Objectives for Grade 7

Religion

By the end of Grade 7, students will be able to:

  1. Describe God’s creation and preservation of the universe.
  2. Demonstrate reliance on the power of the Holy Spirit to move them to lives filled with loving actions toward God and others.
  3. Identify righteousness as God’s gift, credited to them through the merits of Christ.
  4. Demonstrate an understanding that God remains with His people in times of trial, providing strength and encouragement for even life’s lowest moments.
  5. Express an understanding of how God uses Law and Gospel to bring us to love and trust in Him.
  6. Demonstrate reliance on the power of the Spirit to guide them as they enjoy and rightfully use their freedom.
  7. Give thanks to God for His unfailing mercy, forgiveness, and power to live for Him.
  8. Demonstrate a desire to offer God their time, talents, and treasures in lives of grateful service to Him.
  9. Demonstrate an appreciation for the means of grace as the media through which God works in the lives of His people.
  10. Acknowledge that their faithful God will give them strength to overcome sin, Satan, and death.
  11. Recognize the cycle of sin desperation under the consequences of sin, repentance, and deliverance in the history of Israel during the time of the judges as well as in their own lives.
  12. Demonstrate an appreciation for the victories Jesus has won for us and an understanding of the meaning of these victories for the Christian life.
  13. Acknowledge God’s desire to forgive, restore, and equip them for lives of service by the power of the Holy Spirit.
  14. Demonstrate dependence on God for the power to abide in His grace and to honor Him in our lives as citizens of an earthly nation.
  15. Apply what they have learned about God’s mercy to their own lives, remembering God’s unfailing love for them in Christ Jesus.
  16. Express gratitude and appreciation to God for the forgiveness and strength for daily living available to them in Christ through the working of the Holy Spirit.
  17. Rejoice in God’s guidance and protection as they study Old Testament people and events.
  18. Give thanks to God for continuing to preserve His means of grace, Word and Sacraments, despite threats from within and outside the church.
  19. Praise God for bringing people to faith in Christ Jesus, and providing the means of grace through which the Holy Spirit creates and sustains saving faith.
  20. Express confidence in God’s Words as the holy and inerrant Word of God which is used to interpret itself.
  21. Express faith in Jesus, the Savior revealed in God’s Word.
  22. Compare Luther’s opportunity to defend the Gospel with opportunities that arise today to defend the Gospel.
  23. Express the intent to test the spirits to see if they are faithful to the true teachings of God’s Word.
  24. Demonstrate a desire to continue the effective use of creative means to spread the Gospel.
  25. Explore ways they might participate in the work of their congregations and synod.
  26. Demonstrate a desire to honor God in whatever vocation He has chosen for them.

Language Arts

By the end of Grade 7, students will be able to:

  1. Research and share the history of a favorite hymn or worship song.
  2. Identify and describe literary elements such as character, setting, plot, point of view, and dialog in a narrative and use them as models for their own narratives.
  3. Write an abbreviated autobiography and a biography.
  4. Identify the major and minor characters in a story, book, or play.
  5. Describe the mood or the setting of a story and discuss its impact on the story.
  6. Apply what they read to their own lives.
  7. Identify the literary concepts of characterization, plot development, setting, theme, mood, and style.
  8. Evaluate an author’s style on the basis of established criteria.
  9. Analyze the various purposes of speeches and other communications.
  10. Conduct a meeting, using appropriate parliamentary procedure.
  11. Rewrite stories as drama, providing dialog and stage directions.
  12. Write a story in rhymed couplets.
  13. Write new words for a familiar melody.
  14. Proofread their own writing to check mechanics and revise it.
  15. Evaluate their writing in terms of sequential development, supporting detail, and cause and effect.
  16. Discuss the role of dashes, hyphens, quotation marks, apostrophes, and commas in writing and use them appropriately.
  17. Use sentences of varying lengths and complexity in written work.
  18. Create a list of important words from subject matter and spell them correctly.
  19. Research the language of their ancestors and report on it.
  20. Read, discuss, and write varied forms of poetry.
  21. Choose to read books or write stories in leisure time.
  22. Use accurate facts and valid sources of information to support ideas.
  23. Demonstrate appropriate balance between listening and speaking behavior without being overly dominant or reticent.
  24. Use the Oxford English Dictionary to discover the origin of a word.
  25. Read a children’s book to an audience of young children.
  26. Take notes from an oral presentation and use them for a report on the presentation.

