Overview
The Grade 7 mathematics curriculum is designed to build students conceptual understanding, problem-solving abilities and confidence as mathematicians through meaningful and connected learning experiences. Throughout the year, students explore a variety of mathematical concepts that build on prior knowledge while developing new skills applicable to both future mathematics courses and everyday life. The sequence of units emphasizes mathematical reasoning, communication and real-world applications, encouraging students to make connections across topics such as geometry, proportional relationships, percentages, statistics, rational numbers, algebra and probability. By the end of the course, students will have strengthened their mathematical proficiemcy and developed a deeper appreciation for the role mathematics plays in the world around them.
Unit 1: Math Is...
In Unit 1, Math Is..., students will think and talk about what it means to do math and to see themselves as a "doer of math." They will be encouraged to notice and wonder about how math is used in everyday situations, talk about their mathematical ideas and reflect on their experiences with mathematics.
Students build on their problem-solving skills as they consider alternative strategies for solving the problem presented.
Students model real-world situations with a range representations.
Students construct arguments to critique the reasoning of classmates.
Students use appropriate units in their calculations.
Students make generalizations after noticing repeated calculations with operations.
What does it mean to do math?
Ask your child what math problems they can think of that involve money. For example, they may need to determine how much more money they need to save to buy a new bike.
Encourage your child to have a positive attitude toward mathematics and learning.
Talk about math in a positive way. Choosing positive words when talking about math at home can help your child develop positive feelings around learning math.
Celebrate successes (both small and large).
Unit 2: Solve Problems Involving Geometry
In Unit 2, Solve Problems Involving Geometry, students will use their prior knowledge of geometry to develop understanding of angle relationships, triangles and composite geometric figures. Students will also build understanding of the parts of a circle and learn to measure circles. Geometric figures are an important topic for middle school math, with applications in algebra, geometry, probability, statistics and everyday life.
Students determine measures of a figure based on a scale drawing.
Students explore conditions that give a unique triangle.
Students understand why four side lengths can form infinitely many quadrilaterals.
Students explore cross sections.
Students find the surface area and volume of composite figures.
Students solve problems involving circumference and area of circles.
How can you use geometry to solve problems?
Ask your child to use scale drawings and geometric figures in everyday life.
Maps: Find the actual distance between two cities on a map using the scale provided on the map.
Gift Wrapping: Find the amount of decorative paper needed to cover a box that has a length of 6 inches, a width of 8 inches and a height of 3 inches.
Encourage your child to have a positive attitude twoard mathematics and learning.
As they work through problems, askyour child to explain their reaoning. You can ask questions, such as "Why did you..." and "How do you know?"
Encourage your child to connect geometry to everyday life. This helps build their math identity and belief that math can be used in powerful ways in daily life.
Unit 3: Proportional Relationships
In Unit 3, Proportional Relationships, students will use their prior knowledge of ratios and rates to develop understanding of proportional relationships. Proportional reasoning is a foundational topic for middle school mathematics, with applications in algebra, geometry, probability, statistics and everyday life!
Students represent proportional relationships using tables, graphs and equations.
Students determine the constant of proportionality.
Students use proportional reasoning to solve single- and multi-step problems.
Students recognize graphs of proportional relationships and understand the unit rate informally as a measure of the steepness of the related line, called the slope.
Students distinguish proportional relationships from other relationships.
How can you determine proportionality between two varying quantities?
Ask your child to use proportions to solve problems in everyday life.
Shopping: Find the total cost of a certain number of items based on the cost of a given number of items. For example, find the cost of 5 tickets if 2 tickets cost $30.
Driving: Find the distance traveled in 3 hours if the travel speed was constant.
Babysitting: Find the amount earned babysitting for 4 hours at a rate of $12 per hour.
Encourage your child to have a positive attitude towards mathematics and their learning.
Encourage them to ask questions (both at home and in class). Sometimes, an answer to a question will generate more questions. That's how you know they are learning!
Encourage your child to embrace challenges and remind them that every challenge is an opportunity to learn something new.
Celebrate successes (both small and large).
Unit 4: Solve Problems Involving Percentages
In Unit 4, Solve Problems Involving Percentages, students will use their prior knowledge of proportional relationships to develop an understanding of solving problems involving percentages. Becoming fluent in solving percent problems, empowers students to use percentages easily and confidently in everyday life.
