Seventh Grade Curriculum

While preparing our middle school students for high school, the Saint Rose School Community ensures that students’ individual talents are supported, their spirituality deepened, and their commitment to service increased as they become more aware of their community responsibility.

This balance of personal growth and achievement, aimed at citizenship in Heaven and engaged here as part of a socially responsible community, provides our students the tools they need to lead meaningful lives in accord with their potential.

Our teaching staff at this level is departmentalized and offers students a traditional middle school experience. The departmental model provides instruction by teachers who are experts in their fields. Students begin each day with their homeroom teacher and then with the whole school community at morning prayers. After prayer, they move to different classrooms for instruction in specific subject areas along with special areas classes including: Physical Education, Art, Band/Music Appreciation, Spanish, and Computer class. All classes are taught by certified teachers.

In 7th and 8th grade, the students also select an additional special elective class from among the following popular options: Performing Arts, Accelerated Learning, Computer Coding, Personal Finance (Learning to Invest), Advanced Art, and Jazz Band. Responsibility, independence, and academic challenge grow while teachers maintain an environment of support and guidance in grades 6-8. In 8th grade, each student is assigned an adult volunteer mentor to support them during the exciting Confirmation year and in preparation for High School and beyond.

Our middle school students become leaders in our community. The 6th, 7th, and 8th graders are paired with Kindergarten, first grade, and second grade students as a part of our “Prayer Partner” program. They accompany our youngest students to weekly Mass and other events, in addition to being a friendly face and source of support on campus. The Student Council, National Junior Honor Society, Ambassador Program, Social Justice opportunities, school play, athletics, and a whole host of after school clubs allow our students to explore leadership and expand friendships, consistent with their strengths and interests. Our alumni tell us that they feel very prepared for the entire High School experience--in the classroom, on the athletic fields, at other extracurriculars, and socially. We host an annual alumni reunion each Christmas season and usually have about 50 or so young people join us in our Christmas assembly with music and caroling as a Saint Rose community.

Religion

  • 7th Grade Textbook: Word of Life Series by Augustine Institute; Envision: Theology of the Body for Teens for Middle School
  • 7th Grade focuses on moral life as a response to Jesus’ call to discipleship in Mark’s Gospel. In accepting Jesus’ radical invitation, students will find happiness, meaning, and their identity. This includes studying the life of Christ, human dignity, virtues and human sexuality in the light of the Theology of the Body.
  • Special activities: weekly visits to the Blessed Sacrament; confession opportunities; creation of a map of the Holy Land, Year 1 of Confirmation Preparation, beginning of service hours, leading the school recycling program

English

  • Textbook: Prentice Hall’s Literature: Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes – Copper (6) Bronze (7) and Silver (8)
  • Sadlier-Oxford Vocabulary Workshop Level A (6) B (7) Level C (8)
  • Literature-based curriculum
  • Accelerated Reader supplementary reading program
  • Readworks - Digital Reading Comprehension Skill building (6)
  • Novel studies focusing on literary analysis and literary elements
  • Emphasis on reading for detail and deeper meaning
  • Selections of poetry and dramas call for vibrant student participation and attentive, discerning writing; students enjoy parsing through Shakespeare and other notable authors’ works
  • Grammar Textbook Voyages in English Level 6, 7, and 8
  • Writing styles used in high school (Organization)
  • RACES, RAPS, and TELCon Writing Process Taught
  • Focus on Textual Analysis and Evidence-Based Essay Writing
  • The writing process (prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing)
  • Writing applications (analytical, persuasive, expository and narrative, descriptive, poetry, letters)
  • Utilizes Google Classroom for digital assignment submission, essay writing, teacher feedback
  • Escape Room Lessons to encourage cross curricular learning

Social Studies

  • 7th and 8th Grade: The American Venture: A History of the UNited States with accompanying workbook
  • Topics include: (7th) The First Americans, Exploring the Americas, Colonial America, The Spirit of Independence, The American Revolution, A More Perfect Union, The Constitution, The Jefferson Era, The Jackson Era, and Manifest Destiny.
  • (8th) Civil War, Reconstruction, Progressive Era, World War I, World War II, and the Cold War.
  • Special Activities: Care of American Flag, Vocabulary skits, Veterans Day events, National Geographic Geo Bee, FInal Research Paper, and (7th) International Food Day.

Mathematics

  • Curriculum is based on Singapore Math Concept
  • Use concrete pictures and bar models to introduce mathematical concepts.
  • This leads to a deeper understanding of abstract math.
  • Math is made authentic through real-world applications.
  • 7th Grade textbook: Math in Focus: Singapore Math by Houghton Mifflin (Course 2)
  • Operations with integers, decimals, fractions and mixed numbers
  • Solving multi-step algebraic equations
  • Organizing and displaying data, including stem-and-leaf plots, bar graphs, histograms, box-and-whisker plots, mean, median, mode and range
  • Geometry topics include angles, polygons, circles, perimeter, area, circumference, volume and parallel lines with transversals

Science

  • Textbook: Prentice Hall Science Explorer(6/7/8)
  • Introduce (6) and develop (7/8) the scientific process
  • Observations, data collection and generating hypothesis (7/8)
  • Learn how to utilize reliable sources (6/7/8)
  • Participate in Science Olympiad competitions (7/8)
  • Focus on Life Science
  • Dissect fetal pigs in order to visualize the organs of the human body
  • Visit the Middle TN State University Microscopy Lab
  • Evaluate interactions in the living world
  • Describe the characteristics that most cells share