1999 Seventh Grade California Curriculum Standards
By sjl@sonic.net
This information in this section was extracted from
the California State Board of Education curriculum standards
web page, which is no longer available in its 1999 form.
It is reproduced here to make it easier to find the sections that
apply to seventh grade.
Tom's Commentary on the Curriculum
Math
There is a light treatment of a variety of math concepts in the areas
of algebra, geometry, statistics, and problem solving. This is a
reasonable but cautious approach and is not likely to be inspiring.
It does look like it provides a good foundation for more advanced
study.
Science
There is a bit too much emphasis on the 'stamp collecting' topics,
such as earth science and biology, but there is not an onerous
quantity of material. The treatment reflects the idea that science and
experimentation are observation and note-taking. This is an
impoverished view of science that alienates students from the
subject. It would be easy to turn this standard into a list
of facts to be memorized and forgotten.
English
The standard is a laundry list of topics, not a curriculum. The concepts
listed are so vague that virtually anything that happens in class could
arguably conform to the standard. This standard reaffirms my own personal
unflattering stereotypes of English instructors and instruction.
The standard repeatedly references
Recommended Readings in Literature, Kindergarten Through Grade Eight,
which appears to be an out-of-print book.
History
There are plenty of good topics to choose from in this curriculum.
The historical topics are outlined in a clear manner that effectively
communicates a thread of study.