Trinity Lutheran School

Offering Quality Christian Education Since 1893

Course Description

GRADE SEVEN

Bible Study: Old Testament Survey/History. Throughout the year the students will

study and learn of the SIN--PUNISHMENT--GRACE cycle presented throughout the Old Testament as a means of showing human beings our sinful nature and our need for a Savior.

Curriculum comes from the textbook: Voyages: Exploring God’s World---Old Testament History published by Concordia Publishing House. (St. Louis, MO)

Units included are as follows: God’s Grace in Ancient Times (Creation through Joseph)

God’s People Israel (Moses--Joshua/Prep. for Prom. Land)

God’s People in the Promised Land (Joshua through Samuel)

God’s People Live Under Kings (Saul through Omri/Asa + Division of Kingdom)

God’s Grace in Troubled Times (Elijah through Zedekiah + Fall of Israel + Judah)

Memory verses coinciding with current lessons are assigned and recited each week in order to instaill the power of God’s Word and promises into the hearts of the students.

Literature: Six different novels are studied and focused on throughout the year.

Students will learn how the gift of great writing can stir mind, heart, body and soul.

Emphasis is placed on all aspects of literature including but not limited to:

Development of Vocabulary Skills, Plot Pattern Flowchart of all great literature, Comprehension of Basic Plot Sequencing, Setting, Flashback, Point of View, Foreshadowing, Descriptive Writing, Simile, Metaphor, Personification, Alliteration, Cliffhanger, Character Development, Poetic Verse, Rhyme, Rhythm, Repetition, Venn Diagrams, Hook, Parallelism, Pun, Comic Relief, Cultural Scenes, Oxymoron, Etymology of Words, Dramatization, Coined Words, Figures of Speech, Sensory Writing, Idioms, Theme, Symbolism, Irony, Mood + Atmosphere, Romance, Internal + External Conflict, Allusion, + Author’s Style.

Current Novels used in study for 2008—2009 are:

Where the Red Fern Grows

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

A Christmas Carol

Treasure Island

Johnny Tremain

The Yearling

Spelling: Curriculum comes from the text Everyday Spelling published by Scott Foresman—Addison Wesley. The spelling curriculum focus is on targeting frequently misspelled words and building a better vocabulary. Personal journals will be incorporated and used for sparking many of our creative writing assignments. Last, but not least, oral presentations will be expected for some of the writing assignments as opportunity arises.

Science: Curriculum comes from the text Science: Order and Reality published by A Beka Book of Pensacola Christian College. This is a broad—ranged curriculum with emphasis on carefully observing nature and trying to discover the laws of Creation so that these laws can be put to work for the benefit of mankind---the purpose of science.

Areas of study include: The Scientific Method, Soil Study, The Plant Kingdom, The Human Body, Physical Science, Basic Chemistry, Basic Physics, The Earth’s Atmosphere, Weather and Related Phenomena, The Classification System, Microscopic Life, Creation vs. Evolution, and Insects and Arthropods.

There are typical assignments, quizzes, and tests in all areas of study, as well as hands—on experiments on a weekly or biweekly basis. Students are occasionally asked to bring in items from home or store for experiments due to lack there of provided within the curriculum. Occasional oral/visual presentations are required as well.

Math: Curriculum comes from the text Math 87: An Incremental Development published by Saxon Publishers, Inc. This course is designed to prepare students for either a Pre-algebra or an Algebra I course upon entering eighth grade. Ranging from basic mathematic computation to some Algebra I based applications, this curriculum is geared toward long-term retention of processes required for solving multiple-stepped mathematical problems. Facts practice is also worked on every day.

Major lessons studied are as follows but not limited to: Order of Operations, Whole Number Operations, Integers w/Operations, Fractional Operations, Decimal Operations, Measurement, Multiple-Step Word Problems, The Metric and U. S. Customary Systems, Perimeter, Area, Geometrical Figures w/Operations, Exponents, Prime and Composite Numbers, Rounding, Ratios, Simple Probabilities,

The Coordinate Plane, GCF’s, LCM’s, Stem and Leaf Plots, Box and Whisker Graphs, Unit Pricing, Rates, Sales Tax, Conversions of Fractions, Decimals, and Percentages, Unit Multipliers and Conversions, Bar Graphs, Line Graphs, Circle Graphs, Complex Averaging, Symbols of Inclusion, Triangular Formulas, Symmetry, Volume, Balancing Equations, Inequalities, Transformations, Functions,

Graphing Functions, Algebraic Terms, Percent of Change, Scale, Scale Factor, Diagonals and Transversals, Pythagorean Theorem, Slope, Slope-Intercept, Simple and Compound Interest, Scientific Notation, Negative Exponents, and Factoring.