Students use proportional reasoning to find the percent or part in a percent problem.
Students explain how the percent equation reflects a proportional relationship.
Students use the percent equation to solve percent problems.
Students solve problems involving percent increase and decrease.
Students solve problems involving markups and markdowns, simple interest and percent error.
How can percent describe the change of a quantity?
Ask your child to solve percent problems in everyday life.
Dining Out: Find the amount of the tip at a restaurant based on the total cost.
Savings: Find the difference in the amount of interest earned at the end of one year in a savings account with a simple interest rate of 5% versus an interest rate of 7%.
Encourage your child to have a positive attitude toward mathematics and learning.
Encourage your child to share what they learned in class with you. Discussing mathematics helps build conceptual understanding.
Talk about math in a positive way. Choosing positive words when talking about math at home can help your child develop positive feelings around learning math.
Unit 5: Sampling & Statistics
In Unit 5, Sampling & Statistics, students will use their prior knowledge of measures of center and variation to develop an understanding of sampling and statistics. Making inferences, interpreting surveys and recognizing bias are all skills that carry through life when making decisions and judging the validity of statements.
Students determine when statistical calculations can be done directly and when sampling is needed.
Students use statistics to estimate parameters and make inferences and critique statistical reasoning.
Students analyze the means of multiple samples, predict the population mean and describe the variability of the distribution of sample means.
Students use the IQR to compare medians of two populations and the MAD to compare the means of two populations.
How can you use samples to make inferences about a population?
Ask your child to solve sampling and statistics problems in everyday life.
Supplies: Find the number of sports drinks needed for 150 students if 12% of the students surveyed said they prefer sports drinks after practice.
Surveys: Determine whether a store used a valid sampling method by surveying only those who chose to respond to a social media post.
Encourage your child to have a positive attitude toward mathematics and leanring.
Remind your child that making mistakes helps them grow their mathematical and reasoning skills. Encourage them to go back and fix their mistakes as they work through the unit.
Unit 6: Solve Problems Involving Operations With Integers & Rational Numbers
In Unit 6, Solve Problems Involving Operations With Integers & Rational Numbers, students will draw on their prior knowledge of rational numbers and arithmetic operations to perform operations with positive and negative numbers.
Students write fractions as terminating and nonterminating decimals.
Students add rational numbers and analyze addition expressions that have sums equal to zero.
Students explore subtracting rational numbers using a number line.
Students explore the rules for multiplying signed numbers.
Students compute the quotient of two rational numbers and interpret quotients of rational numbers in real-world contexts.
Students use the order of operations to solve multi-step problems.
How are operations with integers related to operations with rational numbers?
Ask your child to apply operations with integers in everyday life.
Baking: Have your child determine how much of each ingredient is needed to double a recipe. Then have them represent the amounts as decimals.
Weather: Have your child track the daily high or low temperature for a week in your area. For each day, have them determine the change from the high or low temperature of the previous day.
Encourage your child to have a positive attitude toward mathematics and learning.
Encourage your child to draw connections to mathematics they already know, such as the order of operations. New learning is supported by utilizing prior kowledge.
When your child is frustrated, encourage them to take a break. Stepping away from a problem and returning to it with fresh eyes can lead to an "aha!" moment.
Unit 7: Work With Linear Expressions
In Unit 7, Work With Linear Expressions, students will use their prior knowledge of operations with algebraic expressions, greatest common factors and the Distributive Property to simplify linear expressions. Working with linear expressions will help students to make sense of complex algebraic models and to solve multi-step algebraic equations.
Students combine like terms to simplify expressions.
Students expand linear expressions using the Distributive Property.
Students add and subtract linear expressions.
Students interpret resulting equivalent expressions after adding or subtracting.
Students factor linear expressions.
Students interpret the meaning of a factored linear expressions.
Why is it beneficial to rewrite expressions in different forms?
Ask your child to apply linear expressions in everyday life.
Crafting: Ask your child to create an expression for the cost of items needed for a project given what they already have. For example, suppose you need 2 brushes and 5 canvases and you already have 1 brush and 3 canvases. The cost expression can be writte as 2b + 5c - (b + 3c) = b + 2c, where b is the cost of a brush and c is the cost of a canvas.
