In this course, students will review the sixth grade standards, while the seventh and eighth grade standards will be used to guide instruction. The emphasis in this standards based course is on algebraic thinking and on extending the understanding of the real number system to include integers, rational numbers, and irrational numbers. Students will investigate applications of number theory and will acquire skills in adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing rational numbers. In addition, students will use rational numbers to solve a variety of real-world problems. Students will solve applied problems by using one-step and multi-step equations and inequalities, percents, and proportional reasoning. Students will develop algebraic thinking by analyzing patterns to discover relationships, by representing information through symbolic, graphical, and tabular methods, and by identifying relationships that are linear. Throughout the course, there is an emphasis on the process standards of problem solving, communication, reasoning, representations, and connections.