Students in 7th grade are at the early phase of adolescence; a stage of life that begins around the age of 11 and culminates in the early - mid 20s. As the long bridge between childhood and adulthood, adolescence is a time of dramatic growth...but how they grow and what they grow into depends on what adolescents do. Adolescents are naturally concerned with their identity, with how they fit into the larger world. There are positive ways and negative ways of forming an identity. Negative ways of establish - ing an identity can include forming or joining a clique or a gang, leaving others out in order to feel “in”, bullying, becoming the class clown and participating in anti - social or even illegal behav - ior in order to appear “cool.” These behaviors are negative be - cause they rarely lead anywhere good. Positive ways of establishing an identity usually involve develop - ing a skill that has real value in the world. These skills might in - clude cooking, piano playing, debating, sports, dance, gardening, chess, community service, writing and math, just to name a few. Because of the remarkable capacity for brain growth in the ado - lescent years, 7th grade is the ideal time for students to identify an area of passion for them --- and then find ways to pursue it to the utmost. Becoming skilled at an area of authentic interest to them provides 7th graders with an enjoyable way to engage with Section 2 7th Grade Curriculum Overview
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