7th Grade

Exploration is alive in the seventh grade student - as if they are sailors about to embark on a voyage at sea. Students express their opinions, question authority and explore limits, all as they begin to assert their independence. Their emotional and intellectual life are deepening which requires a curriculum that meets the energy of the 13 year old, reflecting their own self discovery and bringing a strong historical foundation to build upon. As if parallel to the child’s adolescence, the historical age of incredible discovery, the Renaissance, is brought. This historical time highlights the strengths and weaknesses of incredible humans. From Leonardo Da Vinci to Joan of Arc, students write beautiful essays and draw stunning portraits in their main lesson books. These biographies offer students the opportunity to explore thought and motivation of particular time periods in history - helping the seventh grade child to look beyond the challenges of early adolescences. The Age of Exploration introduces explorers from around the world, helping students to broaden their view and consider new possibilities, and to contemplate explorers complicated legacies. Wish, Wonder and Surprise - a short story block allows for students to

explore their own developing imaginations through narratives and essay writings. With the introduction to Algebra, students are presented with abstract mathematical thinking for the first time - they learn to balance equations and solve for variables.