Seventh Grade

SEVENTH GRADE
Curriculum
Overview
Sample
Lessons
Oak Meadow
Curriculum & School
OVERVIEW
Lesson
Grade
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Thank you for your interest in Oak Meadow. Since 1975, we have been supporting
homeschooling families and students, both through our creative curriculum and our
internationally-accredited distance learning school.
While reading through the complete sample lessons in this
curriculum overview, you can begin to imagine what a typical
homeschooling week might be like with Oak Meadow. We hope
these materials give you a clear sense of the style, content, and
scope of our curriculum, and help you decide if Oak Meadow is
right for your family.
At Oak Meadow, we offer a unique curriculum that is substantively
different from other educational models. The student’s awakening
powers of thought are encouraged with a sequence of skills and
carefully chosen material which reflects the child’s developmental
stages and unfolding sense of self. We seek to foster a healthy
balance between the realms of intellectual development, emotional
engagement, and solid academic accomplishment. Our goal is to
help children become intelligent, capable human beings who are
able to respond sensitively and deeply to the world, and able to
find meaning and relevance in their contributions to society.
Lessons in the early grades are crafted with a sense of beauty
and reverence as the child’s own sense of wonder leads to the
foundations of essential literary and mathematical skills. As the
student grows into the middle school years, our imaginative,
engaging approach develops strong academic abilities, practical
problem-solving skills and an ability to consider an issue or
problem from many perspectives. Each year’s curriculum is
structured in 36 weekly lessons, and the sample lessons in this
overview are representative examples of a full year’s curriculum
across all subject areas.
Within the framework of Oak Meadow’s integrated curriculum,
you, as the Home Teacher, will be in a position to help your child
make personal connections to the curriculum. Finding relevance
and inter-relatedness between the material and daily living is one
of the true joys of homeschooling. The Oak Meadow curriculum
is designed to be used in the home environment and encourages
meaningful connections and relationships with the whole family,
the local geography, and the wider community.
We encourage you to visit our website (oakmeadow.com) or call
our office at 802-251-7250 to learn more about us and about
what we can do to support you in your homeschooling journey.
Warmly,
Michelle Simpson-Siegel
Executive Director
Grade 5–8 Overview
In the middle grades of the Oak Meadow curriculum sequence,
questions play a vital role in the learning process. Through engaging
stories, experiments, and writing assignments, we prompt students to
think about things they may not have previously considered. In grades
5-8, the Oak Meadow curriculum asks questions that challenge the
student to think, to explore, and to integrate knowledge gained in
other subject areas. We ask questions for which there are no “right”
or “wrong” answers, as we lead students to think beyond the facts
themselves and to make sense of the world in which they live.
Our syllabi provide each student with in-depth readings on the
topics of study, offer assignments and a broad range of activities, and
provide ideas for further study or reading. By placing the emphasis
upon human values and ideals in grades 5-8, we lay a foundation for
a lifelong appreciation of the subjects covered during these middle
school years.
Each syllabus is divided into 36 weekly lessons. Within each lesson,
you will find everything you need for a complete learning experience.
We provide readings, assignments, activities, and suggestions for
further study. Most of our lessons contain a range of assignment
options so that students can choose projects that best match their
learning style.
OVERVIEW
3
OVERVIEW
seventh grade
english
Seventh graders gain a global perspective through a study of World History, from the Age of Enlightenment
to the present.
seventh grade
Math
Oak Meadow
Curriculum & School
Lesson
Grade
7
seventh grade
Oak Meadow earth science
Curriculum & School
seventh grade
World history
While immersed in subjects such as Far Eastern empires, the Industrial Revolution, and the Space
Age, students will reflect and write about the people behind these events. Studying the literature of the
time encourages a flexibility of thinking and perspective. The Language Arts curriculum emphasizes
composition skills and helps students express themselves clearly and creatively in writing. Students
continue to develop their grammar skills through a detailed study of sentence structure and common
writing pitfalls. Art activities include art history, world music, pen and ink drawings, and collage.
In Earth Science, students make observations and perform experiments in astronomy, geology,
meteorology, matter, and energy. Emphasis is placed on learning about the Earth’s natural resources
and thinking through practical solutions to current environmental issues. In conjunction with
experiential explorations, students write persuasive essays and conduct research.
