SOL Handbook by Grade

Grade Six

English Standards of Learning for Virginia Public Schools 2024 Grade 6

At the sixth-grade level, the student will demonstrate the ability to work with diverse teams working respectfully with others, participating both as a facilitator and contributor. There is a continued emphasis on text reading and fluency as the student begins to read and comprehend more complex literary and informational texts. In sixth grade, the student will take a deeper look at plot development and be able to explain how an author’s style impacts the reader’s interpretation of a text. There is an increased emphasis on informational reading by creating objective summaries and drawing inferences using textual evidence. These critical-thinking skills are foundational to technical reading and writing and are transferable across content areas. At the sixth-grade level, the student will continue to develop as both reader and writer. The student will also plan, draft, revise, and edit writing in a variety of forms to include multi-paragraph compositions with an emphasis on the development of elaboration and unity. Additionally, the student will be introduced to writing thesis statements. The student will be expected to have greater control over the conventions of writing. In addition, the student will evaluate the validity and authenticity of texts, and will research, organize, evaluate, and communicate information. The student will also learn to cite both primary and secondary sources and follow ethical and legal guidelines for gathering and using information. These skills are necessary for success in future postsecondary education and workplace environments.

Foundations for Reading

See Kindergarten through grade five for the Foundations for Reading standards.

Developing Skilled Readers and Building Reading Stamina

6.DSR The student will build knowledge and comprehension skills from reading a range of challenging, content-rich texts. This includes fluently reading and gathering evidence from grade-level complex texts, reading widely on topics to gain purposeful knowledge and vocabulary, and using reading strategies when comprehension breaks down.

A. Read a variety of grade-level complex text with accuracy, automaticity, appropriate rate, and meaningful expression in successive readings to support comprehension. Monitor while reading to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding when necessary (Reading Fluency, K-12).

B. Proficiently read and comprehend a variety of literary and informational texts that exhibit complexity at the lower range of the grade 6-8 band (See the Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis chart for determining complexity in the Appendix.) (Text Complexity, 2-12).

C. When responding to text through discussion and/or writing, draw several pieces of evidence from grade-level complex texts to support claims, conclusions, and inferences, including quoting or paraphrasing from texts accurately and tracing where relevant evidence is located (Textual Evidence, K-12).

D. Regularly engage in reading a series of conceptually related texts organized around topics of study to build knowledge and vocabulary (These texts should be at a range of complexity level so students can read the texts independently, with peers, or with modest support.). Use this background knowledge as context for new learning (Deep Reading on Topics to Build Knowledge and Vocabulary, K-12).

E. Use reading strategies as needed to aid and monitor comprehension when encountering challenging sections of text. These sense-making strategies attend to text structure, common organizational structures, summarizing, asking questions of the text, and others (Reading Strategies 3-12).

*Note: These standards will be applied when students are reading, writing, collaborating, and researching as described in the remaining standards.

Reading and Vocabulary

6.RV The student will systematically build vocabulary and word knowledge based on grade six content and texts.

6.RV.1 Vocabulary Development and Word Analysis

A. Develop and accurately use general academic language and content-specific vocabulary by listening to, reading, and discussing a variety of grade-six texts and topics.

B. Use context and sentence structure to determine multiple meanings of words and clarify the meanings of unfamiliar words and phrases.

C. Apply knowledge of Greek and Latin roots and affixes to predict the meaning of unfamiliar words.

D. Use the relationship between particular words, including synonyms and antonyms to better understand each word.

E. Explain the construction and meaning of figurative language, including simile, hyperbole, metaphor, and personification.

F. Clarify the meaning of an unknown word or select the applicable definition of a word from a text by using word reference materials.

G. Use general and specialized word-reference materials, print and digital, to identify word origins, derivations, and pronunciations.

H. Use newly learned words and phrases in multiple contexts, including in students’ discussions and speaking and writing activities.

Reading Literary Text

6.RL The student will use textual evidence to demonstrate comprehension and build knowledge from a variety of grade-level complex literary texts read to include short stories, literary nonfiction, novels, poetry, and drama.

6.RL.1 Key Ideas and Plot Details

A. Summarize texts, including determining the central theme of stories, plays, or poems, and how they are conveyed through specific details.

B. Describe plot developments in stories and dramas by examining the exposition, initiating event, central conflict, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.

C. Differentiate between internal and external conflicts (e.g., individual vs. Individual, individual vs. Nature, individual vs. Society, individual vs. Technology, and individual vs. Self) and explain how they impact character development and plot.

D. Explain how static and dynamic characters impact the plot.

E. Explain the role of the protagonist and antagonist on plot events.

6.RL.2 Craft and Style

A. Describe the poetic elements in prose and poetry (e.g., rhyme, rhythm, repetition, alliteration, and onomatopoeia) and their intended impact on the reader.

B. Explain elements of author’s style as purposeful choices (e.g., imagery, figurative language, and word choice) to develop tone.

C. Explain how an author develops the point of view (e.g., first-person, third person limited, third-person omniscient) of the narrator or speaker in a text and influences how events are described in stories, plays, or poems.

6.RL.3 Integration of Concepts

A. Describe how the interactions between individuals, settings, events, and ideas within a text influence one another.

B. Compare and contrast details in two or more paired literary fiction and nonfiction texts on the same topic or with similar themes, including how chapters, scenes, or stanzas work together to provide the overall structure of each text.

Reading Informational Text

6.RI The student will use textual evidence to demonstrate comprehension and build knowledge from grade-level complex informational texts read.

6.RI.1 Key Ideas and Confirming Details

A. Summarize texts, including their main idea(s) and how they are developed with specific details.

B. Describe how a key individual, event or idea is introduced, illustrated, and elaborated in historical, scientific, or technical texts (e.g., through examples or anecdotes).

C. Trace the argument and specific claims in texts, distinguishing claims that are supported by evidence and reasons, from claims that are not.

6.RI.2 Craft and Style

A. Determine the purpose of text features (e.g., boldface and italics type; type set in color; underlining; graphics and photographs; and headings and subheadings).

B. Explain how an author’s word choice, organizational pattern, and language structure convey the author’s purpose.

C. Explain how an author establishes and conveys a perspective or purpose in an informational text.

6.RI.3 Integration of Concepts

A. Describe ideas within and between selections including how specific sentences, paragraphs, or sections contribute to the development of ideas.

B. Compare and contrast one author’s presentation of ideas or events with another’s, identifying where the texts agree or disagree.

Foundations for Writing

See Kindergarten through grade five for Foundations for Writing standards.

Writing

6.W The student will compose various works for diverse audiences and purposes, linked to grade six content and texts.

6.W.1 Modes and Purposes for Writing

A. Write narratives to entertain, to share a personal experience, or to alter an existing story that uses narrative techniques to develop the characters, event(s), and experience(s).

B. Write expository texts to examine a topic or concept, logically conveying ideas and information using text structures such as description, comparison, or cause-effect to create cohesion.

C. Write persuasively about topics or texts, including media messages, supporting well-defined claims with clear reasons and evidence that are logically grouped.

D. Write reflectively in response to text(s) read to demonstrate thinking with details, examples, and other evidence from the text(s).

6.W.2 Organization and Composition

A. Generate and organize ideas using the writing process (planning, drafting, revising, editing) to develop multi-paragraph texts. This includes:

i. Composing a thesis statement that focuses the topic and introduces the piece clearly.

ii. Establishing a central idea incorporating evidence and maintaining an organized structure to fit the form and topic.

iii. Elaborating and supporting ideas, using relevant facts, definitions, details, quotations, and/or examples.

iv. Using transitions to show relationships between ideas, signal a shift or change in the writer’s thoughts, and make sentences clearer.

v. Selecting vocabulary and information to enhance the central idea, tone, and voice.

vi. Expanding and embedding ideas to create sentence variety.

vii. Providing a concluding statement or section.

6.W.3 Usage and Mechanics

A. Revise writing for clarity of content, word choice, sentence variety, and transition among paragraphs.

B. Self-and peer-edit for capitalization, spelling, punctuation, sentence structure, paragraphing, and Standard English (See Language Usage for grade level expectations).

Language Usage

6.LU The student will use the conventions of Standard English when speaking and writing, differentiating between contexts that call for formal English and situations where informal discourse is more appropriate.

6.LU.1 Grammar

A. Construct simple, compound, and complex sentences to communicate ideas clearly and add variety to writing.

B. Use pronoun-antecedent agreement, including indefinite and reflexive pronouns when speaking and writing.

C. Use adverbs to modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs to express manner, place, time, frequency, degree, and level of certainty precisely when speaking and writing.

D. Use phrases and clauses within a sentence and apply appropriate subject-verb agreement when speaking and writing.

E. Form and use often confusing verbs (e.g., lie/lay, sit/set, rise/raise) correctly in sentences.

6.LU.2 Mechanics

A. Construct complete sentences with appropriate punctuation, avoiding comma splices and run-ons in writing.

B. Use and punctuate dialogue and direct quotations appropriately in writing.

C. Recognize and consistently spell frequently used words accurately.

D. Consult reference materials to check and correct spelling.

Communication and Multimodal Literacies

6.C The student will develop effective oral communication and collaboration skills to build a community of learners that process, understand, and interpret content together.

6.C.1 Communication, Listening, and Collaboration

A. Facilitate and contribute to a range of sustained collaborative discussions with diverse partners on grade six topics and texts. This includes:

i. Listening actively through verbal and nonverbal communication and using agreed-upon discussion rules.

ii. Working respectfully by building on others’ ideas and showing value for others’ ideas and contributions.

iii. Asking relevant questions to clarify others’ perspectives.

iv. Communicating agreement or tactful disagreement with others’ ideas, using carefully constructed responses.

v. Paraphrasing and summarizing key ideas being discussed by using ample evidence, examples, or details to support opinions and conclusions.

vi. Evaluating the effectiveness of participant interactions and one’s own contributions to the collaborative work.

6.C.2 Speaking and Presentation of Ideas

A. Report orally on a topic or present an opinion. This includes:

i. Clearly communicating information in an organized or succinct manner.

ii. Providing evidence to support the main idea.

iii. Using language, vocabulary, and style appropriate to the audience, topic, and purpose.

iv. Using verbal communication skills, such as volume, tone, and enunciation to enhance the overall message.

v. Using nonverbal skills, such as proper posture and stance, gestures, and eye movement to enhance the overall message.

vi. Encouraging audience participation through planned interactions (e.g., questioning, discussion, gathering responses, and movement).

vii. Referencing source material as appropriate during the presentation.

6.C.3 Integrating Multimodal Literacies

A. Use media and visual literacy skills to select, organize, and create multimodal content that articulates the purpose of the presentation, using two or more communication modes to make meaning (e.g., still or moving images, gestures, spoken language, and written language).

B. Craft and publish audience-specific media messages that present claims and findings in a logical sequence.

6.C.4 Examining Media Messages

A. Interpret information presented in diverse media formats and explain how it contributes to the topic.

B. Explain how media messages are intentionally constructed to impact a specific audience.

C. Explain the characteristics and analyze the effectiveness of a variety of media messages by considering the results and/or impact on the intended audience.

Research

6.R The student will conduct research and read a series of conceptually related texts on selected topics to build knowledge on grade-six content and texts, solve problems, and support cross-curricular learning.

6.R.1 Evaluation and Synthesis of Information

A. Formulate appropriately narrow questions about a research topic and refocus the inquiry when appropriate.

B. Collect information from multiple sources, using search terms effectively.

C. Organize and synthesize information from multiple sources (primary, secondary, digital, and print) evaluating the relevance, usefulness, validity, and credibility of each source.

D. Develop notes that include important concepts and summaries, including quoting, summarizing, and paraphrasing research findings, avoiding plagiarism by using own words and following ethical and legal guidelines for gathering and using information.

E. Organize and share findings in formal and informal oral or written formats.

F. Give credit for information quoted or paraphrased using standard citations (e.g., author, article title, webpage, and publication date).

G. Demonstrate ethical and responsible use of all sources, including the Internet, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and new technologies as they develop.

Mathematics Standards of Learning for Virginia Public Schools 2023 Grade 6

The Grade 6 Standards provide a transition from the emphasis placed on whole number arithmetic in the elementary grades to an introduction to algebraic thinking. The Standards include a focus on single-step and multistep problems involving operations with integers and positive rational numbers. Students will determine equivalency, compare, and order decimals, fractions, and percents. Students will solve problems involving area and perimeter and begin to graph in a coordinate plane. In addition, students will continue using the data cycle by applying it to circle graphs and develop concepts regarding measures of center. Students will solve linear equations in one variable, write inequality statements, and use algebraic terminology. Students will use ratios to compare two quantities and represent proportional relationships as a precursor to the development of the concept of linear functions.

The building of mathematical knowledge can be enhanced by using technology tools when used strategically and to complement further learning during grades 6-8. The use of appropriate technology and the interpretation of the results from applying technology tools must be an integral part of teaching, learning, and assessment. However, facility in the use of technology shall not be regarded as a substitute for a student’s understanding of quantitative and algebraic concepts or for proficiency in basic computations. Students must learn to use a variety of methods and tools to compute, including paper and pencil, mental arithmetic, estimation, and the use of instructional technology. Graphing utilities, spreadsheets, calculators, dynamic applications, and other technological tools support mathematical problem solving, reasoning, and justification, as well as application in science, engineering, business and industry, government, and practical affairs.

In grades 6-8, the acquisition of specialized mathematical vocabulary and language builds as students continue to deepen their understanding of mathematics through communication and problem solving.

Problem solving increases in complexity as students progress into middle and high school. Students continue to build upon their mathematical knowledge by participating in problem-solving activities that promote higher levels of critical thinking and analysis.

Number and Number Sense

6.NS.1 The student will reason and use multiple strategies to express equivalency, compare, and order numbers written as fractions, mixed numbers, decimals, and percents.

Students will demonstrate the following Knowledge and Skills:

a) Estimate and determine the percent represented by a given model (e.g., number line, picture, verbal description), including percents greater than 100% and less than 1%.*

b) Represent and determine equivalencies among decimals (through the thousandths place) and percents incorporating the use of number lines, and concrete and pictorial models.*

c) Represent and determine equivalencies among fractions (proper or improper) and mixed numbers that have denominators that are 12 or less or factors of 100 and percents incorporating the use of number lines, and concrete and pictorial models.*

d) Represent and determine equivalencies among decimals, percents, fractions (proper or improper), and mixed numbers that have denominators that are 12 or less or factors of 100 incorporating the use of number lines, and concrete and pictorial models.*

e) Use multiple strategies (e.g., benchmarks, number line, equivalency) to compare and order no more than four positive rational numbers expressed as fractions (proper or improper), mixed numbers, decimals, and percents (decimals through thousandths, fractions with denominators of 12 or less or factors of 100) with and without models. Justify solutions orally, in writing or with a model. Ordering may be in ascending or descending order.*

* On the state assessment, items measuring this objective are assessed without the use of a calculator.

6.NS.2 The student will reason and use multiple strategies to represent, compare, and order integers.

Students will demonstrate the following Knowledge and Skills:

a) Represent integers (e.g., number lines, concrete materials, pictorial models), including models derived from contextual situations, and identify an integer represented by a point on a number line.

b) Compare and order integers using a number line.

c) Compare integers, using mathematical symbols (<, >, =).

d) Identify and describe the absolute value of an integer as the distance from zero on the number line.

6.NS.3 The student will recognize and represent patterns with whole number exponents and perfect squares.

Students will demonstrate the following Knowledge and Skills:

a) Recognize and represent patterns with bases and exponents that are whole numbers.

b) Recognize and represent patterns of perfect squares not to exceed , by using concrete and pictorial models.

c) Justify if a number between 0 and 400 is a perfect square through modeling or mathematical reasoning.

d) Recognize and represent powers of 10 with whole number exponents by examining patterns in place value.

Computation and Estimation

6.CE.1 The student will estimate, demonstrate, solve, and justify solutions to problems using operations with fractions and mixed numbers, including those in context.

Students will demonstrate the following Knowledge and Skills:

a) Demonstrate/model multiplication and division of fractions (proper or improper) and mixed numbers using multiple representations.*

b) Multiply and divide fractions (proper or improper) and mixed numbers that include denominators of 12 or less. Answers are expressed in simplest form.*

c) Investigate and explain the effect of multiplying or dividing a fraction, whole number, or mixed number by a number between zero and one.*

d) Estimate, determine, and justify the solution to single-step and multistep problems in context that involve addition and subtraction with fractions (proper or improper) and mixed numbers, with and without regrouping, that include like and unlike denominators of 12 or less. Answers are expressed in simplest form.

e) Estimate, determine, and justify the solution to single-step and multistep problems in context that involve multiplication and division with fractions (proper or improper) and mixed numbers that include denominators of 12 or less. Answers are expressed in simplest form.

* On the state assessment, items measuring this objective are assessed without the use of a calculator.

6.CE.2 The student will estimate, demonstrate, solve, and justify solutions to problems using operations with integers, including those in context.

Students will demonstrate the following Knowledge and Skills:

a) Demonstrate/model addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of integers using pictorial representations or concrete manipulatives.*

b) Add, subtract, multiply, and divide two integers.*

c) Simplify an expression that contains absolute value bars | | and an operation with two integers (e.g., –|5 – 8| or ) and represent the result on a number line.

d) Estimate, determine, and justify the solution to one and two-step contextual problems, involving addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division with integers.

* On the state assessment, items measuring this objective are assessed without the use of a calculator.

Measurement and Geometry

6.MG.1 The student will identify the characteristics of circles and solve problems, including those in context, involving circumference and area.

Students will demonstrate the following Knowledge and Skills:

a) Identify and describe chord, diameter, radius, circumference, and area of a circle.

b) Investigate and describe the relationship between:

i) diameter and radius;

ii) radius and circumference; and

iii) diameter and circumference.

c) Develop an approximation for pi (3.14) by gathering data and comparing the circumference to the diameter of various circles, using concrete manipulatives or technological models.

d) Develop the formula for circumference using the relationship between diameter, radius, and pi.

e) Solve problems, including those in context, involving circumference and area of a circle when given the length of the diameter or radius.

6.MG.2 The student will reason mathematically to solve problems, including those in context, that involve the area and perimeter of triangles and parallelograms.

Students will demonstrate the following Knowledge and Skills:

a) Develop the formula for determining the area of parallelograms and triangles using pictorial representations and concrete manipulatives (e.g., two-dimensional diagrams, grid paper).

b) Solve problems, including those in context, involving the perimeter and area of triangles and parallelograms.

6.MG.3 The student will describe the characteristics of the coordinate plane and graph ordered pairs.

Students will demonstrate the following Knowledge and Skills:

a) Identify and label the axes, origin, and quadrants of a coordinate plane.

b) Identify and describe the location (quadrant or the axis) of a point given as an ordered pair. Ordered pairs will be limited to coordinates expressed as integers.

c) Graph ordered pairs in the four quadrants and on the axes of a coordinate plane. Ordered pairs will be limited to coordinates expressed as integers.

d) Identify ordered pairs represented by points in the four quadrants and on the axes of the coordinate plane. Ordered pairs will be limited to coordinates expressed as integers.

e) Relate the coordinates of a point to the distance from each axis and relate the coordinates of a single point to another point on the same horizontal or vertical line. Ordered pairs will be limited to coordinates expressed as integers.

f) Draw polygons in the coordinate plane given coordinates for the vertices; use coordinates to determine the length of a side joining points with the same first coordinate or the same second coordinate. Ordered pairs will be limited to coordinates expressed as integers. Apply these techniques in the context of solving contextual and mathematical problems.

6.MG.4 The student will determine congruence of segments, angles, and polygons.

Students will demonstrate the following Knowledge and Skills:

a) Identify regular polygons.

b) Draw lines of symmetry to divide regular polygons into two congruent parts.

c) Determine the congruence of segments, angles, and polygons given their properties.

d) Determine whether polygons are congruent or noncongruent according to the measures of their sides and angles.

Probability and Statistics

6.PS.1 The student will apply the data cycle (formulate questions; collect or acquire data; organize and represent data; and analyze data and communicate results) with a focus on circle graphs.

Students will demonstrate the following Knowledge and Skills:

a) Formulate questions that require the collection or acquisition of data with a focus on circle graphs.

b) Determine the data needed to answer a formulated question and collect the data (or acquire existing data) using various methods (e.g., observations, measurement, surveys, experiments).

c) Determine the factors that will ensure that the data collected is a sample that is representative of a larger population.

d) Organize and represent data using circle graphs, with and without the use of technology tools. The number of data values should be limited to allow for comparisons that have denominators of 12 or less or those that are factors of 100 (e.g., in a class of 20 students, 7 choose apples as a favorite fruit, so the comparison is 7 out of 20, , or 35%).

e) Analyze data represented in a circle graph by making observations and drawing conclusions.

f) Compare data represented in a circle graph with the same data represented in other graphs, including but not limited to bar graphs, pictographs, and line plots (dot plots), and justify which graphical representation best represents the data.

6.PS.2 The student will represent the mean as a balance point and determine the effect on statistical measures when a data point is added, removed, or changed.

Students will demonstrate the following Knowledge and Skills:

a) Represent the mean of a set of data graphically as the balance point represented in a line plot (dot plot).

b) Determine the effect on measures of center when a single value of a data set is added, removed, or changed.

c) Observe patterns in data to identify outliers and determine their effect on mean, median, mode, or range.

Patterns, Functions, and Algebra

6.PFA.1 The student will use ratios to represent relationships between quantities, including those in context.

Students will demonstrate the following Knowledge and Skills:

a) Represent a relationship between two quantities using ratios.

b) Represent a relationship in context that makes a comparison by using the notations , a:b, and a to b.

c) Represent different comparisons within the same quantity or between different quantities (e.g., part to part, part to whole, whole to whole).

d) Create a relationship in words for a given ratio expressed symbolically.

e) Create a table of equivalent ratios to represent a proportional relationship between two quantities, when given a ratio.

f) Create a table of equivalent ratios to represent a proportional relationship between two quantities, when given a contextual situation.

6.PFA.2 The student will identify and represent proportional relationships between two quantities, including those in context (unit rates are limited to positive values).

Students will demonstrate the following Knowledge and Skills:

a) Identify the unit rate of a proportional relationship represented by a table of values, a contextual situation, or a graph.

b) Determine a missing value in a ratio table that represents a proportional relationship between two quantities using a unit rate.

c) Determine whether a proportional relationship exists between two quantities, when given a table of values, context, or graph.

d) When given a contextual situation representing a proportional relationship, find the unit rate and create a table of values or a graph.

e) Make connections between and among multiple representations of the same proportional relationship using verbal descriptions, ratio tables, and graphs.

6.PFA.3 The student will write and solve one-step linear equations in one variable, including contextual problems that require the solution of a one-step linear equation in one variable.

Students will demonstrate the following Knowledge and Skills:

a) Identify and develop examples of the following algebraic vocabulary: equation, variable, expression, term, and coefficient.

b) Represent and solve one-step linear equations in one variable, using a variety of concrete manipulatives and pictorial representations (e.g., colored chips, algebra tiles, weights on a balance scale).

c) Apply properties of real numbers and properties of equality to solve a one-step equation in one variable. Coefficients are limited to integers and unit fractions. Numeric terms are limited to integers.

d) Confirm solutions to one-step linear equations in one variable using a variety of concrete manipulatives and pictorial representations (e.g., colored chips, algebra tiles, weights on a balance scale).

e) Write a one-step linear equation in one variable to represent a verbal situation, including those in context.

f) Create a verbal situation in context given a one-step linear equation in one variable.

6.PFA.4 The student will represent a contextual situation using a linear inequality in one variable with symbols and graphs on a number line.

