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Grades 7 and 8
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The Bible Defines A Biblical Worldview
As the Christian Philosopher VISHAL MANGALWADI so accurately put it… “The Bible is the soul of Western Civilization. It propelled the development of everything good in the Western world; the notion of human dignity, human rights, human equality, justice, optimism, heroism, rationality, family, education, universities, technology, science, culture of compassion, great literature, economic progress, political freedom.”
The bible is the most famous book in all of history. No other book has been more translated, published, distributed, studied, debated, loved or hated.
• Modern medicine was born from the Bible. Based on the Bible’s revelation of God’s high view of the human person, including his body, and Jesus’ expressed desire to heal all men, early Christians were motivated toward the medical research and practice that eventually led to medical hospitals and universities.
• Universities all over the world owe their existence to the Bible. Augustinian monasteries and Cathedral schools in the first millennium A.D. blossomed into West European universities such as Oxford, Cambridge, Paris, Prague, Heidelberg, and Wittenberg.
• Jesus’ compassionate teachings like the story of the “Good Samaritan” and His sacrificial care for those who were in need led the way to philanthropy, humanitarian aid and ultimately to the establishment of non-profit organizations.
• Modern ideas of human rights and equality are based on the Bible’s declaration that all human beings are created in the image of God and therefore worthy of the redemptive sacrifice of His Only Begotten Son Jesus Christ.
• The Mosaic principles of blind justice and the evidence-based court system are the foundations of our criminal and civil justice systems.
• The Bible is the only book one can read to learn of God’s plan of salvation by grace through personal faith in Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. No wonder the Bible says, Matthew 4:4. “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God”.
The Bible Program at GGIS
• Given the fact of the Bible’s enormous impact on our personal lives and on the entire Western Civilization, GGIS considers the daily 30 minute bible class to be the most important part of the daily instructional program. Our desire is that all of our students will, through the study of God’s Word, His creation and the academic disciplines, understand God’s plan for their lives and follow Jesus Christ in His care for people, self-sacrificial generosity and compassion for the needy of our world.
• All students receive biblical instruction daily. Bible classes provide students with age appropriate lessons that give them an understanding of how the Bible is laid out, the story of redemption and GGIS’s core values: morality, discipline and respect. The Lower school teachers have flexibility in their daily schedule, but generally place the bible teaching early in the day. Upper school students begin each day with either a formal bible class (3x/week), Homeroom Bible (1x/week) or Chapel (1x/week). These morning Bible classes create a loving and God-centered school environment where truth is sought and Christ’s love is manifested.
Grade 7 students are required to practice typing skills until they can achieve a minimum goal of reaching 30 words per minute with an accuracy of at least 85%. Students are introduced to the basics of computer hardware, software, data processing and computer applications.
In grade 8 students learn to work in the Windows environment, effectively utilizing the different features offered by Microsoft Office. Students also learn to navigate Google suite, specifically Docs, Sheets, Drive, Gmail and Google Classroom. This course is meant to satisfy the basic needs for school and work-place computing. Students meet 2 or 3 times weekly for 50 minutes.
Science for grade 7 Is a life science course where students learn about the vast variety of life found upon earth. Taught from a Christian perspective, the course encourages students to embrace science as the systematic study of God’s creation through observation and experimentation. Six units cover the basics of life science (including cells and taxonomy), viruses, bacteria, plants, animals, the human body, genetics and heredity, and ecology.
Grade 8 students study Earth and Space science. This course covers minerals, types of rocks, the structure of the earth, weathering and erosion, soil, crust movement, earthquakes, volcanoes, water systems and weather, the environment, astronomy, space exploration, and more. Like all of our science courses, this course integrates the Christian worldview with current science standards.
The grade 7 course is a pre-algebra class. Students learn with the highly structured Saxon instructional plan, featuring time to learn, time to process, and time to practice. This course focuses on the algebra concept of linear relationships, including ideas about proportional relationships. Students learn to understand the relationship of equations to their graphs, as well as to tables and contextual situations for linear functions. In addition, work in algebra extends into simplifying and solving simple expressions and equations. The main concept from geometry in grade seven is similarity of polygons, which also draws on ideas about proportion. Students apply their understanding of ratio in data based situations. You can view the grade 7 Math book here.
In 8th grade, students take a rigorous Algebra 1 class. This course covers all topics in a first-year algebra course, from proofs, statistics, and probability to algebra-based, real-world problems. Students begin developing the more complex skills and understanding required for high school level mathematics.
In grade 7, The focus is on “geographical literacy”. This term can be described as “the ability to use geographic understanding and geographic reasoning to make far-reaching decisions.” We target two areas of our world to teach these skills: Europe and Russia, and Asia and the Pacific. Students benefit from the strong reading and writing support embedded in the World Studies texts, which focus on the history, culture and geography of these two distinct regions.
In Grade 8, students begin the first of two, year-long courses in World History. This first year, students will study history from the dawn of civilization through to the Renaissance. Students are encouraged to explore the past and delve into the twists and turns of world history through reading, writing, research and class discussions.
For the various aspects of English Language Arts, our students work with literature in the Mirrors and Windows program. Grammar, language skills and writing are taught creatively and practiced systematically all year long. These classes provide rich and varied opportunities for students to practice the sort of reading, writing, listening, speaking, and thinking strategies they will need for high school and beyond.
Students are also expected to complete specific outside reading during the year, including classic novels such as The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Bronze Bow, and Shane and Call of the Wild, Treasure Island, and The Hiding Place.
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