Ages 7–8 — Exploring new ideas
Discover the exciting world of numbers and shapes!
Explore nature, forces, and energy!
Improve your reading, writing, and speaking skills!
Master the basics of repeated groups and equal shares
Multiplication is a quick way to add groups of the same size. If you have 3 groups of 4 apples, instead of counting 4 + 4 + 4, you can multiply: 3 × 4 = 12.
Try to memorize: 2 × 3 = 6, 3 × 5 = 15, 4 × 2 = 8. Say them out loud!
Division is sharing things equally into groups. If you have 12 cookies and want to share them equally among 3 friends, each friend gets 12 ÷ 3 = 4 cookies.
2 Times Table: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20
3 Times Table: 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30
5 Times Table: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50
Example 1: Sarah has 4 bags with 3 marbles in each. How many marbles does she have? Answer: 4 × 3 = 12 marbles
Example 2: Tom has 15 stickers and wants to put them equally in 5 envelopes. How many stickers in each envelope? Answer: 15 ÷ 5 = 3 stickers
Count by 2s: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10... This is the same as the 2 times table!
Count by 5s: 5, 10, 15, 20... This helps you learn the 5 times table!
Learn to divide things into equal parts
A fraction shows a part of a whole. When you cut a pizza into 4 equal pieces and eat 1 piece, you've eaten 1/4 of the pizza.
Some fractions are worth the same amount! 1/2 is the same as 2/4 because they cover the same amount.
1/2 = 2/4 = 4/8 (all are half)
1/2 is bigger than 1/4. When the bottom number is smaller, each piece is bigger!
1/3 is smaller than 1/2 because the pizza is cut into more pieces.
If you eat 1/4 of a pizza and your friend eats 1/4, together you ate 2/4 (which is 1/2).
1/4 + 1/4 = 2/4
Find things in your home that can be divided into parts: a chocolate bar, a pie, or an orange!
Explore shapes, angles, and lines
An angle is made when two lines meet at a point. Right angles look like the corner of a square (90 degrees).
Straight lines: Lines that go the same direction without bending
Curved lines: Lines that bend smoothly
Parallel lines: Lines that never touch, like railroad tracks
The perimeter is the distance around the outside of a shape. If a square has sides of 3 cm each, the perimeter is 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 = 12 cm.
A shape has symmetry when it looks the same on both sides of a line. A butterfly is symmetrical!
Find examples of shapes in your classroom: circles (clocks), rectangles (doors), triangles (roof).
Collect and organize information
Tally marks help you count things. Each group of 5 is shown as 4 lines with 1 line crossed through: ||||
If 12 students like apples: |||| |||| || (5 + 5 + 2 = 12)
Bar graphs use rectangular bars to show amounts. The taller the bar, the more of that item.
Pictograms use pictures or symbols to represent data. One apple symbol might mean 2 apples.
Look at the graph: Which item has the most? Which has the least? Count carefully!
Create a survey about favorite foods, colors, or sports. Use tally marks and make a bar graph!
Learn about Earth's building blocks
There are three main types of rocks: igneous (from lava), sedimentary (layered), and metamorphic (changed by heat and pressure).
Igneous rocks form when hot lava from volcanoes cools down. Sedimentary rocks form from layers of sand and mud. Metamorphic rocks form when rocks are pushed deep underground.
Fossils are the remains of plants or animals from long ago, preserved in rocks. They tell us about creatures that lived millions of years ago!
Fossils help scientists learn about dinosaurs and prehistoric life!
Soil is made from broken-down rocks mixed with dead plants and animals. It's very important for growing plants and feeding animals.
Collect different rocks and observe their colors, textures, and sizes. Sort them into groups!
Understand how light helps us see
Light sources are things that make their own light. The sun is the biggest light source! Other sources include light bulbs, candles, and fire.
Natural light sources: Sun, stars, fire
Artificial light sources: Light bulbs, torches, candles
A shadow forms when something blocks light. The darker the place, the sharper the shadow. The brighter the light, the darker the shadow!
Mirrors and shiny surfaces reflect light. This is how you see yourself in a mirror! Light bounces off the mirror back to your eyes.
We need light to see. In complete darkness, we can't see anything because light isn't reaching our eyes.
Use a lamp and your hands to make shadow puppets on a wall. Be creative and tell a story!
