September- June

October

April

October

October

February

November

May

May

February

March

4.READING        Literature:

1. Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.

2.  Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.

3.  Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.

4.  Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.

5.  Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text (e.g., a section, chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to each other and the whole.

6.  Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.

7.  Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.

9.  Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take.

10.  Read and comprehend complex literary and information texts independently and proficiently. 

7.4.1.1 Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

7.4.2.2  Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text; provide an objective summary of the text.

7.4.3.3  Analyze how particular elements of a story or drama interact (e.g., how setting shapes the characters or plot).

7.4.4.4  Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of rhymes and other repetitions of sounds (e.g., alliteration) on a specific verse or stanza of a poem or section of a story or drama.

7.5.5.5  Analyze how a drama’s or poem’s form or structure (e.g., soliloquy, sonnet) contributes to its meaning.

7.6.6.6  Analyze how an author develops and contrasts the points of view of different characters or narrators in a text, including those from diverse cultures.

7.4.7.7.  Compare and contrast a written story, drama, or poem to its audio, filmed, staged, or multimedia version, analyzing the effects of techniques unique to each medium (e.g., lighting, sound, color, or camera focus and angles in a film).

7.4.9.9 Compare and contrast a fictional portrayal, including those in stories, poems, and historical novels of Minnesota American Indians, of a time, place, or character and a historical account of the same period as a means of understanding how authors of fiction use or alter history.  

7.4.10.10   By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature and other texts including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 6–8 text complexity band proficiently and independently with appropriate scaffolding for texts at the high end of the range.

a.    Self-select texts for personal enjoyment, interest and academic tasks.

b. Read widely to understand multiple  perspectives and pluralistic viewpoints.

What does it mean to be brave?

What makes a utopian society?

What role do people play in their own happiness?

How did jumping to conclusions snowball in this story? Compare this to something that snowballed in your life.

Based on the text around it what do you think the made up words in the poem mean?

Mimic the “Jabberwocky” poem.

How do the stanzas compare?

Compare and contrast the situation in the story and today.

Compare the similarities and the differences in the story.

How are two different forms of the same story similar and different?

What is the theme in the story? Use elements in the story to explain.

Literature Circles

Quiz

Literature Circles

Exposition/ plot element worksheet

Quiz #1-4

Worksheet

Poetry Quiz

Literature Circles

Venn diagram

Historical context exploration (Nazi Germany)

Story Boards and explanation paragraphs

Triple Venn Diagram

The Outsiders comprehension quizzes and related activities

IRA #3

“The Monsters are Due on Maple Street”

“What Do Fish

Have To Do With Anything?”

“The Monster are Due”

“The Monsters are Due”

Poetry Unit

Poetry Unit

Poetry Unit

“The Last Dog”

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas & final storyboard project assignment

Poetry Unit

The Outsiders

Independent Reading Project

April

January

April

January

January

January

September-May

September-May

5.  READING

    Informational

    Text

1.  Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support con-

clusions drawn from the text.

2.  Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.

3.  Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.

4.  Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.

5.  Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text (e.g., a section, chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to each other and the whole.

6.  Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.

7.  Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.

8.  Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.

9.  Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take.

10.  Read and comprehend complex literary and information texts independently and proficiently.

7.5.1.1 Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

7.5.2.2 Determine two or more central ideas in a text and analyze their development over the course of the text; provide an objective summary of the text.

7.5.3.3 Analyze the interactions between individuals, events, and ideas in a text (e.g., how ideas influence individuals or events, or how individuals influence ideas or events).

7.5.4.4.  Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone.

7.5.5.5  Analyze the structure an author uses to organize a text, including how the major sections contribute to the whole and to the development of the ideas.

7.5.6.6 Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how the author distinguishes his or her position from that of others.

7.5.7.7  Compare and contrast a text to an audio, video, or multimedia version of the text, analyzing each medium’s portrayal of the subject (e.g., how the delivery of a speech affects the impact of the words).

7.5.8.8  Trace and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient to support the claims.

7.5.9.9  Analyze how two or more authors writing about the same topic including topics about Minnesota American Indians; shape their presentations of key information by emphasizing different evidence or advancing different interpretations of facts.

7.5.10.10  By the end of the year, read and comprehend literary nonfiction in the grades 6–8 text complexity band independently and proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

Self-select texts for personal enjoyment, interest and academic tasks. 

What are the different parts to an informational texts?

What can students learn from an informational text?

Judge what is necessary to include in an outline.

What can you infer about how people viewed Eleanor versus the how she saw herself.

Sequence the events

How did the author choose what information to include?

What are the differences and similarities between different types of literature?

What types of sources are credible?

How is an effective paper constructed?

Analyze the article and identify the main points and key details.

What can students learn from biographies and autobiographies? What constitutes a biography or autobiography?

Text features worksheet and quiz

Write Outline

“Eleanor” Quiz

“The Noble Experiment” Quiz

“Eleanor” Timeline Worksheet

Informational Text Worksheets

Comparison Chart

Research & evidence worksheet

Research & evidence worksheet

News Article Reflection

Nonfiction Terms Worksheet

-Independent Reading Assessments #1-4

-Book Summaries

-Literature Quizzes

“What Do You Know About Sharks?”