Math 7
Oak Meadow
Curriculum & School
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Seventh Grade Curriculum
seventh grade
teacher Manual
Oak Meadow
Curriculum & School
Oak Meadow
Curriculum & School
The Math 7 curriculum introduces square roots, exponents, signed numbers, mean and median,
formulas for area and volume, and angle measurement. In addition to further work with percents,
ratios, and probabilities, students engage in a comprehensive review of all previous skills. Students
enrolled in the seventh grade may elect to take Pre-Algebra or Algebra with teacher approval.
Projects, Crafts, & Activities
Curriculum Materials
• Write a biography of Amelia Earhart
• Memorize a Shakespearean sonnet
• Interview people who lived through
the Great Depression
• Be a dictator for a day
• Learn a freedom song from the
Civil Rights movement
• Keep a sky journal
World History 7; English 7; Earth Science
7; Math 7; Mama’s Bank Account; Journey
to America; Helen Keller; Martin Luther King,
Jr.; Amelia Earhart; Lyddie; Goodbye, Vietnam;
Zlata’s Diary; Summer of the Monkeys; Water Sky
Teacher Manual and Craft Kit are also
available for purchase.
Seventh Grade Overview
First Semester
English
Social Studies
Science
Math
Second Semester
• Grammar: Homonyms/synonyms/antonyms, spelling rules, direct/
indirect object, sentence types, narrative voice, commas
• Vocabulary words and quizzes
• Writing: Book reports, research projects, reviews, haiku poetry
• Literature: Summer of the Monkeys, Lyddie, Amelia Earhart, Mama’s
Bank Account
• Grammar: Irregular verbs, compound sentences, possessives,
auxiliary verbs, dangling modifiers, subject/verb agreement
• Vocabulary words and quizzes
• Writing: Biographical essays, persuasive essays, speeches, short
stories, news reports, plays
• Literature: Journey to America, Helen Keller, Goodbye, Vietnam, Martin
Luther King, Jr., Zlata’s Diary, Water Sky
WORLD HISTORY TO WORLD WAR II
• Monarchs in Europe
• Asian empires
• Baroque and classical music
• Industrial Revolution
• Slavery
• Civil War and Reconstruction
• World War I
• The Depression
• World War II
WORLD HISTORY TO THE PRESENT
• Latin America
• United Nations
• Women in American History
• The Cold War
• The Vietnam War
• The Middle East
• Martin Luther King, Jr.
• Media literacy
• Space travel
EARTH SCIENCE
• Scientific inquiry and measurement
• Astronomy
• Earth’s rotation
• Rocks and fossils
• Volcanoes and earthquakes
• Glaciers and erosion
• Atmosphere and climate
EARTH SCIENCE
• Weather patterns
• Natural resources
• Human population
• Water cycle
• Oceans
• Pollution
• Energy sources
• Biodiversity
• Common denominators
• Multiplying and dividing fractions
• Decimals
• Exponents
• Square roots
• Order of operations
• Percents
• Converting percents, fractions, and decimals
• Missing numbers
• Negative numbers
• Signed numbers
• Averages
• Probability
• Working with equations
• Ratios and proportions
• Pi and geometry
• Weights and liquids
• Prime numbers
• Angles and using a compass
• Polygons and geometric solids
SAMPLE LESSON
World History/Fine Arts
Lesson 2 - 1
Social Studies/Fine Arts~~~~~~~Lesson 2
THE MOGUL EMPIRE
Lesson
Grade
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So far we have discussed events only in Europe. Of course, Europe is
just one part of the world, and there were plenty of interesting things going on
in the rest of the world. India is one of those places. In order to tell you about
the events in India during the 1500’s and beyond, it is necessary to backtrack a
bit.
The very early rulers of India were known as the Guptas. Their dynasty
lasted from about 320 to 467 A.D., and is sometimes referred to as India’s
Golden Age. There are very few written stories about these early times, but
there are many oral tales that have been passed down from one generation to
the next. This oral tradition, common around the world, usually gets most of
the facts reasonably accurately, but doesn’t pay much attention to dates. So it
is hard to know exactly what happened when in very early history. We do
know, from stories told by a Chinese monk who traveled in India to learn more
about Buddhism, that in the first part of the 5th Century, life in India was
peaceful and prosperous. There were free government-run hospitals for those
who needed medical help, and this monk felt safe traveling, even though he
was a stranger from a different country.