Mathematics

By the end of Grade 7, students will be able to:

  1. Read, write, round, compare and order, and use whole numbers, decimals, fractions, and mixed numbers.
  2. Estimate and find the sum, difference, or product of any two whole numbers and decimals on paper and with a calculator.
  3. Estimate and find the quotient of any two whole numbers or of a decimal divided by a whole number or a decimal with two digits on paper and with a calculator.
  4. Convert between whole numbers, fractions, decimals, and percents mentally, on paper, and with a calculator.
  5. Estimate and find sums, differences, products, and quotients of fractions and mixed numbers on paper, and with a calculator.
  6. Use the concepts of ratio, proportion, and percent to solve application problems.
  7. Find the missing terms and the sum of a sequence of numbers.
  8. Find the area of a trapezoid and the surface area of three-dimensional figures.
  9. Use formulas for finding volume of prisms, cylinders, cones, and pyramids.
  10. Convert from one unit of measure to another unit of measure within the same measurement system and interpret and use scale drawings.
  11. Represent situations and number patterns with tables, graphs, expressions, and equations.
  12. Analyze tables and graphs to identify properties and relationships.
  13. Translate word phrases and sentences into algebraic expressions and evaluate algebraic expressions.
  14. Determine the empirical probability of simple events by conducting experiments and the theoretical probability of simple events by constructing a sample space for the set of all possible outcomes and the set of all favorable outcomes.
  15. Make and refine predictions by determining probabilities for different sample sizes.
  16. Identify and classify angles, pairs of lines, triangles, quadrilaterals, and polygons.
  17. Identify congruent, similar, or symmetric figures and identify transformations of given figures.
  18. Use compass and straightedge to construct the perpendicular bisector of a line segment, perpendicular lines, parallel lines, congruent angles, angle bisectors, and triangles.
  19. Discover geometric relationships such as the sum of the interior angles of a polygon, the number of diagonals of a polygon, etc.
  20. Determine the probability of independent and dependent events.
  21. Determine the empirical probability of simple events and compound events by conducting experiments and determine the theoretical probability of simple and compound events by constructing sample spaces for the sets of all possible outcomes and the sets of all favorable outcomes.

Science

By the end of Grade 7, students will be able to:

  1. Classify animals
  2. Investigate the diversity among the animals from sponge to mammals.
  3. Compare transportation and respiration in animals of varying complexity.
  4. Compare coordinations, support, and locomotion in animals of varying complexity.
  5. Compare reproduction across the animal kingdom.
  6. Explain how development is controlled in animals
  7. Explain the life cycles of some common animals.
  8. Explain the atomic theory and list some differences between atoms and molecules.
  9. Use the periodic chart to determine the number of bonds available to an atom.
  10. Build models for the first 20 atoms, using the periodic chart
  11. Write + balance chemical sentences.
  12. Measure forces and use them to accelerate carts and lift objects.
  13. Measure the energy of work (F x d), kinetic energy (<<mv2), potential of gravity.
  14. Identify and measure momentum (mv).
  15. Distinguish between evolutionary theories and creation.
  16. Identify interrelations among organisms.
  17. Describe the major biomes of the earth.
  18. Explain the importance of wildlife conservation.
  19. Tell how people affect the state of the biosphere.
  20. Analyze current problems in the biosphere.
  21. Explain the modern atomic model.
  22. Describe common gases.
  23. Identify properties of matter (general and specific).
  24. Distinguish between kinetic & potential energy and measure amounts.
  25. Describe what creates a buoyant force.
  26. Examine the evidence for the atomic molecular model (definite proportions, conservation, etc.).