Students will demonstrate the following Knowledge and Skills:

a) Given the graph of a linear inequality in one variable on a number line, represent the inequality in two equivalent ways (e.g., x < -5 or -5 > x) using symbols. Symbols include <, >, ≤, ≥.

b) Write a linear inequality in one variable to represent a given constraint or condition in context or given a graph on a number line.

c) Given a linear inequality in one variable, create a corresponding contextual situation or create a number line graph.

d) Use substitution or a number line graph to justify whether a given number in a specified set makes a linear inequality in one variable true.

e) Identify a numerical value(s) that is part of the solution set of a given inequality in one variable.

Science Standards of Learning for Virginia Public Schools – Adopted 2018

In sixth grade, students are transitioning from elementary to middle school. The science standards support that transition as students examine more abstract concepts, providing a foundation in the disciplines of science. They explore the characteristics of their world, from the Earth’s placement in the solar system to the interactions of water, energy, air, and ecosystems on the Earth. As students more closely examine the use of resources, they also consider how their actions and choices affect future habitability of Earth. Students continue to develop scientific skills and processes as they pose questions and predict outcomes, plan and conduct investigations, collect and analyze data, construct explanations, and communicate information about the natural world. Mathematics and computational thinking gain importance as students advance in their scientific thinking. Students continue to use the engineering design process to apply their scientific knowledge to solve problems.

6.1 The student will demonstrate an understanding of scientific and engineering practices by

a) asking questions and defining problems

● ask questions to determine relationships between independent and dependent variables

● develop hypotheses and identify independent and dependent variables

● offer simple solutions to design problems

b) planning and carrying out investigations

● independently and collaboratively plan and conduct observational and experimental investigations; identify variables, constants, and controls where appropriate, and include the safe use of chemicals and equipment

● evaluate the accuracy of various methods for collecting data

● take metric measurements using appropriate tools

● use tools and materials to design and/or build a device to solve a specific problem

c) interpreting, analyzing, and evaluating data

● organize data sets to reveal patterns that suggest relationships

● construct, analyze, and interpret graphical displays of data

● compare and contrast data collected by different groups and discuss similarities and differences in findings

● use data to evaluate and refine design solutions

d) constructing and critiquing conclusions and explanations

● construct explanations that includes qualitative or quantitative relationships between variables

● construct scientific explanations based on valid and reliable evidence obtained from sources (including the students’ own investigations)

● generate and compare multiple solutions to problems based on how well they meet the criteria and constraints developing and using models

● use scale models to represent and estimate distance

● use, develop, and revise models to predict and explain phenomena

● evaluate limitations of models

e) obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information

● read scientific texts, including those adapted for classroom use, to obtain scientific and/or technical information

● gather, read, and synthesize information from multiple appropriate sources and assess the credibility, accuracy, and possible bias of each publication

● construct, use, and/or present an argument supported by empirical evidence and scientific reasoning

6.2 The student will investigate and understand that the solar system is organized and the various bodies in the solar system interact. Key ideas include

a) matter is distributed throughout the solar system;

b) planets have different sizes and orbit at different distances from the sun;

c) gravity contributes to orbital motion; and

d) the understanding of the solar system has developed over time.

6.3 The student will investigate and understand that there is a relationship between the sun, Earth, and the moon. Key ideas include

a) Earth has unique properties;

b) the rotation of Earth in relationship to the sun causes day and night;

c) the movement of Earth and the moon in relationship to the sun causes phases of the moon;

d) Earth’s tilt as it revolves around the sun causes the seasons; and

e) the relationship between Earth and the moon is the primary cause of tides.

6.4 The student will investigate and understand that there are basic sources of energy and that energy can be transformed. Key ideas include

a) the sun is important in the formation of most energy sources on Earth;

b) Earth’s energy budget relates to living systems and Earth’s processes;

c) radiation, conduction, and convection distribute energy; and

d) energy transformations are important in energy usage.

6.5 The student will investigate and understand that all matter is composed of atoms. Key ideas include

a) atoms consist of particles, including electrons, protons, and neutrons;

b) atoms of a particular element are similar but differ from atoms of other elements;

c) elements may be represented by chemical symbols;

d) two or more atoms interact to form new substances, which are held together by electrical forces (bonds);

e) compounds may be represented by chemical formulas;

f) chemical equations can be used to model chemical changes; and

g) a few elements comprise the largest portion of the solid Earth, living matter, the oceans, and the atmosphere.

6.6 The student will investigate and understand that water has unique physical properties and has a role in the natural and human-made environment. Key ideas include

a) water is referred to as the universal solvent;

b) water has specific properties;

c) thermal energy has a role in phase changes;

d) water has a role in weathering;

e) large bodies of water moderate climate; and

f) water is important for agriculture, power generation, and public health.

6.7 The student will investigate and understand that air has properties and that Earth’s atmosphere has structure and is dynamic. Key ideas include

a) air is a mixture of gaseous elements and compounds;

b) the atmosphere has physical characteristics;

c) properties of the atmosphere change with altitude;

d) there is a relationship between air movement, thermal energy, and weather conditions;

e) atmospheric measures are used to predict weather conditions; and

f) weather maps give basic information about fronts, systems, and weather measurements.

6.8 The student will investigate and understand that land and water have roles in watershed systems. Key ideas include

a) a watershed is composed of the land that drains into a body of water;

b) Virginia is composed of multiple watershed systems which have specific features;

c) the Chesapeake Bay is an estuary that has many important functions; and

d) natural processes, human activities, and biotic and abiotic factors influence the health of a watershed system.

6.9 The student will investigate and understand that humans impact the environment and individuals can influence public policy decisions related to energy and the environment. Key ideas include

a) natural resources are important to protect and maintain;

b) renewable and nonrenewable resources can be managed;

c) major health and safety issues are associated with air and water quality;

d) major health and safety issues are related to different forms of energy;

e) preventive measures can protect land-use and reduce environmental hazards; and

f) there are cost/benefit tradeoffs in conservation policies.

Standards of Learning Documents for History & Social Science – Adopted 2015

United States History to 1865

Students will use skills for historical and geographical analysis to explore the early history of the United States and understand ideas and events that strengthened the union. The standards for this course relate to the history of the United States from pre-Columbian times until 1865. Students will continue to learn fundamental concepts in civics, economics, and geography as they study United States history in chronological sequence and learn about change and continuity in our history. They also will study documents and speeches that laid the foundation for American ideals and institutions and will examine the everyday life of people at different times in the country’s history through the use of primary and secondary sources.

The study of history must emphasize the intellectual skills required for responsible citizenship. Students will practice these skills as they extend their understanding of the essential knowledge defined by all of the standards for history and social science.

Skills

USI.1 The student will demonstrate skills for historical thinking, geographical analysis, economic decision making, and responsible citizenship by

a) analyzing and interpreting artifacts and primary and secondary sources to understand events in United States history;

b) analyzing and interpreting geographic information to determine patterns and trends in United States history;

c) interpreting charts, graphs, and pictures to determine characteristics of people, places, or events in United States history;

d) using evidence to draw conclusions and make generalizations;

e) comparing and contrasting historical, cultural, and political perspectives in United States history;

f) determining relationships with multiple causes or effects in United States history;

g) explaining connections across time and place;

h) using a decision-making model to identify the costs and benefits of a specific choice made;

i) identifying the rights and responsibilities of citizenship and the ethical use of material or intellectual property; and

j) investigating and researching to develop products orally and in writing.

Geography

USI.2 The student will interpret maps, globes, photographs, pictures, or tables to

a) locate the seven continents and five oceans;

b) locate and describe major geographic regions of North America: Coastal Plain, Appalachian Mountains, Canadian Shield, Interior Lowlands, Great Plains, Rocky Mountains, Basin and Range, and Coastal Range;

c) locate major water features and explain their importance to the early history of the United States: Great Lakes, Mississippi River, Missouri River, Ohio River, Columbia River, Colorado River, Rio Grande, St. Lawrence River, Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, and Gulf of Mexico; and

d) recognize key geographic features on maps, diagrams, and/or photographs.

Exploration to Revolution: Pre-Columbian Times to the 1770s

USI.3 The student will apply social science skills to understand how early cultures developed in North America by

a) describing how archaeologists have recovered material evidence of ancient settlements, including Cactus Hill in Virginia;

b) locating where the American Indians lived, with emphasis on the Arctic (Inuit), Northwest (Kwakiutl), Plains (Lakota), Southwest (Pueblo), and Eastern Woodlands (Iroquois); and

c) describing how the American Indians used the resources in their environment.

USI.4 The student will apply social science skills to understand European exploration in North America and West Africa by

a) describing the motivations for, obstacles to, and accomplishments of the Spanish, French, Portuguese, and English explorations;

b) describing cultural and economic interactions between Europeans and American Indians that led to cooperation and conflict, with emphasis on the American Indian and European concept of land; and

c) identifying the location and describing the characteristics of West African societies (Ghana, Mali, and Songhai) and their interactions with traders.

USI.5 The student will apply social science skills to understand the factors that shaped colonial America by

a) describing the religious and economic events and conditions that led to the colonization of America;

b) describing life in the New England, Mid-Atlantic, and Southern colonies, with emphasis on how people interacted with their environment to produce goods and services;

c) describing specialization of and interdependence among New England, Mid-Atlantic, and Southern colonies;

d) describing colonial life in America from the perspectives of large landowners, farmers, artisans, merchants, women, free African Americans, indentured servants, and enslaved African Americans; and

e) explaining the political and economic relationships between the colonies and Great Britain.

Revolution and the New Nation: 1770s to the Early 1800s

USI.6 The student will apply social science skills to understand the causes and results of the American Revolution by

a) explaining the issues of dissatisfaction that led to the American Revolution;

b) describing how political ideas shaped the revolutionary movement in America and led to the Declaration of Independence;

c) describing key events and the roles of key individuals in the American Revolution, with emphasis on George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, and the Marquis de Lafayette; and

d) explaining reasons why the colonies were able to defeat Great Britain.

USI.7 The student will apply social science skills to understand the challenges faced by the new nation by

a) explaining the weaknesses and outcomes of the government established by the Articles of Confederation;

b) describing the historical development of the Constitution of the United States; and

c) describing the major accomplishments of the first five presidents of the United States.

Expansion and Reform: 1801 to 1861

USI.8 The student will apply social science skills to understand westward expansion and reform in America from 1801 to 1861 by

a) describing territorial expansion and how it affected the political map of the United States, with emphasis on the Louisiana Purchase, the Lewis and Clark expedition, and the acquisitions of Florida, Texas, Oregon, and California;

b) explaining how geographic and economic factors influenced the westward movement of settlers;

c) explaining the impact of westward expansion on American Indians;

d) describing the impact of inventions, including the cotton gin, the reaper, the steamboat, and the steam locomotive, on life in America; and

e) explaining the main ideas of the abolitionist and women’s suffrage movements.

Civil War: 1861 to 1865

USI.9 The student will apply social science skills to understand the causes, major events, and effects of the Civil War by

a) describing the cultural, economic, and constitutional issues that divided the nation;

b) explaining how the issues of states’ rights and slavery increased sectional tensions;

c) locating on a map the states that seceded from the Union and those that remained in the Union;

d) describing the roles of Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, Ulysses S. Grant, Robert E. Lee, Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, and Frederick Douglass in events leading to and during the war;

e) describing critical developments in the war, including the location of major battles; and

f) describing the effects of war from the perspectives of Union and Confederate soldiers (including African American soldiers), women, and enslaved African Americans.

Family Life Resources Standards for Virginia – Adopted 2020

6.1 The student will understand personal hygiene practices and the physical changes that occur during puberty.

Descriptive Statement: Changes during puberty are discussed in relation to the increased need for personal hygiene, for proper dental care, for frequent showering and shampooing, for the use of deodorants, for the use and disposal of pads and tampons, and for clean clothing.

6.2 The student will explain the effects of growth on development, attitudes and interests.

Descriptive Statement: The teacher provides opportunities for discussion of physical changes during puberty, group and non-group relationships, peer pressure, and boy/girl relationships. Emphasis is on the positive and normal aspects of differences among individuals.

6.3 The student will continue to identify physical and emotional changes that occur during puberty and their effects on growth and development.

Descriptive Statement: The following topics are discussed in relation to male and female changes during puberty: nocturnal emissions and erections; menstruation, masturbation; instability of emotions and ways of expressing these emotions appropriately; and approaches to developing a positive attitude toward one's sexuality.

6.4 The student will recall basic facts about sexually transmitted infections.

Descriptive Statement: Factual information is presented regarding sexually transmitted infections, including Chlamydia, Genital Herpes, Gonorrhea, HPV, and Syphilis. Diseases of the genitalia common to adolescents that are not sexually transmitted are described so as to allay unnecessary fears (such as vaginitis, urethritis, etc.).

6.5 The student will be able to describe the etiology, effects, and transmission of HIV.

Descriptive Statement: Instruction includes factual information regarding HIV and its transmission. The medical profession should be involved in teaching this objective (and other health‑related topics) to include the most up‑to‑date facts.

6.6 The student will summarize the process of human reproduction and the benefits of postponing premarital sexual activity.

Descriptive Statement: This is a review of the reproductive process and the advantages of delaying sexual involvement. The possible detrimental effects of premarital sexual activity for both males and females are emphasized. They include sexually transmitted infections, unintended pregnancy, infant mortality, and psychological (reputation, self‑esteem, etc.), social, economic, mental and physical consequences.

6.7 The student will describe personal characteristics that can contribute to happiness for self and others.

Descriptive Statement: This includes self‑discipline, self‑esteem, independence, acceptance of reality, acceptance of others, tolerance, concern for the needs of disabled persons, loyalty, honesty, cooperation, diligence, respect for proper authority, and acceptance of responsibility for self in relation to others. The student will practice appropriate and positive personal and social responses. The importance of privacy and boundaries for self and others is discussed as well as tools to ensure that the student respects the personal privacy and boundaries of others.

6.8 The student will demonstrate increased understanding of child abuse and neglect, including emotional and sexual abuse.

Descriptive Statement: This is accomplished by defining the types of abuse, including electronic harassment, and explaining the need to report such situations to a trusted adult such as a parent, teacher, minister, grandparent, or guardian. The teacher helps students identify resources for the reporting and treatment of child abuse, sexual and family violence.

6.9 The student will become aware of community healthcare and safety agencies and their functions.

Descriptive Statement: Instruction includes information about the availability of community agencies providing the following services: child abuse prevention; treatment of abuse victims; mental health counseling; teenage pregnancy prevention and counseling; family planning counseling; prenatal care; substance abuse prevention and treatment and support groups; suicide prevention; prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV; other general and specialized medical services, including the role of the family physician, local health department or community service board; police department, fire department, and other safety services; and community services provided by religious organizations. Parents are encouraged to learn about these agencies and to use their services when needed.

6.10 The student will explain the effects of substance use and abuse on the individual, family, school, and society.

Descriptive Statement: The effects of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs on the individual, family, school, and society are presented with emphasis on adolescent brain development genetic risks and fetal development, addiction, impaired driving, physical and sexual abuse, mental health issues, family violence, and the hazards of second‑hand tobacco use and smoking. Information on local community resources for obtaining help with these problems is included.

6.11 The student will evaluate the messages from mass media related to sexuality and gender stereotyping.

Descriptive Statement: Students progress from examining media messages in the fifth grade to evaluating messages from mass media related to sexuality and gender stereotyping, and the influence of negative media messages in the sixth grade. The avoidance of sexual exploitation, sexual violence, sexual abuse (including electronic harassment) and stereotyping is stressed. Students will understand how the media affects mental health issues related to sexuality and identify how the media can influence how people see themselves.

6.12 The student will be able to define human trafficking and identify where and how it occurs and explain laws protecting children from human trafficking, and/or inappropriate and abusive behavior of others.

Descriptive Statement: Defining human trafficking, differentiating between labor and sex trafficking will be discussed, including the recognition that human trafficking is a crime, and that victims may be any gender, any age, and any culture. Ways students can protect themselves and others from trafficking situations, how laws provide protection, and resources for victims will be discussed, along with ways to reach out to a safe adult to report an unsafe situation.

6.13 The student will apply decision‑making skills in problem-solving and in determining the possible outcomes of his or her decisions.

Descriptive Statement: Instruction includes the steps in the decision‑making process, problem solving, and assertive communication skills. Using positive mental health practices, students relate decision-making and problem‑solving skills to actual adolescent problems‑‑their own or situations presented in case problems. The effects of decisions on lifelong goals are emphasized, and students predict the possible outcomes of decisions made. Students will discuss the permanency of misuse of social media and text messaging including criminal penalties for engaging in sexually explicit communications. Career and other options available are stressed as choices and are identified in the decision-making process.

Standards of Learning Documents for Health – Adopted 2020

Students in grade six develop more sophistication in understanding health issues and practicing health skills. They apply physical, emotional, social, and environmental health skills and strategies to improve or maintain personal and family health (self-awareness, social awareness, self-management, responsible decision making, and relationship skills). Students begin to understand adolescent health issues and concerns and the relationship between choices and consequences (responsible decision making). They understand how to be a positive role model (social awareness and relationship skills) and the impact of positive and negative peer pressure (social awareness and relationship skills). Students demonstrate injury-prevention behaviors at school and elsewhere (self-management).

Essential Health Concepts

6.1 The student will apply critical thinking skills and personal management strategies to address issues and concerns related to personal health and wellness.

Body Systems

a) Identify and describe the major structures and functions of the renal and urinary systems (kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra).

Nutrition

b) Compare the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of macronutrients (i.e., carbohydrates, fat, protein) for adolescent males and females.

c) Explain ingredients in foods that may cause an allergic reaction.

Physical Health/Disease Prevention/Health Promotion

d) Describe causes of heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.

e) Identify a variety of immunizations and vaccines available to prevent communicable disease and illness.

f) Identify influences (e.g., family, peers, culture, screen time, media) on personal health choices.

g) Describe persuasive tactics used by various types of media.

Substance Abuse Prevention

h) Differentiate between proper use and misuse of prescription and nonprescription medications.

i) Recognize social influences/influencers on both the reduction and promotion of the use of alcohol, tobacco, nicotine products, and other drugs.

j) Define addiction and substance use disorder.

k) Identify different types of opioids.

l) Explain the importance of accepting responsibility for personal actions to avoid risk-taking behaviors related to substance use.

Safety/Injury Prevention

m) Identify strategies to prevent injuries, including safety habits in vehicles, on the Internet, in public areas, and during recreational activities.

n) Describe basic first aid and emergency procedures for common injuries, including sunburn, cuts, scrapes, and insect stings.

o) List types and purposes of school safety drills.

Mental Wellness/Social and Emotional Skills

p) Define body image and explain the importance of having a positive body image.

q) Analyze factors that contribute to group success (e.g., respecting individual differences and opinions, accepting responsibility, contributing positively, knowing when to lead and when to follow, dealing with conflict, using effective face-to-face and online communication skills).

r) Define mental health and describe what it means to be mentally healthy.

s) Describe personal strengths and areas for growth.

t) Identify potential positive and negative responses to stress and criticism.

u) Explain the importance of personal boundaries for physical, emotional, and social health.

Violence Prevention

v) Analyze the role of emotions and media influences on conflict and violence.

w) Describe the possible effects of bullying and cyberbullying, including the increased risk for harm and violence when bullying aggression persists.

x) Explain what a gang is and identify gang-related behaviors.

Community/Environmental Health

y) Assess environmental health and safety issues in the community.

z) Recognize that all individuals have a responsibility to protect and preserve the environment.

Healthy Decisions

6.2 The student will describe the influence of family, peers, and media on personal health decisions.

Body Systems

a) Describe the importance of proper hydration to support renal function.

Nutrition

b) Analyze the benefits of following recommended daily allowances for macronutrients when selecting beverages and planning meals and snacks.

c) Interpret information on a food label to identify a food product that may cause an allergic reaction.

Physical Health/Disease Prevention/Health Promotion

d) Identify strategies to prevent heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.

e) Describe the impact of immunizations and vaccines on individuals and others.

f) Explain the impact of external influences (e.g., family, peers, screen time, social media) on personal health choices.

g) Analyze a variety of media to identify tactics used to persuade consumers regarding physical activity, nutrition, sleep, or other areas of personal health products.

Substance Abuse Prevention

h) Evaluate the influence of media and marketing techniques on prescription, nonprescription, and unregulated medication choices.

i) Identify the benefits of a smoke and tobacco/nicotine-free environment.

j) Describe characteristics of substance use disorder.

k) Differentiate between legal and illegal drugs that fall into the opioid category.

l) Analyze family and peer pressure as influences on the use and nonuse of opioids, alcohol, tobacco, inhalants, and other drugs.

Safety/Injury Prevention

m) Explain the importance of accepting responsibility for personal actions to avoid risk-taking behaviors and injury.

n) Use a decision-making process to determine when medical assistance is needed.

o) Describe the consequences of not following school safety drill procedures.

Mental Wellness/Social and Emotional Skills

p) Describe how culture, media, and other external factors influence perceptions about body image.

q) Explain the importance of understanding the feelings and perspectives of others.

r) Identify protective and risk factors for mental illnesses and challenges.

s) Describe strategies to work through adversity and challenges.

t) Analyze internal factors, such as responses to criticism or stress, which influence emotional and social health.

u) Identify ways to set and communicate personal boundaries and how to respect the boundaries of others.

Violence Prevention

v) Explain methods to reduce violence and peacefully resolve conflict.

w) Recognize the role of family, peers, community, and the media in preventing bullying and cyberbullying.

x) Explain the importance of friends or adult mentors in avoiding gang involvement.

Community/Environmental Health

y) Explain the role of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and local agencies in protecting the environment.

z) Create and monitor progress toward a personal goal, service learning, or group project to protect the environment.

Advocacy and Health Promotion

6.3 The student will develop personal strategies and skills for personal, social, and community health.

Body Systems

a) Describe strategies to promote renal health.

Nutrition

b) Create a one-day plan for meals, snacks, and beverages that includes the daily recommended macronutrients.

c) Promote the understanding of the impact of food allergies on individuals.

Physical Health/Disease Prevention/Health Promotion

d) Promote strategies to prevent heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.

e) Identify strategies to reduce illness at home and at school.

f) Monitor personal progress toward physical activity, nutrition, and sleep goals.

g) Analyze the reliability of health product claims for physical activity, nutrition, sleep, or other areas of personal health.

Substance Abuse Prevention

h) Describe where to access accurate information on the proper use of prescription, nonprescription, and unregulated medications.

i) Examine the changes in school and community policies and laws regarding tobacco/nicotine-free environments.

j) Describe the types of support available at school and in the community for substance use disorders.

k) Describe the dangers of opioids in the home and the community impact of the national opioid epidemic.

l) Identify mental and health professionals and explain their role in preventing the use/abuse of prescription opioids and other drugs.

Safety/Injury Prevention

m) Develop a plan to remain injury-free, including avoiding risk-taking behaviors online and in the community and using safety equipment.

n) Demonstrate basic first aid and emergency procedures for common injuries, including sunburn, cuts, scrapes, and insect stings.

o) Demonstrate appropriate behaviors during lockdown, fire/evacuation, tornado, earthquake, and other safety drills.

Mental Wellness/Social and Emotional Skills

p) Analyze the influence of media on issues related to body image.

q) Demonstrate ways to show respect for individual differences, opinions, and beliefs.

r) Compile and promote personal, family, and community resources that can help oneself and others with mental illnesses and challenges.

s) Ability to set and monitor a personal goal to address one area of growth.

t) Ability to create a plan to manage stress.

u) Practice ways to communicate personal boundaries for privacy, safety, and expression of emotions and opinions.

Violence Prevention

v) Practice ways to resolve conflict peacefully.

w) Evaluate a plan to prevent or manage the effects of bullying and cyberbullying.

x) Identify resistance skills to avoid violence, gangs, weapons, alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs.

