7th Grade

On this page, you will find low and high tech resources for 7th Grade students.

• Read independently every day. Make this a consistent routine every day--choose a time and a special place in your home.

• What is this book mostly about? (Think main idea.) What did you learn in this book? (If fiction, think about the text’s lesson; if nonfiction, think about the topic.) Jot your ideas on paper.

• Think about what you already know related to the book or what the book reminds you of. Share your thinking with someone or write your thoughts down on paper.

• For stories: Think about the characters, setting, problem, solution and events in the text. Who was in the story? When and where did it happen? What was the problem and how was it solved? What happened in the story? Jot your ideas down on paper.

• Ask yourself, “What were the author’s feelings about this character or topic? How do you know?” Share your thinking with someone or write your thoughts down on paper.

• Write a response to the book read or heard. What was the text about? What did you learn?

• To refine your phonics, grammar, or reading comprehension skills, watch a BrainPOP video daily and complete the associated video tasks.

  • CLICK | BrainPOP - Offers free access during school closures. Click on the banner at the top of the page and set up a family account to access many Reading and Writing videos and activities.

• In order to learn about a grade level appropriate topic through reading, choose an activity from ReadWorks.com and complete the tasks associated with the texts.

  • CLICK | ReadWorks.org - Sign up for an account to access many different kinds of texts to read, from articles to stories to poems and plays. Sort by grade level to find a good text for your child.

• Have students track current events using Newsela and keep a journal to record their opinions about what is happening in the world. Some questions students can respond to are:

  • What was the main idea or argument?

  • What details were shared to support this?

  • What’s really sticking with you?

  • What new questions do you have after reading this? (Then encourage students to research answers to their questions.)

  • CLICK | NewsELA - Sign up for a free account. Use this site to find articles about current events that your child is interested in for them to read and answer questions. Adjust texts to match your student’s grade level.

• Identify six different rational numbers. You MUST choose a fraction, decimal, and an integer. Pick two of the rational numbers to add, subtract, multiply and divide. Then choose two different rational numbers that must have two digits (for example 4.5) to multiply and divide. You will have a total of six problems completed.

• Find 5 objects in your home. If possible, find 2 objects that are the same color. Place the objects in a bag. Pull one of the objects out of the bag. What is the probability that you choose one color?

• Now pull 2 objects out of the bag? What is the probability that the objects are the same color?

• Describe how to find the probability of a single event.

• Describe how to find the probability of a compound event.

• Find a 3-dimensional object in your home. Measure the dimensions in centimeters, inches, or feet. Sketch the object and label the dimensions. Determine the area of the base, volume, and total surface area. Organize your measurements and data in a chart.

• Use the local ads that come through the mail and find examples of percent. Locate items that are marked with a discount. Determine how much the item will cost once the discount is applied.

• With your guardian, complete a coderZ challenge

  • CLICK | Stechchallenges - All challenges are due by 3/30 midnight

• With your guardian, observe plants and think about Why do plants need sunlight in the morning but not at night? What is photosynthesis, and how can you test that plants need sunlight?

  • CLICK | Photosynthesis virtual lab - Use the journal in the simulation to answer the questions provided in the journal and test the conditions required for photosynthesis.

• With your guardian, solve the problem: a family member is asking you for help moving a heavy box of furniture into a truck. She is asking you to help her lift it up to the truck. Write up an explanation for your coursin demonstrating how and why using a ramp is a better solution.

  • CLICK |Ramp: Phet simulation - Watch the video to help you write up the explanation.

• With your guardian, identify a microhabitat in your neighborhood or backyard. Draw the different organisms that make us the habitat and how it supports different types of organisms

• CLICK |National Geographic microhabitat - Video and resources on micro habitat

• Watch a short news segment together (ex. CNN 10 - we recommend parents preview beforehand) or current events article and discuss using any of the following prompts:

  • What is the issue or problem discussed in the news segment or current events article?

  • What details are important about the issue or problem?

  • How does this issue/problem impact people at each level - local, regional, national, and global?

  • Is this source trustworthy? Why or why not?

  • What challenges and opportunities will those attempting to solve this issue/problem face?

  • How can individual people, small groups, or help solve this issue/problem? What should be done?

  • What are the multiple potential outcomes of the issue/problem?

  • CLICK | CNN 10 - 10 minute daily news show that covers stories of international significance & clearly describes why they're making news, who is affected, and how they fit into a complex, international society.

• Process and synthesize learning from any text (this includes primary documents, articles, videos, etc.) by creating a one-pager. For additional guidance on one-pagers, see these resources:

  • CLICK | Overview & Tips for One-Pagers

  • CLICK | Printable Templates for One-Pagers (free)

  • CLICK | Crash Course: U.S. History - Short (10-15 min) videos that feature a host discussing the subject, mixed in with animations and some humor. Geared toward HS but can be used in MS.

• Students create their own primary sources through daily (or weekly) journaling in a notebook (½ to 1 page). Journal entries should include name, date, and location (Oak Cliff, Dallas, TX)

• Here are questions to get students started:

• First journal entry

  • When do you remember first hearing about coronavirus? When did you realize it was serious news and you could not ignore it?

  • When did you realize that daily life was going to be significantly different?

  • What preparation did you and your family members make and what was the experience like?

• Following journal journal entries

  • What have I seen today?

  • How do I feel?

  • How are people I care about doing?

  • How is my community (neighborhood, school, city, state) responding to coronavirus?

  • What is changing in the world compared to how I experienced the world before?

• After watching a video, reading an article, or taking a virtual field trip, have students process/synthesize their learning using any of the following strategies:

  • Sensory figure for one or more of the characters/people involved

  • Letters (ex. to a family member or friend), each from the perspective of a different character/person involved

  • Illustrated timeline and/or summary (illustrations are an excellent way to process & show understanding in social studies!)

  • CLICK | Museum of the American Revolution - Virtual tour of the museum (25 min) accompanied by grade-appropriate discussion questions.

• Students select a historical event to research. Come up with a research question, find and analyze at least 3 different sources, create an outline, and write a report/essay based on their research. Find templates & guidance for self-directed research here. Sample topics aligned to Texas History:

  • Causes & effects of Hernan Cortes’ conquest of the Aztecs

  • Causes & effects of the Texas Revolution

  • Similarities & differences between Texas and the U.S. Constitutions

  • Texans’ role in the Civil War

  • Reasons for the decline of the cowboy & cattle drive era

  • Impact of the 1901 oil at Spindletop