Holy Trinity School

Building 21st Century Learners

Grades 6, 7, 8 Junior High Unit - Curriculum Overview

What Your Child Will Learn -

All curricula developed for Holy Trinity School in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia are, first and foremost, based on the teachings of the Catholic Church.  In addition, our curricula reflect the Pennsylvania Learning Standards, the Next Generation Science Standards, the Archdiocesan Guidelines, and the standards of professional education associations.  The Diocesan curriculum provides our students with an education that challenges them to live faith-filled lives and succeed in high school and beyond.

Language Arts Shifts

Informational Text:  In addition to fiction literature, students will be reading nonfiction pieces from across all content areas.

Evidence from Texts:  Students will be expected to read more closely to understand the message the author is trying to convey, and to write with focus on analytical aspects supported from texts.

Complex Text and Academic Language:  As career and technical texts have become more complex, the standards create a staircase of text complexity so all students are reading for the levels necessary for success in highschool, college or the career of their choice.

In Language Arts- Grades 6, 7, and 8

In this literature-based curriculum, students will continue to strengthen their reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills.  The children will read challenging text types such as Scripture, novels, articles, plays and nonfiction.  Children will use technology to produce and publish longer pieces of writing.  For each grade level, students will study 

five-to-six themes, with a variety of literature pieces.  In addition, integration of all the special subjects is key to this unit. 

Some of the activities your child will engage in while in this unit are:

• Understanding how a central idea of a text is conveyed to the reader

• Using technology to produce and publish writing

• Understanding how figurative language is used effectively

• Writing over an extended period of time

• Using multiple texts for comparison

Mathematics Shifts

Focus:  Each year, teachers will spend more time teaching specific areas in mathematics.  By focusing deeply on specific content, students will gain a strong foundation and a solid understanding of the concepts.

Coherence:  The standards logically progress from grade to grade.  Most of the standards at each grade level are not new topics, but extensions of what students have learned in previous years.

Rigor:  Students are expected to have conceptual understanding of certain topics, fluency and skill in procedural calculations, and the ability to apply what they have learned in the classroom in everyday situations.

In Mathematics - Grade 6

•  Solid foundation of fractions and decimals while developing an understanding of ratios, percents, and percent applications 

• Work with variables in equations

• Write expressions and equations to describe specific situations

• Convert different units of measurement

• In geometry, solve problems which involve area, surface area, and volume

• In statistics, use measures of center and variation to describe a set of data

• Use real-world examples to explain various concepts

Some of the activities students will engage in during 6th Grade are:

• Describe quantities using both positive and negative numbers

• Use all operations with fractions and decimals

• Change fractions to decimals and decimals to fractions

• Find unit rates

• Find the percent of a number

• Determine area, surface area, and volume

• Find mean, median, mode, range, and interquartile range

Examples of the progression of a concept from Grades 6 to 7: 

• Use a pair of perpendicular number lines, called axes, to define a coordinate system and a given point on the plane by using an ordered pair of numbers

• Find the area of right triangles, special quadrilaterals, and polygons by composing or decomposing into rectangles, triangles, or other shapes

• Solve word problems involving rational numbers

In Mathematics - Grades 7 and 8

• In seventh grade, students will develop an understanding of proportional relationships and work with scale drawings

• In eighth grade, they will further develop their understanding of proportionality by drawing linear relationships on the coordinate plane and working with slope

• Students will write and evaluate algebraic expressions

• Students will write equations to model real-world situations and will solve them using an algorithm

• Develop an understanding of functions

• Graph and interpret  linear functions

• Recognize congruent and similar figures, and explore transformations of figures   

• Solve problems involving area, surface area, and volume

• Explore probability, both experimental and theoretical

• Continue to study methods of data analysis.  Upon completion of eighth grade, the student will be ready for Algebra I

Some of the activities your children will engage in during 7th and 8th Grade are:

• Analyze proportional relationships involving real-world situations

• Use algebraic expressions and equations

• Investigate chance and evaluate probability models

• Solve systems of equations that represent real-world situations

Example of the progression of a concept across Grades 7 to 8

• Solve problems involving scale drawings of geometric figures, computing actual lengths and area from scale drawings, and reproducing a scale drawing at a different scale

• Identify linear and proportional relationships from graphs

• Describe the effect of dilations, translations, rotations, and reflections on two-dimensional figures using coordinates

