Year 7 Term 3 Overview
Year 7 - Term 3 Curriculum
English
In English this term, students will be reading the text Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah as a means of analysing bias, prejudice and misrepresentations faced by the young protagonist. Students have built their contextual understanding of 1940s China to help make connections to the hardships that Adeline faces, along with the ancient customs and traditions of China that are presented in the text. They will work as a part of their Literature Circle groups to read, analyse and take notes on the main events, themes, characters and quotes included in the text. This practice will encourage students to use their speaking and listening, along with collaboration skills to discuss the text and answer a range of comprehension and analytical questions. Student’s work will be visually displayed in the classroom through their theme maps, character charts and collective timeline. They will evaluate social, moral and ethical issues relevant to the text and discuss how this can lead to social change.
Humanities
In Humanities, students will now move on to now look at ATSI and China. This unique unit will involve students looking at an array of historical facets; famous inventions, notable achievements, different elements of power and the implications that led to the famous trade route, the Silk Road. It is imperative that students note that this unit does not necessarily focus on looking at this unit through solely a historical lens, however, students will constantly keep this guiding question in mind - "Learning about the past enables us to understand how Ancient China's history has changed its civilization”. This will morph the unit in a way that takes away the aspect of learning about history, but on the contrary, look at it in a deeper way. Additionally, the students will also look at Settlement and Urbanisation concurrently as a part of a Geography unit. In this unit, students will undertake milestones that depict aspects such as defining and contextualising the terms urbanisation and urban concentration, using examples from around the world to explore where migrants to Australia have come from, their reasons for migration, urban settlement patterns and the effects on the environment and economy.
Health
During Term 3, students will be learning about digital/online safety and their responsibilities of maintaining a safe digital environment. They will explore digital footprints and create representations that explain the flow on effect within digital spaces. By investigating the features of various social media platforms, students will develop a better understanding of how to maintain a positive digital reputation. Moreover, students will have opportunities to explore scenarios related to common issues online (i.e. cyberbullying). In this unit, students will develop their critical and creative thinking skills to analyse the validity of information in digital spaces including investigating the source of information, audience and purpose. In pairs or small groups, they will discover their emotions responding to comments, images, information and media within digital spaces, and compare and contrast with others. In addition to this, students then will recognise the effect of their actions and what are the effective actions they can take to protect each other online. By the end of this unit, students will be able to make wise choices online to positively affect their daily lives and relationships with others.
Maths
During Term 3, in Year 7, in the area of Mathematics students will solve problems involving all four operations with fractions, decimals, percentages and their equivalences, and express fractions in their simplest form. They will make simple estimates to judge the reasonableness of results. Students will develop simple linear models for situations, make predictions based on these models, solve related equations and check their solutions. They will assign ordered pairs to given points on the Cartesian plane and interpret and analyse graphs of relations from real data. Students will identify issues involving the collection of discrete and continuous data from primary and secondary sources. They will construct stem-and-leaf plots and dot-plots. Students will identify as well as calculate mean, mode, median and range for data sets, using digital technology for larger data sets. They will describe the relationship between the median and mean in data displays. Students will determine the sample space for simple experiments with equally likely outcomes, and assign probability outcomes. They will make simple estimates to judge the reasonableness of results. Students will use variables to represent arbitrary numbers and connect the laws and properties of numbers to algebra and substitute numbers into algebraic expressions. They will describe different views of three-dimensional objects, and use models, sketches and digital technology to represent these views. Students will calculate volumes of rectangular prisms. They will make the connections between whole numbers and index notation and the relationship between perfect squares and square roots.
Science
In science students will work on the unit, Cells in term 3. Students will develop their understanding that a cell is the basic unit of life. They will understand that though cell structure and function are very diverse, all cells possess some common features: all prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells need to exchange materials with their immediate external environment in order to maintain the chemical processes vital for cell functioning. By the end of this unit, students will learn that Prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells have many features in common, but prokaryotes lack internal membrane bound organelles, do not have a nucleus, are significantly smaller than eukaryotes, usually have a single circular chromosome, and exist as single cells while eukaryotic cells, specialised organelles facilitate biochemical processes of photosynthesis, cellular respiration, the synthesis of complex molecules. The controlled and guided inquiry pedagogy will be used predominantly in this unit which will enable our students to learn and improve by asking questions and performing hands- on activities.
Technologies (Digital and Design)
In design technologies, students will explore food and fibre production both in the classroom and the school kitchen. This comprehensive program will involve studying the methods and practices of producing food and natural fibres within a managed environment while considering sustainability. Additionally, students will examine how specific characteristics and properties of foods influence their preparation and presentation. Understanding the unique attributes of each ingredient enables them to create healthier and more nutritious meals while enhancing their culinary skills. Moreover, the study of Materials and Technologies specialisations emphasises the selection and combination of material properties, systems, components, tools, and equipment to design solutions. Students will learn to use a broad range of materials and techniques effectively and safely in the production of designed solutions. Through hands-on experiences, they will gain valuable insights into the practical application of their knowledge, fostering a deeper understanding of the design process.
In digital technologies, students will create interactive stories, games, and animations by dragging and dropping blocks of code in Scratch. They will develop an understanding of the logic behind coding, including loops, conditions, and variables, with the purpose of thinking creatively, reasoning systematically, and working collaboratively. As a result, students will become adept at effectively utilising Scratch to create user-centred digital solutions, while also becoming proficient in communicating and collaborating in the online realm. Moreover, they will be conscious of ethical considerations and privacy concerns throughout their digital projects.