Community/Environmental Health

y) Identify careers and professions associated with environmental health.

z) Develop a plan to work collaboratively with peers, families, and community groups to address community environmental health and safety issues.

Standards of Learning Documents for Physical Education – Adopted 2022

Students in grade six apply fundamental skills and knowledge of anatomical structures and movement principles to build movement competence and confidence through acquisition, performance, and refinement of skills. Cooperative and competitive small-group games are appropriate as well as outdoor pursuits, fitness activities, dance and rhythmic activities, aquatics, individual performance activities, and sports (net/wall, striking/fielding, and goal/target), with an emphasis on developing skills and tactical understanding. Students use feedback to initiate and maintain practice to improve skill performance. Students assess their health-related fitness status and set reasonable and appropriate goals for development, maintenance, and improvement. Students in grade six will explain the connection between energy balance and nutrition guidelines, meal planning, and heart rate. Social interaction becomes more complex as peer pressure becomes increasingly pronounced, affecting individual performance. Students solve problems and make responsible decisions as they work together. They identify and seek opportunities to participate in regular physical activity at school and outside the school environment.

Motor Skill Development

6.1 The student will demonstrate all critical elements in movement forms in various activities and demonstrate the six components of skill-related fitness.

a) Combine and apply manipulative skills into small-sided games for overhand and underhand throwing and catching, throwing and catching to a target with accuracy and control, and hand and/or foot dribbling with accuracy at varying speeds while applying spatial awareness within partner and small-group modified game-play.

b) Combine and apply the manipulative skills of volleying with a partner over a net or against a wall with changes in force, accuracy, and direction into small-sided games.

c) Combine and apply the manipulative skills of striking/batting an object with a short and long implement with changes in force, accuracy, direction in small-sided games.

d) Combine and apply manipulative skills in small-sided games, dribbling/passing a soccer ball with accuracy at varying speeds while applying spatial awareness to a partner or within a small group.

e) Create and perform a movement sequence in a jump rope or dance activity.

f) Demonstrate and apply the six components of skill-related fitness (i.e., agility, balance, coordination, power, reaction time, and speed).

g) Demonstrate basic offensive and defensive strategies in noncomplex, modified, and small-sided activities.

Anatomical Basis of Movement

6.2 The student will apply both movement principles and concepts including the knowledge of anatomical structures to movement-skill performance.

a) Refine and adapt individual and group activity skills by applying concepts of relationships, effort, spatial awareness, direction, speed, accuracy, and pathways to improve performance.

b) Apply knowledge of the skeletal system by identifying major joints, associated bones, and types of joints, including ball-and-socket, and hinge joint.

Fitness Planning

6.3 The student will apply skills of measurement, analysis, goal setting, problem solving, and decision making to improve or maintain physical fitness.

a) Create a basic personal fitness plan for at least one health-related component of fitness, including baseline fitness data, a SMART goal, activities that will address the goal, a log of activities inside and outside school, reassessment data (post-data) and reflection of goal progress/attainment.

b) Identify a variety of resources, including available technology to evaluate, monitor, and record activities for fitness improvement.

c) Calculate resting, active, and recovery heart rate during a variety of physical activities, and identify the relationship between heart rate and rate of perceived exertion (RPE) levels.

d) Describe how being physically active improves physical and mental health.

e) Interpret fitness data, comparing individual scores to health-related criterion-referenced standards (Virginia wellness-related fitness standards, FitnessGram®, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines).

f) Create and implement an activity plan to meet the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans and identify the necessary safety precautions for participation.

g) Describe a rate of perceived exertion scale.

Social and Emotional Development

6.4 The student will demonstrate and apply skills of communication, conflict resolution, and cooperation to achieve individual and group goals that apply to working independently and with others in physical activity settings.

a) Demonstrate effective communication and creative thinking skills to solve problems, make decisions and resolve conflict with others, and promote safe participation in physical activities.

b) Compare and critique rules, safety procedures, and etiquette for two different physical activities.

c) Develop an improvement plan for a self-selected physical activity, discuss the challenges faced, and reflect on how these challenges were overcome.

d) Describe the benefits of competitive and noncompetitive physical activities.

e) Demonstrate integrity and apply rules/etiquette for a team-building activity.

f) Participate in developing student-led classroom activities that promote feelings of inclusion, which support feelings of acceptance, belonging, and being valued, for all students.

Energy Balance

6.5 The student will explain the relationship between energy balance and nutrition guidelines, meal planning, and exercise intensity.

a) Create a one-day meal and snack plan based on Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA), portions, hydration, and sugar.

b) Describe the relationship between resting heart rate and exercise intensity.

c) Explain the effects of physical activity guidelines on energy expenditure.

Standards of Learning for Digital Learning Integration – Adopted 2020

Content Strand: Empowered Learner (EL)

Standard: Students leverage technologies, including assistive technologies, to take an active role in choosing, achieving, and demonstrating competency in their learning goals, informed by the learning sciences.

1. Students articulate and set personal learning goals, develop strategies leveraging technology to achieve them, and reflect on the learning process itself to improve learning outcomes.

*Students articulate personal learning goals, select and use appropriate technologies to achieve them, and reflect on their successes and different areas of improvement in working toward their goals.

1. Build networks and customize their learning environments in ways that support the learning process.

*In collaboration with an educator, students identify and develop digital learning

communities and customize their learning environments in ways that support their

learning.

1. Use technology to seek feedback that informs and improves their practice and to demonstrate their learning in a variety of ways.

*Students seek feedback from people, including peers, teachers, staff familiar with assistive technologies, and functionalities embedded in technologies to make changes to improve and demonstrate their learning.

1. Understand the various fundamental concepts of technology operations, demonstrate the ability to choose, use, and troubleshoot technologies and transfer knowledge to explore emerging technologies.

*Students use a variety of appropriate technologies, troubleshoot appropriate

technologies, and transfer their knowledge to explore emerging technologies.

Content Strand: Digital Citizen (DC)

Standard: Students recognize the rights, responsibilities and opportunities of living, learning and working in an interconnected digital world, and they act in ways that are safe, legal, and ethical.

1. Cultivate and manage their digital identity and reputation and are aware of the permanence of their actions in the digital world.

*Students manage their digital identities and reputations, including demonstrating an understanding of their digital footprints.

1. Engage in positive, safe, legal, and ethical behavior when using technology, including social interactions online or when using networked devices.

*Students demonstrate and advocate for positive, safe, legal, and ethical habits

(established behaviors) when using technology and interacting with others online.

1. Demonstrate an understanding of and respect for the rights and obligations of using and sharing intellectual property.

*Students demonstrate and advocate for an understanding of intellectual property with both print and digital media—including copyright, permission, and fair use.

1. Manage their personal data to maintain digital privacy and security and are aware of data-collection technology used to track their activity online.

*Students demonstrate an understanding of what personal data is, how data collection technologies work, tradeoffs of sharing personal data, and best practices for keeping it private and secure.

Content Strand: Knowledge Constructor (KC)

Standard: Students critically curate a variety of digital resources using appropriate technologies, including assistive technologies, to construct knowledge, produce creative digital works, and make meaningful learning experiences for themselves and others.

1. Plan and employ effective research strategies to locate information and other digital sources for their intellectual or creative pursuits.

*Students practice and demonstrate the ability to effectively use research strategies to locate appropriate primary and secondary digital sources in a variety of formats to support their academic and personal learning and create a research product.

1. Evaluate the accuracy, perspective, credibility, and relevance of information, media, data, and other digital sources.

*Students practice and demonstrate the ability to evaluate digital sources for accuracy, perspective, credibility, and relevance, including considerations of social and cultural context and bias.

1. Curate information from digital sources using a variety of tools and methods to create collections of resources that demonstrate meaningful connections or conclusions.

*Students locate and collect digital resources from a variety of digital sources and organize resources into collections for a wide range of projects and purposes.

1. Actively explore real-world issues and problems, develop ideas and theories, and pursue answers and solutions.

*Students use digital resources and tools to explore real-world issues and problems and actively pursue solutions.

Content Strand: Innovative Designer (ID)

Standard: Students use a variety of technologies, including assistive technologies, within a design process to identify and solve problems by creating new, useful or imaginative solutions or iterations.

1. Know and use appropriate technologies in a purposeful design process for generating ideas, testing theories, creating innovative digital works, or solving authentic problems.

*In collaboration with an educator, students use appropriate technologies in a design process to generate ideas, create innovative products, or solve authentic problems.

1. Select and use appropriate technologies to plan and manage a design process that considers design constraints and calculated risks.

*In collaboration with an educator, students select and use appropriate technologies to plan and manage a design process that identifies design constraints and trade-offs and weighs risks.

1. Use appropriate technologies to develop, test, and refine prototypes as part of a cyclical design process.

*In collaboration with an educator, students use appropriate technologies in a cyclical design process to develop prototypes and demonstrate the use of setbacks as potential opportunities for improvement.

1. Exhibit a tolerance for ambiguity, perseverance, and the capacity to work with open-ended problems.

*In collaboration with an educator, students demonstrate an ability to persevere and handle greater ambiguity as they work to solve open-ended problems.

Content Strand: Computational Thinker (CT)

Standard: Students develop and employ strategies for understanding and solving problems in ways that leverage the power of technological methods, including those that leverage assistive technologies, to develop and test solutions.

1. Formulate problem definitions suited for technology-assisted methods such as data analysis, modeling and algorithmic thinking in exploring and finding solutions.

*Students create, identify, explore, and solve problems using technology-assisted methods such as data analysis, modeling, or algorithmic thinking.

1. Collect data or identify relevant data sets, use appropriate technologies to analyze them, and represent data in various ways to facilitate problem-solving and decision-making.

*Students find or organize data and use appropriate technologies to interpret, analyze, and represent data to construct models, predict outcomes, solve problems, and make evidence-based decisions.

1. Break problems into component parts, extract key information, and develop descriptive models, using technologies when appropriate, to understand complex systems or facilitate problem-solving.

*Students break problems into component parts, identify key pieces and use that information to problem solve using technologies, when appropriate.

1. Understand how automation works and use algorithmic thinking to develop a sequence of steps to create and test automated solutions.

*Students demonstrate an understanding of how automation works and use algorithmic thinking to design and automate solutions.

Content Strand: Creative Communicator (CC)

Standard: Students communicate clearly and express themselves creatively for a variety of purposes using appropriate technologies (including assistive technologies), styles, formats, and digital media appropriate to their goals.

1. Choose the appropriate technologies and resources for meeting the desired objectives of their creation or communication.

*Students select and use appropriate technologies to create, share, and communicate their work effectively, considering the audience.

1. Create original works or responsibly repurpose or remix digital resources into new creations.

*Students use appropriate technologies to create new digital works or responsibly repurpose or remix other digital works into new digital works.

1. Communicate complex ideas clearly and effectively by creating or using a variety of digital objects such as visualizations, models, or simulations.

* Students communicate complex ideas clearly using appropriate technologies to convey the concepts orally, textually, visually, graphically, etc.

1. Publish or present content that customizes the message and medium for the intended audiences.

*Students select and use appropriate technologies to design, publish, and present content that effectively convey their ideas, conclusions, and evidence for specific audiences.

Content Strand: Global Collaborator (GC)

Standard: Students use appropriate technologies, including assistive technologies, to broaden their perspectives and enrich their learning by collaborating with others and working effectively in teams locally and globally.

1. Use appropriate technologies to connect with learners from a variety of backgrounds and cultures, engaging with them in ways that broaden mutual understanding and learning.

*Students use appropriate technologies to connect with others to develop a richer understanding of different perspectives, backgrounds, and cultures.

1. Use collaborative technologies to work with others, including peers, experts, and community members to examine issues and problems from multiple viewpoints.

*Students use collaborative technologies to work with others, including peers, experts, and online community members to gain broader perspectives as they examine issues, problems, and opportunities.

1. Contribute constructively to project teams, assuming various roles and responsibilities to work effectively toward a common goal.

*Students determine their role on a team based on their knowledge of content and technologies, as well as personal preference, and use appropriate technologies to track team progress toward a common goal.

1. Explore local and global issues and use collaborative technologies to work with others to investigate solutions.

*Students use collaborative technologies to work with others to understand problems,

investigate and develop solutions related to local and global issues.

Standards of Learning Documents for Computer Science – Adopted 2017

The sixth-grade standards emphasize constructing programs and utilizing algorithms to accomplish a task. Students continue to decompose larger problems into smaller tasks and recognize the impacts of computing and computing devices. Students in sixth grade begin to understand the means of storing data as representations of real world phenomena. The accurate use of terminology as well as the responsible use of technology will continue to be built upon. The foundational understanding of computing and the use of technology will be an integral component of successful acquisition of skills across content areas.

Algorithms and Programming

6.1 The student will construct programs to accomplish a task as a means of creative expression or scientific exploration using a block based or text based programming language, both independently and collaboratively,

a) combining control structures such as if-statements and loops; and

b) creating clearly named variables that represent different data types, including numeric and non-numeric data, and perform operations on their values. [Related SOL: Math 6.3, 6.6]

6.2 The student will trace programs to predict outcomes and debug (correct and improve) for correctness.

6.3 The student will seek and incorporate feedback from team members and users to refine a program that meets user needs.

6.4 The student will incorporate existing code, media, and libraries into original programs, and give attribution.

Computing Systems

6.5 The student will design projects that combine hardware and software components to collect and exchange data.

Cybersecurity

6.6 The student will identify physical and digital security measures used to protect electronic information.

Data and Analysis

6.7 The student will explain how binary sequences are used to represent digital data. Exclusion: Conversions between binary and base-ten numbers are beyond the scope of these standards.

6.8 The student will collect data using computational tools then clean and organize to make it more useful and reliable.

6.9 The student will explain the insight and knowledge gained from digitally processed data by using appropriate visualizations.

6.10 The student will use models and simulations to formulate, refine, and test hypotheses.

Impacts of Computing

6.11 The student will explain how computing has impacted innovations in other fields.

6.12 The student will explore careers related to data. [Related SOL: English 6.6]

Networking and the Internet

6.13 The student will explain why the speed of data transmission across the Internet can vary depending on the type of data being transmitted.

This document provides a general guide for the content material your child will be exposed to during their sixth grade year.

Please sign the form below indicating receipt of the Sixth Grade Standards of Learning and return by the second week of school.

✂----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have read the Sixth Grade Standards of Learning document.

Student’s Name ________________________________________________________________

Parent/Guardian’s Name _________________________________________________________

Date _________________________

Grade Seven

English Standards of Learning for Virginia Public Schools 2024 Grade 7

At the seventh-grade level, the student will continue to deliver multimodal presentations individually and in collaborative groups. The student will also interpret information presented in diverse media formats and share responsibility for collaborative work, as both a contributor and a facilitator, while striving for consensus to accomplish goals. The student will continue the study of word origins and roots and begin to distinguish among connotations of words. There is a continued emphasis on text reading and fluency as students continue to read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts. In literary texts, the student will analyze point of view, interpret the author’s style, and compare and contrast texts on similar topics. When reading informational texts, the seventh-grade student will analyze how authors use evidence, facts, and opinions to support points in multiple texts. Reading and writing will continue to be an integrated process wherein the student will use authors and texts read as models when working on techniques in their own writing. The student will continue to write for a variety of audience and purposes, focusing on the development of a clear central idea, tone, and voice. In persuasive writing, the student will be able to clearly state claims using evidence from a text or personal experience as support. The seventh-grade student will be expected to have greater control over the conventions of writing. In research, the student will find, evaluate, and select appropriate resources for an oral, visual, written, or multimodal research product. They will evaluate the validity and authenticity of sources, and will apply research techniques to quote, summarize, and paraphrase findings. These skills are necessary for success in future postsecondary education and workplace environments.

Foundations for Reading

See Kindergarten through grade five for Foundations for Reading standards.

Developing Skilled Readers and Building Reading Stamina

7.DSR The student will build knowledge and comprehension skills from reading a range of challenging, content-rich texts. This includes fluently reading and gathering evidence from grade-level complex texts, reading widely on topics to gain purposeful knowledge and vocabulary, and using reading strategies when comprehension breaks down.

A. Read a variety of grade-level complex text with accuracy, automaticity, appropriate rate, and meaningful expression in successive readings to support comprehension. Monitor while reading to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, as necessary (Reading Fluency, K-12).

B. Proficiently read and comprehend a variety of literary and informational texts that exhibit complexity at the mid-range of the grades 6-8 band. (See the Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis charts for determining complexity in the Appendix.) (Text Complexity, 2-12).

C. When responding to text through discussion and/or writing, draw several pieces of evidence from grade-level complex texts to support claims, conclusions, and inferences, including quoting or paraphrasing from texts accurately and tracing where relevant evidence is located (Textual Evidence, K-12).

D. Regularly engage in reading a series of conceptually related texts organized around topics of study to build knowledge and vocabulary (These texts should be at a range of complexity levels so students can read the texts independently, with peers, or with modest support.). Use this background knowledge as context for new learning (Deep Reading on Topics to Build Knowledge and Vocabulary, K-12).

E. Use reading strategies as needed to aid and monitor comprehension when encountering challenging sections of text. These sense-making strategies attend to text structure, common organizational structures, summarizing, asking questions of the text, and others (Reading Strategies, 3-12).

*Note: These standards will be applied when students are reading, writing, collaborating, and researching as described in the remaining standards.

Reading and Vocabulary

7.RV The student will systematically build vocabulary and word knowledge based on grade seven content and texts.

7.RV.1 Vocabulary Development and Word Analysis

A. Develop and accurately use general academic language and content-specific vocabulary by listening to, reading, and discussing a variety of grade-seven texts and topics.

B. Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence or paragraph; a word’s position or function in a sentence) to determine the meaning of words or phrases.

C. Apply knowledge of Greek and Latin roots and affixes to predict the meaning of unfamiliar words.

D. Use the relationship between particular words, including synonyms, antonyms, and analogies to better understand each word.

E. Analyze the construction and meaning of figurative language, including simile, hyperbole, metaphor, and personification.

F. Distinguish among the nuances in the meaning of connotations of words with similar denotations.

G. Use general and specialized word-reference materials, print and digital, to identify word origins and derivations, pronunciations, precise meanings, and their parts of speech.

H. Use newly learned words and phrases in multiple contexts, including in students’ discussions and speaking and writing activities.

Reading Literary Text

7.RL The student will use textual evidence to demonstrate comprehension and build knowledge from a variety of grade-level complex literary texts read to include short stories, literary nonfiction, novels, poetry, and drama.

7.RL.1 Key Ideas and Plot Details

A. Describe stated or implied themes of texts and analyze their development throughout the texts using specific details.

B. Analyze how the central conflict and key elements (e.g., exposition, initiating event, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution) impact plot development.

C. Explain how static and dynamic characters and the roles of protagonist and antagonist influence plot events.

7.RL.2 Craft and Style

A. Analyze how elements of authors’ styles (e.g., word choice, dialogue, form, voice, rhyme, rhythm, and/or sound devices) contribute to meaning in various forms of prose and poetry.

B. Analyze how the elements of an author’s style (e.g., word choice, sentence structure, dialogue, figurative language, imagery) are used to influence and develop tone.

C. Explain how an author develops the points of view of different characters in a text (e.g., first-person, third person limited, third-person omniscient) and how they affect the reader’s interpretation of a text.

7.RL.3 Integration of Concepts

A. Explain how particular elements of stories or dramas interact including how settings shape and influence characters and plot.

B. Compare and contrast texts in different forms or genres (e.g., stories and poems; historical novels and fantasy stories) in terms of their approaches to similar themes and topics.

Reading Informational Text

7.RI The student will use textual evidence to demonstrate comprehension and build knowledge from grade-level complex informational texts read.

7.RI.1 Key Ideas and Confirming Details

A. Create a main idea statement and provide an accurate summary of how key events or ideas develop through the text.

B. Analyze how the author unfolds a perspective or series of ideas or events in historical, scientific, or technical texts, including the order in which the points are made and how they are introduced and developed.

C. Trace the argument and specific claims in texts and assess whether all the evidence presented is relevant and whether irrelevant evidence was introduced.

7.RI.2 Craft and Style

A. Analyze how an author uses text features (e.g., boldface and italics; type set in color; underlining; indentation; sidebars; illustrations, graphics and photographs; headings and subheadings; footnotes and annotations) to enhance and support the reader’s comprehension.

B. Analyze how an author’s word choice, organizational pattern, and language structure impact the author’s purpose and support the reader’s comprehension.

C. Analyze how an author’s purpose(s) reflects the author’s perspective (e.g., beliefs, assumptions, biases) and influences the meaning of an informational text.

7.RI.3 Integration of Concepts

A. Analyze ideas within and between selections including how specific sentences, paragraphs, or sections contribute to the development and meaning of ideas.

B. Compare and contrast how two or more authors writing about the same topic shape their presentations or viewpoints of key information by emphasizing different facts, opinions, and reasoning.

Foundations for Writing

See Kindergarten through grade five for Foundations for Writing standards.

Writing

7.W The student will compose various works for diverse audiences and purposes, linked to grade seven content and texts.

7.W.1 Modes and Purposes for Writing

A. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or to alter an existing text, using a variety of precise words and phrases and transitional words to develop the characters, convey sequence, and signal shifts from one timeframe or setting to another.

B. Write expository texts to examine a topic or concept that develops the focus with relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, or other information from multiple credible sources, using structures and patterns (e.g., description, enumeration, classification, comparison, problem-solution, or cause-effect) to clarify relationships among ideas.

C. Write persuasively supporting a well-defined point of view with appropriate claims, relevant evidence, and clear reasoning that are logically grouped.

D. Write reflectively in response to reading to demonstrate thinking with details, examples, and other evidence from the text(s).

7.W.2 Organization and Composition

A. Generate and organize ideas using the writing process (planning, drafting, revising, editing) to develop multi-paragraph texts. This includes:

i. Composing a thesis statement that states a position or explains the purpose.

ii. Establishing a central idea that aligns with the thesis and maintains an organized structure to fit form and topic.

iii. Defending conclusions or positions with reasons and precise, relevant evidence (e.g., facts, definitions, details, quotations, and examples).

iv. Using transitions within and between paragraphs to signal shifts in writing and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.

v. Developing voice and tone by using language that provides vivid and precise vocabulary to enhance the meaning of the writing.

vi. Expanding and embedding ideas to create sentence variety.

vii. Providing a concluding statement or section.

7.W.3 Usage and Mechanics

A. Revise writing for clarity of content, word choice, sentence variety, and transition among paragraphs.

B. Self-and peer-edit writing for capitalization, spelling, punctuation, sentence structure, paragraphing, and Standard English (See Language Usage for grade level expectations).

Language Usage

7.LU The student will use the conventions of Standard English when speaking and writing, differentiating between contexts that call for formal English and situations where informal discourse is more appropriate.

7.LU.1 Grammar

A. Construct simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences to communicate ideas clearly and add variety to writing.

B. Recognize and use pronoun-antecedent agreement, including indefinite, reflexive, and relative pronouns, when speaking and writing.

C. Use specific adjectives and adverbs to enhance speech and writing.

D. Arrange phrases and clauses within a sentence and apply appropriate subject-verb agreement to improve meaning, reader/listener interest, and style in writing.

E. Maintain consistent verb tense across paragraphs in writing.

7.LU.2 Mechanics

A. Construct complete sentence with appropriate punctuation, avoiding comma splices and run-ons in writing.

B. Use and punctuate dialogue and direct quotations appropriately in writing.

C. Recognize and consistently spell frequently used words accurately.

D. Consult reference materials to check and correct spelling.

Communication and Multimodal Literacies

7.C The student will develop effective oral communication and collaboration skills to build a community of learners that process, understand, and interpret content together.

