7th Grade

Hello I am Steve Hardesty and I am the 7th grade homeroom teacher and middle school math teacher.  I graduated from Kansas State University and have been a teacher for 30+ years.  Over the years I have enjoyed coaching football, basketball and track and field.  I no longer coach but I now referee football and basketball.  
I grew up in Western Kansas and I live in Topeka with my wife Sandy, who is also a teacher.  We have two children, Quentin who lives in Manhattan and Raegan who is a student at Kansas University.  
 

7th Grade

Math - Students will build on the skills that they have already learned in sixth grade. They will continue to use a “Math” Notebook for their daily notes and example problems. These notes can be used on a daily basis to help with their assignments. Tests will be given at the end of each chapter. Through example problems on the board and repetition of homework students will be able to solve problems at a higher level. Also, some Algebraic concepts will be introduced. 

English - Students spend time reading, writing, speaking and listening. We begin to spend more time presenting our ideas to our classmates and use more project based learning. Three different novels are taught in the seventh grade to sharpen the students skills of citing text evidence, supporting analysis, and writing summaries free from personal opinions and judgements. In the early Spring, students spend time on a persuasive project in which they create their own business and present these projects to the class. Each quarter students do a book project on a book of their choosing that ends with a presentation. We also do a research project in which we sharpen our plagiarism skills, go deeper into MLA citations and eventually work in pairs to create a tri-fold board presentation which will end up on display at Germanfest. As a class we are always working to strengthen our grammar, punctuation and spelling skills as practice makes perfect!

Social Studies - Students will continue to explore and understand Kansas History, Government and Social Studies Standards that include but are not limited to Kansas, United States and World history, government and geography. The framework of the standards are based on five concepts: 1) Choices have consequences 2) Individuals have rights and responsibilities 3) Societies are shaped by identities, beliefs, and practices of individuals and groups 4) Societies experience continuity and change over time 5) Relationships among people, places, ideas, and environments are dynamic. Our main focus is on Kansas culture, history, and geography but we will utilize many other sources expanding on the use of Primary and Secondary sources and original works. Students will complete research projects that involve written and oral presentations and attend several field trips to historically significant sites and/or museums and libraries in Kansas such as the Truman Library, Amelia Earhart sites, etc.

Science - Students will explore scientific methods to solve real world problems and will expand their understanding of design processes as well as become familiar with biological processes. They will continue to study and expand their knowledge of ecosystems and how human and non-human interactions affect the world that we live in utilizing textbooks, workbooks, and online resources. In addition students will have the opportunity to research a variety of topics that they find of interest including careers in scientific fields.

Religion - The focus of the seventh grade religion program is to study the basic truths of our faith as put forh in the Apostles' Creed. The class also covers the ligurgical year, seasons of the Church and major feast days.