Some important scientific breakthroughs occurred during the golden age.
Indian doctors figured out a way to give injections of cowpox to help stop
epidemics of smallpox. This was a thousand years before anything like this
was tried in Europe! Also, Indian surgeons knew how to set broken bones, do
minor plastic surgery to repair ears and noses, and sterilize their tools.
Mathematicians of the Gupta period were the first to use a number system
based on ten, and understood the concept of zero. These may seem commonplace
to us today because we have grown up in a culture that has long known about
them, but in those days these ideas were new and amazing.
6 Lesson 2 - 2
World History/Fine Arts
The Gupta Dynasty came to an end after constant attack by the Huns, a
barbaric tribe from the Asian continent. For the next six hundred years, northern
India was in a constant state of chaos. One of the new ruling groups during
these years was the Rajputs, or “sons of kings.” They were members of the
Kshatriya caste - the second highest caste - and they lived by a strict code of
honor. While women had some property rights and were respected to a degree,
they were expected to be so devoted to their husbands that if a woman’s husband
died, she was supposed to throw herself into the flames of the funeral pyre and
be burned with him.
Hinduism and Buddhism became intertwined under Gupta rule. Statues
of Buddha were worshipped in Hindu temples, and Hindu priests taught that
the Buddha was an incarnation of their god, Vishnu.
Islam was one of the newest religions of the world in the 8th Century,
and Hinduism was one of the oldest. The relationship between their followers
has been difficult ever since the 700’s. Muslim warriors invaded India over
many centuries, setting up their own kingdoms and plundering the wealth of
gold and silver that belonged to India. The Rajput princes used elephants against
the invaders, but to no avail. Soon the Muslims controlled northern India, with
Delhi as their capital. These rulers are known as the Delhi sultans.
Two Delhi sultans are worth describing. One was a terribly violent man
named Muhammad Tughluq, who murdered his own father, and committed
numerous atrocities such as forcing the wife and children of one his nephews,
who was a rebel, to eat some of the flesh of the dead nephew. He also ordered
the evacuation of Delhi, forcing the people to walk 600 miles to a new capital.
He was probably the worst of the sultans. The best may have been Firuz Shah.
He was a cultured man who believed in social reform, and put his beliefs into
action by setting up an employment agency for young men and a marriage
bureau which helped find husbands for young women. He also constructed
over 2,000 gardens and built five canals.
One of the more positive effects of the Delhi Sultanate was that because
India had centralized rule, cities grew and trade expanded. More land was
cultivated, so more food was produced.
OAK MEADOW
World History/Fine Arts
Lesson 2 - 3
Most Indians were Hindus. Profound religious differences created
problems between the Hindus and Muslims, and many Hindus were killed,
and their land confiscated. As you learned in Sixth Grade, Hindus worshipped
many different gods, while the Muslims had only one - Allah. Muslims believed
that all people were equal before Allah, but Hindus lived by the caste system.
Hindus believed cows were sacred, but Muslims ate cows; Muslims thought
pork was unclean, but some non-vegetarian Hindus ate pork. You can see the
beliefs of each were repugnant to the other! But Islamic teachings of the equality
of all believers were very appealing to Hindus of the lower castes. Over the
years, numerous Hindus converted to Islam, perhaps in part to escape the caste
system or live more peacefully with their conquerors, and partly because Islamic
missionaries traveled around preaching their beliefs and converting people.
The Muslims made a large impact on Indian life. Urdu, a new language
which combined Arabic and Persian with Hindi was used in addition to other
official Indian languages. Urdu is written in Arabic script, unlike Hindi. Muslims
encouraged the writing of poetry, and poets of both religions wrote prolifically
in a variety of local languages. The Muslims were skilled architects who built
with domes and arches, and they passed this skill to Indian architects. During
their travels, Muslims had learned from the Chinese about paper, gunpowder,
and making porcelain, and all of these were introduced in India.
Many Hindus began to dress in similar styles to the Muslims, and Hindu
women began wearing veils over their faces as Muslim women did. Some
northern Hindu women even adopted the practice of purdah, a Muslim practice
in which women were not allowed to be out in public or meet with any man
who wasn’t part of their family.