Pizza: Ask your child to create an expression for the cost of multiple pizzas with the same number of toppings t. For example, suppose a pizza costs $8 and each topping costs $1.50. The cost of 3 pizzas with the ame number of toppings can be written as 3(1.5t + 8) = 4.5t + 24.
Encourage your child to have a positive attitude toward mathematics and learning.
As they work through problems, ask your child to explain their reasoning. You can ask questions, such as "Why did you..." and How do you know?"
Encourage your child to connect linear expressions to everyday life. This helps build their math identity and belief that math can be used in powerful ways in life.
Unit 8: Solve Problems Using Equations & Inequalities
In Unit 8, Solve Problems Using Equations & Inequalities, students will apply their prior knowledge of one-step equations and writing inequalities to build an understanding of writing and solving one-step equations and one- and two-step inequalities. These skills are foundational for solving linear equations in one variable and pairs of simultaneous linear equations in later grades.
Students solve two-step equations of the form px + q =r and the form p(x + q) = r.
Students explore writing two-step equations to represent real-world problems.
Students write and solve one-step addition, subtraction, multiplication and division inequalities, reasoning about their solutions in the contexts of real-world problems.
Students write and solve two-step inequalities modeling solutions on a number line.
How can equations and inequalities be used to solve everyday problems?
Ask your child to use equations and inequalities in everyday life.
Shopping: Ask your child how many of an item they can buy with a certain amount of money. For example, if you start with $10 and spend $5 on milk, find how many $0.50 apples you can buy. The equation 05.0a + 5 = 10 represents the situation.
Family Trips: Give your child an arrival time for a trip. Ask them to write and solve and inequality to determine how many miles per hour the family should average to get there on time.
Encourage your child to have a positive attitude toward mathematics and learning.
Encourage your child to embrace challenges and remind them that every challenge is an opportunity to learn something new.
Celebrate successes (both small and large).
Unit 9: Probability
In Unit 9, Probability, students will develop an understanding of probability of simple and compound events. They will develop fluency with finding probabilities and relative frequencies. They will also compare probabilities and design simulations.
Students find the probability of an event by expressing it as a number between 0 and 1 and classify the likelihood of an event happening.
Students predict the relative frequency of an event and estimate the probability of an event by conducting an experiment.
Students find the theoretical probability that an event will occur.
Students compare experimental and theoretical probabilities.
Students find the probability of compound events and approximate the probability of a compound event using a simulation.
How can probability be used to predict future events?
Ask your child to use probabilities in everyday life.
Tongue Rolling: Suppose that 7 in 10 people can roll their tongues. Have your child predict how many of their classmates can roll their tongues using this probability.
Games: Suppose that to win a game you need to roll two sixes using a pair of dice. Have your child find the probability of winning the game.
Encourage your child to have a positive attitude toward mathematics and learning.
Encourage your child to share what they have learned in class with you. Discussing mathematics helps build conceptual understanding.
When working through problems, encourage your child to identify and organize the relevant information. This can help them make sense of problems.
Unit 10: Math Is...
In Unit 10, Math Is..., students will connect mathematics to everyday places, objects and situations. Recognizing connections between everyday life and mathematics reinforces that math is more than just a school subject.
Students discuss the role of math in their and other peoples lives.
Students discuss approaches for making sense of a problem and determining strategies for solving it.
Students explore different ways to use mathematics to represent real-world problems.
Students construct mathematical arguments and respond to the ideas and arguments of others.
Students consider strategies for uncovering patterns and using patterns to solve problems.
Students use generalizations derived from repeated reasoning to solve problems.
Students decide on classroom norms of interaction for a productive learning environment.
What is math?
Encourage your child to identify places where they see mathematics in everyday life.
Nature: Ask your child what patterns or structure they see in the plants and animals around them. For example, they may notice the repetition in a beehive or concentric circles in the rings of a tree.
Hobbies: Have your child identify how math is used in their hobbies or the sports they play. For example, they may find that statistics are an important part of a sport they play.
Encourage your child to have a positive attitude towards mathematics and their learning.
Encourage your child to explore challenges and remind them that every challenge is an opportunity to learn something new.
Remind your child that making mistakes helps them grow their mathematical and reasoning skills. Encourage them to go back and fix their mistakes as they work through the unit.
Encourage your child to connect the mathematics they have learned throughout the course to their everyday life. This helps build their math identity and their belief that math can be used in powerful ways in their life.