Social Studies

By the end of Grade 7, students will be able to:

  1. Describe cultural values in different societies.
  2. Apply historical inquiry to analyze past current issues.
  3. Describe how economic concerns affect social issues.
  4. Identify significant historical eras
  5. Analyze multiple viewpoints to understand events.
  6. Calculate distance and scale on a map.
  7. Explain physical phenomena regarding climate and weather.
  8. Describe how human actions contribute to environments.
  9. Understand how stereotyping and conformity affect behaviors of individuals and groups.
  10. Describe how institutions affect their lives.
  11. Evaluate how well institutions full their purposes.
  12. Express their roles as world citizens.
  13. Explain how economic forces affect their lives.
  14. Evaluate how well institutions fulfill their purposes.
  15. Express their roles as world citizens.
  16. Explain how economic forces affect culture.
  17. Appreciate a diversity of cultural activities.
  18. Participate in efforts to promote public welfare.
  19. Appreciate benefits of literature to understand history and cultural values.
  20. Interpret editorial cartoons.
  21. Identify major nations of the world on an outline map.
  22. Identify the impact of demographics on a society, (i.e., migration, economic growth).
  23. Recognize the existence of different economic systems.
  24. Use biographical information to contrast and compare historical figures.
  25. Explain the historical significance of places (e.g., Panama Canal).
  26. Explain rationale for the development of banking systems.
  27. Understand importance of growth of international trade.
  28. Describe causes of conflict between nations.
  29. Appreciate the impact of the Enlightenment on western thought.
  30. Interpret topographical maps.
  31. Make hypotheses based on past events.
  32. Recognize bias in literature and media.

Art

By the end of Grade 7, students will be able to:

    Art History

  1. Compare works of art that utilize the same subject but are from different cultures.
  2. Ascribe a given set of artwork to artists and historical periods.
  3. Identify and describe a given set of architectural styles.
  4. The Creation of Art

  5. Demonstrate an increased ability to use drawing and painting techniques to depict ideas and feelings.
  6. Explore the strong contrasts of light and shadow in a drawing or painting.
  7. Develop fluency for drawing the human figure with contour and gestural lines.
  8. Draw a realistic self-portrait.
  9. Show increased skill in using printmaking techniques; including the ability to create compositions, depict space, and communicate feelings.
  10. Construct a model for an architectural façade. Students should do research and preliminary drawings in preparation for this studio project.
  11. Use expressive and imaginative qualities to paint a landscape. Use the artwork of Charles Burchfield as an exemplar.
  12. Create a painting that utilizes the conventions of aerial perspective to show space.
  13. Demonstrate increased skills for constructing and assembling a sculpture from found objects.
  14. Demonstrate increased skills and knowledge for working with clay.
  15. Utilize the technique of sand-casting to produce a plaster relief sculpture which explores line, shape, form, and texture.
  16. Design a tool for human use.
  17. Experiment with methods of creating “joiners,” using images from periodicals or photographs.
  18. Develop social skills and Christian character as he/she works with others.
  19. Art Criticism and Analysis

  20. Demonstrate increased ability to describe how the elements of art and the principles of design are used in a given work of art to present ideas, feelings, and moods.
  21. Demonstrate an increased ability to compare and contrast two or more artworks and identify what makes them similar or different.
  22. Employ an art vocabulary when discussing works of art.
  23. Discuss how art is used in television, film, advertising, and industry.
  24. Aesthetics

  25. Improve his/her ability to consider the meaning and definition of art from a Christian perspective.
  26. Compare and discuss values portrayed by various works of art and make connections with Biblical truths.
  27. Compare general and aesthetic considerations for viewing the urban and rural environment.
  28. Discuss the impact of technology and modern life on the visual arts.

Music

By the end of Grade 7, students will be able to:

    Singing

  1. Sing quality songs from a variety of cultures, styles, and genres in three-part harmony with a healthy tone, good posture and breath, accurate pitch, and appropriate style.
  2. Continue singing as their voices change. Changing voice boys may need to sing rewritten parts of a few notes around middle C, while changed voices will need to sing songs in a range roughly covering the octave below middle C; throughout the change, boys should be encouraged and helped to keep using their high voices, which are becoming the light voice of an adult male. Girls need to be helped to sing clearly by using good breath, strong posture, and clear diction.
  3. Sing intervals of thirds, fourths, and fifths in tune. (Use sol-fa syllables to distinguish major, minor, augmented, and diminished intervals).
  4. Sing Native American songs and quality popular songs.
  5. Playing (Instruments)