Mogul is another form of the word Mongol, the descendants of the
infamous Genghis Khan, who you may remember from your studies in Sixth
Grade. The Mogul conqueror, Babur, ended the Delhi Sultanate by attacking
with cannon and guns that he and his troops carried across the high mountain
passes from Afghanistan into India. Stories about Babur say that “... he never
hit a man whom he did not knock down.” When Babur took control of India in
1526, what came to be known as the great Mogul Empire began. It lasted until
1761.
SAMPLE LESSON—GRADE 7
Lesson 2 - 4
World History/Fine Arts
The greatest Mogul king was
Babur’s grandson. His real name was
Muhammad, but he was called Akbar,
or “most great.” He is remembered as
being wise and fair. He also fought
fiercely, riding on an elephant and
wearing golden armor - winning new
lands for his empire until he controlled
almost all of northern India and a large
part of the Deccan (the large plateau
that occupies the middle of India).
1. Look at a map of India so you
can see the area to which we
are referring.
Akbar
Akbar was interested in knowledge of all kinds, and hosted many scholars
at his court. He, himself, never learned to read or write. He loved to engage in
lively conversation with educated people, and learned from each of them.
Indulging his love of culture, he brought forty-five artists from all over India,
Central Asia, and Persia to make over 200 miniature paintings illustrating a
series of stories called Tuti-nama, or Tales of a Parrot.
He slept only three hours a night, and spent many hours dreaming of
new projects and inventions. One of these inventions was a huge cannon that
could fire fourteen balls at one time.
It was important to Akbar to have a unified country. “For an empire
ruled by one head, it is a bad thing to have the members divided among
themselves,” he said. With Hindus outnumbering Muslims by about four to
one, this was a difficult task. He decided that, instead of seeking revenge on the
Rajputs he had conquered, it would be better to include them. So he married a
Rajput princess, allowed Hindus to hold important government jobs, and devised
new codes of law which were meant to apply equally to everyone. He also
established a fair tax law, and lowered taxes in years when there was famine in
the land. Historically, non-Muslims had been charged a special tax, but Akbar
did away with this.
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SAMPLE LESSON
World History/Fine Arts
Akbar also believed in religious tolerance. He was very open-minded,
and, although born and raised a Muslim, he began to think that maybe there
was some truth in Hinduism as well. Jesuit priests traveled through his land
teaching their beliefs, and he was interested in hearing what they had to say, as
well. He built a hall of worship and held weekly religious discussions there. In
the end, he decided to create a new religion that could include all three of the
religions he was most interested in. He called it Din Ilahi, which means “Divine
Faith.” Of course, he was the leader of the new religion. But Din Ilahi didn’t
catch on with other people very well, and when Akbar died in 1605, it ended.
Lesson
Grade
7
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Lesson 2 - 5
Shah Jahan, Akbar’s grandson, was one of the wealthiest kings in the
world during his reign in northern India. His name means “King of the World.”
He had three royal homes in Agra, built of red sandstone, and other palaces as
well. He constructed the Red Fort in Delhi, still one of the most famous
structures in India. He owned many treasures. One list includes “...750 pounds
of pearls, 275 pounds of emeralds, 5,000 gems from China, 200 daggers, 1,000
gold studded saddles with jewels, 2 golden thrones, 3 silver thrones, 100 silver
chairs, 5 golden chairs...” Meanwhile, many of the people of India lived in
mud homes with thatched roofs, and suffered famine.
Shah Jahan was not only wealthy, he was very intolerant of his enemies.
He didn’t believe in unification between Muslims and Hindus as his grandfather,
Akbar, had. But what we remember most about Shah Jahan is the depth of his
love for his wife, Mumtaz-i-Mahal. They had fourteen children together. She
died giving birth to the fourteenth baby, and in his grief, Shah Jahan commanded
that a tomb, “as beautiful as she was beautiful,” be built for her.
For twenty-two years, 20,000 workers toiled to build her tomb. It was
made of beautiful white marble which seemed to glow, with a towering dome
and four minarets. Inside, the workers carved thousands of marble flowers,
and inlaid them with jewels - sapphires, rubies, and lapis lazuli. The marble
reflects the light of the different times of day, and appears to subtly change
color, from gleaming white, to golden, to almost pink. The tomb of Queen
Mumtaz-i-Mahal is a famous monument known around the world as the Taj
Mahal.
