Elementary Curriculum
A Catholic education gives young students the intellectual and spiritual keys they need to explore the world of education. AOPS elementary students learn about the people who shape our lives, the discoveries that fueled our knowledge, and the love God shared to make this beautiful world possible.
We’ve partnered with the International Center for Leadership in Education to create a curriculum that is rooted in scholastic tradition and relevant for today’s world.
Here’s what’s covered at all of our elementary schools:
- The curricula followed by the students in the Elementary Schools of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia (AOP) are developed by and/or approved by the Secretary of Catholic Elementary Education (OCE). This is done in coordination through the Department of Curriculum, Instruction, Assessment and related Staff Development for Pre-K through grade 8.
- Guidelines for specific curriculum areas are prepared and disseminated through OCE. In teaching the content of any curriculum area, teachers should adhere to the content of the most recent curriculum guidelines, rather than any specific textbook series.
- Elementary curriculum guidelines are copyrighted material. Guidelines may not be copied in whole or part, electronically or by any other means.
View Subjects by Grade
Religion Grade 7
In Grade 7 Religion, some core themes include; the Bible: The New Testament and religious figures in it, Liturgy and Worship, Mary in the Gospels, Prayers to Mary, Liturgical times of Year, Saints as it relates to the time of year, Prayer, Sacramentals, Social Justice topics.
English Language Arts Grade 7
In Grade 7 English Language Arts, some common themes consist of: text complexity and the growth of comprehension, text types and responding to reading/research, flexible communication and collaboration, conventions, effective use, and vocabulary. These topics follow the 6-12 curriculum core detailed further in the full curriculum guide.
Mathematics Grade 7
In Grade 7 Mathematics, a consistent focus is placed on the following key areas: developing an understanding of and applying proportional relationships; developing an understanding of operations with rational numbers and working with expressions and linear equations; solving problems involving scale drawings and informal geometric constructions, and working with two- and three-dimensional shapes to solve problems involving area, surface area, and volume; and drawing inferences about populations based on samples.
Science Grade 7
In Grade 7 Science, a consistent focus is placed on the following key areas: Structure, Function and Information Processing; Matter and Energy in Organisms and Ecosystems; Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems; Growth, Development and Reproduction of Organisms; Natural Selection and Adaptions; and Engineering Design.
Social Studies Grade 7
In Grades 7, students will examine the United States and Pennsylvania through an historical lens. The sequence is arranged chronologically beginning with the settlement of North and South America by Native Americans and ending with an examination of the U.S. in the 21st century. Although the courses emphasize the skill of chronological reasoning and causation, the courses also integrate the skills and content from geography, politics, economy, and culture into the study of history.
Library Skills Grade 7
In Grade 7 Library Skills, classrooms focus on the following key topic areas: materials provided by information networks and electronic databases, reference books, in depth look into MLA and APAA formatting, author study, Copywrite Law, and different book awards.
Media Arts Grade 7
In Grade 7 Media Arts, classrooms focus on the following key topic areas: Digital Citizenship' Safe and Ethical Actions on the Internet; Organization; Cross-Platforms; Selection and Utilization; Keyboarding and Manipulation Skills; Media Comprehension; Word Processing; Research Skills and Interactive Discovery; Presentation and Appreciation; Inputting Hyperlinks; Reviewing Transitions, Timing, and Animation on Digital Platforms; Web Design; and Data Analytics.