Grade 7 Competencies

*Foundational Reading - Students will read to make meaning while flexibly using a variety of morphology strategies, to apply and extend literacy skills with fluency and independence at grade-level complexity. (Not identified beyond the 5/6 span, but continue to develop them with students who may need additional support.)

• Word study skills, fluency, read with purpose, infer, predict, self-monitor

Reading Literature - Students will comprehend and draw conclusions about the author’s intent when reading a variety of increasingly complex print and non-print literary texts, citing a range of relevant and compelling textual evidence to support their analyses.

• Text structures, character dialogue and interactions, literary elements, analyze two or more authors’ treatment of theme, historical/cultural contexts, flashback, foreshadowing, imagery

Reading Informational Text - Students will comprehend and draw conclusions about the author’s intent in a variety of increasingly complex print and non-print informational texts, citing a range of relevant and compelling textual evidence to support their analyses.

• Central idea, accuracy of content, theme, conclusions, two or more authors’ point of view/tone/interpretation of topic, compare information, message, text types

Speaking, Listening, and Language - Students will initiate and participate effectively in speaking-listening for a variety of purposes and audiences (e.g. informal discussions, formal presentations), responding respectfully and appropriately to diverse perspectives and expressing ideas clearly and purposefully.

• Use grade-appropriate grammar/mechanics when speaking, respond/elaborate with relevant ideas, oral presentations addressing audience/purpose, use visual/graphic/digital/audio enhancements to clarify message/intent, analyze/interpret/evaluate information delivered orally or visually.

Narrative Writing - Students will produce clear, coherent, and effective narrative writing for a range of types, purposes, and audiences (e.g., blogs, podcasts, graphic novels, narrative non-fiction).

• Text structures to establish context, Character development, setting, transitions, chronology, conflict resolution, point of view, theme, tone, style, dialogue, literary devices, figurative language, word choice, edit, revise, grammar/conventions

Informational Writing - Students will produce clear, coherent, and effective informative writing for a range of types, purposes, and audiences.

• Topic and focus, organize ideas, formal style, objective tone, relevant and/or conflicting information, evidence, summarize, conclusion, edit, revise, grammar/conventions

Opinion/Argument Writing - Students will produce clear, coherent, and effective argumentative writing for a range of text types, purposes, and audiences.

• Establish and support a claim, persuasive techniques, rhetorical devices, call to action, claims/counterclaims, relevant sources, diverse points of view, analyze evidence, logically connect reasons/facts, maintain authoritative stance, conclusions, edit, revise, grammar/conventions.

Inquiry, Investigation, and Research - Students will engage in group and individual research to investigate, analyze, integrate, and present information, demonstrating an understanding of the use of credible, relevant, and reliable sources.

• Analyze interrelationships among concepts, analyze sources, evaluate motives, strategically use language for audience/intent, select and cite evidence, integrate multi-media/visual displays, use digital tools and reference materials for interpretation and expansion of knowledge

Critical Inquiry & Analysis - Students will be able to use a variety of historical sources, documents, maps, and visuals and determine their credibility.

Research & Communication - Students will develop clear claims and use evidence from multiple sources to construct an argument. Geography -  Students will be able to analyze and explain the various ways physical geography impacted the development of ancient civilizations.

Geography - Students will be able to analyze and explain the various ways human and physical geography impacted the development of culture in the United States.

People & Events - Students will be able to analyze the influence people had on the growth and development of ancient civilizations.

Ratios & Proportions - Students will extend their understanding of ratios and proportionality to solve single-and multi-step problems embedded in real-world applications.

Number Systems - Students will expand their understanding of number systems thinking flexibly and attending to precision and reasonableness when solving problems using rational and irrational numbers.

Expressions & Equations - Students will reason abstractly and manipulate symbolic expressions to represent relationships and interpret expressions and equations in terms of a given context for determining an unknown value.

Geometry - Students will solve problems involving reasoning using properties of 2- and 3- dimensional shapes to analyze, represent, and model geometric relationships in pure/theoretical and authentic applied contexts.

Data, Statistics, and Probability - Students will design investigations and conduct probability experiments involving populations.

Chemical Reactions, Matter, and Energy - Students can demonstrate an understanding of how substances interact and change during chemical reactions, including the transfer of energy in endothermic and exothermic processes.

Metabolic Reactions and Photosynthesis - Students will be able to explain and model the flow of matter and energy in biological and ecological systems, including the role of cellular processes like photosynthesis and cellular respiration in generating and utilizing energy from food molecules.

Ecosystems and Biodiversity -  Students will understand how the interactions between biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) factors are fundamental to the structure, function, and overall health of an ecosystem.

Resources and Human Impact - Students can explain how human activities, such as resource extraction, pollution, and unsustainable land use practices, impact the distribution and availability of natural resources like water and minerals, and evaluate the environmental and societal consequences of resource depletion.