8 Lesson 2 - 6
World History/Fine Arts
Shah Jahan intended to build a second tomb next to the shining white
one. This tomb was to be for him - a black marble monument identical to his
wife’s except for the color of the marble. He wanted them to be joined together
by a silver bridge. But his wish was not realized, for one of his sons, Auranzeb,
turned against him and imprisoned him before the tomb could be built. It is
said he kept a mirror in his prison room so he could see the reflection of his
wife’s tomb from his window for the last eight years of his life. At his death, he
was buried in the Taj Mahal next to his beloved queen.
2. Look at pictures of
the Taj Mahal. It is
one of the most
beautiful buildings
in the world. If you
can find pictures of
any other Muslim
architecture, look
at a variety of
structures. Do you
see
any
similarities? What
kinds of patterns
The Taj Mahal
(architectural
styles, artistic designs and carvings etc.) do you see? Write at least
a paragraph describing what you find.
Shah Jahan’s son, Aurangzeb, was the last strong Mogul ruler. He was
ruthless in his desire for power. He not only imprisoned his father, but killed
four other family members who stood between him and the throne, then seized
control of the empire. He expanded the empire to include almost all of India,
and created many problems in the process. He destroyed many Hindu temples,
reestablished the old tax on non-Muslims, and sent the artists and scholars
away from court. He was involved in almost constant warfare, which eventually
weakened his empire. The Mogul Empire almost entirely ended with his death
in 1707, although his descendants continued to rule India with greatly reduced
power until 1857.
OAK MEADOW
World History/Fine Arts
Lesson 2 - 7
Extra Credit: Go to the library or look at resource books with pictures
of Mogul art. You will see that there is a particular style which is
very different from European art of the same era. Describe at least
one scene in writing. If you enjoy drawing, see if you can imitate
this style.
3. Choose a writing topic:
a. If you have not previously researched Hinduism or Islam, do so
now. Write a report explaining the basic belief system of one of
these religions, touching on its symbols, ceremonies, and views
on deity.
b. Compose a short story, a dialogue or argument, or an essay which
portrays the differences between the beliefs of Islam and
Hinduism and demonstrates some of the difficulties of combining
these two religions and cultures under the same rule. Back up
your statements with facts. Note that this assignment will require
further research about these two religions.
c. How do you think the various rulers’ policies and levels of
tolerance affected the lives and goals of people in the Mogul
Empire? How might it have affected the relationships among
people of different religions? Write an essay answering these
questions thoughtfully.
d. What if you had been Emperor Akbar? Imagine that you have
decided to establish one state religion that would combine aspects
of several major religions. How would you do this? What would
be the advantages and disadvantages? Explain your ideas.
e. The music of India sounds unusual to our Western ears. There is
no harmony as we know it, but instead the emphasis is on long,
winding, complicated melodies played against intricate rhythms.
Research Indian music and write a report on how it differs from
Western music. Include a brief discussion of Indian instruments.
SAMPLE LESSON—GRADE 7
Lesson 14: Amelia Earhart
Vocabulary Words
Your vocabulary words relate to the material you are studying in Social Studies. Define
them without using the root word or any other version of the vocabulary word, and
use each one in a sentence. Your sentences should demonstrate that you understand
the meaning of your vocabulary words in the context of your Social Studies lesson. If
there are words in your reading that you do not understand, add them to your vocabulary list.
feats
aviator
modest
supersonic
humble
solo
sanitation
contaminated
mortality
stimulus
Spelling
Select ten words from your written material this week for spelling words. Write each of
these words correctly five times and use each word in a complete sentence. Practice
your spelling words in preparation for a quiz.
Grammar
1. Finish reading Amelia Earhart. For your report, choose one of the following approaches:
a. Write a biographical overview of Amelia Earhart’s life, focusing on the
ways in which she dared to be different.
b. The end of Amelia’s life remains a mystery. Create an ending to her
story that agrees with what you know about Amelia’s personality,
goals, and the circumstances around her last known communication
with the world.
c. Pretend to be a radio announcer telling the story of Amelia’s life, career, and disappearance. Write a detailed radio announcement, make
an audiotape, and send it to your teacher.
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SAMPLE LESSON
32
Oak Meadow American Literature Syllabus
33
2. Read the sections titled “Sentences” and “Sentence Construction” in “Unit II:
Great Grammar” of your English Manual. Review contractions and possessives if
necessary.
m. He enjoyed his weekend on the farm and is going back next month
3. Write three of each of the four kinds of sentences, and identify which type of
sentence each one is. In addition, do the following:
o. Many people ride bikes to school others ride them in races
a. Use at least one possessive or one contraction in each sentence.
