Year 7 Program

The proficiency strands understanding, fluency, problem-solving and reasoning are an integral part of mathematics content across the three content strands: number and algebra, measurement and geometry, and statistics and probability. The proficiencies reinforce the significance of working mathematically within the content and describe how the content is explored or developed. They provide the language to build in the developmental aspects of the learning of mathematics. The achievement standards reflect the content and encompass the proficiencies.

At the Year 7 level:

• understanding includes describing patterns in uses of indices with whole numbers, recognising equivalences between fractions, decimals, percentages and ratios, plotting points on the Cartesian plane, identifying angles formed by a transversal crossing a pair of lines, and connecting the laws and properties of numbers to algebraic terms and expressions
• fluency includes calculating accurately with integers, representing fractions and decimals in various ways, investigating best buys, finding measures of central tendency and calculating areas of shapes and volumes of prisms
• problem-solving includes formulating and solving authentic problems using numbers and measurements, working with transformations and identifying symmetry, calculating angles and interpreting sets of data collected through chance experiments
• reasoning includes applying the number laws to calculations, applying known geometric facts to draw conclusions about shapes, applying an understanding of ratio and interpreting data displays.

The English curriculum is built around the three interrelated strands of language, literature and literacy. Teaching and learning programs should balance and integrate all three strands. Together, the strands focus on developing students’ knowledge, understanding and skills in listening, reading, viewing, speaking, writing and creating. Learning in English builds on concepts, skills and processes developed in earlier years, and teachers will revisit and strengthen these as needed.

In Years 7 and 8, students communicate with peers, teachers, individuals, groups and community members in a range of face-to-face and online/virtual environments. They experience learning in familiar and unfamiliar contexts that relate to the school curriculum, local community, regional and global contexts.

Students engage with a variety of texts for enjoyment. They listen to, read, view, interpret, evaluate and perform a range of spoken, written and multimodal texts in which the primary purpose is aesthetic, as well as texts designed to inform and persuade. These include various types of media texts including newspapers, magazines and digital texts, early adolescent novels, non-fiction, poetry and dramatic performances. Students develop their understanding of how texts, including media texts, are influenced by context, purpose and audience.

In Year 7, students explore the diversity of life on Earth and continue to develop their understanding of the role of classification in ordering and organising information. They use and develop models such as food chains, food webs and the water cycle to represent and analyse the flow of energy and matter through ecosystems and explore the impact of changing components within these systems. They consider the interaction between multiple forces when explaining changes in an object’s motion. They explore the notion of renewable and non-renewable resources and consider how this classification depends on the timescale considered. They investigate relationships in the Earth-sun-moon system and use models to predict and explain events. Students make accurate measurements and control variables to analyse relationships between system components. They explore and explain these relationships through appropriate representations and consider the role of science in decision making processes.

In Year 8, Humanities and Social Sciences consists of Civics and Citizenship, Economics and Business, Geography and History.

Students develop increasing independence in critical thinking and skill application, which includes questioning, researching, analysing, evaluating, communicating and reflecting. They apply these skills to investigate events, developments, issues, and phenomena, both historical and contemporary.

Students continue to build on their understanding of the concepts of the Westminster system and democracy by examining the key features of Australia’s democracy, and how it is shaped through the Australian Constitution and constitutional change. The concepts of justice, rights and responsibilities are further developed through a focus on Australia’s legal system.

An understanding of the concepts making choices and allocation is further developed through a focus on the interdependence of consumers and producers in the market, the characteristics of successful businesses, including how specialisation and entrepreneurial behaviour contributes to business success. Work and work futures are introduced, as students consider why people work. Students focus on national issues, with opportunities for the concepts to also be considered in relation to local community or global issues where appropriate.

The concepts of place, space, environment, interconnection, sustainability and change continue to be developed as a way of thinking and provide students with the opportunity to inquire into the nature of water as a natural resource. The concept of place is expanded through students’ investigation of the liveability of their own place. They apply this understanding to a wide range of places and environments at the full range of scales, from local to global, and in a range of locations.

Students develop their historical understanding through key concepts, including evidence, continuity and change, cause and effect, perspectives, empathy, significance and contestability. These concepts are investigated within the historical context of how we know about the ancient past, and why and where the earliest societies developed.

In Year 7, the content expands students’ knowledge, understanding and skills to help them achieve successful outcomes in personal, social, movement and online situations. They learn how to take positive action to enhance their health, safety and wellbeing by applying problem-solving and effective communication skills, and through a range of preventive health practices.

Students continue to develop and refine specialised movement skills and focus on developing tactical thinking skills in a range of contexts and applying them to physical activities. They have opportunities to analyse their own and others’ performance using feedback to improve body control and coordination. They learn about health-related and skill-related components of fitness and the types of activities that improve individual aspects of fitness. The application of fair play and ethical behaviour continues to be a focus for students as they consider modified rules, scoring systems and equipment, which allows participants to enjoy physical activities and experience success. They begin to link activities and processes to the improvement of health and fitness.