  6. (Those in band or orchestra) continue instruction with band/orchestra instruments, being able to play simple melodies at sight and participating in occasional concerts with the ensemble.
  7. On a keyboard, practice playing simple melodies by ear and from written music.
  8. Find intervals of thirds, fourths, and fifths on a keyboard.
  9. Continue playing recorders (add the keys of E major and A-flat major, E minor, G minor, C minor), Orff instruments, and rhythm instruments (using all rhythmic notes learned thus far). Add Native American percussion to the ensemble.
  10. Begin class guitar instruction (be able to play melody notes of the treble clef, C, G and G7 chords.)
  11. Moving

  12. Conduct with variations in loudness, softness (be able to change size of conducting gesture to show dynamics).
  13. Perform Native American dances.
  14. Do line dancing, aerobic dancing, and free dancing rhythm to popular music (in conjunction with physical education classes).
  15. Listening

  16. Hear and analyze contemporary art music (e.g., impressionism, extended harmonies, neoclassicism, aleatoric or chance music, 12-tone or serial music, atonal music, electronic music).
  17. Hear and analyze contemporary popular music (e.g., ragtime, swing, jazz, blues, rock, Christian contemporary).
  18. Hear and analyze Native American music.
  19. Improvising

  20. Improvise melodies on words and scat syllables over a 12-bar blues accompaniment.
  21. Vocally improvise embellishments (alterations) and descants above a newly learned melody line.
  22. Reading

  23. Know and understand triplet sixteenth notes, triplet quarter note/eighth note groups, sixteenth/dotted eighth groups (Lombardic rhythm). Be able to interpret all time signatures (top number is always the amount of the bottom number notes in each measure).
  24. Identify thirds, fourths, and fifths on a music staff. Know and understand ledger lines of the bass clef.
  25. Identify minor keys from a signature (scale step number 6 or “la” or a major key). Students will be able to look in a key signature at the line or space of the farthest sharp to the right (which is scale step number 7 or “ti”) or the farthest flat to the right (which is scale step number 4 or “fa”) to determine where 6 or “la” is to name the minor key.
  26. Composing

  27. Write a 16-measure melody of 4 phrases for a given text and accompaniment
  28. Explore and create accompaniments and sounds on a synthesizer.
  29. Comparing

  30. Relate American music to American history, art, and popular culture.
  31. Experience the music and learn about the lives of several important American composers (John Philip souse, Scott Joplin, Duke Ellington, Pete Seeger), comparing their music.
  32. Compare sacred and secular music and their associations, then discuss the use of various musical styles in worship.

  33. Physical Education

    By the end of Grade 7, students will be able to:

      Combine skills, concepts, strategies, and knowledge of rules and procedures for competent participation in the following:

    1. Modified team and individual sport activities
    2. Beginning square and country line dance
    3. Individual and partner strength and self-testing challengers.
    4. Recreational relays, games, and group activities.
    5. Explore basic outdoor recreation activities such as the following:

    6. Bicycling, hiking, camping, skating (adapt to local options).
    7. Acquire fitness skills and behaviors.

    8. Create and perform appropriate fitness routines to music.
    9. Participate in lifetime physical activities on a regular basis.
    10. Participate in activities designed to improve and/or maintain muscular strength and endurance, flexibility, and cardiorespiratory function at least three times per week.
    11. Regularly monitor resting, activity, and recovery heart rates.
    12. Assess own physical fitness and skills based on individual activity interests.
    13. Participate in some form of physical activity in and/or out of school on a daily basis.
    14. Acquire cognitive elements related to movement experiences.

    15. Identify various factors that negatively affect physical performance (tiredness, alcohol, lack of communication).
    16. Understand the effect of physical conditioning on skill development and physical performance.
    17. Understand the importance of rules and fair play in group and in game play.
    18. Relate specific fitness components needed for enjoyable physical activity.
    19. Know the importance of a variety of “play” activities on a daily basis.
    20. Demonstrate responsible personal and social attitudes and behaviors for movement experiences.

    21. Look forward to daily physical activity in and/or out of school.
    22. Feel the effects of physical activity on physical well-being and vice versa.
    23. Respect others who are not participants but who affiliate with the game or activity.
    24. Appreciate relationships with others that result from participation in physical activity.
    25. Design games and gymnastic, fitness, and dance routines that are personally interesting and achievable.
    26. Identify appropriate options for responding to play/game/sport-related confrontational incidents.
    27. Accept and respect individual differences in performance potential and abilities as part of God’s overall plan.