History/Geography: Curriculum comes from the text History of the World in Christian Perspective published by A Beka Book. Geography Workbook is entitled World Atlas & Geography Studies of the Western Hemisphere published by A Beka Book as well.

This is a world history study beginning with the Creation of man and ending in 1995.

It is designed to give students a well rounded program for understanding world history and a working knowledge of world geography. Emphasis is on man’s relationship with and response to God throughout the history of the world.

Areas of study include: The Beginning of Man, The Israelite Nation, Egyptian Culture, Empires---Assyrian, Chaldean, Persian, Greek, and Roman, Early Church History, Islam vs. Christendom, From Empires to Feudalism, The Dark Ages, The Protestant Reformation, Post-Reformation Europe, The English Nation, The Age of Exploration, The United States (A New Kind of Nation), France in the Modern Age, Science & Industry in the Modern Age, Classical Music, Art, and Literature, The British World Empire, World War I and the Rise of Communism, World War II, The Cold War Era, and An Era of Change.

There are typical assignments, quizzes, and tests in all areas of study as well as occasional dramatizations and public speaking requirements.

English/Writing: The curriculum (Grammar and Composition I) in this class contains daily lessons on sentence structure, capitalization and punctuation, developing paragraphs, parts of speech, diagramming sentences, and the Writing Process. Along with many other writing assignments such as phase autobiographies, character sketches, observation reports and story writing, seventh graders will be writing a research paper. In addition, two 300-point book reports are required to be completed outside of classroom time. In addition, seventh graders will be involved in writing a school newspaper. They will also have a reading program which is called “Love to Read a Whole Latte” This program will entice them to read by offering free drinks from Starbucks!

P. E.: Physical Education classes are held twice a week either in the school gymnasium or outside on the playground facility. Goals of this class include a development of the student’s personalized level of physical fitness, an acquisition of movement competency by the student, a desire to enjoy to the physical gifts God has given us throughout our natural lifetime, and to learn leadership, teamwork, and self-esteem skills.

A variety of team games are played to show students how to work together and to teach cooperative physical learning. Students will also learn the importance of warm-up and cool-down for physical activity programs. Occasionally units on particular sports are taught as well as lifetime sports units (such as golf, bowling, etc.) to foster a desire in the student to remain physically active well into the adult stage of life.

No particular text is used here, but the teacher refers to a number of own personal resources.

Art: Once per week---45 minutes per session.

Computers: See Mrs. Kite. Once per week---45 minutes per session.

SRA: Scholastic Reading Laboratory. A Reading enhancement tool required for students who do not elect to participate in the Choir elective. Emphasis is on vocabulary development, reading comprehension development, as well as concrete and abstract thinking abilities, improving listening skills, and improving reading speed. All of this is done at the individual reading level of the student. (2 times per week.)

Current Events: A course required for students who do not elect to participate in the Advanced Band elective. Emphasis is on what is currently making news in the world and how these events affect our lives in God’s world. A variety of tools are used---newspapers, Christian leaflets/magazines, quizzes, as well as some additional vocabulary

development. Occasionally these students have also participated and won prizes in a Denver Bronco related math contest sponsored by The Pueblo Chieftain, and have learned how to make/construct different parts of a newspaper as well.

Extras (Projects): Seventh grade students participate in several additional activities throughout the school year.

Additional activities include: Participation in a Christmas program presentation in December, joining a Future City engineering class or writing an essay sponsored by the Daughters of the American Revolution, serving and cleaning up various lunches throughout the year for fundraisers and as a servant project, Fun Olympics Day at the end of May, Lutheran Schools Field Day in Denver at the beginning of May (optional),

bringing in desserts for the 8^th grade Melodrama in March, helping wherever Mr. Daberkow needs us to during the graduation ceremony (end of year), participating in the many activities of National Lutheran Schools Week in March, supporting all the various fundraisers sponsored throughout the year (optional), band and choir concerts, the many opportunities to play competitive team sports for Trinity Lutheran School (fall, winter, and spring seasons), taking the Iowa Achievement Tests in February, leading a Wednesday chapel service as a class once during the year, and doing a 6--8 week research project on a subject to be determined that will be presented at the Open House in May, as well as a few various academically-related field trips if applicable.