In Science - Grade 6

• Study Physical Science, beginning with the smallest unit of matter: the atom

• Study the physical and chemical properties of a substance in relation to its atomic structure and its effects on its interaction with other substances 

• Explore Newton’s Laws of Motion and the forces of gravity and friction through hands-on experiments

• Study different forms of energy and their uses in our everyday lives 

• Research ways to conserve energy and the impacts our energy usage has on the environment

• Study electricity and magnetism 

• Study the development of technology 

• Construct their own devices and complete lab activities to further develop their understanding of these concepts

In Science - Grade 7

• Study Life Science from the cell as the basic unit of life to tissues to organs to organ systems

• Study cell structures in both plants and animals, the history and the development of the cell theory

• Classification of living things, and the characteristics of the domains and kingdoms  

• Study the human body systems and how these systems interact 

• Research the importance of nutrition and exercise for a healthy lifestyle

• Study of genetics and the impact of DNA

• Study the inheritance of traits and the ways organisms change over time

• Study ecology and explore relationships between living things and their environments

• Complete lab activities for exploration and use technology to research and present information

 In Science - Grade 8

• Study our home planet, first learning about its interacting systems

• Study rocks and minerals that make up Earth’s landforms and the role plate tectonics has played in this

• Explore water on both our oceans and our weather and climate

• Study Earth’s natural resources and impacts of human activities on our climate

• Study Earth as the third planet from the Sun in our solar system, which is part of the larger universe

• Learn about the life cycle of a star and study the most important star in our solar system: the sun

• Compare Earth and its special properties to the other planets

• Examine the effects of the moon on our seasons and eclipses

In Social Studies - Grade 6

The goal of this course is to give students the tools necessary to become informed global citizens that are able to make informed decisions. In addition to hardcopy and digital textbooks, students will employ technology to enhance their classroom experience using video, Chromebooks, and Google Slides presentations.  Each student has the opportunity to select, research, design, and present a topic of their choice expression.  Students will discuss current topics in the news and incorporate these topics in that discussion. Students will also:

• Explore latitude, longitude, absolute and relative location, the equator, the prime meridian, and cardinal and secondary directions

• Study different types of maps 

• Develop what constitutes a cultural  group and the benefits and challenges of diverse cultures in a society

• Learn major cities, rivers, and mountains of each continent  

• Learn about trade and transportation

• Get an overview of the ancient civilizations and why they developed where they did

• Learn the major forms of government and the type of government each country follows

In Social Studies – Grade 7

• Explore how the United States has built a strong and free nation  

• Make connections between the events from our country’s past with the world in which we live today

• Discover the ways the first people arrived in the Americas

• Study the Age of Exploration and the effects the European explorers had on the development of colonialism throughout the world, particularly in the Americas

• Gain an understanding of people living in the Original 13 Colonies 

• Identify the events that led to the American fight for independence in the American Revolution, the War of 1812, and the U.S. Constitution  

• Examine the journey Americans took West

In Social Studies – Grade 8

• Explore how the United States built a strong and free nation beginning with the abolitionist movement and Underground Railroad up to the fall of Communism in the 1990s

• Take a comprehensive look at both the people and events that have shaped our great nation 

• Make connections between events from our country’s past with the world today

• Explore the Underground Railroad and examine the heroic efforts of abolitionists and the increasing conflicts between the North and South in the events leading up to the Civil War

• Identify the difficulties our country had in healing the divisions that tore our country apart, some of which are still felt today 

• Study the turn of the twentieth century and gain an understanding of the importance of the invention of technology

• Examine the rise of capitalism and big business in America and the industrialists who gained fame and fortune

• Examine the complexities of alliances countries establish when powerful world leaders abuse their power

• Identify the causes and rippling effects of the Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, the Cold War, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War

• Identify the contributions of Civil Rights leaders and their quest for equality

• To finish the year, students will gain an understanding of how the fall of Communism brought democracy to regions of the world 

In Religion – Grade 6

• Grow in their faith through the study of the Old Testament, story of creation to the messages of the prophets, the students will gain a deeper understanding of the origins of Christianity and draw parallels between the Old and New Testaments.  The major topics the students will focus on are:

• The structure and books of the Bible

• The Divine inspiration of the Bible

• The story of Creation

• The stories of Adam and Eve and Cain and Abel

• God’s covenant with Noah

• God’s covenant with Abraham

• The story of Exodus

• The influence of King David, Solomon, and the Temple

• The messages of the prophets

• The Liturgical Year

• The Sacraments

• The lives of saints and the importance of prayer

In addition, begin preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation, which they will receive in seventh grade.  Through research, service, and prayer, the students will gain a better understanding of and appreciation for Jesus as God’s promise of the Suffering Servant and Savior of Mankind.

