7th Grade

What do we learn in 7th grade iml?

Collaboration & Team Work

The first few weeks of 7th grade IML we spend learning how to work collaboratively, as this is a skill students will need from now into adulthood. We do this through several different activities showing students the difference between just working side by side and truly collaborating and sharing ideas with one another.

Exploration of Digital Tools & Apps

Since IML is technology driven, we wanted to give the 7th graders some time to explore different types of digital tools and apps. We do this through learning journeys that are called Explorations. An Exploration lasts 10 days from start to finish and in those 10 days students explore a topic of their choice. Currently, these are the topics available to study:

3D Printing
Digital Art (Wacom Tablet)
Coding
GarageBand
GoAnimate
iMovie
Photoshop
SketchUp
Stop Motion Animation
Website Design

At the end of 10 days, each student is responsible for presenting to the class about what they learned about his/her topic.

Students will have the opportunity to do two separate Explorations during our IML rotation and one Exploration must be done with a partner.

**Click here to view the Exploration Website that students use!**

Goal Setting, Planning, and Reflecting

As part of each Exploration, students are required to set a SMART goal for themselves. This means they are figuring out specifically what they want to learn and why. To help students monitor their own learning and pace themselves appropriately, they also fill out a Daily Planner. This planner gives them a space to reflect on what they learned each day and it gives me the opportunity to give them specific feedback on their topic. This aspect of the Exploration not only coincides with IML standards, but it has ties to Language Arts and Life Long Learning Standards as well!

What are the learning standards for iml?

Collaboration

Collaboration is much more than just "cooperation." I strive to teach my students true collaboration, not just how to work side by side with peers. True collaboration is about the sharing of ideas as well as splitting up the work load. My IML students are graded on how well they can collaborate with their peers, so we do a lot of group projects. I grade each student individually on how well they contributed to the success of the group.

Creativity

Creativity is exactly what it sounds like! I grade students on how well they use creative thinking in their work. We want students to be able to use their own thoughts and ideas to create something that is all their own. By exploring their creative side, students build their knowledge base while also expressing themselves.

Critical Thinking & Communication

Critical thinking and communication are the two standards that are linked together in the online grade book. In IML, I help build students' critical thinking skills by giving them the chance to problem solve independently as well as with peers. The communication part of this standard is not about how they work with others, but how they communicate information or a message to other people. It's similar to speaking and listening grades that they receive in other classes, but with a technology twist to it.

These learning standards come from the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE)

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