Seventh Grade: Taking on Challenges Together

The middle year at JMSG is a time for girls to assert their maturing identities through positive risk-taking and deepening connections with others. Friendship remains a central theme in advising and RISE, with the focus shifting from making friends to changing and sustaining friendships over time, particularly through conflict resolution. There are more field trips in seventh grade, from East Bay tech companies to San Francisco murals, expanding the girls’ sense of themselves in the world. In the fall, the overnight ropes course trip represents a touchstone experience that builds courage and community as girls support one another through challenges. Throughout the year, learning becomes more self-directed, requiring girls to develop their independent and collaborative work habits. Group projects become the norm, culminating in the JMSG Spring Concert performances that are designed by the girls, affording many opportunities for problem-solving and leadership within the class. The year ends with Inca Day, a stepping-up experience when the seventh graders are ceremonially invited to become the next leaders of the school and, in turn, welcome the sixth graders to advance too.

Art

In seventh grade, students broaden their perceptions of art, how it is created and by whom, and the vital role art plays in our contemporary culture and history. Projects involve students' explorations of personal identity and societal issues through sculpture, large-scale mixed-media compositions, printmaking, and other techniques. By developing skills with tools and gaining a deeper understanding of the narrative aspect of artworks, students hone their ability to effectively communicate through the visual arts. Our end-of-the-year art show exhibits work by every student.

Humanities: The Medieval World

Seventh grade humanities combines historical study with language arts. Medieval world history is overlaid with texts and primary works from diverse regions. The readings include a range of literary genres including novels, short fiction, and poetry, which connect to and enhance the understanding of medieval history. Writing assignments include creative and expository writing. The course asks girls to contemplate the intersection of the individual and larger society. The combined humanities class has two teachers specializing in social studies and language arts who integrate curriculum. Some examples of the works the class reads in the course include the study of the fall of Rome and a look at dystopian society as in the novel, The Giver by Lois Lowry. Girls create a personal memory book and produce a play depicting the fall of Rome. The class also studies West African kingdoms as well as tribes that chose to remain traditional and not join an empire. Each girl chooses a tribe to research and writes a report about a tribe that today lives a traditional life. In language arts class, they read the poetic novel, The Red Pencil by Andrea Pinkney, which is about a Sudanese girl living through a civil war and then create a fictional prose poem based on the African tribal life they researched in social studies. To continue the global studies, the class learns about medieval Europe. The girls read Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and put on a Medieval Faire. Other regions of the world studied are the Middle East, Asia, and Mesoamerica. Throughout the year, students learn about the lifestyles and contributions of humans in the medieval era from around the world and their lasting impact on today.

Math: Pre-Algebra

In seventh grade, the class focuses on formulating and utilizing expressions and equations, grasping the concept of a function while using functions to describe quantitative relationships, and analyzing two- and three-dimensional solids using distance, angle, similarity, congruence, and the Pythagorean Theorem. Students will explore the connections among proportional relationships, lines, and linear equations.

Music

The music program at Julia Morgan School for Girls is aimed at bolstering our four Cs—creativity, confidence, compassion, and capability—while teaching valuable skills such as performance, communication, and teamwork. The seventh graders hone their music reading skills with one of the school horns; they are assigned a trumpet or clarinet that they practice at home. The students study different elements of composition, growing their base of music theory and using an iPad app to become composers and create their own songs! A dose of music history and the importance of creative collaboration is understood as groups discuss the influence and impact of historical musicians during the JMSG Debate Game. The culmination of all their learning is the spring concert, which provides an opportunity for all to sing with passion, play new and familiar instruments, dance and choreograph, and work together to build something greater than the sum of its parts.

Physical Education

The mission of the athletics program at Julia Morgan School for Girls is to inspire and challenge girls of all physical talents and interests to develop confidence, flexibility, strength, endurance, mental discipline, coordination, balance, and skill. Classes may include soccer, track and field, basketball, volleyball, kickball, flag football, ultimate frisbee, and active team building games. Themes include girls and sports, leadership, honoring the game, inclusion, healthy competition, team spirit, respecting self and others, and attitude. The focus for seventh grade PE is to build skills, while also working on core concepts such as being a supportive member of a team, personal fitness, goal setting, and attitude. Seventh graders participate in two classes throughout the year. In movement class the students will practice yoga and creative modern dance. In team sports and individual fitness classes, girls will participate in a variety of sports, strategy games, track and field, trail running, and circuit training.

RISE - Resilience, Identities, Self Awareness & Empathy

JMSG supports girls in developing their emotional intelligence and social skills through a weekly social and emotional learning class. The goal of RISE is to provide an atmosphere of trust within our community of girls, in which they can learn essential life skills, voice their feelings in a productive and safe way, and hear those feelings acknowledged by peers and teachers. RISE encourages girls to explore their choices, develop a strong sense of self, recognize similarities, and respect each other’s differences. Drawing on a combination of discussion, role-playing, videos, hands-on activities, and guest speakers, the classes will cover a number of relevant topics including communication, diversity, gender, body image, sex education, and mental health. While topics may be similar in each grade, the RISE curriculum uses developmentally age-appropriate materials for each level.

Science: Life Science

In life science class, the girls are encouraged to explore and observe nature. Through experimentation, creative expression and the practice of the scientific method, the girls learn about the organisms and environment that surrounds them. The course concentrates on direct and indirect observation, cell biology, genetics, and climate change.

Spanish

Seventh graders are in the second year of a three-year immersion-based Spanish program. While the primary focus is on increasing confidence and fluency in Spanish, the class also aims to deepen cultural competence within the diverse Spanish-speaking world.

STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art/Design, Math)

STEAM is a hands-on, cross-discipline class involving science, technology, engineering, art/design, and math. The course encourages collaboration and innovation, while developing communication and problem-solving skills. Through project-based learning, students are exposed to STEAM-related career opportunities. The seventh grade curriculum explores the fields of computer science, bioengineering, and manufacturing. Projects include building a skateboard, studying the ethics of manufacturing and sneaker design, 3D-printing, and designing a prosthetic arm.