Sequoia Middle School

This year-long course helps seventh grade students deepen their understanding of proportional relationships to solve complicated problems.  They extend their understanding of rational numbers to include computation (add, subtract, multiply, and divide).  Irrational numbers are introduced in seventh grades. Algebraic foundations are practiced and extended.  Students continue to extend their understanding of probability and statistics by describing populations based on sampling, and investigate chance to develop, use, and evaluate probability models.

· Use proportional relationships to solve multi-step operation and percent problems

à If a person walks ½ mile in each ¼ hour, what is her speed per hour?

· Compute unit rates

· Add, subtract, multiply, and divide rational numbers

· Know irrational numbers (numbers that are not rational) and approximate them with rational numbers

à The decimal of √2 (an irrational number) is 1.4142435623.  Understand that √2 is between 1 and 2, then between 1.4 and 1.5, and explain how to continue on to get better approximations

· Use properties of operations to solve algebraic equations

· Use square root and cube root symbols to represent solutions to equations

· Evaluate square root and cube roots (of small perfect square roots and cube roots)   Know that √2 is irrational

· Use numbers multiplied by a power of ten to estimate very large or very small quantities  (the population of the United States is 3 x 10⁸)

· Add, subtract, factor, and expand linear expressions.  Construct simple equations and inequalities to solve problems

· Draw, construct, and describe geometrical figures and describe the relationships between them

· Solve problems involving angle measure, area, surface area, and volume (cylinders, cones, and spheres)

· Know formulas for volumes of cones, cylinders, and spheres

· Know the formulas for area and circumference of a circle

· Use random sampling to describe and compare populations

·  Find, calculate, and explain the probability of a chance event

à For example, if a student is selected from a class, find the probability that Jane will be selected and the probability that a girl will be selected.

à Or if 40% of donors have type A blood, what is the probability that it will take at least 4 donors to find one with type A blood?