In Religion – Grade 7 

• Study the Life of Jesus and how the faith that our Church is built upon grew from humble beginnings

• Focus on the New Testament with the Gospels and Acts of the Apostles that students will learn about through scripture readings 

• The Infancy Narratives

• Mary and Joseph’s role in Jesus’ life

• The miracles Jesus performed

• Parables

• The Beatitudes

• Jesus’ Passion

• The Liturgical Year

• The Sacraments

• The lives of saints

• The importance of prayer

• Social Justice

Seventh grade students will also focus on making a connection between the messages of Jesus’ love for us and applying that to our world today through service and how we treat our family, friends, and neighbors.  In addition, seventh grade students will grow closer to the Holy Spirit as they prepare for and receive the Sacrament of Confirmation.

In Religion – Grade 8

• Study the history of the Catholic Church from its origins as small Christian communities following the death of Jesus to the inspirational and influential church we have in our world today. 

• Strong focus on scripture that includes a study of Acts of the Apostles, Letters, and the Book of Revelation.  

• The major topics that students will focus on are:

• The development and Marks of the Church

• The roles of the apostles and disciples in the growth of the Church

• The contributions of missionaries, particularly Peter and Paul

• Church Councils 

• History of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia

• The Liturgical Year

• The Sacraments

• The lives of saints 

• The importance of prayer

• Social Justice and leadership

Music

Students in Grades 6 to 8 receive a wide scope of music appreciation tools through rhythm, rhyme, meter, period music, and sound waves. All students are able to play various instruments reading notation and following dynamic markings.  Exposure to the Italian language occurs, since most musical terms are based in that language.

Physical Education

The Grades 6, 7, and 8 Physical Education program is based on the guidelines provided by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Students are exposed to a programmed sequence of experiences that facilitates their physical, social, and mental development, and equips them with knowledge, attitudes, skills, and capacities to engage in a lifetime of health-related activity.

Some of the activities your children will engage in as part of the Grades 6, 7, and 8 Physical Education program are:

• Basic fundamental skills:  organized games and sports

• Cognitive concepts:  how to plan and implement healthy living

• Fitness capacities:  Presidential Fitness testing

• Effective character traits for personal success

Spanish

In Grades 6, 7, and 8, Spanish curriculum is intended to:

• Prepare students for their upcoming high school language experience – to familiarize them with the basics of the Spanish language and to help them gain a sense of comfort with pronunciation and simple vocabulary

• Classes meet once each week

• There is minimal homework given, but in-class assignments and formal and informal assessments are administered 

• develop, reinforce, and refine communicative competence in listening, speaking, reading, writing, and culture

• The goal for students to gain an intuitive understanding of how the language is acquired and how they can use this knowledge to express themselves linguistically

• students acquire a basic understanding and appreciation of the diversity of cultures in the Spanish-speaking world

Technology 

The school's technology instructor works closely with teachers to ensure that technology is integrated. 

• Digital Citizenship

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, learn to utilize cloud storage, email as a means of communication

•  Interactive tools, along with basic typing, research techniques, and how to use graphics in presentations 

• Examine real-world products

• Google docs, and web-based communications

The school is committed to maintaining and updating the infrastructure necessary to support new and emerging technologies.  In addition to interactive SMARTboards and wireless internet access throughout the school, the school offers an impressive one-to-one Chromebook technology structure in Grades 6, 7, and 8.

Visual Arts

The Grades 6, 7, and 8 Visual Arts program is based on the guidelines provided by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

• Build confidence with art materials and techniques.  

• recognize the elements and principles of design

•  Use acrylics, clay, watercolor, metal tooling, and other materials.

How can you help?

Learning does not stop once the school day is over.  You are the most important teacher in your child's education.  Sit down with your child as homework is being completed to give you an understanding of what your child is learning and where specific struggles may be. We recommend: 

• As a family, read every evening for at least 20-30 minutes.

• Review math facts and concepts being taught each day.

• Get a library card and take your child to the library routinely.

• Share in the excitement of learning with your child.

• Talk to your child about what they are learning in school.

• Be supportive of the work of the school.