our seventh grade program
Science
With focus on the essential question, “How do we get order from disorder?” Seventh Grade students study the atom and its basic structure and arrangement. They explore ions, ionic combinations, chemical bonding, isotopes and oxidation. Investigation of physical properties of moving objects, including displacement and frame of reference, velocity and acceleration, is studied with an emphasis on measurement skills. Through an integrated bridge-building unit, students investigate the engineering process, bridge design and construction with emphasis on mass, force and acceleration. Students investigate the physical properties of bridges, including shear, strain, and the effect of gravity. They research bridge types and build a model based on a specific construction technique. The final bridges are presented and tested at the Science Fair.
A unit on heat and thermal energy, including the testing of properties of different insulating materials, heat transfer, and the structure and function of the internal combustion engine, follows the bridge project. An introduction to waves and wave types and properties concludes the year’s study. Through construction of models, labs and projects, students reach a deep understanding of various concepts. Their final project is the Cardboard Boat Race where they employ the engineering process to build and test cardboard boats for an actual race.
Seventh Grade Science skills include:
- Gathering information by observing, measuring, researching, using lab equipment and investigating
- Organizing information by classifying, sequencing, constructing data display tools and writing formal laboratory reports
- Communicating information through public reporting, peer interaction, models and vocabulary
- Analyzing information by comparing/contrasting, computing and interpreting
- Applying information by defining problems, predicting, estimating, trial and error, and hands-on projects
- Synthesizing information by interpreting, summarizing and concluding