Middle school readers delve into a variety of genres in literature circles. Students are challenged to push their reading to higher levels while developing strong reading strategies that will help them understand complex text throughout the rest of their academic career.

Seventh grade will work on crafting stories, plays, myths, arguments, and poems with an emphasis on writing for a specific audience and by using new writing tools that will help hone previously learned skills.

• Jesus is Lord
• The work of Jesus as the Messiah
• The Path of Non-violence (Pope John Paul II, Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr.)
•  Mary, Mother of God
• Peter, Paul, and the Missionary Adventure
• The Liturgy and the Eucharist

Science

Junior high focuses on developing scientific thinking in all areas. We begin the year with a clear understanding of the scientific method and work towards establishing practices of good researchers. By understanding these principles and thinking critically, we begin to answer questions about the world around us.

We begin by studying the motion of matter (physics). We apply Newton’s Laws of Motion to objects and projects in the classroom. We consider the importance of force in our every day life. We also observe different forms of energy and how it is conserved and transformed throughout the universe. We then begin to study the structure of matter (chemistry) by identifying, classifying, and observing matter all the way down to the atomic level. Upon learning about atoms, we continue by studying their interactions and the changes in energy that result. We analyze different elements and how their atoms determine their characteristics. These principles introduce the seventh grade to concepts in physics and chemistry that will be continued throughout high school.

Math

In seventh grade, the students cover pre-algebra topics which incorporate all the math skills they have learned through sixth grade. A large emphasis is placed on comparing and operating with rational numbers (fractions, decimals, percents, etc.) Students will learn how to use ratios to create proportions and find relationships between different quantities. By the end of the year, students will be able to take many different real-life situations and apply the proper steps and operations to calculate what they what to determine.