7.C.1 Communication, Listening, and Collaboration

A. Facilitate and contribute to a range of sustained collaborative discussions with diverse partners on grade seven topics and texts. This includes:

i. Listening actively through verbal and nonverbal communication and using agreed-upon discussion rules.

ii. Working effectively and respectfully by building on others’ ideas, actively contributing relevant and well-supported ideas and opinions, and sharing responsibility for the collaborative work.

iii. Asking and responding to probing questions and providing appropriate feedback within structured discussions.

iv. Communicating agreement or tactful disagreement with others’ ideas using carefully constructed statements.

v. Paraphrasing, summarizing, and writing reflectively in response to the ideas being discussed.

vi. Evaluating the effectiveness of participant interactions and one’s own contributions to small group activities.

7.C.2 Speaking and Presentation of Ideas

A. Report orally on a topic or text or present an opinion. This includes:

i. Clearly communicating information in an organized and succinct manner.

ii. Providing evidence to support the main ideas, including pertinent descriptions, facts, details, and examples.

iii. Adjusting verbal and nonverbal communication skills appropriate to audience, topic, and purpose to enhance the overall message.

iv. Responding to audience questions and comments with relevant evidence, observations, and ideas.

v. Referencing source material as appropriate during the presentation.

B. Memorize and recite a poem demonstrating inflection and meaningful expression that is appropriate to the tone and voice of the selection.

7.C.3 Integrating Multimodal Literacies

A. Use medial and visual literacy skills to select, organize, and create multimodal content that articulates and enhances the purpose of the presentation using two or more communication modes to make meaning (e.g., still or moving images, gestures, spoken language, and written language).

B. Craft and publish audience-specific media messages that present claims and findings with relevant evidence in a logical sequence.

7.C.4 Examining Media Messages

A. Explain persuasive/informative techniques used in media to sway the audience (e.g., innuendo, card stacking, bandwagon, and appeal to emotions).

B. Analyze media messages for facts, opinions, persuasive messages, word choice, and viewpoint.

C. Compare and contrast the effectiveness of techniques in auditory, visual, and written media messages (e.g., authorship, format, content, purpose) on the intended audience.

Research

7.R The student will conduct research and read a series of conceptually related texts on selected topics to build knowledge on grade seven content and texts, solve problems, and support cross-curricular learning.

7.R.1 Evaluation and Synthesis of Information

A. Formulate questions about a research topic, broadening or narrowing the inquiry as necessary.

B. Collect, organize, and synthesize information from multiple sources using various notetaking formats.

C. Evaluate and analyze the relevance, validity, and credibility of each source (primary, secondary, digital, and print), determining what information to include and exclude.

D. Quote, summarize, and paraphrase research findings from primary and secondary sources, avoiding plagiarism by using own words and following ethical and legal guidelines.

E. Organize and share findings in formal and informal oral written formats.

F. Give credit for information quoted or paraphrased, using standard citations (e.g., author, article title and webpage, and publication date).

G. Demonstrate ethical and responsible use of all sources, including the Internet, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and new technologies, as they develop.

Mathematics Standards of Learning for Virginia Public Schools 2023 Grade 7

The Grade 7 Standards continue to emphasize the foundations of Algebra. The Standards address the representation and comparison of rational numbers using exponents, scientific notation, and square roots. Students continue to develop proficiency in operations with rational numbers and solving problems in context by expanding their study from Grade 6. Students will build on the concept of ratios to solve problems involving proportional reasoning, which is emphasized throughout the Grade 7 Standards. Students will solve problems involving volume and surface area and focus on the relationships among the properties of quadrilaterals. In addition, students will continue to apply the data cycle and extend the application to histograms. Probability is investigated through comparing experimental results to theoretical expectations. Students continue to develop their understanding of solving linear equations and inequalities in one variable by applying the properties of real numbers. Students investigate proportional relationships and begin to develop a concept of slope as rate of change.

The building of mathematical knowledge can be enhanced by using technology tools when used strategically and to complement further learning during grades 6-8. The use of appropriate technology and the interpretation of the results from applying technology tools must be an integral part of teaching, learning, and assessment. However, facility in the use of technology shall not be regarded as a substitute for a student’s understanding of quantitative and algebraic concepts or for proficiency in basic computations. Students must learn to use a variety of methods and tools to compute, including paper and pencil, mental arithmetic, estimation, and the use of instructional technology. Graphing utilities, spreadsheets, calculators, dynamic applications, and other technological tools support mathematical problem solving, reasoning, and justification, as well as application in science, engineering, business and industry, government, and practical affairs.

In grades 6-8, the acquisition of specialized mathematical vocabulary and language builds as students continue to deepen their understanding of mathematics through communication and problem solving.

Problem solving increases in complexity as students progress into middle and high school. Students continue to build upon their mathematical knowledge by participating in problem-solving activities that promote higher levels of critical thinking and analysis.

Number and Number Sense

7.NS.1 The student will investigate and describe the concept of exponents for powers of ten and compare and order numbers greater than zero written in scientific notation.

Students will demonstrate the following Knowledge and Skills:

a) Investigate and describe powers of 10 with negative exponents by examining patterns.

b) Represent a power of 10 with a negative exponent in fraction and decimal form.

c) Convert between numbers greater than 0 written in scientific notation and decimals.*

d) Compare and order no more than four numbers greater than 0 written in scientific notation. Ordering may be in ascending or descending order.*

* On the state assessment, items measuring this knowledge and skill are assessed without the use of a calculator.

7.NS.2 The student will reason and use multiple strategies to compare and order rational numbers.

Students will demonstrate the following Knowledge and Skills:

a) Use multiple strategies (e.g., benchmarks, number line, equivalency) to compare (using symbols <, >, =) and order (a set of no more than four) rational numbers expressed as integers, fractions (proper or improper), mixed numbers, decimals, and percents. Fractions and mixed numbers may be positive or negative. Decimals may be positive or negative and are limited to the thousandths place. Ordering may be in ascending or descending order. Justify solutions orally, in writing or with a model.*

* On the state assessment, items measuring this knowledge and skill are assessed without the use of a calculator.

7.NS.3 The student will recognize and describe the relationship between square roots and perfect squares.

Students will demonstrate the following Knowledge and Skills:

a) Determine the positive square root of a perfect square from 0 to 400.*

b) Describe the relationship between square roots and perfect squares.*

* On the state assessment, items measuring this knowledge and skill are assessed without the use of a calculator.

Computation and Estimation

7.CE.1 The student will estimate, solve, and justify solutions to multistep contextual problems involving operations with rational numbers.

Students will demonstrate the following Knowledge and Skills:

a) Estimate, solve, and justify solutions to contextual problems involving addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division with rational numbers expressed as integers, fractions (proper or improper), mixed numbers, and decimals. Fractions may be positive or negative. Decimals may be positive or negative and are limited to the thousandths place.

7.CE.2 The student will solve problems, including those in context, involving proportional relationships.

Students will demonstrate the following Knowledge and Skills:

a) Given a proportional relationship between two quantities, create and use a ratio table to determine missing values.

b) Write and solve a proportion that represents a proportional relationship between two quantities to find a missing value, including problems in context.

c) Apply proportional reasoning to solve problems in context, including converting units of measurement, when given the conversion factor.

d) Estimate and determine the percentage of a given whole number, including but not limited to the use of benchmark percentages.

Measurement and Geometry

7.MG.1 The student will investigate and determine the volume formula for right cylinders and the surface area formulas for rectangular prisms and right cylinders and apply the formulas in context.

Students will demonstrate the following Knowledge and Skills:

a) Develop the formulas for determining the volume of right cylinders and solve problems, including those in contextual situations, using concrete objects, diagrams, and formulas.

b) Develop the formulas for determining the surface area of rectangular prisms and right cylinders and solve problems, including those in contextual situations, using concrete objects, two-dimensional diagrams, nets, and formulas.

c) Determine if a problem in context, involving a rectangular prism or right cylinder, represents the application of volume or surface area.

d) Describe how the volume of a rectangular prism is affected when one measured attribute is multiplied by a factor of , , , 2, 3, or 4, including those in contextual situations.

e) Describe how the surface area of a rectangular prism is affected when one measured attribute is multiplied by a factor of or 2, including those in contextual situations.

7.MG.2 The student will solve problems and justify relationships of similarity using proportional reasoning.

Students will demonstrate the following Knowledge and Skills:

a) Identify corresponding congruent angles of similar quadrilaterals and triangles, through the use of geometric markings.

b) Identify corresponding sides of similar quadrilaterals and triangles.

c) Given two similar quadrilaterals or triangles, write similarity statements using symbols.

d) Write proportions to express the relationships between the lengths of corresponding sides of similar quadrilaterals and triangles.

e) Recognize and justify if two quadrilaterals or triangles are similar using the ratios of corresponding side lengths.

f) Solve a proportion to determine a missing side length of similar quadrilaterals or triangles.

g) Given angle measures in a quadrilateral or triangle, determine unknown angle measures in a similar quadrilateral or triangle.

h) Apply proportional reasoning to solve problems in context including scale drawings. Scale factors shall have denominators no greater than 12 and decimals no less than tenths.

7.MG.3 The student will compare and contrast quadrilaterals based on their properties and determine unknown side lengths and angle measures of quadrilaterals.

Students will demonstrate the following Knowledge and Skills:

a) Compare and contrast properties of the following quadrilaterals: parallelogram, rectangle, square, rhombus, and trapezoid:

i) parallel/perpendicular sides and diagonals;

ii) congruence of angle measures, side, and diagonal lengths; and

iii) lines of symmetry.

b) Sort and classify quadrilaterals as parallelograms, rectangles, trapezoids, rhombi, and/or squares based on their properties:

i) parallel/perpendicular sides and diagonals;

ii) congruence of angle measures, side, and diagonal lengths; and

iii) lines of symmetry.

c) Given a diagram, determine an unknown angle measure in a quadrilateral, using properties of quadrilaterals.

d) Given a diagram, determine an unknown side length in a quadrilateral using properties of quadrilaterals.

7.MG.4 The student will apply dilations of polygons in the coordinate plane.

Students will demonstrate the following Knowledge and Skills:

a) Given a preimage in the coordinate plane, identify the coordinates of the image of a polygon that has been dilated. Scale factors are limited to , , 2, 3, or 4. The center of the dilation will be the origin.

b) Sketch the image of a dilation of a polygon limited to a scale factor of , , 2, 3, or 4. The center of the dilation will be the origin.

c) Identify and describe dilations in context including, but not limited to, scale drawings and graphic design.

Probability and Statistics

7.PS.1 The student will use statistical investigation to determine the probability of an event and investigate and describe the difference between the experimental and theoretical probability.

Students will demonstrate the following Knowledge and Skills:

a) Determine the theoretical probability of an event.

b) Given the results of a statistical investigation, determine the experimental probability of an event.

c) Describe changes in the experimental probability as the number of trials increases.

d) Investigate and describe the difference between the probability of an event found through experiment or simulation versus the theoretical probability of that same event.

7.PS.2 The student will apply the data cycle (formulate questions; collect or acquire data; organize and represent data; and analyze data and communicate results) with a focus on histograms.

Students will demonstrate the following Knowledge and Skills:

a) Formulate questions that require the collection or acquisition of data with a focus on histograms.

b) Determine the data needed to answer a formulated question and collect the data (or acquire existing data) using various methods (e.g., observations, measurement, surveys, experiments).

c) Determine how sample size and randomness will ensure that the data collected is a sample that is representative of a larger population.

d) Organize and represent numerical data using histograms with and without the use of technology.

e) Investigate and explain how using different intervals could impact the representation of the data in a histogram.

f) Compare data represented in histograms with the same data represented in other graphs, including but not limited to line plots (dot plots), circle graphs, and stem-and-leaf plots, and justify which graphical representation best represents the data.

g) Analyze data represented in histograms by making observations and drawing conclusions. Determine how histograms reveal patterns in data that cannot be easily seen by looking at the corresponding given data set.

Patterns, Functions, and Algebra

7.PFA.1 The student will investigate and analyze proportional relationships between two quantities using verbal descriptions, tables, equations in y = mx form, and graphs, including problems in context.

Students will demonstrate the following Knowledge and Skills:

a) Determine the slope, m, as the rate of change in a proportional relationship between two quantities given a table of values, graph, or contextual situation and write an equation in the form y = mx to represent the direct variation relationship. Slope may include positive or negative values (slope will be limited to positive values in a contextual situation).

b) Identify and describe a line with a slope that is positive, negative, or zero (0), given a graph.

c) Graph a line representing a proportional relationship, between two quantities given an ordered pair on the line and the slope, m, as rate of change. Slope may include positive or negative values.

d) Graph a line representing a proportional relationship between two quantities given the equation of the line in the form y = mx, where m represents the slope as rate of change. Slope may include positive or negative values.

e) Make connections between and among representations of a proportional relationship between two quantities using problems in context, tables, equations, and graphs. Slope may include positive or negative values (slope will be limited to positive values in a contextual situation).

7.PFA.2 The student will simplify numerical expressions, simplify and generate equivalent algebraic expressions in one variable, and evaluate algebraic expressions for given replacement values of the variables.

Students will demonstrate the following Knowledge and Skills:

a) Use the order of operations and apply the properties of real numbers to simplify numerical expressions. Exponents are limited to 1, 2, 3, or 4 and bases are limited to positive integers. Expressions should not include braces { } but may include brackets [ ] and absolute value bars | |. Square roots are limited to perfect squares.*

b) Represent equivalent algebraic expressions in one variable using concrete manipulatives and pictorial representations (e.g., colored chips, algebra tiles).

c) Simplify and generate equivalent algebraic expressions in one variable by applying the order of operations and properties of real numbers. Expressions may require combining like terms to simplify. Expressions will include only linear and numeric terms. Coefficients and numeric terms may be positive or negative rational numbers.*

d) Use the order of operations and apply the properties of real numbers to evaluate algebraic expressions for given replacement values of the variables. Exponents are limited to 1, 2, 3, or 4 and bases are limited to positive integers. Expressions should not include braces { } but may include brackets [ ] and absolute value bars | |. Square roots are limited to perfect squares. Limit the number of replacements to no more than three per expression. Replacement values may be positive or negative rational numbers.

* On the state assessment, items measuring this knowledge and skill are assessed without the use of a calculator.

7.PFA.3 The student will write and solve two-step linear equations in one variable, including problems in context, that require the solution of a two-step linear equation in one variable.

Students will demonstrate the following Knowledge and Skills:

a) Represent and solve two-step linear equations in one variable using a variety of concrete materials and pictorial representations.

b) Apply properties of real numbers and properties of equality to solve two-step linear equations in one variable. Coefficients and numeric terms will be rational.

c) Confirm algebraic solutions to linear equations in one variable.

d) Write a two-step linear equation in one variable to represent a verbal situation, including those in context.

e) Create a verbal situation in context given a two-step linear equation in one variable.

f) Solve problems in context that require the solution of a two-step linear equation.

7.PFA.4 The student will write and solve one- and two-step linear inequalities in one variable, including problems in context, that require the solution of a one- and two-step linear inequality in one variable.

Students will demonstrate the following Knowledge and Skills:

a) Apply properties of real numbers and the addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division properties of inequality to solve one- and two-step inequalities in one variable. Coefficients and numeric terms will be rational.

b) Investigate and explain how the solution set of a linear inequality is affected by multiplying or dividing both sides of the inequality statement by a rational number less than zero.

c) Represent solutions to one- or two-step linear inequalities in one variable algebraically and graphically using a number line.

d) Write one- or two-step linear inequalities in one variable to represent a verbal situation, including those in context.

e) Create a verbal situation in context given a one or two-step linear inequality in one variable.

f) Solve problems in context that require the solution of a one- or two-step inequality.

g) Identify a numerical value(s) that is part of the solution set of as given one- or two-step linear inequality in one variable.

h) Describe the differences and similarities between solving linear inequalities in one variable and linear equations in one variable.

Life Science of Learning for Virginia Public Schools – Adopted 2018

The Life Science standards emphasize a more complex understanding of change, cycles, patterns, and relationships in the living world. Students build on basic principles related to these concepts by exploring the cellular organization and the classification of organisms; the dynamic relationships among organisms, populations, communities, and ecosystems; and change as a result of the transmission of genetic information from generation to generation. Students build on scientific investigation skills by independently identifying questions and planning investigations. Students evaluate the usefulness and limits of models and support their conclusions using evidence. Mathematics, computational thinking, and experience in the engineering design process gain importance as students advance in their scientific thinking.

LS.1 The student will demonstrate an understanding of scientific and engineering practices by

1. asking questions and defining problems

• ask questions and develop hypotheses to determine relationships between independent and dependent variables

• offer simple solutions to design problems

1. planning and carrying out investigations

• independently and collaboratively plan and conduct observational and experimental investigations; identify variables, constants, and controls where appropriate and include the safe use of chemicals and equipment

• evaluate the accuracy of various methods for collecting data

• take metric measurements using appropriate tools and technologies including the use of microscopes

1. interpreting, analyzing, and evaluating data

• identify, interpret, and evaluate patterns in data

• construct, analyze, and interpret graphical displays of data

• compare and contrast data collected by different groups and discuss similarities and differences in their findings

• consider limitations of data analysis and/or seek to improve precision and accuracy of data

• use data to evaluate and refine design solutions

1. constructing and critiquing conclusions and explanations

• construct explanations that include qualitative or quantitative relationships between variables

• construct scientific explanations based on valid and reliable evidence obtained from sources (including the students’ own investigations)

• differentiate between a scientific hypothesis and theory

1. developing and using models

• construct and use models and simulations to illustrate, predict, and/or explain observable and unobservable phenomena, life processes, or mechanisms

• evaluate limitations of models

f) obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information

• read scientific texts, including those adapted for classroom use, to obtain scientific and/or technical information

• gather, read, and synthesize information from multiple appropriate sources and assess the credibility, accuracy, and possible bias of each publication

• construct, use, and/or present an argument supported by empirical evidence and scientific reasoning

LS.2 The student will investigate and understand that all living things are composed of one or more cells that support life processes, as described by the cell theory. Key ideas include

a) the development of the cell theory demonstrates the nature of science;

b) cell structure and organelles support life processes;

c) similarities and differences between plant and animal cells determine how they support life processes;

d) cell division is the mechanism for growth and reproduction; and

e) cellular transport (osmosis and diffusion) is important for life processes.

LS.3 The student will investigate and understand that there are levels of structural organization in living things. Key ideas include

1. patterns of cellular organization support life processes;

b) unicellular and multicellular organisms have comparative structures; and

c) similar characteristics determine the classification of organisms.

LS.4 The student will investigate and understand that there are chemical processes of energy transfer which are important for life. Key ideas include

1. photosynthesis is the foundation of virtually all food webs; and

b) photosynthesis and cellular respiration support life processes.

LS.5 The student will investigate and understand that biotic and abiotic factors affect an ecosystem. Key ideas include

1. matter moves through ecosystems via the carbon, water, and nitrogen cycles;

2. energy flow is represented by food webs and energy pyramids; and

3. relationships exist among producers, consumers, and decomposers.

LS.6 The student will investigate and understand that populations in a biological community interact and are interdependent. Key ideas include

1. relationships exist between predators and prey and these relationships are modeled in food webs;

2. the availability and use of resources may lead to competition and cooperation;

3. symbiotic relationships support the survival of different species; and

4. the niche of each organism supports survival.

LS.7 The student will investigate and understand that adaptations support an organism’s survival in an ecosystem. Key ideas include

1. biotic and abiotic factors define land, marine, and freshwater ecosystems; and

2. physical and behavioral characteristics enable organisms to survive within a specific ecosystem.

LS.8 The student will investigate and understand that ecosystems, communities, populations, and organisms are dynamic and change over time. Key ideas include

1. organisms respond to daily, seasonal, and long-term changes;

2. changes in the environment may increase or decrease population size; and

3. large-scale changes such as eutrophication, climate changes, and catastrophic disturbances affect ecosystems.

LS.9 The student will investigate and understand that relationships exist between ecosystem dynamics and human activity. Key ideas include

1. changes in habitat can disturb populations;

2. disruptions in ecosystems can change species competition; and

3. variations in biotic and abiotic factors can change ecosystems.

LS.10 The student will investigate and understand that organisms reproduce and transmit genetic information to new generations. Key ideas include

1. DNA has a role in making proteins that determine organism traits;

2. the role of meiosis is to transfer traits to the next generation; and

3. Punnett squares are mathematical models used to predict the probability of traits in offspring.

LS.11 The student will investigate and understand that populations of organisms can change over time. Key ideas include

1. mutation, adaptation, natural selection, and extinction change populations;

2. the fossil record, genetic information, and anatomical comparisons provide evidence for evolution; and

3. environmental factors and genetic variation, influence survivability and diversity of organisms.

History and Social Science Standards of Learning for Virginia Public Schools – March 2015

United States History: 1865 to the Present

Students will continue to use skills for historical and geographical analysis as they examine American history since 1865. The standards for this course relate to the history of the United States from the Reconstruction era to the present. Students should continue to develop and build upon the fundamental concepts and skills in civics, economics, and geography within the context of United States history. Students will use investigation as a foundation to delve into the political, economic, and social challenges facing the nation once reunited after the Civil War. This foundation provides a pathway to develop an understanding of how the American experience shaped the world’s political and economic landscapes.

The study of history must emphasize the historical thinking skills required for geographic analysis, economic decision making, and responsible citizenship. Students will apply these skills as they extend their understanding of the essential knowledge defined by all of the standards for history and social science.

Skills

USII.1 The student will demonstrate skills for historical thinking, geographical analysis, economic decision making, and responsible citizenship by

a) analyzing and interpreting artifacts and primary and secondary sources to understand events in United States history;

b) analyzing and interpreting geographic information to determine patterns and trends in United States history;

c) interpreting charts, graphs, and pictures to determine characteristics of people, places, or events in United States history;

d) using evidence to draw conclusions and make generalizations;

e) comparing and contrasting historical, cultural, and political perspectives in United States history;

f) determining relationships with multiple causes or effects in United States history;

g) explaining connections across time and place;

h) using a decision-making model to identify costs and benefits of a specific choice made;

i) identifying the rights and responsibilities of citizenship and the ethical use of material or intellectual property; and

j) investigating and researching to develop products orally and in writing.

Geography

USII.2 The student will use maps, globes, photographs, pictures, or tables for

a) explaining how physical features and climate influenced the movement of people westward;

b) explaining relationships among natural resources, transportation, and industrial development after 1865; and

c) locating the 50 states and the cities most significant to the development of the United States and explaining what makes those cities significant.

Reconstruction: 1865 to 1877

USII.3 The student will apply social science skills to understand the effects of Reconstruction on American life by

a) analyzing the impact of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution of the United States and how they changed the meaning of citizenship;

b) describing the impact of Reconstruction policies on the South and North; and

c) describing the legacies of Abraham Lincoln, Robert E. Lee, and Frederick Douglass.

Reshaping the Nation and the Emergence of Modern America: 1877 to the Early 1900s

USII.4 The student will apply social science skills to understand how life changed after the Civil War by

a) examining the reasons for westward expansion, including its impact on American Indians;

b) explaining the reasons for the increase in immigration, growth of cities, and challenges arising from this expansion;

c) describing racial segregation, the rise of “Jim Crow,” and other constraints faced by African Americans and other groups in the post-Reconstruction South;

d) explaining the impact of new inventions, the rise of big business, the growth of industry, and the changes to life on American farms in response to industrialization; and

e) evaluating and explaining the impact of the Progressive Movement on child labor, working conditions, the rise of organized labor, women’s suffrage, and the temperance movement.

Turmoil and Change: 1890s to 1945

USII.5 The student will apply social science skills to understand the changing role of the United States from the late nineteenth century through World War I by

a) explaining the reasons for and results of the Spanish-American War;

b) describing Theodore Roosevelt’s impact on the foreign policy of the United States; and

c) evaluating and explaining the reasons for the United States’ involvement in World War I and its international leadership role at the conclusion of the war.