Lesson
Grade
7
Lesson 14: Amelia Earhart
b. Use a blend of different contractions, singular possessives, and plural
possessives in these twelve sentences.
c. Make sure to capitalize and punctuate each sentence correctly.
4. Review the section titled “Correcting Run-On Sentences” in “Unit III: Sensational Sentences” of your English Manual. Do the following exercise and send it
to your teacher. Most of these sentences are run-on, and all are missing important punctuation. Rewrite them correctly on another sheet of paper. Look carefully for every place that needs any kind of punctuation mark or capitalization.
a. I took my watch to a jeweler she found a broken mainspring
b. He really works hard nothing can stop him
n. Their house is small but its perfect for their family
5. Make an outline of the Social Studies report you began researching last week. See
the section titled “Outlining” in “Unit IV: Concise Compositions” of your English Manual if you need to refresh your memory on outlines. Begin filling in
your topic sentences with information, and finish the report during the course of
this week.
6. Write a rough draft of your report and proofread it very carefully. Try to catch
every place where you may have used a run-on sentence, left off an apostrophe
for a contraction or possessive, worded something awkwardly, or made some
other error. Fix all the mistakes you find. Refer to your ongoing list of spelling
words.
7. Type or write the final copy of your report in ink. Send the outline, rough draft,
and final copy to your teacher.
8. Ask your Home Teacher to give you a spelling quiz. Add any words you miss to
your ongoing spelling list for further review.
c. Their team scored a run yet we still won the game hurrah
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d. I didnt stay until the end of the game I was too tired
e. We wanted to go to the concert but couldn’t get tickets
f. Id rather be playing baseball but homework comes first
g. I do only five sentences at a time then I correct my answers
h. Everyone has gone the gym is empty its time to go home
i. You can go now or you can wait for her Im sure shell be along soon
j. She calls him every day and talks for hours she loves to talk
k. I wanted to win that game and I did
l. Im looking forward to summer I want to get a job
10 OAK MEADOW
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OakMeadowEarthScienceSyllabus
an experiment until he reaches a conclusion.
Lesson 2: The Scientific Method
At the end of this lesson you will be able to:
1. Understand the problem-solving format accepted among the scientific community.
2. Practice the scientific method.
We are all scientists in our own ways. We ask questions, guess what the answers will be,
watch to see what happens, record the results in our minds, decide what the results mean,
then take this knowledge and use it to make decisions about our lives. This is an example
of what is called the scientific method. Scientific
thinking is a part of all of us. We are all science
in action, and we are all scientists.
People make sense of the world through the scientific process like scientists use this process to
conduct experiments. Most people are not aware
of their scientific thinking, but there is little difference of thought for an artist, a writer, a runner,
or a scientist. Each problem we solve is like an
experiment. We do not always know what the
outcome will be, but we can make a guess, or
hypothesis. Then we go through the steps to test
our hypothesis. Sometimes our experiment does
not work and we make conclusions, ask more
questions, and create a new hypothesis to test.
Consider a painter who starts a painting with an
idea, makes a guess about how to approach the
idea, and finds his approach or experiment did
not produce the desired results. A painter may
paint the same thing over with a new technique
and more experience until he has the result he
wants. This is similar to a scientist who repeats
SAMPLE LESSON—GRADE 7
In all cases there are many factors that affect our conclusions. How we feel, for instance, may
depend on how much sleep we got last night. If we are busy watching TV we are less likely
to notice that someone left the refrigerator door open in the kitchen. If we are in a hurry, we
are more likely to fail to notice that we didn’t clean up a mess before rushing out the door.
There are an endless number of situations or factors that influence what we notice, what we
decide to do, or how we decide to approach the problem to be solved.
A scientist goes about problem solving in a stepwise manner, trying to determine the effect
of a particular factor. A scientist sets up a controlled experiment to test the effect of a particular factor on something else. A controlled experiment attempts to test only one factor at a
time. Scientific thinking attempts to isolate what factor causes something to happen and
what happens or changes as a result of that factor. This is called cause and effect. Scientists
try to identify both the cause and effect of a particular situation. This is done by using the
scientific method.
