Seabury Hall Middle School

---

GRADE SEVEN

The seventh grade curriculum reinforces the study habits introduced in the sixth grade and teaches students the basic “habits of thought” associated with the different disciplines they will encounter in their upper school college-preparatory program in a developmentally appropriate context. The interdisciplinary theme of the year is the study of rain forests.

Seventh Grade Core Curricular Strands:

            -Introducing expository writing, outlining, and summarization.

            -Elaborating on grammar and note taking skills.

            -Transitioning from young adult to a mixture of young adult/adult literature

            -Extending the basic skills of arithmetic to the basic skills of algebraic math 
             problems involving variables, equations, and inequalities.

            -Building independent learners through self-editing processes

            -Reinforcing in students the methods of scientific inquiry including the reading
             of scientific materials and application of learned concepts in a laboratory setting.

            -Understanding the scientific processes needed to study environment, human  
             health, genetics, and general organismal physiology.

            -Introducing the concept of “history” including chronology and the relationship 
             of geography to history

            -Introducing the study of a second language from the standpoint of culture 
             learning and language acquisition

English 7:

A skill-driven, text-based course, English 7 draws on student interests, skills, experiences, prior knowledge, and creativity. The curriculum is based on the study of significant literary works such as Into Thin Air, The Golden Compass (trilogy), A Step from Heaven, and Macbeth. The core texts and other readings are approached with the intent to improve reading skills in the areas of enjoyment, comprehension, inference, analysis, summarization, and vocabulary. Students are involved in activities which address a variety of learning styles, including cooperative group work, interdisciplinary class work, drama, art, music, quiz and test taking, and whole-class literary analysis. Students are also provided with a daily engagement with literary terms, story elements, and grammar principles. A student CD, or electronic portfolio, is the final product of the course. The CD contains at least ten different pieces written across five different genres, including poetry, fiction, and essay. In addition, student CDs also include digital photos, an iMovie of the student as part of an acting group performing a Shakespeare scene, and several pieces of art work.

History 7:

Fall Semester - Pacific Islands Studies: Diversity, Change, and Choices.
An introduction to the history and cultures of the Oceanic world of Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Students explore the geography of these islands and issues related to development, while examining key events and changes brought about by western contact.  Throughout, the focus is on how Pacific Islanders have responded to outside forces arriving on their shores and what strategies  they could use to navigate the waves of change challenging their ocean world today.

Spring Semester - History of Hawaii: Precontact through Present Day.  
This course provides students an opportunity to explore and express their relationship with this "place" we call home, Hawaii Nei.  Beginning with the geological and mythological origins of the Hawaiian Islands students will follow migrations of Polynesian settlement and the culture of precontact Hawaii through to the multi-cultural society of today.  Throughout, we explore the unique ecosystems of the Hawaiian Islands and weigh the relative merits of development and conservation, evaluating the changes occurring in Hawaii and considering the prospects for the future.  Projects, excursions, and place-based research are a major component of this course.

Pre-Algebra:

Pre-Algebra links the arithmetic of sixth grade to the Algebra of eighth.  Topics of study include: operations and properties of rational numbers (positive and negative numbers), number theory, ratio and proportion, percent, personal finance, statistics, plane and solid geometry, formulas involving surface area and volume,  the Pythagorean Theorem, similar shapes, solving multistep equations and inequalities, combining life terms, and the use of a scientific calculator to solve application problems.  Application problems will be discussed throughout each unit of study.  Many of the concepts will use computer enhanced instruction and manipulatives to enforce concepts and skills.  Throughout the year emphasis will be on taking notes as well as a more extended approach to checking homework which includes evaluating mistakes for clarity of understanding and showing the steps to working problems on paper.

Life Science:

An introduction to the principles and features common to ALL life from bacterial cells to plants to humans.  Practical, relevant examples of basic concepts of biology are used to increase the students’ comprehension of the topics discussed in class.  Laboratory exercises incorporate computers, microscopes, and scientific equipment. Students are required to complete several group and independent projects throughout the year to enhance their understanding of the life sciences. 

Spanish 7:

The Spanish program at Seabury Middle School focuses on teaching Spanish in much the same way students learned their first language.  It is taught by involving the students in kinesthetic activities, and providing language that is immediately comprehensible.  Visual cues and gestures allow for rapid comprehension with no need for translation.  These instructional strategies allow the students to be exposed to as much comprehensible language as possible and facilitate the students’ retention of the language in their long term memory. 

As the entry level experience, the sixth grade curriculum is designed to move students into the expectations, opportunities, and vision of Seabury Hall.  Emphasizing interdisciplinary activities and carefully structured challenges which tap student interest and enthusiasm for learning, sixth grade lays the foundation for the major disciplines to be pursued throughout a Seabury career.  An interdisciplinary learning portfolio completes the year, including a metacognitive reflection evaluating the sixth grade journey and establishing seventh grade goals.

Middle School Home | Middle School Curriculum | Seabury Hall Home