USII.6 The student will apply social science skills to understand the social, economic, and technological changes of the early twentieth century by

a) explaining how developments in factory and labor productivity, transportation (including the use of the automobile), communication, and rural electrification changed American life and standard of living;

b) describing the social and economic changes that took place, including prohibition and the Great Migration north and west;

c) examining art, literature, and music from the 1920s and 1930s, with emphasis on Langston Hughes, Duke Ellington, Georgia O’Keeffe, and the Harlem Renaissance; and

d) analyzing the causes of the Great Depression, its impact on Americans, and the major features of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal.

USII.7 The student will apply social science skills to understand the major causes and effects of American involvement in World War II by

a) explaining the causes and events that led to American involvement in the war, including the attack on Pearl Harbor;

b) locating and describing the major events and turning points of the war in Europe and the Pacific; and

c) explaining and evaluating the impact of the war on the home front.

The United States since World War II

USII.8 The student will apply social science skills to understand the economic, social, and political transformation of the United States and the world between the end of World War II and the present by

a) describing the rebuilding of Europe and Japan after World War II, the emergence of the United States and the Soviet Union as superpowers, and the establishment of the United Nations;

b) describing the conversion from a wartime to a peacetime economy;

c) examining the role of the United States in defending freedom during the Cold War, including the wars in Korea and Vietnam, the Cuban missile crisis, the collapse of communism in Europe, and the rise of new challenges;

d) describing the changing patterns of society, including expanded educational and economic opportunities for military veterans, women, and minorities; and

e) evaluating and explaining the impact of international trade and globalization on American life.

USII.9 The student will apply social science skills to understand the key domestic and international issues during the second half of the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries by

a) examining the impact of the Civil Rights Movement, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the changing role of women on all Americans;

b) describing the development of new technologies in communication, entertainment, and business and their impact on American life;

c) analyzing how representative citizens have influenced America scientifically, culturally, academically, and economically; and

d) evaluating and explaining American foreign policy, immigration, the global environment, and other emerging issues.

Family Life Standards of Learning for Virginia Public Schools – Adopted 2020

7.1 The student will identify his or her role and relationships within the family.

Descriptive Statement: Content includes identification of personal interactions; communication skills; ways of meeting emotional, physical, and intellectual needs; and the student's contribution to the family unit. Students learn the positive benefits of personal sacrifice to support family goals and needs when such a decision is indicated.

7.2 The student will recognize the physical development of his or her sex characteristics and how they affect emotional and social growth.

Descriptive Statement: Emphasis is placed on the biological and physiological changes of early adolescence. Attention is given to such secondary sex characteristics as body growth, genital changes, hormonal secretions, the onset of menstruation, and sex-response feelings. Instruction promotes self-awareness and alleviates anxiety through factual information regarding menstruation, spontaneous erections, nocturnal emissions, masturbation, and differences in growth rates and development.

7.3 The student will realize that physical affection does not have to be sexual, but it also can be an expression of friendship, of celebration, or of a loving family.

Descriptive Statement: The student learns that appropriate expressions of affection are essential for emotional, physical, and psychological health. The student will recognize the difference between appropriate and inappropriate physical affection. Characteristics of abusive relationships will be addressed.

7.4 The student will recognize that sexual behaviors are conscious decisions; that it is important to say "no" to premarital, abusive, and inappropriate sexual relationships; and that appropriate relationships are based on mutual respect, trust, and caring.

Descriptive Statement: Sexual feelings are interpreted as normal and to be expected, but not always to be manifested in behavior. Instruction includes explanation of the differences between needs and desires, assertive skills, problem solving or conflict resolution, and alternatives. Refusal skills are taught and practiced by students. Characteristics of abusive relationships, which may also involve alcohol and other drug use and abuse, inappropriate use of electronic devices such as phone or Internet are addressed. In addition, the consequences of teenage pregnancy, the nature of sexually transmitted infections, and the benefits of delaying sexual activity are discussed.

7.5 The student will identify messages in society related to sexuality.

Descriptive Statement: The teacher guides the student in discovering and analyzing messages about sexuality found in advertising media, music and videos, television, films, printed materials, and graffiti. Students learn to recognize gender stereotyping and sexual exploitation. They are encouraged to evaluate and counteract any negative effects identified and to engage in a variety of positive activities, rather than spending too much time viewing media containing negative components. Students will demonstrate how these messages affect mental health issues related to sexuality.

7.6 Students will explore safety issues related to the Internet.

Descriptive Statement: Instruction includes how predators can use the Internet to exploit

young people. Students will identify how traffickers use technology to find and lure victims and how information posted on social media sites may make students vulnerable. Strategies and habits to keep technology users protected from human trafficking and protect personal information will be discussed. Students will list resources available to them when seeking adult support in an uncomfortable situation.

7.7 The student will be aware of the consequences of preteen and teenage sexual intercourse.

Descriptive Statement: Instruction focuses on updated, factual information regarding sexually transmitted infections, including HIV; pelvic inflammatory disease (PID); cervical cancer; unintended pregnancy; and discussion about reputation, guilt, and anxiety. Discussion also includes the emotional, psychological and financial implications of sexual activity and parenting before marriage. Students are guided in identifying positive aspects about themselves as reasons for avoiding risk-taking behavior. They learn also about the positive results and freedoms associated with postponing sexual activity.

7.8 The student will list the adverse consequences of a pregnancy in early adolescence, as well as the positive benefits of postponing pregnancy until marriage.

Descriptive Statement: Instruction includes a review of pregnancy and childbirth from previous grade levels, as well as discussion of responsibilities involved and adverse consequences encompassing the emotional, mental, physical, social, and economic impact on young parents, on their families, and on society. The nutritional implications of high-risk infants and teenage mothers also are included. The effects of an adolescent pregnancy on the student's lifelong goals and potential achievements are emphasized. The benefits of being married before having children and the effects on the family, child, and community will be discussed.

7.9 The student will describe the signs and symptoms of pregnancy.

Descriptive Statement: Instruction involves physical and psychological changes and the need for early detection of pregnancy through medical testing to ensure a healthy and successful pregnancy. Community resources for testing and/or further information are identified.

7.10 The student will develop an understanding of and responsibility for family planning.

Descriptive Statement: Content includes reasons for family planning, factors to be considered when planning a family, the role of the family physician, community resources, and methods of contraception.

7.11 The student will explain techniques for preventing and reporting sexual assault, human trafficking, and molestation.

Descriptive Statement: Methods of handling assault and molestation, as well as prevention methods, are presented. Emphasis is placed on the importance of avoiding situations which could provide opportunities for molestation and sexual assault, including the homes and cars of acquaintances when no appropriate supervision is available. Students will practice appropriate use of the Internet and text messaging. Key terms are defined. Approaches and behaviors, both in person and electronically, used by perpetrators are identified and explained. The signs of human trafficking, control methods used in different types of human trafficking, and how to seek adult assistance to report a trafficking situation will be discussed. Community resources for victims of molestation, human trafficking and assault are identified.

7.12 The student will identify causes, symptoms, treatment, prevention, and transmission of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV.

Descriptive Statement: Topics include the prevention, symptoms, treatment, transmission, and diagnosis of the following diseases in addition to HIV, Chlamydia, Genital Herpes, Gonorrhea, HPV, and Syphilis. In addition, myths are dispelled. High-risk activities, such as needle sharing for injection, intravenous drug use and abuse, and unprotected sexual activity are discussed. Community resources that provide testing and treatment of sexually transmitted infections and HIV are identified.

7.13 The student will identify the issues associated with friendships.

Descriptive Statement: The student accomplishes this by identifying characteristics of each type of friendship and how friendships can change through developmental stages. The student will identify the characteristics of healthy and unhealthy relationships. Respect for the privacy and boundaries for self and others is reinforced along with tools to ensure that the student respects the personal privacy and boundaries of others.

7.14 The student will realize the role of peers and the peer group during adolescence, and the nature and purpose of dating.

Descriptive Statement: Discussion focuses on the qualities of friendship, the importance of participating in peer groups that encourage the development of positive personal traits, and the nature of dating. Group dating is presented as a positive first step in developing romantic relationships, demonstrating appropriate and inappropriate dating behavior, utilizing positive mental health practices and fulfilling dating responsibilities.

7.15 The student will recognize contributions of various racial and ethnic groups to family life and society.

Descriptive Statement: Topics include the importance of racial and ethnic identity for families and the effects of negative stereotypes on families and individuals. Emphasis is placed on appreciation of racial and ethnic differences.

7.16 The student will increase his or her ability to listen to different points of view and to accept the rights of others to a differing point of view.

Descriptive Statement: Positive communication skills are developed to enhance relationships and to increase recognition of various points of view existing within families and society.

Standards of Learning Documents for Health – Adopted 2020

Students in grade seven generate and choose positive alternatives to risky behaviors (responsible decision making). They use skills to resist peer pressure (relationship skills) and manage stress and anxiety (self-management). Students are able to relate health choices to alertness, feelings, and performance at school or during physical activity (self-awareness). Students exhibit a healthy lifestyle, interpret health information, and promote good health.

Essential Health Concepts

7.1 The student will identify and explain essential health concepts to understand personal health.

Body Systems

1. Identify and describe the major structures and functions of the circulatory system.

Nutrition

1. Describe the value of nutrient-dense foods.

2. Describe the benefit of eating foods to meet recommendations for iron, calcium, potassium, vitamin D, and dietary fiber.

3. Identify decision-making steps for selecting healthy foods and beverages.

4. Explain how allergens cause an allergic reaction.

Physical Health

1. Explain the concept of active transportation (e.g., walking, biking).

Disease Prevention/Health Promotion

1. Evaluate the impact of sleep and rest on physical, social, and emotional health and on cognitive performance.

2. Explain the impact of weather- or climate-related physical conditions on individuals, including allergies, asthma, sunburn, dehydration, heatstroke, heat exhaustion, and hypothermia.

3. Describe how the school and the community can impact personal health practices and behaviors, including the availability of physical, emotional, and social health services; emergency response systems; healthcare products; and recreational and leisure opportunities.

4. Identify government agencies that provide consumer protections for health products and services.

Substance Abuse Prevention

1. Explain the link between addiction to alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs; chronic disease; and engaging in risky behaviors.

2. Define prescriptions, controlled substances, nicotine vaping products, hemp, and marijuana-derived cannabidiol (CBD) products, and explain their uses.

3. Identify the types of behavior associated with drug use and abuse that reflect positive norms (e.g., drug use is not cool, drunken driving is stupid, most teens do not use drugs).

Safety/Injury Prevention

1. Identify potential safety issues related to babysitting, caring for younger siblings, being alone at home, in the neighborhood (e.g., water sports, recreation areas, shopping areas), and being online.

Mental Wellness/Social and Emotional Skills

1. Identify the body’s physical and psychological responses to stress.

2. Identify the characteristics of healthy interpersonal relationships.

3. Recognize the impact of disappointment or adversity on physical, social, and emotional health and how to cope effectively and change one’s feelings.

4. Describe situations that can cause a range of emotions and feelings, and describe how to recognize these feelings and emotions and predict how long they may last.

5. Identify healthy verbal, nonverbal, written, and visual communication.

6. Define disordered eating and describe types of eating disorders.

7. Define depression and describe the warning signs, risk factors, and protective factors for anxiety and depression.

Violence Prevention

1. List the characteristics of and how to contribute to a positive (i.e., emotionally safe) school climate.

2. Describe the role of empathy in preventing bullying and cyberbullying.

3. Explain the myths and facts about gangs and gang-related behaviors.

Community/Environmental Health

1. Describe human behaviors that contribute to air, water, soil, and noise pollution.

Healthy Decisions

7.2 The student will use decision-making skills to promote health and personal wellness.

Body Systems

1. Describe how healthy food choices and physical activity keep the circulatory system healthy.

Nutrition

1. Analyze the effects of nutrition on daily performance (i.e., mind and body).

2. Explain the cognitive and physical benefits of eating a healthy breakfast.

3. Use a decision-making process to evaluate daily food intake and nutritional requirements.

4. Discuss the concept of an allergen-safe zone.

Physical Health

1. Analyze the physical and mental health benefits of active transportation.

Disease Prevention/Health Promotion

1. Compare current personal sleep and rest habits with recommended guidelines for teenagers.

2. Describe ways to prevent weather- or climate-related physical environmental conditions, such as allergies, asthma, sunburn, dehydration, heatstroke, heat exhaustion, and hypothermia.

3. Identify resources in the community that are dedicated to promoting health.

4. Identify state and federal laws that provide consumer protections.

Substance Abuse Prevention

1. Understand that addiction is a compulsive physiological need for and use of a habit-forming substance.

2. Explain the purpose of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and differentiate between FDA-approved and non-FDA-approved substances.

3. Identify short term, social and negative consequences of engaging in risky behaviors, including the use of alcohol, tobacco, nicotine products, marijuana, and other drugs.

Safety/Injury Prevention

1. Explain the importance of recognizing harmful and risky behaviors related to personal safety.

Mental Wellness/Social and Emotional Skills

1. Analyze and explain the benefits of emotional flexibility, stress management, and stress-reduction techniques for physical and emotional health.

2. Explain how empathy, compassion, and acceptance of others support healthy relationships.

3. Develop strategies for coping with disappointment, stress, anxiety, anger, and adversity.

4. Develop healthy ways to identify, express, and respond to emotions and identify resources for help and support.

5. Describe the relationship between healthy communication skills and healthy relationships.

6. Describe the warning signs, risk factors, and protective factors for eating disorders.

7. Explain when mental illnesses and mental challenges require support or assistance (e.g., when they affect one’s relationships, responsibilities, and involvement in activities).

Violence Prevention

1. Explain how violence, bullying, and harassment affect personal health and school safety.

2. Explain why it is important to be able to identify bullying behavior to prevent bullying and cyberbullying.

3. Explain why people may join gangs, including the relationship between self-image and gang-related behaviors.

Community/Environmental Health

1. Explain how environmental health is essential to personal and community health.

vocacy and Health Promotion

7.3 The student will promote healthy schools, families, and communities.

Body Systems

1. Promote strategies for maintaining a healthy circulatory system.

Nutrition

1. Encourage nutrient-dense food choices at home, at school, and in restaurants.

2. Educate peers and family members on the importance of eating a healthy breakfast and being physically active.

3. Explore opportunities to engage with local school wellness policy committees to advocate for nutritional food and beverage choices for all school-sponsored events.

4. Promote understanding of the importance of handwashing, not sharing food, and allergen safe-zones.

Physical Health

1. Design and promote safe walking and bike routes to and from school or another location in the community.

Disease Prevention/Health Promotion

1. Engage family to create a personal plan to meet recommended guidelines for sleep and rest.

2. Determine strategies to protect against the harmful effects of the sun, heat, and cold.

3. Define public health, and describe the associated health and medical careers and the training required for these occupations.

4. Evaluate and promote a healthcare product or service for students, families, schools, or communities that will help others to make positive health choices.

Substance Abuse Prevention

1. Identify ways to participate in school and community efforts to promote a drug-free lifestyle.

2. Create strategies to identify types of advertising techniques used in a variety of media, including social media that may influence adolescents’ decisions concerning alcohol, tobacco and nicotine products, and other drugs.

3. Identify and demonstrate strategies and skills for avoiding alcohol, tobacco, inhalants, and other harmful substances (e.g., effective refusal skills).

Safety/Injury Prevention

1. Describe ways to maintain a safe and healthy environment at school, in the community, at home, and online.

Mental Wellness/Social and Emotional Skills

1. Develop achievable goals for handling stressors in healthy ways.

2. Design ways to demonstrate empathy, compassion, and acceptance for others to support healthy relationships.

3. Promote strategies for coping with disappointment and adversity.

4. Promote help-seeking for mental health concerns.

5. Demonstrate healthy verbal, nonverbal, written, and visual communication skills.

6. Identify school and community resources for help and support with eating disorders.

7. Identify personal, family, school, community, and healthcare professional resources that can help oneself and others with mental illnesses and challenges.

Violence Prevention

1. Assess your school’s safety protocols (e.g., reporting processes, support provided for a positive climate) and recommend suggestions for improvement.

2. Create a campaign to prevent/stop bullying or cyberbullying.

3. Create strategies to promote awareness of consequences associated with gang involvement and healthy alternatives to gang involvement.

Community/Environmental Health

y) Demonstrate ways to conserve and promote the conservation of natural resources

Standards of Learning Documents for Physical Education – Adopted 2022

Students in grade seven continue to develop competence in modified versions of various games/sports, rhythmic, and recreational activities. They vary movement during dynamic and unpredictable game situations. Recreational pursuits become an additional curriculum option, broadening lifelong physical activity options. The ability to analyze skill performance through observing and understanding critical elements (small, isolated parts of the whole skill or movement) is increasingly apparent, as is the application of basic scientific principles of anatomical structures, movement principles, energy balance, and personal fitness. Students relate the importance of physical activity to health, focusing particularly on weight and stress management. Students understand strategies to achieve and maintain personal fitness standards and create plans by setting reasonable and appropriate goals for improvement or maintenance of health-related fitness. Students continue to develop social skills and cooperative behaviors by demonstrating problem solving, conflict resolution, communication skills, appropriate etiquette, integrity, and respect for others.

Motor Skill Development

7.1 The student will demonstrate competence and apply movement concepts in modified versions of various game/sport, rhythmic, dance, lifetime, and recreational activities.

1. Demonstrate and apply developmentally appropriate movement forms and skill combinations competently in a variety of cooperative and tactical activities that include dynamic and unpredictable situations.

2. Demonstrate offensive and defensive strategies and tactics, including creating open space, skilled movement, speed, accuracy, and selection of appropriate skills/tactics to gain an offensive or defensive advantage through modified games/sports.

3. Demonstrate basic abilities and safety precautions in recreational pursuits (e.g., inline skating, orienteering, hiking, cycling, ropes courses, backpacking, canoeing, rock climbing).

4. Identify and demonstrate dance steps selected by the teacher or student in folk, social, multicultural, contemporary, and line dances.

5. Describe and demonstrate how movement is stabilized, including balance (center of gravity and center of support) and planes of motion.

6. Demonstrate the progression of learning (practice, self or peer assess, correct, practice at a higher level, and reassess) for a specific skill or movement.

Anatomical Basis of Movement

7.2 The student will understand and apply movement principles and concepts and knowledge of major body structures.

1. Identify the “core muscles,” including pelvic, lower back, hips, gluteal muscles, and abdomen, and explain their role in stabilizing movement.

2. Apply biomechanical principles (e.g., center of gravity, base of support) to understand and perform skillful movements.

3. Describe the anatomical planes of motion in which movement occurs, including sagittal plane, frontal plane, and transverse plane.

4. Analyze skill patterns and movement performance of self and others, detecting and correcting mechanical errors for selected movements.

5. Apply knowledge of anatomy and joint types to accurately describe skill- and fitness-based movements, such as throwing/catching, striking, lunges and push-ups.

Fitness Planning

7.3 The student will apply concepts and principles of training and fitness-planning skills to improve physical fitness.

1. Identify safe practices for improving physical fitness.

2. Complete a self-assessment of health-related fitness and develop a comprehensive personal fitness plan, including SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, timely) goals, an action plan that incorporates the FITT (frequency, intensity, time, and type of exercise) principle and to meet the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, timeline, documentation of activities inside and outside school, roadblocks/barriers and solutions, midyear and end-of-year assessments, and reflection on progress for improving at least two self-selected components of health-related fitness.

3. Identify and apply concepts of fitness improvement using various resources, including available technology, to evaluate, monitor, and record activities for a fitness plan.

4. Calculate resting, activity, and recovery heart rate and describe its relationship to aerobic fitness.

5. Describe the differences between aerobic and anaerobic activities and provide three examples of each.

6. Explain the role of perseverance in achieving fitness goals.

Social and Emotional Development

7.4 The student will demonstrate and apply skills to work independently and with others in physical activity settings.

1. Apply safety procedures, rules, and appropriate etiquette in physical activity settings by self-officiating modified physical activities/games.

2. Create guidelines and demonstrate how to solve problems and resolve conflicts in activity settings.

3. Explain the importance of cooperating with classmates, and demonstrate supportive behaviors that promote feelings of inclusion and safety of others.

4. Describe and demonstrate strategies for dealing with stress, such as deep breathing, guided visualization, and aerobic exercise.

5. Demonstrate effective communication skills by providing feedback to a peer, using appropriate tone, and other communication skills.

6. Identify positive mental and emotional aspects of participating in a variety of physical activities.

7. Describe how participation in physical activities creates enjoyment, reduces stress, and improves mental and emotional wellness.

8. Identify specific safety concerns associated with at least one activity that includes rules, equipment, and etiquette.

9. Identify and describe instances that do not support feelings of inclusion (e.g., marginalization).

Energy Balance

7.5 The student will describe rate of perceived exertion and nutrients (energy) needed for a variety of activities and explain the importance of sleep for energy balance.

1. Explain the connection between an RPE scale and heart rate, and the body’s response to physical activity.

2. Define and describe the anaerobic and aerobic energy systems.

3. Identify the nutrients needed for optimal aerobic and anaerobic capacity and for muscle strength and endurance.

4. Calculate resting heart rate (RHR) and describe its relationship to aerobic fitness and an RPE scale.

5. Explain the effects of sleep on energy balance.

Standards of Learning for Digital Learning Integration – Adopted 2020

Content Strand: Empowered Learner (EL)

Standard: Students leverage technologies, including assistive technologies, to take an active role in choosing, achieving, and demonstrating competency in their learning goals, informed by the learning sciences.

1. Students articulate and set personal learning goals, develop strategies leveraging technology to achieve them, and reflect on the learning process itself to improve learning outcomes.

*Students articulate personal learning goals, select and use appropriate technologies to achieve them, and reflect on their successes and different areas of improvement in working toward their goals.

1. Build networks and customize their learning environments in ways that support the learning process.

*In collaboration with an educator, students identify and develop digital learning

communities and customize their learning environments in ways that support their

learning.

1. Use technology to seek feedback that informs and improves their practice and to demonstrate their learning in a variety of ways.

*Students seek feedback from people, including peers, teachers, staff familiar with assistive technologies, and functionalities embedded in technologies to make changes to improve and demonstrate their learning.

1. Understand the various fundamental concepts of technology operations, demonstrate the ability to choose, use, and troubleshoot technologies and transfer knowledge to explore emerging technologies.

*Students use a variety of appropriate technologies, troubleshoot appropriate

technologies, and transfer their knowledge to explore emerging technologies.

Content Strand: Digital Citizen (DC)

Standard: Students recognize the rights, responsibilities and opportunities of living, learning and working in an interconnected digital world, and they act in ways that are safe, legal, and ethical.

1. Cultivate and manage their digital identity and reputation and are aware of the permanence of their actions in the digital world.

*Students manage their digital identities and reputations, including demonstrating an understanding of their digital footprints.

1. Engage in positive, safe, legal, and ethical behavior when using technology, including social interactions online or when using networked devices.

*Students demonstrate and advocate for positive, safe, legal, and ethical habits

(established behaviors) when using technology and interacting with others online.

1. Demonstrate an understanding of and respect for the rights and obligations of using and sharing intellectual property.

*Students demonstrate and advocate for an understanding of intellectual property with both print and digital media—including copyright, permission, and fair use.

1. Manage their personal data to maintain digital privacy and security and are aware of data-collection technology used to track their activity online.

*Students demonstrate an understanding of what personal data is, how data collection technologies work, tradeoffs of sharing personal data, and best practices for keeping it private and secure.

Content Strand: Knowledge Constructor (KC)

Standard: Students critically curate a variety of digital resources using appropriate technologies, including assistive technologies, to construct knowledge, produce creative digital works, and make meaningful learning experiences for themselves and others.

