Year 7 Maths

Unit Content
Unit 1 Algebraic Thinking

Students begin this unit by exploring mathematical sequences. They learn to understand and use algebraic notation, and develop familiarity with the concepts of equality and equivalence.

Key skills developed:

  • How to describe and continue a sequence
  • How to identify a linear sequence
  • How to explain the term-to-term rule
  • How to find the input and output of a single-function machine
  • How to use letters to generalise number operations
  • How to substitute values into expressions
  • How to solve one-step equations using inverse operations
  • How to understand the meaning of like and unlike terms
  • How to simplify algebraic expressions by collecting like terms

Assessment: Students undertake self-assessment and receive verbal feedback from the teacher every lesson. Summative assessment takes place at the end of the unit. In addition, students complete twice-yearly summative assessments which assess their retention of several units.

Unit 2 Place Value and Proportion

Students learn to understand and manipulate place value. They develop their knowledge of the ordering of integers and decimals. The unit concludes with a focus on equivalence between fractions, decimals and percentages.

Key skills developed:

  • How to round integers to the nearest power of ten
  • How to find the range of a set of numbers
  • How to find the median value in a set of numbers
  • How to understand the place value of decimals

Assessment: Students undertake self-assessment and receive verbal feedback from the teacher every lesson. Summative assessments takes place at the end of the unit. In addition, students complete twice-yearly summative assessments which assess their retention of several units.

Unit 3 Applications of Number

In this unit, students learn to solve mathematical problems, first with addition and subtraction, and then with multiplication and division. The unit concludes with a focus on fractions and percentages of given amounts.

Key skills developed:

  • How to use mental strategies to solve problems using addition and subtraction
  • How to use formal methods when adding and subtracting integers and decimals
  • How to solve problems involving perimeter
  • How to solve problems involving tables, bar charts and line graphs
  • How to use mental strategies to solve problems using multiplication and division
  • How to use formal methods when multiplying and dividing integers and decimals
  • How to use BIDMAS when calculating
  • How to use multiplication and division when solving geometry problems

Assessment: Students undertake self-assessment and receive verbal feedback from the teacher every lesson. Summative assessment takes place at the end of the unit. In addition, students complete twice-yearly summative assessments which assess their retention of several units.

Unit 4 Directed Number & Fractional Thinking

The fourth unit focuses on operations and equations with directed numbers (numbers that can be positive and negative), and on the addition and subtraction of fractions.

Key skills developed:

  • How to use representations of directed numbers
  • How to perform calculations that cross zero
  • How to multiply and divide directed numbers
  • How to evaluate algebraic expressions with directed numbers
  • How to solve two-step equations
  • How to order operations correctly when working with directed numbers

Assessment: Students undertake self-assessment and receive verbal feedback from the teacher every lesson. Summative assessment takes place at the end of the unit. In addition, students complete twice-yearly summative assessments which assess their retention of several units.

Unit 5 Lines and Angles

In the fifth unit, students learn to construct, measure and use geometric notation. The unit teaches students to develop geometric reasoning.

Key skills developed:

  • How to use letter and labelling conventions for geometric figures
  • How to draw and measure angles up to 180 degrees
  • How to recognise types of triangle
  • How to interpret simple pie charts using proportion
  • How to apply knowledge of the sum of angles at a point, on a straight line and for vertically opposite angles
  • How to solve angle problems using knowledge of the properties of triangles and quadrilaterals
  • How to identify parallel lines

Assessment: Students undertake self-assessment and receive verbal feedback from the teacher every lesson. Summative assessment takes place at the end of the unit. In addition, students complete twice-yearly summative assessments which assess their retention of several units.

Unit 6 Reasoning with Number

The final unit of Year 7 focuses on developing number sense, on sets and probability, and on prime numbers and proof.

Key skills developed:

  • How to use factors to simplify equations
  • How to use estimation as a method for checking mental calculations
  • How to use mental arithmetic strategies for decimals
  • How to generate a sample space for single events
  • How to calculate the probability of a single event
  • How to interpret a Venn diagram
  • How to find common factors of a set of numbers including the highest common factor (HCF)
  • How to find common multiples of a set of numbers including the lowest common multiple (LCM)

Assessment: Students undertake self-assessment and receive verbal feedback from the teacher every lesson. Summative assessment takes place at the end of the unit. In addition, students complete twice-yearly summative assessments which assess their retention of several units.