7th Grade Plans

These plans are for my highly creative 7th grader who has a love of fine arts.

Please note that this is our working plan. It is doubtful that we will finish everything on this list, but we will use it as a guide to shape what we do this school year.

This child also has a high need for social interactions so she is typically enrolled in a public-school charter where she has classes two mornings a week with peers for fine arts and clubs. Because of COVID, we have decided that she will be home this year and doing gatherings with small groups of peers when it is safe. Also, she will be doing several Outschool clubs and classes for social reasons. She is still enrolled in her public school charter and receives funding for some Outschool classes and curriculum.

Because she is enrolled in a public-school charter, she is required to meet with a certificated teacher about once a month to go over her progress. English and math are standards-based.

I am working full-time at a local school district as a specialist. Due to COVID, I am working from home. Normally, I do literature and math with my child for 1-2 hours a day after work. Even though I’ve eliminated a commute from my day, the hours are longer due to increased demands of working online. As a result, I am working 10-12 hour days and don’t have the time to work with my child after work right now. So, I have needed to adjust and/or postpone some of our plans.

Math

• Art of Problem Solving Pre-Algebra (with me)
• iReady Math (independently)

Science

• CPO Physical, Earth and Space Science (geology unit)
• Human Body and Health unit study
• Microbiology unit study

History

• People’s history of North American continent using Howard Zinn A Young People’s History of the United States, An Indigenous People’s History of the United States, and A Different Mirror A History of Multicultural America
• Focus on everyday life of different racial groups from 1500-the present day, including research into family tree.

English

Various resources are used to cover 7th grade English Language Arts standards. Many of the resources are used along with our history study.

Literature Choices

• The Scarlet Letter
• The Witch of Blackbird Pond
• Mayflower Compact
• Johnny Tremain
• The Way Lies North
• Declaration of Independence
• Emancipation Proclamation
• Up From Slavery
• Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
• The Diary of Anne Frank
• The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

Writing

• Write 3-5 page narrative
• 5 paragragh argumentative essay on gender roles in The Witch of the Blackbird Pond
• 2-3 page research paper on the Salem Witch Trials with works cited page
• 5 paragrah compare and contrast essay on the Johnny Tremain book and movie
• 5 paragrah how-to (procedural) essay on topic of choice
• 5 paragrah descriptive essay that is completed in 40 minutes
• Write letter to Martin Luther King Jr.
• 2-3 paragraphs reflecting on school year

Presentations and Group Discussions

• Oral presentation with multi-media on Booker T. Washington’s life
• Movies as Literature: To Kill a Mockingbird – lead discussion on the movie
• Movies as Literature: The Journey of August King – lead discussion on the movie

Writing

• Classical Writing Aesop/Homer for Older Beginners (6 sentence shuffle only)

Vocabulary

• Vocabulary Workshop Achieve Level B

Grammar

• Critical Thinking Sentence Diagramming Level 1

Foreign Language

• Spanish classes at Outschool.com
• ASL classes at Outschool.com

Fine Arts

• Acrylic painting class at Outschool.com
• Lots of free time is spent drawing, painting, and writing music.

Social

• Social justice online social group for 11-14 year olds.

Computer

• Mavis Beacon typing – at least 30 wpm this year.

PE

• At least 45 minutes per day exercise