1. Plan and employ effective research strategies to locate information and other digital sources for their intellectual or creative pursuits.

*Students practice and demonstrate the ability to effectively use research strategies to locate appropriate primary and secondary digital sources in a variety of formats to support their academic and personal learning and create a research product.

1. Evaluate the accuracy, perspective, credibility, and relevance of information, media, data, and other digital sources.

*Students practice and demonstrate the ability to evaluate digital sources for accuracy, perspective, credibility, and relevance, including considerations of social and cultural context and bias.

1. Curate information from digital sources using a variety of tools and methods to create collections of resources that demonstrate meaningful connections or conclusions.

*Students locate and collect digital resources from a variety of digital sources and organize resources into collections for a wide range of projects and purposes.

1. Actively explore real-world issues and problems, develop ideas and theories, and pursue answers and solutions.

*Students use digital resources and tools to explore real-world issues and problems and actively pursue solutions.

Content Strand: Innovative Designer (ID)

Standard: Students use a variety of technologies, including assistive technologies, within a design process to identify and solve problems by creating new, useful or imaginative solutions or iterations.

1. Know and use appropriate technologies in a purposeful design process for generating ideas, testing theories, creating innovative digital works, or solving authentic problems.

*In collaboration with an educator, students use appropriate technologies in a design process to generate ideas, create innovative products, or solve authentic problems.

1. Select and use appropriate technologies to plan and manage a design process that considers design constraints and calculated risks.

*In collaboration with an educator, students select and use appropriate technologies to plan and manage a design process that identifies design constraints and trade-offs and weighs risks.

1. Use appropriate technologies to develop, test, and refine prototypes as part of a cyclical design process.

*In collaboration with an educator, students use appropriate technologies in a cyclical design process to develop prototypes and demonstrate the use of setbacks as potential opportunities for improvement.

1. Exhibit a tolerance for ambiguity, perseverance, and the capacity to work with open-ended problems.

*In collaboration with an educator, students demonstrate an ability to persevere and handle greater ambiguity as they work to solve open-ended problems.

Content Strand: Computational Thinker (CT)

Standard: Students develop and employ strategies for understanding and solving problems in ways that leverage the power of technological methods, including those that leverage assistive technologies, to develop and test solutions.

1. Formulate problem definitions suited for technology-assisted methods such as data analysis, modeling and algorithmic thinking in exploring and finding solutions.

*Students create, identify, explore, and solve problems using technology-assisted methods such as data analysis, modeling, or algorithmic thinking.

1. Collect data or identify relevant data sets, use appropriate technologies to analyze them, and represent data in various ways to facilitate problem-solving and decision-making.

*Students find or organize data and use appropriate technologies to interpret, analyze, and represent data to construct models, predict outcomes, solve problems, and make evidence-based decisions.

1. Break problems into component parts, extract key information, and develop descriptive models, using technologies when appropriate, to understand complex systems or facilitate problem-solving.

*Students break problems into component parts, identify key pieces and use that information to problem solve using technologies, when appropriate.

1. Understand how automation works and use algorithmic thinking to develop a sequence of steps to create and test automated solutions.

*Students demonstrate an understanding of how automation works and use algorithmic thinking to design and automate solutions.

Content Strand: Creative Communicator (CC)

Standard: Students communicate clearly and express themselves creatively for a variety of purposes using appropriate technologies (including assistive technologies), styles, formats, and digital media appropriate to their goals.

1. Choose the appropriate technologies and resources for meeting the desired objectives of their creation or communication.

*Students select and use appropriate technologies to create, share, and communicate their work effectively, considering the audience.

1. Create original works or responsibly repurpose or remix digital resources into new creations.

*Students use appropriate technologies to create new digital works or responsibly repurpose or remix other digital works into new digital works.

1. Communicate complex ideas clearly and effectively by creating or using a variety of digital objects such as visualizations, models, or simulations.

* Students communicate complex ideas clearly using appropriate technologies to convey the concepts orally, textually, visually, graphically, etc.

1. Publish or present content that customizes the message and medium for the intended audiences.

*Students select and use appropriate technologies to design, publish, and present content that effectively convey their ideas, conclusions, and evidence for specific audiences.

Content Strand: Global Collaborator (GC)

Standard: Students use appropriate technologies, including assistive technologies, to broaden their perspectives and enrich their learning by collaborating with others and working effectively in teams locally and globally.

1. Use appropriate technologies to connect with learners from a variety of backgrounds and cultures, engaging with them in ways that broaden mutual understanding and learning.

*Students use appropriate technologies to connect with others to develop a richer understanding of different perspectives, backgrounds, and cultures.

1. Use collaborative technologies to work with others, including peers, experts, and community members to examine issues and problems from multiple viewpoints.

*Students use collaborative technologies to work with others, including peers, experts, and online community members to gain broader perspectives as they examine issues, problems, and opportunities.

1. Contribute constructively to project teams, assuming various roles and responsibilities to work effectively toward a common goal.

*Students determine their role on a team based on their knowledge of content and technologies, as well as personal preference, and use appropriate technologies to track team progress toward a common goal.

1. Explore local and global issues and use collaborative technologies to work with others to investigate solutions.

*Students use collaborative technologies to work with others to understand problems,

investigate and develop solutions related to local and global issues.

Computer Science - Adopted 2017

The seventh-grade standards emphasize constructing programs and utilizing algorithms to accomplish a task. Students continue to decompose larger problems into smaller tasks and recognize the impacts of computing and computing devices. Students in seventh grade explore processing data as well as its transmission over networks. The accurate use of terminology as well as the responsible use of technology will continue to be built upon. The foundational understanding of computing and the use of technology will be an integral component of successful acquisition of skills across content areas.

Algorithms and Programming

1. The student will construct programs to accomplish a task as a means of creative expression or scientific exploration using a block based or text based programming language, both independently and collaboratively,

1. combining control structures such as if-statements and loops including compound conditionals; and

2. creating clearly named variables that represent different data types, including numeric and non-numeric data, and perform operations on their values.

2. The student will document programs to make them easier to follow, test, and debug.

3. The student will distribute tasks and maintain a project timeline when collaboratively developing computational artifacts.

4. The student will decompose problems and sub problems into parts to facilitate the design, implementation, and review of programs.

Computing Systems

1. The student will describe how the Internet connects devices and networks all over the world. Exclusion: Specific devices used to implement the Internet are beyond the scope of these standards.

Cybersecurity

1. The student will describe how physical and digital security measures protect electronic information.

2. The student will identify existing cybersecurity concerns associated with Internet use and Internet-based systems and potential options to address these issues.

Data and Analysis

1. The student will discuss the correctness of a model representing a system by comparing the model’s generated results with data that were observed in the system being modeled.

2. The student will refine computational models based on the data they have generated.

Impacts of Computing

1. The student will explain how advances in technology have contributed to Virginia’s prosperity and role in the global economy.

2. The student will describe the development of new technologies in communication, entertainment, and business and their impact on American life.

3. The student will explore careers related to the Internet.

Networking and the Internet

1. The student will outline the advantages and disadvantages of transmitting information over the Internet, including speed, reliability, cost, and security.

2. The student will explain why protocols are necessary in data transmission. Model the role of protocols in transmitting data across networks and the Internet.

3. The student will model how information is broken down into smaller pieces, transmitted as packets through multiple devices over networks and the Internet, and reassembled at the destination.

This document provides a general guide for the content material your child will be exposed to during their seventh grade year.

Please sign the form below indicating receipt of the Seventh Grade Standards of Learning and return by the second week of school.

✂----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have read the Seventh Grade Standards of Learning document.

Student’s Name ________________________________________________________________

Parent/Guardian’s Name _________________________________________________________

Date _________________________

Grade Eight English Standards of Learning for Virginia Public Schools 2024 Grade 8

In eighth grade, the student will evaluate, analyze, develop, and produce media messages that are intended for specific audiences. The student will create multimodal presentations that include different points-of-view, and collaborate with others to exchange ideas, make decisions, and solve problems. The student will continue the study of word origins, roots, connotations, and denotations. There is a continued emphasis on reading comprehension by comparing literary and informational texts. In literary texts, the student will analyze the development of theme(s) and compare/contrast authors’ styles. There will be an increased emphasis on informational reading, and the student will analyze authors’ qualifications, point of view, and style. Reading and writing will continue to be an integrated process wherein the student will use authors and texts read as models when working on techniques in their own writing; the student will continue to develop as both reader and writer. The student will also plan, draft, revise, and edit writing in a variety of forms with an emphasis on expository and persuasive writing. The student will write persuasively and use claims, evidence, and counterclaims to advocate and support a position to fit the audience and purpose. The student will be expected to have greater control over the conventions of writing. When researching, the eighth-grade student will apply research techniques to analyze information gathered from diverse sources by identifying misconceptions and possible bias. They will evaluate the validity and credibility of sources, and will apply research techniques to quote, summarize, and paraphrase findings. In addition, the student will learn to cite sources using the Modern Language Association (MLA) or American Psychological Association (APA) style sheet and follow ethical and legal guidelines for gathering and using information. These skills are necessary for success in future postsecondary education and workplace environments.

Foundations for Reading

See Kindergarten through grade five for Foundations for Reading standards.

Developing Skilled Readers and Building Reading Stamina

8.DSR The student will build knowledge and comprehension skills from reading a range of challenging, content-rich texts. This includes fluently reading and gathering evidence from grade-level complex texts, reading widely on topics to gain purposeful knowledge and vocabulary, and using reading strategies when comprehension breaks down.

A. Read a variety of grade-level complex text with accuracy, automaticity, appropriate rate, and meaningful expression in successive readings to support comprehension. Monitor while reading to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, as necessary (Reading Fluency, K-12).

B. Proficiently read and comprehend a variety of literary and informational texts that exhibit complexity at the higher range of the grades 6-8 band (See the Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis charts for determining complexity in the Appendix.) (Text Complexity, 2-12).

C. When responding to text through discussion and/or writing, draw several pieces of evidence from grade-level complex texts to support claims, conclusions, and inferences, including quoting or paraphrasing from texts accurately and tracing where relevant evidence is located (Textual Evidence, K-12).

D. Regularly engage in reading a series of conceptually related texts organized around topics of study to build knowledge and vocabulary. (These texts should be at a range of complexity levels so students can read the texts independently, with peers, or with modest support.) Use this background knowledge as context for new learning (Deep Reading on Topics to Build Knowledge and Vocabulary, K-12).

E. Use reading strategies as needed to aid and monitor comprehension when encountering challenging sections of text. These sense-making strategies attend to text structure, common organizational structures, summarizing, asking questions of the text, and others (Reading Strategies, 3-12).

*Note: These standards will be applied when students are reading, writing, collaborating, and researching as described in the remaining standards.

Reading and Vocabulary

8.RV The student will systematically build vocabulary and word knowledge based on grade eight content and texts.

8.RV.1 Vocabulary Development and Word Analysis

A. Develop and accurately use general and academic language and content-specific vocabulary by listening to, reading, and discussing a variety of grade-eight texts and topics.

B. Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence or paragraph; a word’s position or function in a sentence) to determine the meaning of words or phrases.

C. Apply knowledge of Greek and Latin roots and affixes to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words.

D. Use the relationship between particular words, including synonyms, antonyms, and analogies to better understand each word.

E. Analyze the construction and meaning of an author’s use of symbols, analogy, and figurative language such as simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole, and idiom.

F. Discriminate between the meanings of connotative words and their denotative meanings.

G. Use general and specialized word-reference materials, print and digital, to determine pronunciation, etymology, derivations, and parts of speech.

H. Use newly learned words and phrases in multiple contexts, including in students’ discussions and speaking and writing activities.

Reading Literary Text

8.RL The student will use textual evidence to demonstrate comprehension and build knowledge from a variety of grade-level complex literary texts read to include short stories, literary nonfiction, novels, poetry, and drama.

8.RL.1 Key Ideas and Plot Details

A. Analyze and explain the development of theme(s) over the course of texts and their relationship to the characters, settings, plots, and overall messages.

B. Explain how different plot patterns (e.g., comedy, drama, tragedy) and subplots create meaning and examine their influence on characters, theme, pacing, and point of view.

C. Justify the decisions and actions of dynamic versus static characters using dialogue or specific events from the text.

8.RL.2 Craft and Style

A. Interpret the meaning and analyze the impact of poetic elements in prose and poetry (e.g., rhyme, rhythm, repetition, alliteration, and onomatopoeia) on the reader.

B. Analyze how the elements of an author’s style (e.g., dialogue, sentence structure and word choices) are used to influence and develop tone and voice.

C. Analyze how an author develops and contrasts the points of view of different characters or narrators in a text.

D. Analyze how an author’s use of literary devices including foreshadowing, flashback, symbolism, and irony are used to build mystery, suspense, or surprise.

8.RL.3 Integration of Concepts

A. Compare and contrast the structure of two or more stories, poems, and plays and analyze how the differing structure of each literary text contributes to its meaning and style.

B. Compare and contrast fictional portrayals of a time, place, or character with historical accounts of the same period as a means of understanding how authors of fiction use or alter history.

C. Compare and contrast texts in different forms or genres (e.g., stories and poems; historical novels and fantasy stories; literary nonfiction and informational) in terms of their approaches to similar themes and topics.

Reading Informational Text

8.RI The student will use textual evidence to demonstrate comprehension and build knowledge from grade-level complex informational texts read.

8.RI.1 Key Ideas and Confirming Details

A. Create a main idea statement and provide an accurate summary, clarifying the relationships among the key details and ideas or events.

B. Analyze how the author unfolds a perspective or series of ideas or events in historical, scientific, or technical texts, including the order in which the points are made, how they are introduced and developed, and the connections drawn between them.

C. Trace and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning and evidence are relevant and sufficient to support the claims.

8.RI.2 Craft and Style

A. Evaluate an author’s use of text features (e.g., boldface and italics; type set in color; underlining; indentation; sidebars; illustrations, graphics, and photographs; headings and subheadings; footnotes and annotations) to enhance and support the reader’s comprehension.

B. Analyze how an author’s word choice, organizational pattern, language structure, viewpoints, and qualifications impact meaning and credibility of a text.

C. Analyze how an author establishes and conveys a perspective or purpose in a text and acknowledges and responds to conflicting evidence or viewpoints.

8.RI.3 Integration of Concepts

A. Analyze ideas within and between selections including how specific sentences, paragraphs, sections, and text features contribute to the development and refinement of the ideas presented.

B. Compare and contrast how two or more authors present conflicting information on the same topic by assessing where the texts disagree in reasoning and evidence.

Foundations for Writing

See Kindergarten through grade five for Foundations for Writing standards.

Writing

8.W The student will compose various works for diverse audiences and purposes, linked to grade eight content and texts.

8.W.1 Modes and Purposes for Writing

A. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or to alter an existing text, using well-structured event sequences, precise words and phrases, and transitional words to develop the characters, convey sequence, and capture the action.

B. Write expository texts to examine a topic or concept that conveys ideas and information by maintaining a clear focus with relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, and examples from multiple credible sources, using structures and patterns (e.g., description, enumeration, classification, comparison, problem-solution, or cause-effect) to clarify relationships among ideas and concepts.

C. Write persuasively, supporting well-defined points of view effectively with relevant evidence and clear reasoning in ways that logically advance the claim(s) made.

D. Write reflectively in response to reading to demonstrate thinking with details, examples, and other evidence from the text(s).

8.W.2 Organization and Composition

A. Generate and organize ideas using the writing process (planning, drafting, revising, editing) to develop multi-paragraph texts. This includes:

i. Composing a thesis statement that states a position or explains the purpose.

ii. Establishing a central idea that aligns with the thesis and maintaining an organized structure and formal style to fit form and topic, providing elaboration and unity throughout the writing and maintaining a consistent point of view.

iii. Stating and defending conclusions or positions with reasons and precise, relevant evidence and complete explanation of how evidence and details support a position addressing counterclaims when appropriate.

iv. Using appropriate and varied transitions to signal shifts in writing to clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.

v. Developing voice and tone by using language that provides vivid and precise vocabulary to enhance the meaning of the writing.

vi. Expanding and embedding ideas to create sentence variety.

vii. Providing a concluding statement or section.

8.W.3 Usage and Mechanics

A. Revise writing for clarity of content, word choice, sentence variety, and transition among paragraphs.

B. Self-and peer-edit writing for capitalization, spelling, punctuation, sentence structure, paragraphing, and Standard English (See Language Usage for grade level expectations).

Language Usage

8.LU The student will use the conventions of Standard English when speaking and writing, differentiating between contexts that call for formal English and situations where informal discourse is more appropriate.

8.LU.1 Grammar

A. Construct simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences to communicate ideas clearly and add variety to writing.

B. Recognize and use pronoun-antecedent agreement, including indefinite, reflexive, and relative pronouns, when speaking and writing.

C. Use specific adjectives and adverbs to enhance speech and writing.

D. Arrange phrases and clauses within a sentence to improve meaning reader/listener interest, and style in writing.

E. Maintain consistent verb tense across paragraphs in writing.

8.LU.2 Mechanics

A. Construct complete sentences with appropriate punctuation, avoiding comma splices and run-ons in writing.

B. Use and punctuate dialogue and direct quotations appropriately in writing.

C. Recognize and consistently spell frequently used words accurately.

D. Consult reference materials to check and correct spelling.

Communication and Multimodal Literacies

8.C The student will develop effective oral communication and collaboration skills to build a community of learners that process, understand, and interpret content together.

8.C.1 Communication, Listening, and Collaboration

A. Facilitate and contribute to a range of sustained collaborative discussions with diverse partners on grade eight topics and texts. This includes:

i. Listening actively, offering and seeking ideas, and setting guidelines for presentations and discussions.

ii. Working effectively and respectfully by actively contributing relevant and well-supported ideas and opinions and sharing responsibility for the collaborative work.

iii. Asking clarifying questions and responding appropriately to others’ questions to encourage discussion, foster understanding, and maintain focus on the topic.

iv. Communicating agreement or tactful disagreement with others’ ideas, using carefully constructed responses.

v. Thoughtfully paraphrasing and summarizing ideas made during discussions.

vi. Acknowledging new insights expressed by others, and, when justified, modifying their own views.

vii. Valuing contributions made by each group member while exhibiting a willingness to make necessary concessions to accomplish a common goal.

viii. Using self-reflection to evaluate one’s own role in preparation and participation in small-group activities.

8.C.2 Speaking and Presentation of Ideas

A. Deliver collaborative and individual formal and informal interactive presentations This includes:

i. Clearly communicating information in an organized and succinct manner.

ii. Incorporating pertinent descriptions, facts, details, and examples to support the main ideas.

iii. Using language and vocabulary appropriate to the audience, topic, and purpose, including speaking clearly at an understandable pace with appropriate tone and volume.

iv. Responding to audience questions and comments with relevant evidence, observations, and ideas.

v. Referencing source material as appropriate during the presentation.

8.C.3 Integrating Multimodal Literacies

A. Plan and present a multimodal presentation that

i. Sequences ideas logically.

ii. Uses pertinent descriptions, facts, and details.

iii. Uses two or more communication modes to make meaning (e.g., still or moving images, gestures, spoken language, and written language).

iv. Emphasizes different points of view.

B. Craft and publish audience-specific media messages that present claims and findings with relevant evidence and reasoning.

8.C.4 Examining Media Messages

A. Examine how the media can influence beliefs, behaviors, and interpretations by using persuasive techniques (e.g., name calling, innuendo, glittering generalities, card stacking, bandwagon, testimonials, appeal to prestige, snobbery or plain folks, appeal to emotions).

B. Analyze how similar information is presented in diverse media formats by examining electronic, print, propaganda, and mass media.

C. Evaluate sources for their relationships, motives, intent, and content (e.g., social, emotional, commercial).

Research

8.R. The student will conduct research and read a series of conceptually related texts on selected topics to build knowledge on grade-eight content and texts, solve problems, and support cross-curricular learning.

8.R.1 Evaluation and Synthesis of Information

A. Formulate and revise questions about a research topic, broadening or narrowing the inquiry as necessary.

B. Collect, organize, and synthesize information from multiple sources using various notetaking formats.

C. Evaluate and analyze the relevance, validity, and credibility of sources (primary, secondary, digital, and print) identifying main and supporting ideas, conflicting information, points of view, and any biases.

D. Quote, summarize, and paraphrase research findings from primary and secondary sources, avoiding plagiarism by using own words and following ethical and legal guidelines.

E. Organize and share findings in formal and informal oral or written formats.

F. Cite primary and secondary sources using the Modern Language Association (MLA) or American Psychological Association (APA) style.

G. Demonstrate ethical and responsible use of all sources, including the Internet, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and new technologies, as they develop.

Mathematics Standards of Learning for Virginia Public Schools 2023 Grade 8

The Grade 8 Standards continue to build on the concepts needed for success in high school level Algebra, Geometry, and Statistics. Students will explore real numbers and the subsets of the real number system. Proportional reasoning is expounded upon as students solve a variety of problems. Students find the volume and surface area of more complex three-dimensional figures and apply transformations to geometric shapes in the coordinate plane. Students will verify and apply the Pythagorean Theorem creating a foundation for further study of triangular relationships in Geometry. Students will represent data, both univariate and bivariate, and continue to apply the data cycle and extend the application to boxplots and scatterplots. Students build upon the algebraic concepts developed in the Grade 6 and 7 Standards, which include simplifying algebraic expressions, solving multistep linear equations and inequalities in one variable, and graphing linear functions. The Grade 8 Standards are vital to providing a solid foundation in Algebra 1.

The building of mathematical knowledge can be enhanced by using technology tools when used strategically and to complement further learning during grades 6-8. The use of appropriate technology and the interpretation of the results from applying technology tools must be an integral part of teaching, learning, and assessment. However, facility in the use of technology shall not be regarded as a substitute for a student’s understanding of quantitative and algebraic concepts or for proficiency in basic computations. Students must learn to use a variety of methods and tools to compute, including paper and pencil, mental arithmetic, estimation, and the use of instructional technology. Graphing utilities, spreadsheets, calculators, dynamic applications, and other technological tools support mathematical problem solving, reasoning, and justification, as well as application in science, engineering, business and industry, government, and practical affairs.

In grades 6-8, the acquisition of specialized mathematical vocabulary and language builds as students continue to deepen their understanding of mathematics through communication and problem solving.

Problem solving increases in complexity as students progress into middle and high school. Students continue to build upon their mathematical knowledge by participating in problem-solving activities that promote higher levels of critical thinking and analysis.

Number and Number Sense

8.NS.1 The student will compare and order real numbers and determine the relationships between real numbers.

Students will demonstrate the following Knowledge and Skills:

a) Estimate and identify the two consecutive natural numbers between which the positive square root of a given number lies and justify which natural number is the better approximation. Numbers are limited to natural numbers from 1 to 400.

b) Use rational approximations (to the nearest hundredth) of irrational numbers to compare, order, and locate values on a number line. Radicals may include both positive and negative square roots of values from 0 to 400 yielding an irrational number.

c) Use multiple strategies (e.g., benchmarks, number line, equivalency) to compare and order no more than five real numbers expressed as integers, fractions (proper or improper), decimals, mixed numbers, percents, numbers written in scientific notation, radicals, and π. Radicals may include both positive and negative square roots of values from 0 to 400. Ordering may be in ascending or descending order. Justify solutions orally, in writing or with a model.

8.NS.2 The student will investigate and describe the relationship between the subsets of the real number system.

Students will demonstrate the following Knowledge and Skills:

a) Describe and illustrate the relationships among the subsets of the real number system by using representations (e.g., graphic organizers, number lines). Subsets include rational numbers, irrational numbers, integers, whole numbers, and natural numbers.

b) Classify and explain why a given number is a member of a particular subset or subsets of the real number system.

c) Describe each subset of the set of real numbers and include examples and non-examples.

