7th Grade Learning

Learning in Cobb - 7th Grade Learning

What Do Students Learn In 7th Grade?

7th GRADE LEARNING :

The Cobb County School District is committed to providing your child an academic experience that will develop his or her knowledge and skills at every grade level and to ensuring a strong foundation is established for your child to reach his or her greatest potential.

Our teaching is aligned with content standards and our teachers bring those standards to life for your child through various strategies designed to meet your child’s learning strengths and needs.

In Cobb County classrooms, students are immersed every day in learning experiences based on exploration, problem-solving, and critical thinking in all content areas including the core areas of English Language Arts, Mathematics, Social Studies, and Science. Connections classes allow students to enjoy specialized academic content including Career Tech*, Health, Music, Physical Education, Technology, Visual Arts, and World Languages*. Excellence in teaching guides your child’s educational experience from Kindergarten to graduation and into life.

* Programming available varies at local schools

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS:
Instruction in grades 6-8 addresses students' increasing maturity and the growing sophistication of their abilities, culminating in the development by the end of grade 8 of students who are ready to succeed in high school. Students should be able to comprehend more challenging books and articles, basing all of their analyses, inferences, and claims on explicit and relevant evidence from the texts. Students will expand on their ability to identify central ideas by identifying how those themes are shaped and conveyed by particular details.

MATHEMATICS:
In Grade 7, instructional time should regularly incorporate the 8 Mathematical Practices, the Framework for Statistical Reasoning, and the Mathematical Modeling Framework through four big ideas of content: (1) numerical reasoning, (2) probability reasoning, (3) patterning and algebraic reasoning, and (4) geometric and spatial reasoning. The fundamental purpose of Grade 7 mathematics is to formalize and extend the mathematics that students learned in the previous grades. Seventh grade standards use algebra to deepen and extend understanding of geometric knowledge from prior grades. The Mathematical Practices, Mathematical Modeling Framework and Framework for Statistical Reasoning apply throughout each course and, together with the content standards, prescribe that students experience mathematics as a coherent, useful, and logical subject that makes use of their ability to make sense of problem situations.

SCIENCE:
In Life Science, seventh graders engage in a deeper and more scientific exploration of living organisms. This study spans all levels of life, from simple molecules to complex ecosystems. Students investigate the structure, function, growth, evolution, diversity, and distribution of living organisms on Earth. They also apply their understanding of shared characteristics to explore how each species is uniquely adapted for survival. Through a hands-on, investigative approach, students gain a solid understanding of these essential life processes, preparing them for more advanced scientific studies.

SOCIAL STUDIES:
Seventh grade is the second year of a two-year World Area Studies course. Seventh grade students study Africa and Asia. The goal of this two-year course is to acquaint middle school students with the world in which they live. The geography domain includes both physical and human geography. The intent of the geography domain is for students to begin to grasp the importance geography plays in their everyday lives. The government/civics domain focuses on selected types of government found in the various areas in order to help students begin to understand the variety of governments in the world. The economics domain builds on the K-5 economics standards; however, the focus shifts from the United States to how other countries answer the basic questions of economics. The history domain focuses primarily on significant events in each region from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

CONNECTIONS:
Schools offer varying Connections classes for middle school students. Connections can include, but are not limited to, Health, Physical Education, Visual Arts, Performing Arts, Band, Orchestra, Chorus, Career Tech and Foreign Language. The purpose of Connections is to provide broad and rich exposure to areas that nurture student interest, talent, and skills.

PARENTS TIPS: Reading
Ask questions of your 7th grader daily about their learning. Stay involved in your child’s learning by helping with homework and providing study help for assessments. Daily reading as a family is an enjoyable and important way to grow a love of learning. Books are now available for download to electronic and digital devices and can easily be shared for family enjoyment. Students love to self-select books on topics and subjects they enjoy such as novels, informational (nonfiction) texts, magazines, and online books.

How Do We Assess Students In 7th Grade?

7th GRADE ASSESSMENT:

Your child will have a variety of classroom assessments that will aid his or her teacher in knowing how to provide the best possible instruction for your child. Also, these assessments will help you know how well your child is learning and what extra support may be needed. In addition, your child will participate in standardized assessments that are used to gauge how well your child is doing, based upon his or her grade level expectations.

Seventh graders take two standardized assessments first semester, the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) and the IOWA. The CogAT is a norm-referenced test, which measures reasoning and problem-solving skills in three different areas: verbal, quantitative, and nonverbal. The IOWA assessment is a norm-referenced test that measures academic achievement in core areas.

The State of Georgia requires that students in grades 6-8 participate in the annual administration of state assessments. The state assessment is called the Georgia Milestones Assessment System. Students in grade 7 will take an End of Grade (EOG) assessment as part of the Georgia Milestones in math and language arts. The EOG will include multiple choice, short answer, and technology-enhanced questions. The language arts EOG has a third section, which focuses on writing.

All students in grades K-9 participate in the universal screening process for reading and math using a digital inventory. Your seventh grader’s progress in reading and math will be measured three times a year.

TESTING IN 7th GRADE:

Mark the Calendar: CogAT and IOWA: September
7th grade End of Grade (EOG): April-May

Question Types: Students respond to multiple-choice questions, called selected-response. They also write short answers to grade-appropriate questions. Higher-order thinking skills are employed at all levels of testing. Performance-based assessments and assignments give hands-on opportunities to express learning at different rates and levels.

PARENT TIPS: Assessment
Parents can support students in easing any concern or anxiety about assessment:

Talk with your child about any tests or assessments.
Explain that assessment is a natural and important part of any learning. Tests help students understand their thinking better and make improvements for better performance in the future.
Remind your child to pay attention to the directions and to listen carefully as they are read. Encourage your child to take time to understand the questions before selecting an answer.
A good night’s rest is the best way to arrive focused on test day!

Remember that assessment is an important and helpful part of learning for students of all ages. Your support and involvement in your child’s education is critical to success in school and in life. Research shows when parents play a key role in their child’s learning, their child’s achievement excels.

What Instructional Resources Are Used In 7th Grade?

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A LIST OF BOARD APPROVED INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES FOR SEVENTH GRADE
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A LIST OF BOARD APPROVED CTAE INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL

Instructional resources are provided to students and teachers to support teaching and learning. The titles listed below have been recommended to our Board by a committee of teachers, parents and community representatives and approved through the textbook adoption process (See Board Rule IFAA-R). Additional resources to enhance the instruction are constantly added by local schools and individual teachers.

Course/Content Area	Resource	Publisher
English Language Arts	SpringBoard	CollegeBoard
Mathematics	Custom Developed Mathematics Content for Math 7 and Math 7-8	Cobb County School District
Science	GA Science & Technology Life Science	HMH
Science	Science Dimensions	HMH
Social Studies	Clairmont World Studies	Clairmont World Studies