Middle school is often a difficult transition for children and preteens. By the seventh grade, children are able to settle into the new routine of changing classes and teenage angst. This familiarity with routine and independence allows them to focus more on the academic challenges associated with their new grade.

If you want to ensure that your child is on track to success this academic year, take a look at what they should be learning in the seventh grade.

Reading and Writing

Language arts is one clear area that stands out from the previous years of schooling experience. Students will be presented with longer passages that require more than simple reading comprehension. Teachers will need students to make inferences about the meaning of the text and use outside sources to come up with their own conclusions.

This is a clear time for students to pinpoint the differences in texts, such as poetry, drama, and film. They may be exposed to new perspectives, analyze the use of word choice, and explain how elements work together to create a story.

Writing is also emphasized heavily during the seventh-grade year. Children are expected to back up their ideas with evidence. Many teachers will begin implementing a system of peer review, which allows students to experience multiple writing styles and receive feedback. Scholastic recommends that core writing skills will include:

• The ability to write an opinion piece, informative essay, or a narrative with age-appropriate conventional language
• Citing sources
• Using quotations for support
• Researching to come to a conclusion and answer a specific question

Math

Seventh-grade math classes provide the building blocks for your child’s future high school courses. Some schools may focus more exclusively on algebra concepts, but most provide a well-rounded combination of algebraic and geometric topics. Khan Academy includes some of these topics as a standard for a seventh-grade math course:

• Negative numbers
• Fractions, decimals, and percentages
• Ratios and proportions
• Algebraic equations
• Geometric shapes and measurements like volume and area
• Statistics and probability

Science

The content of a given science curriculum can vary drastically, but the concepts remain much the same. Children are expected to learn the basics of conducting an experiment, writing a hypothesis, and using the entire scientific method. At the end, they will typically write up a lab report which reinforces the skills taught in language arts.

The material covered in science will vary. However, some curriculum experts point out that many schools will cover biology topics like the human body or nature.

Social Studies

The primary goal of social studies is to teach seventh-graders how to take notes and study for exams properly. This core subject is often used to reinforce the topics seen in language arts and help to apply those skills to other areas. However, many schools will choose to give students a crash course in American history.

Your child’s seventh-grade year is packed with information that will influence the rest of their high school career. It includes important concepts that teach them independence in their academics, as well as the foundational items for language arts and math. If your child is struggling to meet these standards by the end of the year, it may be a good time to evaluate if tutoring is necessary to help them before eighth grade.