dimensional figures, statistics and probability.

Language Arts

Students in 7th grade Language Arts begin preparing for the high school English classroom. Using novel studies, students focus on different genres of novels and literary devices. In addition to novel studies, students are also submersed into an extensive Reader's Workshop. In Reader's Workshop, students are able to choose novels at their ability level, set goals, and maintain the knowledge they have learned through their time in elementary school.

In addition to this reading program, students work on a Writer's Workshop. Using Nancie Atwell's "Lessons that Change Writers," allows each student to work at their own pace, peer conference, teacher conference, and eventually "publish" their pieces. As a companion to this writer's workshop, students focus two - three days a week extensively on English grammar in which they will then apply to their own writing.

Science

We have a completely new science curriculum this year! Students will be working with at least three different "modules" or topics this year, and they will get a mix of life and physical sciences through the three topics. Our first book is Cells, Heredity, and Classification. Students will learn about cells and their parts, heredity, genes, DNA, and domains and kingdoms of animals. We will then move on to study matter and interactions between different states of matter. There are many labs integrated throughout the books so students will get a lot of hands-on experience completing experiments. Students will also design experiments for participation in school, regional, and state science fairs.

Social Studies

We are studying the United States of America; from the time of the Native Americans through the Cold War. We study the thirteen colonies and the foundation of our country's ideals, the American Revolution, and the forming of our nation. We will study westward expansion, the Civil War, World Wars I and II, and the Depression. Students will work on improving their map skills, studying political cartoons, and working on group projects.

Each student will also complete a current event project at some point during the year. They are to find a news article that interests them, write a summary, create a PowerPoint or poster, and give a presentation. Students have already been given their assigned presentation date and a more detailed description and rubric for the project.