Computation and Estimation

8.CE.1 The student will estimate and apply proportional reasoning and computational procedures to solve contextual problems.

Students will demonstrate the following Knowledge and Skills:

a) Estimate and solve contextual problems that require the computation of one discount or markup and the resulting sale price.

b) Estimate and solve contextual problems that require the computation of the sales tax, tip and resulting total.

c) Estimate and solve contextual problems that require the computation of the percent increase or decrease.

Measurement and Geometry

8.MG.1 The student will use the relationships among pairs of angles that are vertical angles, adjacent angles, supplementary angles, and complementary angles to determine the measure of unknown angles.

Students will demonstrate the following Knowledge and Skills:

a) Identify and describe the relationship between pairs of angles that are vertical, adjacent, supplementary, and complementary.

b) Use the relationships among supplementary, complementary, vertical, and adjacent angles to solve problems, including those in context, involving the measure of unknown angles.

8.MG.2 The student will investigate and determine the surface area of square-based pyramids and the volume of cones and square-based pyramids.

Students will demonstrate the following Knowledge and Skills:

a) Determine the surface area of square-based pyramids by using concrete objects, nets, diagrams, and formulas.

b) Determine the volume of cones and square-based pyramids, using concrete objects, diagrams, and formulas.

c) Examine and explain the relationship between the volume of cones and cylinders, and the volume of rectangular prisms and square based pyramids.

d) Solve problems in context involving volume of cones and square-based pyramids and the surface area of square-based pyramids.

8.MG.3 The student will apply translations and reflections to polygons in the coordinate plane.

Students will demonstrate the following Knowledge and Skills:

a) Given a preimage in the coordinate plane, identify the coordinates of the image of a polygon that has been translated vertically, horizontally, or a combination of both.

b) Given a preimage in the coordinate plane, identify the coordinates of the image of a polygon that has been reflected over the x- or y-axis.

c) Given a preimage in the coordinate plane, identify the coordinates of the image of a polygon that has been translated and reflected over the x- or y-axis or reflected over the x- or y-axis and then translated.

d) Sketch the image of a polygon that has been translated vertically, horizontally, or a combination of both.

e) Sketch the image of a polygon that has been reflected over the x- or y-axis.

f) Sketch the image of a polygon that has been translated and reflected over the x- or y-axis, or reflected over the x- or y-axis and then translated.

g) Identify and describe transformations in context (e.g., tiling, fabric, wallpaper designs, art).

8.MG.4 The student will apply the Pythagorean Theorem to solve problems involving right triangles, including those in context.

Students will demonstrate the following Knowledge and Skills:

a) Verify the Pythagorean Theorem using diagrams, concrete materials, and measurement.

b) Determine whether a triangle is a right triangle given the measures of its three sides.

c) Identify the parts of a right triangle (the hypotenuse and the legs) given figures in various orientations.

d) Determine the measure of a side of a right triangle, given the measures of the other two sides.

e) Apply the Pythagorean Theorem, and its converse, to solve problems involving right triangles in context.

8.MG.5 The student will solve area and perimeter problems involving composite plane figures, including those in context.

Students will demonstrate the following Knowledge and Skills:

a) Subdivide a plane figure into triangles, rectangles, squares, trapezoids, parallelograms, circles, and semicircles. Determine the area of subdivisions and combine to determine the area of the composite plane figure.

b) Subdivide a plane figure into triangles, rectangles, squares, trapezoids, parallelograms, and semicircles. Use the attributes of the subdivisions to determine the perimeter of the composite plane figure.

c) Apply perimeter, circumference, and area formulas to solve contextual problems involving composite plane figures.

Probability and Statistics

8.PS.1 The student will use statistical investigation to determine the probability of independent and dependent events, including those in context.

Students will demonstrate the following Knowledge and Skills:

a) Determine whether two events are independent or dependent and explain how replacement impacts the probability.

b) Compare and contrast the probability of independent and dependent events.

c) Determine the probability of two independent events.

d) Determine the probability of two dependent events.

8.PS.2 The student will apply the data cycle (formulate questions; collect or acquire data; organize and represent data; and analyze data and communicate results) with a focus on boxplots.

Students will demonstrate the following Knowledge and Skills:

a) Formulate questions that require the collection or acquisition of data with a focus on boxplots.

b) Determine the data needed to answer a formulated question and collect the data (or acquire existing data) using various methods (e.g., observations, measurement, surveys, experiments).

c) Determine how statistical bias might affect whether the data collected from the sample is representative of the larger population.

d) Organize and represent a numeric data set of no more than 20 items, using boxplots, with and without the use of technology.

e) Identify and describe the lower extreme (minimum), upper extreme (maximum), median, upper quartile, lower quartile, range, and interquartile range given a data set, represented by a boxplot.

f) Describe how the presence of an extreme data point (outlier) affects the shape and spread of the data distribution of a boxplot.

g) Analyze data represented in a boxplot by making observations and drawing conclusions.

h) Compare and analyze two data sets represented in boxplots.

i) Given a contextual situation, justify which graphical representation (e.g., pictographs, bar graphs, line graphs, line plots/dot plots, stem-and-leaf plots, circle graphs, histograms, and boxplots) best represents the data.

j) Identify components of graphical displays that can be misleading.

8.PS.3 The student will apply the data cycle (formulate questions; collect or acquire data; organize and represent data; and analyze data and communicate results) with a focus on scatterplots.

Students will demonstrate the following Knowledge and Skills:

a) Formulate questions that require the collection or acquisition of data with a focus on scatterplots.

b) Determine the data needed to answer a formulated question and collect the data (or acquire existing data) of no more than 20 items using various methods (e.g., observations, measurement, surveys, experiments).

c) Organize and represent numeric bivariate data using scatterplots with and without the use of technology.

d) Make observations about a set of data points in a scatterplot as having a positive linear relationship, a negative linear relationship, or no relationship

e) Analyze and justify the relationship of the quantitative bivariate data represented in scatterplots.

f) Sketch the line of best fit for data represented in a scatterplot.

Patterns, Functions, and Algebra

8.PFA.1 The student will represent, simplify, and generate equivalent algebraic expressions in one variable.

Students will demonstrate the following Knowledge and Skills:

a) Represent algebraic expressions using concrete manipulatives or pictorial representations (e.g., colored chips, algebra tiles), including expressions that apply the distributive property.

b) Simplify and generate equivalent algebraic expressions in one variable by applying the order of operations and properties of real numbers. Expressions may need to be expanded (using the distributive property) or require combining like terms to simplify. Expressions will include only linear and numeric terms. Coefficients and numeric terms may be rational.

8.PFA.2 The student will determine whether a given relation is a function and determine the domain and range of a function.

Students will demonstrate the following Knowledge and Skills:

a) Determine whether a relation, represented by a set of ordered pairs, a table, or a graph of discrete points is a function. Sets are limited to no more than 10 ordered pairs.

b) Identify the domain and range of a function represented as a set of ordered pairs, a table, or a graph of discrete points.

8.PFA.3 The student will represent and solve problems, including those in context, by using linear functions and analyzing their key characteristics (the value of the y-intercept (b) and the coordinates of the ordered pairs in graphs will be limited to integers).

Students will demonstrate the following Knowledge and Skills:

a) Determine how adding a constant (b) to the equation of a proportional relationship y = mx will translate the line on a graph.

b) Describe key characteristics of linear functions including slope (m), y-intercept (b), and independent and dependent variables.

c) Graph a linear function given a table, equation, or a situation in context.

d) Create a table of values for a linear function given a graph, equation in the form of y = mx + b, or context.

e) Write an equation of a linear function in the form y = mx + b, given a graph, table, or a situation in context.

f) Create a context for a linear function given a graph, table, or equation in the form y = mx + b.

8.PFA.4 The student will write and solve multistep linear equations in one variable, including problems in context that require the solution of a multistep linear equation in one variable.

Students will demonstrate the following Knowledge and Skills:

a) Represent and solve multistep linear equations in one variable with the variable on one or both sides of the equation (up to four steps) using a variety of concrete materials and pictorial representations.

b) Apply properties of real numbers and properties of equality to solve multistep linear equations in one variable (up to four steps). Coefficients and numeric terms will be rational. Equations may contain expressions that need to be expanded (using the distributive property) or require combining like terms to solve.

c) Write a multistep linear equation in one variable to represent a verbal situation, including those in context.

d) Create a verbal situation in context given a multistep linear equation in one variable.

e) Solve problems in context that require the solution of a multistep linear equation.

f) Interpret algebraic solutions in context to linear equations in one variable.

g) Confirm algebraic solutions to linear equations in one variable.

8.PFA.5 The student will write and solve multistep linear inequalities in one variable, including problems in context that require the solution of a multistep linear inequality in one variable.

Students will demonstrate the following Knowledge and Skills:

a) Apply properties of real numbers and properties of inequality to solve multistep linear inequalities (up to four steps) in one variable with the variable on one or both sides of the inequality. Coefficients and numeric terms will be rational. Inequalities may contain expressions that need to be expanded (using the distributive property) or require combining like terms to solve.

b) Represent solutions to inequalities algebraically and graphically using a number line.

c) Write multistep linear inequalities in one variable to represent a verbal situation, including those in context.

d) Create a verbal situation in context given a multistep linear inequality in one variable.

e) Solve problems in context that require the solution of a multistep linear inequality in one variable.

f) Identify a numerical value(s) that is part of the solution set of a given inequality.

g) Interpret algebraic solutions in context to linear inequalities in one variable.

Algebra 1 Mathematics Standards of Learning for Virginia Public Schools 2023

The successful mastery of Algebra 1 is widely considered to be the gatekeeper to success in the study of upper-level mathematics. The study of algebraic thinking begins in kindergarten and is progressively formalized prior to the study of the algebraic content found in the Algebra 1 Standards of Learning. The progression of algebraic content includes patterning, generalization of arithmetic concepts, proportional reasoning, and representing mathematical relationships using tables, symbols, and graphs. All students are expected to achieve proficiency with the Algebra 1 Standards. The study of Algebra 1 assists students in generalizing patterns and representing relevant, contextual situations with algebraic models. To assist students in developing meaning and connecting algebraic concepts to geometry and statistics, consideration should be given to the sequential development of concepts and skills by using concrete materials to support the transition from the numeric to the symbolic. Connections between Algebra 1 and other subject areas through contextual applications may help students attach meaning to the abstract concepts of algebra.

These Standards require students to use algebra as a tool for representing and solving a variety of contextual problems. Tables and graphs will be used to interpret algebraic expressions, equations, and inequalities and to analyze behaviors of functions. These Standards include a transformational approach to graphing functions and writing equations when given the graph of the equation. Transformational graphing builds a strong connection between algebraic and graphic representations of functions.

Technology tools will be used to assist in teaching and learning. Graphing technologies facilitate visualizing, analyzing, and understanding algebraic and statistical behaviors and provide a powerful tool for solving problems, verifying solutions, and making connections.

Expressions and Operations

A.EO.1 The student will represent verbal quantitative situations algebraically and evaluate these expressions for given replacement values of the variables.

Students will demonstrate the following Knowledge and Skills:

a) Translate between verbal quantitative situations and algebraic expressions, including contextual situations.

b) Evaluate algebraic expressions which include absolute value, square roots, and cube roots for given replacement values to include rational numbers, without rationalizing the denominator.

A.EO.2 The student will perform operations on and factor polynomial expressions in one variable.

Students will demonstrate the following Knowledge and Skills:

a) Determine sums and differences of polynomial expressions in one variable, using a variety of strategies, including concrete objects and their related pictorial and symbolic models.

b) Determine the product of polynomial expressions in one variable, using a variety of strategies, including concrete objects and their related pictorial and symbolic models, the application of the distributive property, and the use of area models. The factors should be limited to five or fewer terms (e.g., (4x + 2)(3x + 5) represents four terms and (x + 1)(2x2 + x + 3) represents five terms).

c) Factor completely first- and second-degree polynomials in one variable with integral coefficients. After factoring out the greatest common factor (GCF), leading coefficients should have no more than four factors.

d) Determine the quotient of polynomials, using a monomial or binomial divisor, or a completely factored divisor.

e) Represent and demonstrate equality of quadratic expressions in different forms (e.g., concrete, verbal, symbolic, and graphical).

A.EO.3 The student will derive and apply the laws of exponents.

Students will demonstrate the following Knowledge and Skills:

a) Derive the laws of exponents through explorations of patterns, to include products, quotients, and powers of bases.

b) Simplify multivariable expressions and ratios of monomial expressions in which the exponents are integers, using the laws of exponents.

A.EO.4 The student will simplify and determine equivalent radical expressions involving square roots of whole numbers and cube roots of integers.

Students will demonstrate the following Knowledge and Skills:

a) Simplify and determine equivalent radical expressions involving the square root of a whole number in simplest form.

b) Simplify and determine equivalent radical expressions involving the cube root of an integer.

c) Add, subtract, and multiply radicals, limited to numeric square and cube root expressions.

d) Generate equivalent numerical expressions and justify their equivalency for radicals using rational exponents, limited to rational exponents of and (e.g., = ; = = 2).

Equations and Inequalities

A.EI.1 The student will represent, solve, explain, and interpret the solution to multistep linear equations and inequalities in one variable and literal equations for a specified variable.

Students will demonstrate the following Knowledge and Skills:

a) Write a linear equation or inequality in one variable to represent a contextual situation.

b) Solve multistep linear equations in one variable, including those in contextual situations, by applying the properties of real numbers and/or properties of equality.

c) Solve multistep linear inequalities in one variable algebraically and graph the solution set on a number line, including those in contextual situations, by applying the properties of real numbers and/or properties of inequality.

d) Rearrange a formula or literal equation to solve for a specified variable by applying the properties of equality.

e) Determine if a linear equation in one variable has one solution, no solution, or an infinite number of solutions.

f) Verify possible solution(s) to multistep linear equations and inequalities in one variable algebraically, graphically, and with technology to justify the reasonableness of the answer(s). Explain the solution method and interpret solutions for problems given in context.

A.EI.2 The student will represent, solve, explain, and interpret the solution to a system of two linear equations, a linear inequality in two variables, or a system of two linear inequalities in two variables.

Students will demonstrate the following Knowledge and Skills:

a) Create a system of two linear equations in two variables to represent a contextual situation.

b) Apply the properties of real numbers and/or properties of equality to solve a system of two linear equations in two variables, algebraically and graphically.

c) Determine whether a system of two linear equations has one solution, no solution, or an infinite number of solutions.

d) Create a linear inequality in two variables to represent a contextual situation.

e) Represent the solution of a linear inequality in two variables graphically on a coordinate plane.

f) Create a system of two linear inequalities in two variables to represent a contextual situation.

g) Represent the solution set of a system of two linear inequalities in two variables, graphically on a coordinate plane.

h) Verify possible solution(s) to a system of two linear equations, a linear inequality in two variable, or a system of two linear inequalities algebraically, graphically, and with technology to justify the reasonableness of the answer(s). Explain the solution method and interpret solutions for problems given in context.

A.EI.3 The student will represent, solve, and interpret the solution to a quadratic equation in one variable.

Students will demonstrate the following Knowledge and Skills:

a) Solve a quadratic equation in one variable over the set of real numbers with rational or irrational solutions, including those that can be used to solve contextual problems.

b) Determine and justify if a quadratic equation in one variable has no real solutions, one real solution, or two real solutions.

c) Verify possible solution(s) to a quadratic equation in one variable algebraically, graphically, and with technology to justify the reasonableness of answer(s). Explain the solution method and interpret solutions for problems given in context.

Functions

A.F.1 The student will investigate, analyze, and compare linear functions algebraically and graphically, and model linear relationships.

Students will demonstrate the following Knowledge and Skills:

a) Determine and identify the domain, range, zeros, slope, and intercepts of a linear function, presented algebraically or graphically, including the interpretation of these characteristics in contextual situations.

b) Investigate and explain how transformations to the parent function y = x affect the rate of change (slope) and the y-intercept of a linear function.

c) Write equivalent algebraic forms of linear functions, including slope-intercept form, standard form, and point-slope form, and analyze and interpret the information revealed by each form.

d) Write the equation of a linear function to model a linear relationship between two quantities, including those that can represent contextual situations. Writing the equation of a linear function will include the following situations:

i) given the graph of a line;

ii) given two points on the line whose coordinates are integers;

iii) given the slope and a point on the line whose coordinates are integers;

iv) vertical lines as x = a; and

v) horizontal lines as y = c.

e) Write the equation of a line parallel or perpendicular to a given line through a given point.

f) Graph a linear function in two variables, with and without the use of technology, including those that can represent contextual situations.

g) For any value, x, in the domain of f, determine f(x), and determine x given any value f(x) in the range of f, given an algebraic or graphical representation of a linear function.

h) Compare and contrast the characteristics of linear functions represented algebraically, graphically, in tables, and in contextual situations.

A.F.2 The student will investigate, analyze, and compare characteristics of functions, including quadratic, and exponential functions, and model quadratic and exponential relationships.

Students will demonstrate the following Knowledge and Skills:

a) Determine whether a relation, represented by a set of ordered pairs, a table, a mapping, or a graph is a function; for relations that are functions, determine the domain and range.

b) Given an equation or graph, determine key characteristics of a quadratic function including x-intercepts (zeros), y-intercept, vertex (maximum or minimum), and domain and range (including when restricted by context); interpret key characteristics as related to contextual situations, where applicable.

c) Graph a quadratic function, f(x), in two variables using a variety of strategies, including transformations f(x) + k and kf(x), where k is limited to rational values.

d) Make connections between the algebraic (standard and factored forms) and graphical representation of a quadratic function.

e) Given an equation or graph of an exponential function in the form y = abx (where b is limited to a natural number), interpret key characteristics, including y-intercepts and domain and range; interpret key characteristics as related to contextual situations, where applicable.

f) Graph an exponential function, f(x), in two variables using a variety of strategies, including transformations f(x) + k and kf(x), where k is limited to rational values.

g) For any value, x, in the domain of f, determine f(x) of a quadratic or exponential function. Determine x given any value f(x) in the range of f of a quadratic function. Explain the meaning of x and f(x) in context.

h) Compare and contrast the key characteristics of linear functions (f(x) = x), quadratic functions (f(x) = x2), and exponential functions (f(x) = bx) using tables and graphs.

Statistics

A.ST.1 The student will apply the data cycle (formulate questions; collect or acquire data; organize and represent data; and analyze data and communicate results) with a focus on representing bivariate data in scatterplots and determining the curve of best fit using linear and quadratic functions.

Students will demonstrate the following Knowledge and Skills:

a) Formulate investigative questions that require the collection or acquisition of bivariate data.

b) Determine what variables could be used to explain a given contextual problem or situation or answer investigative questions.

c) Determine an appropriate method to collect a representative sample, which could include a simple random sample, to answer an investigative question.

d) Given a table of ordered pairs or a scatterplot representing no more than 30 data points, use available technology to determine whether a linear or quadratic function would represent the relationship, and if so, determine the equation of the curve of best fit.

e) Use linear and quadratic regression methods available through technology to write a linear or quadratic function that represents the data where appropriate and describe the strengths and weaknesses of the model.

f) Use a linear model to predict outcomes and evaluate the strength and validity of these predictions, including through the use of technology.

g) Investigate and explain the meaning of the rate of change (slope) and y-intercept (constant term) of a linear model in context.

h) Analyze relationships between two quantitative variables revealed in a scatterplot.

i) Make conclusions based on the analysis of a set of bivariate data and communicate the results.

Physical Science

Physical Science Standards of Learning for Virginia Public Schools – October 2018

The Physical Science standards stress an in-depth understanding of the nature and structure of matter and the characteristics of energy. Major areas covered by the standards include the particle nature of matter, the organization and use of the periodic table; physical and chemical changes; energy transfer and transformations; properties of longitudinal and transverse waves; electricity and magnetism; and work, force, and motion. The standards build on skills of systematic investigation with a clear focus on variables and repeated trials. Validating conclusions with evidence and data becomes increasingly important at this level. Mathematics, computational thinking, and experience in the engineering design process gain importance as students advance in their scientific thinking.

PS.1 The student will demonstrate an understanding of scientific and engineering practices by

1. asking questions and defining problems

• ask questions that require empirical evidence to answer

• develop hypotheses indicating relationships between independent and dependent variables

• offer simple solutions to design problems

• planning and carrying out investigations

1. independently and collaboratively plan and conduct observational and experimental investigations; identify variables, constants, and controls where appropriate and include the safe use of chemicals and equipment

• evaluate the accuracy of various methods for collecting data

• take metric measurements using appropriate tools and technologies

• apply scientific ideas or principles to design, construct, and/or test a design of an object, tool, process or system

1. interpreting, analyzing, and evaluating data

• construct and interpret data tables showing independent and dependent variables, repeated trials, and means

• construct, analyze, and interpret graphical displays of data and consider limitations of data analysis

• apply mathematical concepts and processes to scientific questions

• use data to evaluate and refine design solutions to best meet criteria

1. constructing and critiquing conclusions and explanations

• construct scientific explanations based on valid and reliable evidence obtained from sources (including the students’ own investigations)

• construct arguments supported by empirical evidence and scientific reasoning

• generate and compare multiple solutions to problems based on how well they meet the criteria and constraints

• differentiate between a scientific hypothesis, theory, and law

1. developing and using models

• construct, develop, and use models and simulations to illustrate and/or explain observable and unobservable phenomena

• evaluate limitations of models

1. obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information

• read scientific texts, including those adapted for classroom use, to determine the central idea and/or obtain scientific and/or technical information

• gather, read, and synthesize information from multiple appropriate sources and assess the credibility, accuracy, and possible bias of each publication

• construct, use, and/or present an oral and written argument supported by empirical evidence and scientific reasoning

PS.2 The student will investigate and understand that matter is composed of atoms. Key ideas include

a) our understanding of atoms has developed over time;

b) the periodic table can be used to predict the chemical and physical properties of matter; and

c) the kinetic molecular theory is used to predict and explain matter interactions.

PS.3 The student will investigate and understand that matter has properties and is conserved in chemical and physical processes. Key ideas include

1. pure substances can be identified based on their chemical and physical properties;

2. pure substances can undergo physical and chemical changes that may result in a change of properties;

3. compounds form through ionic and covalent bonding; and

4. balanced chemical equations model the conservation of matter.

PS.4 The student will investigate and understand that the periodic table is a model used to organize elements based on their atomic structure. Key uses include

1. symbols, atomic numbers, atomic mass, chemical groups (families), and periods are identified on the periodic table; and

2. elements are classified as metals, metalloids, and nonmetals.

PS.5 The student will investigate and understand that energy is conserved. Key ideas include

1. energy can be stored in different ways;

2. energy is transferred and transformed; and

3. energy can be transformed to meet societal needs.

PS.6 The student will investigate and understand that waves are important in the movement of energy. Key ideas include

1. energy may be transferred in the form of longitudinal and transverse waves;

2. mechanical waves need a medium to transfer energy;

3. waves can interact; and

4. energy associated with waves has many applications.

PS.7 The student will investigate and understand that electromagnetic radiation has characteristics. Key ideas include

1. electromagnetic radiation, including visible light, has wave characteristics and behavior; and

2. regions of the electromagnetic spectrum have specific characteristics and uses.

PS.8 The student will investigate and understand that work, force, and motion are related. Key ideas include

1. motion can be described using position and time; and

2. motion is described by Newton’s laws.

PS.9 The student will investigate and understand that there are basic principles of electricity and magnetism. Key ideas include

1. an imbalance of charge generates static electricity;

2. materials have different conductive properties;

3. electric circuits transfer energy;

4. magnetic fields cause the magnetic effects of certain materials;

5. electric current and magnetic fields are related; and

6. many technologies use electricity and magnetism.

