Prism Curricula: Grade 7
You may download individual lessons or even entire units by visiting each curriculum page. View students in action and samples of student work. See the standards addressed with each unit and concept maps of each unit. Some of the units address specific ecosystems while others focus on key concepts. Check it out!
Please note that all curricula currently available are drafts that will be updated periodically. Please feel free to send suggestions via email to
On this page:
Hawaiʻi's Freshwater Ecosystems - 7th Grade
Growing up surrounded by ocean, Hawaiian students are often well exposed to marine animals and issues. However, the fresh and brackish waters of Hawaiʻi are full of wonderfully adapted native animals as well as noxious invasive animals. These animals and ecosystems, which are found in every student’s backyard and require neither a boat nor a fishing pole to investigate, are an excellent topic to make science relevant and interesting. This curriculum uses inquiry-based lessons to teach important scientific issues, such as experimental design, relatedness between species, and adaptations, within the context of Hawaiʻi’s fresh and brackish water ecosystems.
Hawaiʻi's Native Insects and their Adaptations - 7th Grade
Koa Bug, (Coleotichus blackburniae) Hawaiʻi’s largest endemic true bug
In their classroom, students will use observations of endemic Koa Bugs (Coleotichus blackburniae), Hawaiʻi’s largest endemic true bug, to learn about insect life cycles, interactions and dependence of organism on one another. They will also study how an organism’s structure contributes to their ability to survive and reproduce.
Adaptations and Variation of Hawaii's Endemic Species - 7th Grade
Since Hawaiʻi is the most isolated archipelago on the planet, plants and animals have had to adapt to fit the needs of their environment. This unit uses examples of Hawaiʻi’s unique flora and fauna, such as the Hawaiian honeycreeper and the happy-face spider, to explain evolutionary concepts including genetic variation, adaptation, and natural selection.