Explore pushes, pulls, and magnetic power
A force is a push or a pull. Pushing a swing is a force. Pulling a door open is also a force. All movement needs a force!
Smooth surfaces make things slide easily. Rough surfaces create more friction and make things slow down. Friction is a force that opposes movement.
A magnet is an object that attracts certain metal objects. The most common magnet attracts iron and steel. Magnets have two ends called poles.
Magnetic materials: Iron, steel, nickel, cobalt
Non-magnetic materials: Plastic, wood, glass, rubber
Every magnet has a North Pole and a South Pole. Opposite poles attract (pull together). Same poles repel (push apart)!
Use a magnet to find metal objects around your home. Make a list of all the things the magnet attracts!
Discover how plants grow and feed us
Plants have different parts that do different jobs. Roots soak up water, stems carry water and hold up the plant, and leaves make food.
Plants need water to grow. Roots absorb water from the soil and transport it up through the stem to all parts of the plant.
Most plants need watering once a day or every other day, depending on the weather!
Soil contains nutrients that plants need to grow strong and healthy. Nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium are important nutrients.
Plants provide food for humans and animals. We eat fruits, vegetables, grains, and nuts. These foods give us energy and help us grow!
Plant a seed in soil or a bean in a jar with water. Watch it grow and learn how plants develop!
Write clear and organized paragraphs
A paragraph is a group of sentences about one main idea. Every sentence in a paragraph should relate to that main idea.
Three parts of a paragraph:
The topic sentence tells readers what the paragraph is about. It's usually the first sentence!
Example: "Dogs make wonderful pets." - This tells us the paragraph is about why dogs are good pets.
Put your sentences in a logical order. You can organize by time order, order of importance, or by categories.
When writing a paragraph:
1. Write a strong topic sentence
2. Add 3-4 detail sentences with examples
3. Write a closing sentence that summarizes your idea
- Your favorite food and why you like it
- A fun day with your friends
- Your pet or an animal you like
Master nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs
A noun is a word that names a person, place, or thing. Examples: dog, teacher, school, apple, table.
Common nouns: girl, book, park (any person, place, or thing)
Proper nouns: Sarah, Harry Potter, Paris (specific person, place, or thing - always capitalized!)
A verb is a word that shows an action or a state of being. Verbs tell us what someone or something does or is.
Action verbs: run, jump, eat, write, sing
Being verbs: is, am, are, was, were
An adjective is a word that describes a noun. It tells us more about a person, place, or thing.
Examples: The big dog, a beautiful flower, happy children, cold ice cream
An adverb describes a verb. It tells us HOW, WHEN, or WHERE something happens.
Examples: She runs quickly (how), He eats slowly (how), They play outside (where), I eat lunch now (when)
Listen to sentences and identify the nouns, verbs, and adjectives. Try: "The fluffy cat runs quickly."
Explore rhymes, rhythm, and creative writing
Words rhyme when they have the same ending sounds. Rhyming makes poetry fun and musical to read!
Examples of rhyming pairs:
cat - hat, dog - log, day - play, sing - ring
Rhythm is the beat in a poem, like a song. Some poems have a steady beat that you can clap along to!
Try clapping as you read: "The sun goes DOWN, the STARS come OUT, the moon shines BRIGHT without a DOUBT!"
Haiku: A short poem with 3 lines about nature (5-7-5 syllables)
Acrostic: A poem where the first letter of each line spells a word
Rhyming couplet: Two lines that rhyme with each other
To write a poem:
1. Choose a topic (animal, season, feeling)
2. Think of rhyming words
3. Arrange words to create rhythm
4. Read it aloud to hear how it sounds!
Write a short poem and perform it for your family! Use different voices and expressions!
Understand and analyze stories and texts
Fiction stories are made-up tales with characters, settings, and plots. They teach us lessons through adventures and imagination!
Story parts: Characters (who), Setting (where and when), Plot (what happens)
Nonfiction gives us real facts and information. These are books about animals, history, science, and more!
When reading nonfiction, ask: What am I learning? Is this fact true?
An inference is using clues in the story to figure out something not directly stated.
Example: If the story says "Sarah put on her coat and grabbed an umbrella," we can infer it's probably raining or about to rain.
A summary is a short retelling of the main events in a story. Good summaries include the most important details only.
Read a book with friends and discuss: What did you like? What was confusing? Would you recommend it?