Civics and Economics

History and Social Science Standards of Learning for Virginia Public Schools – March 2015

Standards for Civics and Economics examine the roles citizens play in the political, governmental, and economic systems in the United States. Students will examine the foundational documents and principles with which the constitutions of Virginia and the United States were established, identify the rights, duties, and responsibilities of citizens, and describe the structure and operation of government at the local, state, and national levels. Through the economics standards, students will compare the United States economy to other types of economies and consider the government’s role in the United States economy. Students will investigate the process by which decisions are made in the American market economy and explain the government’s role in the United States economy. The standards identify personal character traits, such as patriotism, respect for the law, willingness to perform public service, and a sense of civic duty, that facilitate thoughtful and effective active participation in the civic life of an increasingly diverse democratic society.

Civic and economic education also must emphasize the intellectual and practical skills required for responsible citizenship. Students will learn to consider their own talents, aptitudes, personalities, and market demand as they explore future decisions. Students will practice these skills both inside and outside the classroom as they extend their understanding of the essential knowledge defined by the standards for Civics and Economics.

Skills

CE.1 The student will demonstrate skills for historical thinking, geographical analysis, economic decision making, and responsible citizenship by

a) analyzing and interpreting evidence from primary and secondary sources, including charts, graphs, and political cartoons;

b) analyzing how political and economic trends influence public policy, using demographic information and other data sources;

c) analyzing information to create diagrams, tables, charts, graphs, and spreadsheets;

d) determining the accuracy and validity of information by separating fact and opinion and recognizing bias;

e) constructing informed, evidence-based arguments from multiple sources;

f) determining multiple cause-and-effect relationships that impact political and economic events;

g) taking informed action to address school, community, local, state, national, and global issues;

h) using a decision-making model to analyze and explain the costs and benefits of a specific choice;

i) applying civic virtue and democratic principles to make collaborative decisions; and

j) defending conclusions orally and in writing to a wide range of audiences, using evidence from sources.

CE.2 The student will apply social science skills to understand the foundations of American constitutional government by

a) explaining the fundamental principles of consent of the governed, limited government, rule of law, democracy, and representative government;

b) examining and evaluating the impact of the Magna Carta, charters of the Virginia Company of London, the Virginia Declaration of Rights, the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom on the Constitution of Virginia and the Constitution of the United States, including the Bill of Rights;

c) describing the purposes for the Constitution of the United States as stated in its Preamble; and

d) describing the procedures for amending the Constitution of Virginia and the Constitution of the United States.

CE.3 The student will apply social science skills to understand citizenship and the rights, duties, and responsibilities of citizens by

a) describing the processes by which an individual becomes a citizen of the United States;

b) describing the First Amendment freedoms of religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition, and the rights guaranteed by due process and equal protection of the laws;

c) describing the duties of citizenship, including obeying the laws, paying taxes, defending the nation, and serving in court;

d) examining the responsibilities of citizenship, including registering and voting, communicating with government officials, participating in political campaigns, keeping informed about current issues, and respecting differing opinions in a diverse society; and

e) evaluating how civic and social duties address community needs and serve the public good.

CE.4 The student will demonstrate personal character traits that facilitate thoughtful and effective participation in civic life by

a) practicing trustworthiness and honesty;

b) practicing courtesy and respect for the rights of others;

c) practicing responsibility, accountability, and self-reliance;

d) practicing respect for the law;

e) practicing patriotism;

f) practicing thoughtful decision making; and

g) practicing service to the school and/or local community.

CE.5 The student will apply social science skills to understand the political process at the local, state, and national levels of government by

a) describing the functions of political parties;

b) comparing and contrasting political parties;

c) analyzing campaigns for elective office, with emphasis on the role of the media;

d) evaluating and explaining the role of campaign contributions and costs;

e) examining the history of and requirements for voter registration, and participating in simulated local, state, and/or national elections; and

f) describing the role of the Electoral College in the election of the president and vice president.

CE.6 The student will apply social science skills to understand the American constitutional government at the national level by

a) describing the structure and powers of the national government;

b) explaining the principle of separation of powers and the operation of checks and balances;

c) explaining and/or simulating the lawmaking process; and

d) describing the roles and powers of the executive branch.

CE.7 The student will apply social science skills to understand the American constitutional government at the state level by

a) describing the structure and powers of the state government;

b) explaining the relationship of state governments to the national government in the federal system;

c) explaining and/or simulating the lawmaking process; and

d) describing the roles and powers of the executive branch and regulatory boards.

CE.8 The student will apply social science skills to understand the American constitutional government at the local level by

a) describing the structure and powers of the local government;

b) explaining the relationship of local government to the state government; and

c) explaining and/or simulating the lawmaking process.

CE.9 The student will apply social science skills to understand the judicial systems established by the Constitution of Virginia and the Constitution of the United States by

a) describing the organization of the United States judicial system as consisting of state and federal courts with original and appellate jurisdiction;

b) describing the exercise of judicial review;

c) comparing and contrasting civil and criminal cases; and

d) explaining how due process protections seek to ensure justice.

CE.10 The student will apply social science skills to understand how public policy is made at the local, state, and national levels of government by

a) examining the impact of the media on public opinion and public policy;

b) describing how individuals and interest groups influence public policy; and

c) describing the impact of international issues and events on local decision making.

CE.11 The student will apply social science skills to understand how economic decisions are made in the marketplace by

a) explaining that because of scarcity, consumers, producers, and governments must make choices, understanding that everyone’s choice has an opportunity cost; and

b) comparing and contrasting how traditional, free market, command, and mixed economies decide how to allocate their limited resources.

CE.12 The student will apply social science skills to understand the United States economy by

a) describing the characteristics of the United States economy, including limited government, private property, profit, markets, consumer sovereignty, and competition;

b) describing how in a market economy supply and demand determine prices;

c) describing the types of business organizations and the role of entrepreneurship;

d) explaining the circular flow that shows how consumers (households), businesses (producers), and markets interact;

e) explaining how financial institutions channel funds from savers to borrowers; and

f) analyzing the relationship of Virginia and the United States to the global economy, with emphasis on the impact of technological innovations.

CE.13 The student will apply social science skills to understand the role of government in the United States economy by

a) examining competition in the marketplace;

b) explaining how and why government provides certain goods and services;

c) describing how local, state, and federal governments allocate their budgets and collect taxes to pay for goods and services they provide;

d) explaining the structure and main function of the Federal Reserve System and how it acts as the nation’s central bank;

e) describing how governments regulate to protect consumers, labor, the environment, competition in the marketplace, and property rights; and

f) explaining the role of government currency and analyzing the purpose of a money economy.

CE.14 The student will apply social science skills to understand personal finance and career opportunities by

a) identifying talents, interests, and aspirations that influence career choice;

b) identifying human capital such as attitudes and behaviors that strengthen the individual work ethic and promote career success;

c) identifying human capital such as abilities, skills, and education and the changing supply of and demand for them in the economy;

d) examining the impact of technological change and globalization on career opportunities;

e) describing the importance of education to lifelong personal finances; and

f) analyzing the financial responsibilities of citizenship, including evaluating common forms of credit, savings, investments, purchases, contractual agreements, warranties, and guarantees.

Standards of Learning for Digital Learning Integration – Adopted 2020

Content Strand: Empowered Learner (EL)

Standard: Students leverage technologies, including assistive technologies, to take an active role in choosing, achieving, and demonstrating competency in their learning goals, informed by the learning sciences.

1. Students articulate and set personal learning goals, develop strategies leveraging technology to achieve them, and reflect on the learning process itself to improve learning outcomes.

*Students articulate personal learning goals, select and use appropriate technologies to achieve them, and reflect on their successes and different areas of improvement in working toward their goals.

1. Build networks and customize their learning environments in ways that support the learning process.

*In collaboration with an educator, students identify and develop digital learning

communities and customize their learning environments in ways that support their

learning.

1. Use technology to seek feedback that informs and improves their practice and to demonstrate their learning in a variety of ways.

*Students seek feedback from people, including peers, teachers, staff familiar with assistive technologies, and functionalities embedded in technologies to make changes to improve and demonstrate their learning.

1. Understand the various fundamental concepts of technology operations, demonstrate the ability to choose, use, and troubleshoot technologies and transfer knowledge to explore emerging technologies.

*Students use a variety of appropriate technologies, troubleshoot appropriate

technologies, and transfer their knowledge to explore emerging technologies.

Content Strand: Digital Citizen (DC)

Standard: Students recognize the rights, responsibilities and opportunities of living, learning and working in an interconnected digital world, and they act in ways that are safe, legal, and ethical.

1. Cultivate and manage their digital identity and reputation and are aware of the permanence of their actions in the digital world.

*Students manage their digital identities and reputations, including demonstrating an understanding of their digital footprints.

1. Engage in positive, safe, legal, and ethical behavior when using technology, including social interactions online or when using networked devices.

*Students demonstrate and advocate for positive, safe, legal, and ethical habits

(established behaviors) when using technology and interacting with others online.

1. Demonstrate an understanding of and respect for the rights and obligations of using and sharing intellectual property.

*Students demonstrate and advocate for an understanding of intellectual property with both print and digital media—including copyright, permission, and fair use.

1. Manage their personal data to maintain digital privacy and security and are aware of data-collection technology used to track their activity online.

*Students demonstrate an understanding of what personal data is, how data collection technologies work, tradeoffs of sharing personal data, and best practices for keeping it private and secure.

Content Strand: Knowledge Constructor (KC)

Standard: Students critically curate a variety of digital resources using appropriate technologies, including assistive technologies, to construct knowledge, produce creative digital works, and make meaningful learning experiences for themselves and others.

1. Plan and employ effective research strategies to locate information and other digital sources for their intellectual or creative pursuits.

*Students practice and demonstrate the ability to effectively use research strategies to locate appropriate primary and secondary digital sources in a variety of formats to support their academic and personal learning and create a research product.

1. Evaluate the accuracy, perspective, credibility, and relevance of information, media, data, and other digital sources.

*Students practice and demonstrate the ability to evaluate digital sources for accuracy, perspective, credibility, and relevance, including considerations of social and cultural context and bias.

1. Curate information from digital sources using a variety of tools and methods to create collections of resources that demonstrate meaningful connections or conclusions.

*Students locate and collect digital resources from a variety of digital sources and organize resources into collections for a wide range of projects and purposes.

1. Actively explore real-world issues and problems, develop ideas and theories, and pursue answers and solutions.

*Students use digital resources and tools to explore real-world issues and problems and actively pursue solutions.

Content Strand: Innovative Designer (ID)

Standard: Students use a variety of technologies, including assistive technologies, within a design process to identify and solve problems by creating new, useful or imaginative solutions or iterations.

1. Know and use appropriate technologies in a purposeful design process for generating ideas, testing theories, creating innovative digital works, or solving authentic problems.

*In collaboration with an educator, students use appropriate technologies in a design process to generate ideas, create innovative products, or solve authentic problems.

1. Select and use appropriate technologies to plan and manage a design process that considers design constraints and calculated risks.

*In collaboration with an educator, students select and use appropriate technologies to plan and manage a design process that identifies design constraints and trade-offs and weighs risks.

1. Use appropriate technologies to develop, test, and refine prototypes as part of a cyclical design process.

*In collaboration with an educator, students use appropriate technologies in a cyclical design process to develop prototypes and demonstrate the use of setbacks as potential opportunities for improvement.

1. Exhibit a tolerance for ambiguity, perseverance, and the capacity to work with open-ended problems.

*In collaboration with an educator, students demonstrate an ability to persevere and handle greater ambiguity as they work to solve open-ended problems.

Content Strand: Computational Thinker (CT)

Standard: Students develop and employ strategies for understanding and solving problems in ways that leverage the power of technological methods, including those that leverage assistive technologies, to develop and test solutions.

1. Formulate problem definitions suited for technology-assisted methods such as data analysis, modeling and algorithmic thinking in exploring and finding solutions.

*Students create, identify, explore, and solve problems using technology-assisted methods such as data analysis, modeling, or algorithmic thinking.

1. Collect data or identify relevant data sets, use appropriate technologies to analyze them, and represent data in various ways to facilitate problem-solving and decision-making.

*Students find or organize data and use appropriate technologies to interpret, analyze, and represent data to construct models, predict outcomes, solve problems, and make evidence-based decisions.

1. Break problems into component parts, extract key information, and develop descriptive models, using technologies when appropriate, to understand complex systems or facilitate problem-solving.

*Students break problems into component parts, identify key pieces and use that information to problem solve using technologies, when appropriate.

1. Understand how automation works and use algorithmic thinking to develop a sequence of steps to create and test automated solutions.

*Students demonstrate an understanding of how automation works and use algorithmic thinking to design and automate solutions.

Content Strand: Creative Communicator (CC)

Standard: Students communicate clearly and express themselves creatively for a variety of purposes using appropriate technologies (including assistive technologies), styles, formats, and digital media appropriate to their goals.

1. Choose the appropriate technologies and resources for meeting the desired objectives of their creation or communication.

*Students select and use appropriate technologies to create, share, and communicate their work effectively, considering the audience.

1. Create original works or responsibly repurpose or remix digital resources into new creations.

*Students use appropriate technologies to create new digital works or responsibly repurpose or remix other digital works into new digital works.

1. Communicate complex ideas clearly and effectively by creating or using a variety of digital objects such as visualizations, models, or simulations.

* Students communicate complex ideas clearly using appropriate technologies to convey the concepts orally, textually, visually, graphically, etc.

1. Publish or present content that customizes the message and medium for the intended audiences.

*Students select and use appropriate technologies to design, publish, and present content that effectively convey their ideas, conclusions, and evidence for specific audiences.

Content Strand: Global Collaborator (GC)

Standard: Students use appropriate technologies, including assistive technologies, to broaden their perspectives and enrich their learning by collaborating with others and working effectively in teams locally and globally.

1. Use appropriate technologies to connect with learners from a variety of backgrounds and cultures, engaging with them in ways that broaden mutual understanding and learning.

*Students use appropriate technologies to connect with others to develop a richer understanding of different perspectives, backgrounds, and cultures.

1. Use collaborative technologies to work with others, including peers, experts, and community members to examine issues and problems from multiple viewpoints.

*Students use collaborative technologies to work with others, including peers, experts, and online community members to gain broader perspectives as they examine issues, problems, and opportunities.

1. Contribute constructively to project teams, assuming various roles and responsibilities to work effectively toward a common goal.

*Students determine their role on a team based on their knowledge of content and technologies, as well as personal preference, and use appropriate technologies to track team progress toward a common goal.

1. Explore local and global issues and use collaborative technologies to work with others to investigate solutions.

*Students use collaborative technologies to work with others to understand problems,

investigate and develop solutions related to local and global issues.

Computer Science - adopted 2017

The eighth-grade standards emphasize constructing programs and utilizing algorithms to accomplish a task. Students continue to decompose larger problems into smaller tasks and recognize the impacts of computing and computing devices. Students in eighth grade continue to work with data including how it can be vulnerable and how it can be protected. The accurate use of terminology as well as the responsible use of technology will continue to be built upon. The foundational understanding of computing and the use of technology will be an integral component of successful acquisition of skills across content areas.

Algorithms and Programming

8.1 The student will construct programs to accomplish a task as a means of creative expression or scientific exploration using a block based or text based programming language, both independently and collaboratively,

a. combining control structures such as if-statements and loops including nested

conditionals and loops;

b. using clearly named variables that represent different data types, including

numeric and non-numeric data, and perform operations on their values; and

c. create procedures with parameters.

8.2 The student will systematically test and refine programs using a range of test cases.

8.3 The student will explain how effective communication between participants is required for successful collaboration when developing programs.

8.4 The student will use flowcharts and/or pseudocode to address complex problems as algorithms.

Computing Systems

8.5 The student will, using the elements of computing devices such as primary memory, secondary storage, processor, input and output devices, and network connectivity, analyze the advantages and limitations of a given computing system.

Cybersecurity

8.6 The student will evaluate physical and digital security measures used to protect electronic information.

8.7 The student will identify impacts of hacking, ransomware, scams, fake vulnerability scans, and the ethical and legal concerns involved. Exclusion: Students do not need to implement solutions.

Data and Analysis

8.8 The student will

a. explain the difference between a model and a simulation; and

b. create computational models to conduct simulations.

Impacts of Computing

8.9 The student will describe tradeoffs between allowing information to be public and keeping information private.

8.10 The student will evaluate online and print sources for appropriateness and credibility.

8.11 The student will discuss the social impacts and ethical considerations associated with the field of cybersecurity.

8.12 The student will explore careers related to the field of cybersecurity.

Networking and the Internet

8.13 The student will identify existing cybersecurity concerns associated with Internet use and Internet-based systems and potential options to address these issues.

Health Education Standards of Learning for Virginia Public Schools Adopted 2020

Students in grade eight have an understanding of the origins and causes of diseases, including the relationship between family history and certain health risks (self-awareness and social awareness). They begin to relate short- and long-term consequences of health choices (responsible decision making) and apply health skills to specific personal, family, and community health concerns (self-management, responsible decision making, and relationship skills). Students can discern relationships among all components of health and wellness and knowledgeably use consumer information.

Essential Health Concepts

8.1 The student will identify and explain essential health concepts to demonstrate an understanding of personal health.

Body Systems

1. Identify and describe the major structures and functions of the brain and nervous system and identify brain and nervous system disorders.

Nutrition

1. Determine the nutrients needed for proper brain function.

2. Examine the health risks posed by food contaminants during food preparation and food storage.

3. Identify the nutritional impact of disordered eating.

4. Compare health benefits and risks associated with trending diets, dietary supplements, and popular beverages, including sugar-sweetened and caffeinated beverages.

Physical Health

1. Evaluate the physical, mental, and social health benefits of physical activity.

Disease Prevention/Health Promotion

1. Explain the difference between rest, sleep, sleep deprivation, and sleep debt.

2. Identify environmental and personal factors that influence the degree of risk of diabetes, heart disease, cancer, obesity, and stroke.

Substance Abuse Prevention

1. Describe the short- and long-term health issues and effects on the brain related to the use of alcohol, tobacco, nicotine products, and other drugs, including inhalants, marijuana, cocaine, stimulants, methamphetamines, opiates, steroids, and performance-enhancing drugs.

2. Research the signs, symptoms, and causes of addiction and the impact of substance use disorder on relationships and behavior.

Safety/Injury Prevention

1. Explain the need for school safety drills and procedures.

2. Identify risky behaviors associated with Internet use, online gaming, and social media use.

3. Identify the benefits and risks of social media.

4. Describe how to assess levels of stress based on physical and psychological responses.

5. List the skills and strategies for refusal and negotiation.

Mental Wellness/Social and Emotional Skills

1. Describe characteristics of healthy and unhealthy relationships, including establishing and communicating boundaries.

2. Describe the warning signs, risk factors, and protective factors for self-harm behaviors, depression, and suicide.

3. Identify factors that can influence mental health (e.g., family, environment, trauma, genetics, brain chemistry, health behaviors, nutrition, personal values, peers, media, technology, culture, community).

4. Identify and describe careers associated with mental health care (e.g., social worker, psychologist, psychiatrist).

Violence Prevention

1. Differentiate between bullying behaviors, arguments, peer conflict, harassment, teasing, taunting, and joking situations.

2. Identify the consequences of weapon use, physical violence, and gang involvement.

Community/Environmental Health

1. Define and describe renewable resources and sustainable energy.

Healthy Decisions

8.2 The student will apply health concepts and skills to the management of personal and family health.

Body Systems

1. Describe ways to maintain brain and nervous system health.

Nutrition

1. Explain how nutrients contribute to brain function.

2. Describe food safety techniques (e.g., hand washing, food washing, cross contamination, proper handling and storing of foods).

3. Analyze the impact of society (i.e., media, family, peers) on eating habits and attitudes toward weight and body size.

4. Evaluate the accuracy of claims about trending diets, dietary supplements, and popular beverages.

Physical Health

1. Assess the health risks of a sedentary lifestyle.

Disease Prevention/Health Promotion

1. Identify sleep hygiene strategies to support recommendations for optimal sleep.

2. Describe preventive health measures, including immunizations, regular health and medical screenings, nutrition, physical activity, sleep, and limiting personal technology use, in preventing diabetes, heart disease, stroke, cancer, obesity, and other chronic diseases.

Substance Abuse Prevention

1. Analyze the social, economic, and family and peer pressure influences on the use of tobacco, nicotine products (e.g., e-cigarettes), alcohol, marijuana, and other drugs.

2. Have and express positive norms regarding why most teenagers do not use alcohol, tobacco, prescription opioids, or other drugs (e.g., do not think use and abuse are acceptable or appropriate).

Safety/Injury Prevention

1. Explain the potential consequences of following and not following safety protocols for school drills.

2. Explain the role of decision making when faced with potentially harmful situations when using the Internet, online gaming, and social media.

3. Develop strategies to assess and manage the effects of social media use.

4. Identify personal stress-management skills that help respond to different kinds of stress.

5. Explain the benefits of using refusal and negotiation skills for a variety of risk-taking situations.

Mental Wellness/Social and Emotional Skills

1. Explain the importance of developing relationships that are positive and promote wellness.

2. Explain why mental health issues such as self-harm behaviors, depression, and suicide ideation cannot be managed independently and require support/assistance.

3. Explain how negative perceptions of mental health promote a stigma about mental illnesses and emotional challenges.

4. Describe the role of mental health professionals in schools (e.g., school counselors, psychologists, social workers).

Violence Prevention

1. Explain the effects of bullying on individuals, including vulnerable populations.

2. Analyze the risks associated with weapon use, physical violence, and gang-related activities for oneself, the family, and the community.

Community/Environmental Health

1. Explain how humans and the environment are interdependent.

Advocacy and Health Promotion

8.3 The student will undertake health-promotion activities that demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between nutrition, physical activity, and emotional and physical health.

Body Systems

1. Design strategies to protect and promote brain and nervous system health.

Nutrition

1. Create a plan to make healthy food choices, including choosing fruits and vegetables and increasing water and healthy beverage choices in a variety of settings.

2. Create strategies to promote food safety at home.

3. Identify and promote resources for help and assistance with disordered eating.

4. Develop factual advertising to help family and peers evaluate healthy food and beverage choices.

Physical Health

1. Create environmental design solutions that promote physical and mental health.

Disease Prevention/Health Promotion

1. Create Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Timely (S.M.A.R.T.) goals to get optimal sleep to promote cognitive performance and academic success.

2. Design a plan of action with short- and long-term goals to prevent diabetes, heart disease, stroke, cancer, obesity, and other chronic diseases and conditions.

Substance Abuse Prevention

1. Design persuasive advertising to eliminate drug use.

2. Create a campaign that emphasizes the importance of prevention and early identification of drug use disorder

Safety/Injury Prevention

1. Develop a personal action plan during an emergency situation for a variety of locations outside of school (e.g., shopping areas, recreation areas).

2. Develop appropriate personal guidelines for online gaming and social media use.

3. Develop and promote guidelines for using social media.

4. Practice and promote stress-management skills.

5. Analyze a variety of situations to determine when to use refusal and negotiation skills to avoid risk.

Mental Wellness/Social and Emotional Skills

1. Ability to develop safe, respectful, and responsible relationships.

2. Identify and recognize family, school, and community resources for helping oneself and others with mental health needs.

3. Explain the effects of stigma on accessing help and assistance for mental illnesses and emotional challenges.

4. Promote the availability of school and community mental health resources.

Violence Prevention

1. Recommend strategies to prevent, safely defend oneself and others, or get help with bullying.

2. Describe ways for students to develop relationships that are positive, promote wellness, and prevent weapon use, physical violence, and gang involvement.

Community/Environmental Health

1. Analyze opportunities for community service and advocacy for policies that promote environmental health.

Physical Education Standards of Learning for Virginia Public Schools- Adopted 2022