Thus the scientific method includes the following steps:
• Problem to be solved
• Hypothesis or educated guess of the solution
USDA Photo Library: ARS lab technician
Debra Williams and Kennedy High School
student Sean Gros label cotton bolls for
identification. Photo by Scott Bauer.
11
SAMPLE LESSON
Lesson
Grade
7
Lesson2
13
• Collect materials needed to perform
the experiment
• Pro c e d u re , o r h ow t o d o t h e
experiment
• Results, or what happened in the
experiment
• Conclusion
• Do you need to repeat the
experiment?
1. Choose one of the following experiments
to practice the scientific method.
a. Problem: If you drop two balls of
different sizes and different weights
from the same height at the same
time, which ball will hit the ground
first?
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John F. Kennedy High School students
Hypothesis (a guess of what you Christopher
Thompson, Angela Archer, and Sean
think might happen): The heavier Gros use a rotary evaporator to concentrate a
bacterial
culture
in a laboratory in New Orleans,
ball will hit the ground first. Or the
LA.
larger ball will hit the ground first.
Or they will both hit the ground at the same time. Choose one of these hypotheses
to test.
Materials: metal baking sheet to keep the balls from rolling all over the room,
two balls of different weights and sizes, a feather or sheet of paper, a chair.
Procedure: Set the metal baking sheet on the floor in front of the chair. Stand
on the chair, and hold the two balls at the same height. Drop the balls at the
same time. Which hits the baking sheet first? Do this experiment at least three
times.
Write a report of your results and a conclusion.
Repeat the experiment, holding the feather in one hand and a ball in the other.
12 1
OakMeadowEarthScienceSyllabus
Explain what happens. Were the results different than when two balls were
dropped? Why?
b. Problem: How does a paper towel soak up a spill? How does water get from a
plant’s roots to its leaves? The name for this is capillary action. If I put celery in
a cup of water with food coloring, will I see the colored water rise up the stem of
the celery? Does how much time I have the celery in the water make any difference
as to how high the water will rise?
Hypothesis: The colored water will rise up the stem of the celery. The colored water
will rise further given more time for the celery to soak in the colored water.
Materials: 4 same-size stalks of fresh celery with leaves, 4 cups or glasses, red and
blue food coloring, a measuring cup, 4 paper towels, a vegetable peeler, a ruler,
some old newspapers.
Procedure:
(1) Lay the 4 pieces of celery in a row
on a cutting board or counter so
that the place where the stalks
and the leaves meet matches up.
(2) Cut all 4 stalks of celery 4 inches
(about 10 centimeters) below
where the stalks and leaves
meet.
(3) Put the 4 stalks in 4 separate cups
of purple water (use 10 drops of
red and 10 drops of blue food
coloring for each half-cup of
water).
(4) Label 4 paper towels in the
following way: “2 hours,” “4
hours,” “6 hours,” and “8 hours.”
OAK MEADOW
Lesson2
1
(You may need newspapers under the towels).
(5) Every 2 hours from the time you put the celery into the cups, remove
1 of the stalks and put it onto the correct towel. (Notice how long it
takes for the leaves to start to change.)
(6) Each time you remove a stalk from the water, carefully peel the rounded
part with a vegetable peeler to see how far up the stalk the purple water
has traveled.
(7) What do you observe? Notice how fast the water climbs the celery. Does
this change as time goes by? In what way?
(8) Measure the distance it has traveled and record this amount.
(9) Optional: You can repeat this experiment with white carnations.
Write a report of the results and the conclusion to your experiment.
c. Create and undertake an experiment of your own choosing. State your problem
or question, hypothesis, the materials you used, the method of your experiment,
the results, and your conclusion. Comment on your experiment by telling how
it could have been done differently if you had different tools, more information,
or anything else. Do your results suggest a follow-up experiment?
Math 7
Lesson 9 - 1
Math 7 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Lesson 9
EXPONENTS
When we multiply one number by the same number, we call this a
square. We can find the square of any number by multiplying that number
by itself. So the square of 3 is 9, because 3 x 3 = 9, and the square of 5 is
25, because 5 x 5 = 25.
Squares are simply repeated multiplication of the same number.
