Life at School
Curricula
Grade 7 - Term 2 Overview 2011-2012
First of all, I want to wish each of you a Happy New Year and I want to thank you for all that you have done to support your son/daughter through the first term.
During this term, high school registrations will be confirmed and the students will take part in writing the FSA tests. The students will continue to find numerous ways to offer their time and talents to be of service to others. They enjoy working with the younger students and all of the staff very much appreciate the many ways in which the grade sevens helped them out.
On Thursday, March 29th the grade 7’s will be going on a field trip to the Royal B.C. Museum and Parliament Buildings in Victoria. The displays in the museum and tour of the parliament buildings provide a unique learning opportunity for the students and address numerous learning outcomes that are part of this term’s focus in Social Studies, Science, Career and Health Education and Language Arts. The development of government, natural history, ecosystems, food webs, B.C geography and careers are a few examples of the areas of study that will be enriched by this trip. More information regarding date, time, supervision, cost and expectations will be sent out on a separate permission and risk awareness form.
Religion:
Our class’ prayer time will continue to provide us with opportunity to break open and discuss the word of God as well as topics that are of importance to the students’ social/emotional development. The students will continue to develop their understanding of the Apostle’s creed with emphasis on the life of Jesus Christ and role of the Holy Spirit. Although we do not yet know our date for Confirmation, there is a good probability that the students will begin a more formal and in depth preparation for the reception of the Sacrament sometime this term. Hopefully they are working at home on the prayers and content outlined in the handout given at the parent retreat in the Fall.
Language Arts:
A major part of the reading program will focus on novel studies and, specifically a set of novels that are nominated for the Red Cedar Award. The students were given the titles of these novels so that they could begin reading over the holidays. As well, we will continue to use short stories from the Crossroads Anthology and research materials for the upcoming projects in Science and Social Studies.
Students will continue to write a variety of reflective, informative, persuasive, summative and descriptive pieces throughout all subject areas. The major focus will be to include details, examples and personal experiences to make connections and support and clarify ideas and opinions. They will also continue to work on clarifying and articulating their opinions and ideas during oral discussions throughout all subject areas. As well, formal and informal oral presentations will be part of the expectations in other subject areas.
Social Studies:
The students will continue to develop their understanding of the life and times of the ancient civilizations. The focus in the second term is on the Ancient Egyptians and, in particular, their daily life, economy, government, and technology as well as their way of dealing with the effects of the environment. A project on the Ancient Egyptians will be part of the term’s expectations. The content and criteria for this project will be clarified in a separate handout.
Math:
The main resource will continue to be MathLinks. Please refer to the first term’s overview for the routines and expectations. The concepts and strategies being worked on include: positive and negative integers, patterns, variables, linear equations, the preservation of equality and the Cartesian plane.
Science:
The second term focuses the Processes of Science and Earth and Space Science. Some of the major areas of study will include: the composition of the Earth and continental plates, the rock cycle, and rapid and slow changes that occur to the earth’s surface by natural processes. Each student (or in partners) will create a model and written report that will be displayed on “Learning Day”. Details explaining this project will be outlined on a separate handout.
Health and Career Education:
Through discussions, activities and personal experiences, students will explore and develop their understanding of healthy life styles, moral decision making, personal potential, gender roles, appropriate ways of expressing feelings, making independent decisions and assuming responsibility for choices. As part of the healthy life styles unit, the students will work in small groups to create a menu, shop for supplies, prepare the food and clean up.
Art:
Many of the learning outcomes for Art are dealt with as part of the work done in other subject areas. The importance of art in ancient cultures and images in history, as well as how to display work effectively and convey beliefs through images and colour, are some of the themes that will be studied through integration.