The Health and Physical Education curriculum provides opportunities for students to develop, enhance and exhibit attitudes and values that promote a healthy lifestyle.

In Year 7, students have opportunities to learn about technologies in society at least once in the following technologies contexts: Engineering principles and systems; Food and fibre production; Food specialisations; and Materials and technologies specialisations. Students are provided with opportunities to design and produce products, services and environments.

Students have opportunities to select from a range of technologies, materials, components, tools and equipment. They consider the ways characteristics and properties of technologies can be combined to design and produce sustainable solutions. They develop strategies which enable them to consider society and ethics; social, ethical and sustainability factors. Students’ use of creativity, innovation and enterprise skills is encouraged to increase independence and collaboration.

Students are given opportunities to respond to feedback from others and evaluate their design processes and solutions. They investigate design and technology solutions and the implications for each on society, locally, regionally and globally. Students develop their techniques for evaluating the advantages and disadvantages of design ideas.

Students have opportunities to engage with a range of technologies, including a variety of graphical representation techniques to communicate ideas. Students generate and clarify ideas through sketching, modelling and perspective drawings.

Students identify the increasingly complex sequences and steps involved in design tasks. They develop plans to manage design tasks, including safe and responsible use of materials and tools to successfully complete design tasks.

In Year 7, learning in Digital Technologies focuses on further developing understanding and skills in computational thinking, such as decomposing problems and engaging students with a wider range of information systems as they broaden their experiences and involvement in national, regional and global activities.

Students have opportunities to create a range of solutions, such as interactive web applications or simulations.

Students explore the properties of networked systems. They acquire data from a range of digital systems. Students use data to model objects and events. They further develop their understanding of the vital role that data plays in their lives.

Students are provided with further opportunities to develop abstractions, identifying common elements, while decomposing apparently different problems and systems to define requirements; and recognise that abstractions hide irrelevant details for particular purposes. When defining problems, students identify the key elements of the problems and the factors and constraints at play. They design increasingly complex algorithms that allow data to be manipulated automatically.

Students predict and evaluate their developed and existing solutions, considering time, tasks, data and the safe and sustainable use of information systems.

Students plan and manage individual and team projects with some autonomy. They consider ways of managing the exchange of ideas, tasks and files and feedback. When communicating and collaborating online, students develop an understanding of different social contexts; for example, acknowledging cultural practices and meeting legal obligations.

In Year 7 students will explore and develop food related interests and skills. They will learn about how food impacts us on the every-day basis and the importance of overall health and wellbeing.

Students will organise, implement and manage food production as well as understand food availability, safety and quality.

In the Automotive course students develop skills and understandings relating to the component parts, accessories, systems and technologies of the automotive vehicle. Students develop the principles underpinning the operation of vehicle systems and subsystems. They also develop the knowledge and skills needed to service, maintain and repair these systems. Students develop effective communication, teamwork skills and environmental awareness when developing solutions to planning and managing automotive vehicle systems.

In Year 7, Drama students will be given an opportunity to plan, develop and present drama to peers by safely using processes, techniques and conventions of drama. Drama will be improvised, or taken from appropriate, published script excerpts (e.g. Australian or world drama), using selected drama forms and styles (Note: students will have an opportunity to present a scripted drama and improvisation performance at least once over Year 7 and Year 8). Student work in devised and/or scripted drama is the focus of informal reflective processes using generalised drama terminology and language.

Teachers are required to address knowledge and skills in Drama through one or more of the forms or styles below. Other forms and styles may be used in addition to teach knowledge and skills in Drama.

Drama forms and styles for Year 7: restoration comedy, circus, Kathakali, medieval theatre or ritual theatre.

In Year 7, students are provided with opportunities to view media work within the context of the selected focus. They are introduced to the basic communication model, explore different viewpoints in contemporary media, plan and create representations in media work and respond to their own work and the work of others.

Students work as a team, follow timelines, and use processes and strategies to ensure safe and responsible use of media equipment.

In Year 7, students have opportunities to use and apply Visual Arts language and artistic conventions in their design and production process. They create 2D and/or 3D artwork through projects which encourage personal response and an understanding of compositional structure. Students are made aware of the need for safe Visual Arts practices, and present their artwork for display.

Students are introduced to an awareness of cultural, social and historical contexts that are embodied in artwork/art style which, in turn, allows them to link their own production to a given context. They consider how to present artwork to enhance audience interpretation.

Students are introduced to a critical analysis framework to analyse artwork and use Visual Arts terminology when responding.

Teachers are required to address knowledge and skills in Visual Arts through one art form and art style below. Other art forms and art styles may be used in addition to teach knowledge and skills in Visual Arts.

Art forms:
2D (drawing, painting, printmaking, textiles, illustration)
3D (ceramics, sculpture, installations)

Art styles:
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art, contemporary Australian and international art.