Posted on Thursday, October 7, 2004
What your seventh-grader is expected to learn
Advertiser Staff
Here's a brief description of what your seventh-grade child is being taught and is expected to know by the end of the year. The goals are intended to help assure that your child is at the appropriate development level and that Hawai'i's public schools are working toward meeting Hawai'i Content and Performance Standards.
Tanya Yamada, Parent-Community Networking Center coordinator at Jarrett Middle School, offered these tips for keeping your seventh-grader on track
• Make sure your child has a daily planner — many schools require them — and check it every day to find out about assignments and longer-term projects. • If the school offers after-school homework help, take advantage of it. • Stay in touch with teachers and check progress reports. • Provide a distraction-free homework environment. • Give your child a snack before homework time. • Set homework rules, i.e., no watching afternoon television until homework is done. • Get involved in your child's school. It's an excellent way to keep in touch with teachers. • Uses scientific inquiry to study the biotic environment, biological systems and processes and related issues
• Demonstrates proper use of emergency equipment • Describes how technologies affect research and work done in the biological sciences • Analyzes similarities and differences of organisms, and gives examples of how organisms respond to a changing environment • Gives examples of conservation of matter and describes how matter and energy are transferred
• Analyzes causes and effects of the unification of the Hawaiian Islands. Examines people and ideas that caused change during that period • Concerning the monarchy, examines demographics, culture, economics and urbanization, analyzes past and present race relations, explains the sugar market and the plantation system, describes human emotions and experiences during the mahele, and makes connections to contemporary issues and events • Analyzes the factors that influenced decisions of different individuals or groups prior to and during the overthrow. Defends or challenges various perspectives of the overthrow • Constructs geographic representations of Polynesia, Micronesia and Melanesia, analyzes patterns of early settlement, examines distribution of natural resources, and determines how events, issues and decisions reflected pre-contact societal norms and values • Analyzes the social, political (changing governance of Polynesia, Micronesia and Melanesia), economic and cultural effects of European contact, exploration and colonization • Researches current issues of Pacific Islanders, explains the effects of interactions and relationships with the United States, and examines motivations that contributed to cooperation and/or interdependence among the islanders
In grades 7 and 8, students experience a transition in curriculum. They move from an elementary curriculum, which includes essential content from all 10 areas, toward their secondary curriculum in which six content areas beyond the required core emerge as choices for them to expand and deepen their experiences. In seventh and eighth grade, these content areas, sometimes called the extended core, provide opportunities to: • Explore new subjects • Acquire foundations for subjects and specialties to come later • Get a glimpse of subjects that are part of a rich high school curriculum • Follow their strengths and interests • Become aware of the wide range of choices that will be available to them The extended core areas are: • Career and life skills • Educational technology • Fine arts • Health • Physical education • World languages
• Uses integers, rational numbers and percents in given situations • Compares shapes and describes the relationship among their properties • Determines perimeter and area of shapes, including circles • Makes scale drawings of shapes and objects • Describes numeric patterns in words and with symbols • Designs surveys, collects and organizes data using an appropriate representation, and interprets data • Solves problems involving experimental and theoretical probability
• Uses a process when reading to validate or revise interpretations, such as scanning material first, relating it to relevant background and experience, then reading and reviewing
• Draws reasoned conclusions based on information presented in texts • Uses the writing process and strategies such as outlining and revising to clarify meaning, improve organization, reveal the voice of the writer, refine language and edit to make the writing more correct • Participates in group discussions by adjusting listening behaviors, such as maintaining eye contact and being attentive and supportive, in order to respond appropriately
• Uses standard English when speaking
Source: Department of Education • • • Next week: What your eighth-grader is expected to learn.
Science
Tips for parents
Social studies
Extended core
Mathematics
Language Arts
