In 7th Grade the student’s vibrant feeling life is deeply met with a rich panoramic curriculum. The student’s doubt and resistance towards authority is reflected in the history/language arts lessons that encompass the concepts of social renaissance and reformation, and a deeper awareness of varying perspectives.

The Age of Exploration, which meets the students’ inner drive to see over the next ridge and to find a path no one has ever found before, is a block that encourages each student to broaden their view and consider new possibilities. Explorers from around the world are introduced and their complicated legacies are discussed. Scientific discovery and the rise of modern science is also covered through the biographies of people who pushed beyond the bounds of what was known and promoted a new way of thinking.

In the science realm, 7th Graders study Chemistry and Physics. In Chemistry, students observe the qualities of combustion by building a fire and are introduced to the lime cycle and the effects of acids and bases. In Physics, they embark on the study of Mechanics and explore Electrical, Warmth and Visual phenomena by looking at how materials mediate our sense experiences. In learning the practical uses of the lever, students may  lift major boulders and even picnic tables with 7th Graders sitting on them! 

In the Perspective Drawing block, the students discover a way to bring math and art together in a beautiful way.  As math skills are further developed, the students’ confidence and attitude towards learning are strengthened. This is also the case for language arts, where the students strengthen language skills in the creative writing block while still keeping that feeling of life involved. The pedagogical aspects of the Wish, Wonder, and Surprise block bring consciousness to complex concepts like materialism, continuity of thinking, and can include aspects of social challenges. Throughout this journey of discovery there is an attempt to raise the drive and thinking of the students to reach further in all aspects of what they do and how they act.

One might liken 7th Grade to a long journey at sea, in which all of one’s capacities are challenged, and new skills are awakened.