Last modified: April 1, 2021

Grade 7

Language Arts 7

This course continues the development of comprehension and analysis of informational and fictional texts with an ongoing emphasis on reading strategies. Students express themselves using standard (formal) English in written and oral presentations. Analyzing and practicing the form and structure of various genres of writing enhances students’ communication skills. Students study a variety of media to understand informational and persuasive techniques, explicit and implied messages, and how visual and auditory cues affect messages. Grammar, usage, and mechanics skills are deepened. Students continue to widen their vocabulary and apply acquisition strategies. Setting goals, self-monitoring progress, and reflecting on successes and challenges help students become metacognitive learners. The course includes discussion activities that engage students in the curriculum while creating a sense of community.

Course Length: two semesters
Curriculum Provider: K12
Materials required: Printed items (book, workbook, etc.)

Science 7: Life Science

The Life Science program invites students to investigate the world of living things—at levels both large and small—by reading, observing, and experimenting with aspects of life on Earth. Students explore an amazing variety of organisms, the complex workings of the cell and cell biology, the relationship between living things and their environments, and discoveries in the world of modern genetics. Students tackle such topics as ecology, microorganisms, animals, plants, cells, animals, species, adaptation, heredity, genetics, and the history of life on Earth. Lesson activities and assignments help students discover how scientists investigate the living world.

Course Length: two semesters
Curriculum Provider: K12
Materials required: Science lab materials

History 7: World History I

K12 Summit World History I surveys the story of the human past from the period before written records, prehistory, through the fourteenth century. The course is organized chronologically and, within broad eras, regionally. The course focus is the story of the human past and change over time, including the development of religion, philosophy, the arts, and science and technology. Geography concepts and skills are introduced as they appear in the context of the historical narrative. Students explore what archaeologists and historians have learned about the earliest hunter-gatherers and farmers, and then move to a study of the four river valley civilizations. After a brief writing unit, they study the origins of Confucianism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Judaism and the eras in which they developed. The second half of the course traces the story of classical Greece and Rome, the Byzantine Empire, the origins of Christianity and Islam, and then continues through the fourteenth century in Europe, North Africa, and East Asia. Historical thinking skills are a key component of Intermediate World History. Students practice document and art analysis, conduct research, and write in a variety of formats. They also practice map reading skills and look at how historians draw conclusions about the past as well as what those conclusions are.

Course Length: two semesters
Curriculum Provider: K12

Math 7

In this Grade 7 Summit mathematics course, students focus on real-world scenarios and mathematical problems involving algebraic expressions and linear equations, and begin to apply their understanding of rational numbers with increased complexity. The course lays the foundation for exploring concepts of angle, similarity, and congruence—more formally addressed in Grade 8—as students work with scale drawings and construct and analyze relationships among geometric figures. Students also develop and apply understandings of proportional relationships.

Course Length: two semesters
Curriculum Provider: K12

Art 7: World Art I

ART07 Summit Intermediate World Art I lessons include an introduction to the artists, cultures, and great works of world art and architecture from ancient through medieval times. Students will investigate how artists from different civilizations used various techniques, from painting to mosaic; examine elements of design and styles of decoration, from the spiral to the solar disk; and explore some of the best-preserved works from ancient tombs, including the treasures of Egypt’s King Tut.

Curriculum Length: two semesters
Curriculum Provider: K12
Materials required: Art supplies

Spotlight on Music 7

Explore and build foundational musical skills with Spotlight on Music. This course offers a variety of learning activities that include singing, dancing, virtual instruments, listening maps, authentic sound recordings and playing the recorder. The course is organized into nine units. Students learn about these musical elements: duration, pitch, design, tone color, expressive qualities and cultural context. Students explore beat, meter, rhythm, melody, harmony, tonality, texture, form, tone color, dynamics, tempo, articulation, style, and music background.

Course Length: full year
Curriculum Provider: K12
Materials required: Music supplies

Physical Fitness 7

Students will develop the knowledge and skills they need to make positive fitness decisions to stay active, safe, and informed, as teenagers and adults. The lessons and activities introduce important aspects of physical health and fitness and focus on helping students learn new fitness skills and stay active. Students will set fitness goals and assess their progress throughout the course. Students will use daily Fitness Plans to guide their physical activity and Fitness Logs to track their activity.

Curriculum Length: one semester
Curriculum Provider: K12

Health 7

The course begins with a unit on personal and community health. The next unit, on prevention and strategies for risky health behaviors, includes topics such as alcohol and drug abuse, violence, STDs and HIV infection, and nutrition and exercise. The third unit covers factors influencing health practices, behaviors, and attitudes; in this unit, students explore social factors, environmental factors, the media, and resources for health information. The fourth unit presents content to help students develop their communication skills and coping mechanisms. The course concludes with a unit on decision making and life skills for healthy living.

Curriculum Length: one semester
Curriculum Provider: K12