When we want to indicate repeated multiplication of any number, we do this
with an exponent. For example, we can indicate the square of 3 by writing
2
3 . The small 2 that is at the upper right of the 3 is called an exponent, and
the 3 is called the base. The exponent indicates how many times the number
is to be used in the repeated multiplication. If we write this out in a
horizontal format, we can see clearly what this means:
2
3 = 3×3
Since 3 × 3 is 9, we can say that
2
TEST
1. List each of the steps in the scientific method.
2. Explain each step in the scientific method.
3 =9
We read numbers with exponents in the following way:
2
We read 3 as "3 to the second power," or "3 squared."
3. How is the scientific method similar to the logical thinking one does for the
accomplishment of any project or task?
We read 5 as "5 to the third power," or "5 cubed."
4. If this process is common sense, why does the scientific community need to have
this format called the scientific method?
We read 6 as "6 to the fourth power."
3
4
5
We read 2 as "2 to the fifth power."
3
Example 1: What is the value of 4 ?
SAMPLE LESSON—GRADE 7
13
SAMPLE LESSON
Math 7
Lesson 9 - 2
3
4 means 4 × 4 × 4 , which we can solve like this:
4
×4
16
×4
64
Lesson
Grade
7
3
So we can say that 4 = 6 4
4
Example 2: What is the value of 2 ?
4
2 = 2× 2× 2× 2 = 16
Math 7
Lesson 11 - 5
ORDER OF OPERATIONS WITH
MULTIPLICATION AND DIVISION
We have seen that we proceed from left to right in completing an
expression that contains addition and subtraction operations, unless there are
parentheses in the expression. What if an expression that has addition and
subtraction also contains multiplication or division operations? In the order
of operations, multiplication and division operations come before addition
and subtraction operations. So if you are evaluating an expression that
contains addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, you complete the
multiplication and division operations first, and then you complete the
addition and subtraction operations. Look at the following example:
Example 1: 6 + 2 5 ÷ 5
Since this expression contains both addition and division, we
complete the division operation first by dividing 25 by 5 to get 5. Then we
complete the addition operation by adding the 6 and the 5 to get the final
answer of 11. The complete process looks like this:
6 + 25 ÷ 5 =
6+5=
11
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Example 2: 2 ⋅ 4 − 6 ÷ 2 + 7
This expression contains all four processes, so we complete the
multiplication and division process first. Then we complete the addition and
subtraction operations. The final process looks like this:
2⋅4 − 6 ÷2 + 7 =
8−3+7 =
5+7 =
12
Suppose an expression contains all four operations and operations in
parentheses? In the order of operations, parentheses always come first, so
you complete the operations in parentheses first, then you complete the
multiplication or division operations, and finally you complete the addition
or subtraction operations. Look at the following example:
14 OAK MEADOW
Math 7
Lesson 33 - 7
Math 7
Lesson 33 - 8
TRIANGLES
A triangle is any figure that has only three sides. Triangles come in
many different shapes and sizes, but we can classify triangles in two ways:
by their angles or by their sides.
Here are examples of these three types of triangles:
CLASSIFYING BY ANGLES
When we classify triangles by their angles, we look at the kinds of
angles that are in the triangles. The types of triangles are related to three
angles that we have learned: acute, right, and obtuse.
Acute triangle - All three angles are acute.
Right triangle - One angle is a right angle.
Obtuse triangle - One angle is an obtuse angle.
Here are examples of these three types of triangles:
SUM OF THE ANGLES
All triangles have three angles, and the sum of the angles of a triangle
always equals 180 degrees.
Example 1: A certain triangle has two angles of 30 degrees and 90 degrees.
What is the size of the third angle?
The sum of the two known angles is 120 degrees. We subtract this
from 180 to find the size of the third angle.
180 - 120 = 60
The third angle is 60 degrees.
AREA OF A TRIANGLE
CLASSIFYING BY SIDES
When we classify triangles by their sides, we look at the length of the
sides. There are three types of triangles classified by sides.
Just as we have calculated the area of rectangles and circles, we can
also calculate the area of a triangle. We can see the basis for finding the area
of a triangle in the process we followed to find the area of a rectangle. To
find the area of a rectangle, we multiply the length by the width. As you can
see in the following diagram, a triangle is half of a rectangle:
Equilateral triangle - All three sides are the same length.
Isosceles triangle - Two sides are the same length.
Scalene triangle - None of the sides is the same length.
SAMPLE LESSON—GRADE 7
15
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Meadow
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