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Welcome to 7th Grade!
Below you will find 7th Grade course descriptions, contact information, and links to team websites. You may also use the Faculty Directory to find specific staff members' contact and website information. A great resource for parents is the Middle School Curriculum Guide. The curriculum guide contains practice resources, instructional videos, and links to great content. This is a good way to know what is covered in your child's courses.
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English/Language Arts
WCPSS has excellent teachers, strong leaders and a wealth of support from parents and the community. We are dedicated to providing our teachers with the best resources possible to ensure students are learning what they must know to be prepared for college, career and life. We have chosen EL Education as the new curriculum resource to support teachers of English Language Arts (ELA) in grades 3 through 8 starting with grades 3 and 6 for the 2017-18 school year.
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Math 7
We’re excited to make this year an engaging and successful one for your child. We want students to understand, use, and enjoy mathematics! This year, our students will be working with a math curriculum from Open Up Resources, an education nonprofit.
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Math 7 PLUS
Common Core Math 7 PLUS is a compacted course comprised of a portion of standards from Common Core Math 7 and a portion of standards from Common Core Math 8. The foci of the course are outlined below by domain.- The Number System: Apply and extend previous understandings of operations with fractions to add, subtract, multiply, and divide rational numbers; know that there are numbers that are not rational, and approximate them by rational numbers.
- Expressions and Equations: Use properties of operations to generate equivalent expressions; solve real-life
and mathematical problems using numerical and algebraic expressions and equations; work with radicals and
integer exponents; understand the connections between proportional relationships, lines, and linear equations;
analyze and solve linear equations.
- Geometry: Draw, construct and describe geometrical figures and describe the relationships between them;
solve real-life and mathematical problems involving angle measure, area, surface area, and volume; understand
congruence and similarity using physical models, transparencies, or geometry software; solve real-world and
mathematical problems involving volume of cylinders, cones and spheres.
- Statistics and Probability: Use random sampling to draw inferences about a population; draw informal
comparative inferences about two populations; investigate chance processes and develop, use, and evaluate
probability models.
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Science
Traditional laboratory experiences provide opportunities to demonstrate how science is constant, historic, probabilistic, and replicable. Although there are no fixed steps that all scientists follow, scientific investigations usually involve collections of relevant evidence, the use of logical reasoning, the application of imagination to devise hypotheses, and explanations to make sense of collected evidence. Student engagement in scientific investigation provides background for understanding the nature of scientific inquiry. In addition, the science process skills necessary for inquiry are acquired through active experience. The process skills support development of reasoning and problem-solving ability and are the core of scientific methodologies.By the end of this course, the students will be able to:- Understand how the cycling of matter (water and gases) in and out of the atmosphere relates to Earth’s atmosphere, weather and climate and the effects of the atmosphere on humans.
- Understand the processes, structures and functions of living organisms that enable them to survive,
reproduce and carry out the basic functions of life.
- Understand the relationship of the mechanisms of cellular reproduction, patterns of inheritance and external
factors to potential variation among offspring.
- Understand motion, the effects of forces on motion and the graphical representations of motion.
- Understand forms of energy, energy transfer and transformation, and conservation in mechanical systems.
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Social Studies
Students in seventh grade will continue to expand upon the knowledge, skills and understanding acquired in the sixth grade examination of early civilizations. Seventh graders study the world from the Age of Exploration to contemporary times in order to understand the implications of increased global interactions. The focus will remain on the discipline of geography by using the themes of location, place, movement, human-environmental interaction and region to understand modern societies and regions. This course will guide students through patterns of change and continuity with a focus on conflict and cooperation, economic development, population shifts, political thought and 15 organization, cultural values and beliefs and the impact of environment over time. Through an investigation of the various factors that shaped the development of societies and regions in the modern world and global interactions, students will examine both similarities and differences. A conscious effort will be made to include an integrated study of various societies and regions from every continent (Africa, Asia, Europe, the Americas and Australia). -
Healthful Living
Healthful Living is required for all 7th grade students and includes health education and physical education. These two courses complement each other as students learn how to be healthy and physically active for a lifetime. Because our health and physical fitness needs are so different from a generation ago, the nature of healthful living is changing. Poor health choices (i.e., use of alcohol and other drugs, poor nutrition, and physical inactivity) now account for more than 50% of the preventable deaths in the United States.Through a quality healthful living education program, students will learn the importance of health and physical activity and develop skills to achieve and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Students will learn how to apply the concepts of proper exercise in their daily lives, discover ways to handle stress, avoid harmful and illegal drugs, learn about the relationship between nutrition and weight management, develop healthy interpersonal relationships (including conflict resolution skills), develop teamwork and character-building skills, and learn how to achieve positive health and fitness goals.In seventh grade, students will appraise their own health status, apply communication and stress management skills to prevent serious health risks, employ a variety of injury prevention techniques, understand the dietary guidelines, learn about the benefits of abstinence until marriage and the risks of premarital sexual intercourse, comprehend negative media messages, and demonstrate refusal skills related to peer pressure. Students will understand the risks associated with the use of alcohol and other drugs. In addition, students will learn how to encourage others not to engage in risky behaviors. Students will establish personal fitness goals and participate in social dance, small-sided games, and demonstrate advanced movement/skill sequences. Students will display appreciation toward the varying skill levels of teammates while enjoying the many benefits of physical activity.Because of the nature of health education, discussion may include sensitive topics. By contacting the school principal, parents may request in writing that their child be excluded from certain health topics owing to personal/religious beliefs. -
Electives
Students will be offered a program of electives at HMS. 7th graders will take one or more year-long or semester-long electives, such as Band, Chorus, Dance, Visual Arts, Computer Skills & Applications, Technological Systems, or Family & Consumer Science.
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7th Grade Contacts
To find contact information for a teacher, visit your team site (above), or use the Faculty Directory.
Roderick Mason
7th Grade Administrator
rmason@wcpss.net
(919) 562-6204, Ext. 22519Mary McCulley
7th Grade Guidance Counselor
Student Services Website
mmcculley@wcpss.net
(919) 562-6204, Ext. 22512
