What should seventh graders know

Short stories are always a great choice. It can be hard to know which poems will spur your middle and high schoolers into deep, meaningful discussion and which will leave them yawning! So we asked experienced teachers to share their favorite poems that always get a reaction, even from teens. Check out the list of poems here. I let my students sit on the floor or lay under their desks to write and read if they feel the need. Teach seventh grade students how to write clearly by assigning them to write a simple essay—how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Then, try to follow each set of directions. Seventh graders do like to be read to; in fact reading to them can inspire them to explore new genres and share a common reading experience. Students are able to adjust the Lexile to the appropriate or close level. Give them assessment options such as tic-tac-toe boards , so they can choose.

Annotation is a difficult skill, but 7 th graders need to master and internalize it. Have them use plastic covers to practice annotation in different kinds of books—the classics, textbooks, and even magazines. Socratic seminar is a way for students to both engage in and reflect on deep discussion. Digital escape rooms provide students with a way to challenge, review, and compete. What day is it?

Make math applicable for seventh grade students by bringing in lessons like scaling up candy wrappers and using Barbie to teach proportional reasoning. More than ever, our country is examining the laws that were put in place to protect and guide us. It can be overwhelming, however, to explain exactly how that works. Embrace the selfie culture kind of. There are some amazing websites out there for teaching social studies lessons.

Kids of every age love hands-on science! Teachers do, too, because the learning is a lot more meaningful when students see concepts in action. This roundup of seventh grade science experiments and activities has a little something for everyone—from biology and ecology to physics and chemistry. Write informative and explanatory papers on science and social studies topics that include academic vocabulary words , concrete details gleaned from research, and reference to cause-and-effect relationships.

Express their researched, fact-based opinions in argument papers , in which they also acknowledge — and use facts to argue against — opposing viewpoints. Give oral presentations of their research and writing in which they present their main ideas to their classmates aloud, using formal language, clear pronunciation, and at a volume loud enough for everyone in the class to hear.

Solve multi-step math problems that involve negative numbers, fractions, decimals, percents, and rate. Solve algebraic equations and inequalities with at least one variable unknown number as a prelude to algebra.

Fluidly convert decimals to fractions and vice versa and place both on a number line. Know the formulas for the area and circumference of a circle. Share on Pinterest. Many teachers will begin implementing a system of peer review, which allows students to experience multiple writing styles and receive feedback. Scholastic recommends that core writing skills will include:. Some schools may focus more exclusively on algebra concepts, but most provide a well-rounded combination of algebraic and geometric topics.

Khan Academy includes some of these topics as a standard for a seventh-grade math course:. The content of a given science curriculum can vary drastically, but the concepts remain much the same. Children are expected to learn the basics of conducting an experiment, writing a hypothesis, and using the entire scientific method.

At the end, they will typically write up a lab report which reinforces the skills taught in language arts.

The material covered in science will vary. If you are just now starting to homeschool, you may need to do some special bridge work to make sure they easily adjust from what they were learning in public school to what you will be giving them in your homeschool.

Every state has guidelines regarding the objectives for seventh graders to learn, but that is just a starting point when designing your curriculum. Regardless of the resources you are using or what your theories on homeschooling may be, the following lists will help you see what seventh graders should be learning. As they go through seventh grade, homeschool students should work on gaining a deeper understanding of science. Instead of simply memorizing pieces of information, students will learn to gather data, go through the scientific method and then use this information as they write reports and ask questions.

In language arts, seventh grade students will learn to express deeper meanings through writing. They will be expected to learn harder vocabulary words, and read and write content that is deeper and more difficult to understand than what they have been exposed to in the past. As seventh grade students work on math, they will build on what has come before as they work to stay ahead of the curve. As they go throughout middle school, their math classes will build a solid foundation for what they are about to attempt in high school math.

As you homeschool your seventh grader, it will be especially important to help him or her develop study skills and time management skills. In general, you will be helping your student build on what they have learned to this point, but you will also be adding building blocks for topics yet to come. Learning how to study and manage time well is vitally important as their subjects get more complex.

Students academic performance at this point is starting to position them for the academic track they will following in high school. Their academic pathway will have a long term impact as students progress through high school.

Because you are homeschooling your child, you can keep a closer eye on the progress he or she is making. While middle school curriculums can differ somewhat from state to state, below are some of the general content objectives which most seventh graders will be expected to know:. Seventh grade is also a time when students begin to express more interest in activities other than just academic subjects.

Whether their interests follow music, sports, the arts or any number of other areas, as a homeschooler, you will not have the built-in infrastructure of teams, bands, etc. It is vitally important that you find other ways for your child to express himself or herself outside the classroom. You can often find local sports leagues for your kids, and many communities also foster youth music groups such as orchestras or bands.

Look into these opportunities for your seventh grader. You may also be able to find a local homeschool group that gets together to provide some of these opportunities as well. Some of these groups even organize field trips for kids to be able to experience local attractions or businesses that may provide an outlet for their interests.