Seventh Grade

Homeroom – Dana Bost

The seventh grade is a turning point, a point at which children define and take responsibility for themselves.  Small classes allow for each individual to get the support he or she needs to develop the confidence and self esteem to have an opinion, speak up, take risks, and think independently. They find their voice as they work hard and play hard in the classroom, on the playing fields, and on the stage beginning the year with an original production of a classic children's play like Wind in the Willows, Peter Pan, or Alice in Wonderland adapted by Dana Bost.   

English – Dana Bost

Seventh grade is a journey of self-discovery. Seventh graders study both classic and modern literature through poetry, short stories, plays and the novel. Much emphasis is put on responding to the literature in both writing and discussion where students develop critical thinking skills and work toward mastering the three paragraph expository essay. Creative writing is at the heart of the course. In writing workshop we write, edit and peer edit. Students fill portfolios to the brim with every genre as they learn to weave all the threads of fine writing together. Grammar study provides our students with the foundation for effective communication, both spoken and written. It all begins with words, and we explore their power at every opportunity through literature and the Wordly Wise curriculum. The small class size provides an arena where everyone has a turn all the time. Therefore students learn to articulate their thoughts. They are taught to project, pace, enunciate, and use inflection to express their subtext as they read aloud, act, recite, discuss, debate, and give reports or speeches throughout the year. Carefully guided discussions using open-ended questions lead the student to ponder the big questions in life. The highlight of the year is the class’ performance of a full-length play.  Here they learn about discipline, risk taking, character development, and teamwork.  On the journey through 7^th grade, students discover the love of learning and the joy of hard work. 

Mathematics 7 – Melanie Handelsman

Math 7 is intended for students who will benefit from another full year of practice with operations on real numbers. Its approach is both concrete and hands-on. Much attention is given not only to the mechanics of working with fractions, decimals, percents, and ratios but also to their applicability in daily life. Students partake in such activities as a “shopping spree,” where they are expected to calculate sale prices and sales tax. They work collaboratively on problem-solving activities and on in-class projects such as web-quests that expose them to the real-life applications of what they are learning. This curriculum also continues their introduction to fundamental algebraic concepts such as the notion of a variable, simplifying and evaluating expressions, and solving equations. Math 7 students can be found making pancakes in class to learn about converting units of measurement, making scale models of their classroom, and drawing chalk polygons on the blacktop of the playground, to name just a few activities.

Pre-Algebra 7 – Melanie Handelsman

The Pre-Algebra curriculum is intended to provide a transition from more concrete, mechanics-based mathematics to the abstraction of Algebra. While it does build upon the concepts in the Math 6 and Math 7 curricula, it not only increases the difficulty of the topics covered, but also demonstrates how they fall into the wider scope of Algebra. For instance, students review how to add and subtract fractions, but now they are adding and subtracting like terms with fractional coefficients, thus preparing them to use this skill in solving algebraic equations. The Pre-Algebra curriculum provides a broad overview of fundamental concepts, such as ratio, proportion, and percent, working with negative numbers, solving simple equations, graphing linear functions, and doing simple probability. There is also a large component of the course dedicated to learn the fundamentals of both 2- and 3-dimensional geometry. One can find Pre-Algebra students surveying their classmates for information to make a graph or participating in a “Real-life Project” where they balance their own checkbooks and make family budgeting decisions. Emphasis is placed on applying the problem-solving process wherever possible in the curriculum, both through homework and group activities as well as in projects and discussions.

Algebra 7 – Laurie Roche

This high-school level class covers a complete Algebra I curriculum. Topics covered range from simplifying and evaluating algebraic expressions, solving single-variable equations with terms in both members, solving quadratic equations, simplifying rational and radical algebraic expressions, solving rational and radical equations, factoring quadratic and cubic polynomials, working with exponents, graphing linear functions, and solving systems of linear equations. Students are also exposed to notions such as two-column proofs, imaginary and complex numbers, and logarithms. There is a strong emphasis placed on the importance and method of problem-solving in mathematics. Methods of modeling real-life situations as algebraic expressions and equations are practiced throughout the school year, and individual and group work is used in working through solving these various problems. The goal of this course is to give students a solid foundation in Algebraic methods and to give them a taste for the complexity and beauty of mathematics as a field of study.

Science – Anna Burkett

Seventh grade science comes to life with the study of populations and ecosystems by creating mini-ecosystems. Students learn firsthand that ecosystems are defined by a physical environment and the organisms that live in it. We grow a milkweed population providing a unique learning experience in the study of adaptation, genetic variation, and natural selection as well as population size and dynamics. A course on Earth history introduces students to the geologic time scale. They learn about the Grand Canyon and its rock layers, fossils and formation of igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks. Practical application includes making rocks, creating a stream table and earth time line. Seventh graders also study the human brain and senses gaining an appreciation for the complexity that goes into routine brain activities like seeing, feeling, hearing, smelling, tasting and remembering. They learn about the mechanics of vision, learning and memory, and perception. We personalize the learning experience as each year, the seventh grade travels to one of the education centers run by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. They spend three days exploring Bay history, tradition and ecology, crabbing, oyster dredging, water testing, marsh mucking, and living in low-impact accommodations. They return with a sense of the size and diversity of life in the Chesapeake Bay watershed and a feeling of stewardship for this valuable natural resource.

History – Rod McLeod

Seventh grade history begins with the early contact between the Old and New Worlds during the Age of Exploration. We examine the arrival of the Europeans in the Americas from the Vikings through the early settlement of North America by the French, English and Spanish. The impact of the “Columbian Exchange” is observed as indigenous cultures are exposed to the “guns, germs, and steel” brought to the Americas by early explorers.

The course proceeds through the following two centuries with an in depth exploration of the various colonial experiences, particularly in Virginia and Massachusetts, but also including the rest of the original thirteen colonies. Attention is paid to the regional differences, developing cultures, conflicts, and the evolution of political institutions. We closely follow the course of the French and Indian War as a dress rehearsal for the Revolutionary War that followed.

We evaluate the early experiment with national government in the Articles of Confederation, setting the stage for the framing and adoption of the Constitution. This sets the stage for an intensive focus in the final quarter on the history of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and their role in the citizenship of all Americans.

During this exploration, students have the opportunity to develop and hone their skills in reading for information, two column note taking, outlining, and organizing information for later access. They have experience with writing identifications, writing short answers to historical questions, writing longer essays in response to specific historical questions, a major biographical research paper in the spring, as well as the possibility of an additional short historical documentary. They learn to defend their positions in informal classroom discussions as well as in more formalized debates. They also have the experience of giving short speeches in historical context such as acting as a delegate at the Constitutional Convention.

Selected field trips enhance and enrich their understanding of history, making it more alive. Field trips include visits to Jamestown, Williamsburg, Montpelier and Washington, D.C.

Personal Development - Melanie Handelsman

The Personal Development seminar is an age-appropriate course designed to identify the broad spectrum of physical, social and emotional issues that arise during each stage of adolescent development and to increase student understanding of themselves and others in order to make healthy life choices.  The course meets once a week during the second semester and is taught by two faculty members. Students meet in a large group setting as well as small groups broken down by gender. Topics in seventh grade include family, self-esteem, gender roles, friendship, decision-making, being assertive (saying and accepting “no”), internet safety, sexual exploitation and abuse, puberty, reproduction, making healthy decisions, HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases, smoking and substance abuse.  Guest speakers from the community are also invited to speak to the class.