“What Do You Know About Sharks?”

“Eleanor” -short story & worksheets

“The Noble Experiment” -short story & worksheets

“Eleanor”

“Eleanor” and “The Noble Experiment”

“What Do You Know About Shark?”

Shark video clip from youtube

Reading information from the internet

Research paper information gathering

News Articles

Nonfiction Texts

-The Outsiders

-The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

*A variety of novels are provided to students for independent reading throughout the school year.

February

January

September -March

September -May

January

January

January

January

February

September -March

February

October - May

May

January

January

September-May

January & April

September -May

7. WRITING

1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence. 

2.  Write informative/ explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content. 

3.  Write narratives and other creative texts to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.

4.  Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.  

5.  Use a writing process to develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, drafting, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.

6.  Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others.

7.  Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.

8.  Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism.

9.  Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.

7.7.1.1 Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.

a.        Introduce claim(s), acknowledge alternate or opposing claims, and organize the reasons and evidence logically.

b.        Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant evidence, using accurate, credible sources and demonstrating an understanding of the topic or text.

c.        Use words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among claim(s), reasons, and evidence.

d.        Establish and maintain a formal style.

e. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.

7.7.2.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.

a.        Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow; organize ideas, concepts, and information, using strategies such as definition, classification, comparison/contrast, and cause/effect; include formatting (e.g., headings graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.

b.        Develop the topic with relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples.

c.        Use appropriate transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.

d.        Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.

e.        Establish and maintain a formal style.

f.  Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented.

7.7.3.3  Write narratives and other creative texts to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.

a.   Engage and orient the reader by establishing a context and point of view and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally and logically.

b.   Use literary and narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, rhythm, rhyme, and description, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters.

c.   Use a variety of transition words, phrases, and clauses to convey sequence and signal shifts from one time frame or setting to another.

d.   Use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details, figurative and sensory language to capture the action and convey experiences and events.

Provide a conclusion (when appropriate to the genre) that follows from and reflects on the narrated experiences or events.

7.7.4.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above.)  

 7.7.5.5 With some guidance and support from peers and adults, use a writing process to develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, drafting, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of Language standards 1–3 up to and including grade 7 on page 73.)

7.7.6.6.   Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and link to and cite sources as well as to interact and collaborate with others, including linking to and citing sources.

7.7.7.7   Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions for further research and investigation.

7.7.8.8   Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.

7.7.9.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

a.   Apply grade 7 Reading standards to literature (e.g., “Compare and contrast a fictional portrayal, including those in stories, poems, and historical novels of Minnesota American Indians, of a time, place, or character and a historical account of the same period as a means of understanding how authors of fiction use or alter history”).

Apply grade 7 Reading standards to literary nonfiction (e.g., “Trace and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient to support the claims”).

7.7.10.10 Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

a.   Independently select writing topics and formats for personal enjoyment, interest, and academic tasks. 

What makes an effective argument?

How can students express themselves through writing?

How is an effective research paper organized?

Clearly show the transitions and organize the information.

Evaluate information and plan out research paper.

Use transitions words to show sequence.

What are the various literary elements in poetry?

Plan and explain details thoroughly.

How can technology be used to further express an idea?

How can an idea be represented by graphics?

What makes this source credible?

How can media resources be used effectively to convey meaning?

Organize the information into chronological order, by key ideas, or cause and effect format.

What is the differences between a non-fiction and fictional short story?

How can self-reflection be used in writing?

Poetry analysis paper/interpret poetry and back-up claim

PP

Research paper

Persuasive Paragraph

Journal topic essays

Research paper, journal topic essays, poems, and paragraph writing

Research Paper

Research Paper

Research Paper

Research Paper

Poems based on grading rubric

Journal topic essays

Poems & poetry analysis paper

Poems, poetry analysis paper, journals, and research paper

Research paper

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas media match-up story board

Research paper final draft

Research information sheet -completion & quality of sources documented

Curriculum quizzes for each short story & novel in 7th grade

“Eleanor” Quiz

Informational text features

Poetry Unit/ Poetry paper assignment

Persuasive Paragraph assignment

Research paper assignment /internet use /book research

Rubric

Various journal topic prompts

-Research paper assignment

-Various journal topics

-Poem assignment

-Written responses to literature topics

Draft/peer editing worksheet

Internet/computer lab

Research process assignment / note-taking

Research process assignment / note-taking

-Digital responsibility

Poetry assignment -creating 2 poems

Various journal topic prompts

Poetry assignment: create 2 poems & poetry analysis paper

Poetry assignment

Various journal topics

Research paper assignment

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas media match-up assignment / paragraphs & story board

Research paper assignment / research information sheet

Research information sheet

All short stories and novels for 7th grade

“Eleanor” Biography worksheets

“What Do You Know About Sharks?” informational text worksheets

All journal topics, poetry analysis paper assignment, creating 2 poems assignment, research paper assignment, and bell ringer activities.

September -May

September -May

September -May

February

September -May

11. LANGUAGE

1.  Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

2.  Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

3.  Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening.

4.  Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases by using context clues, analyzing meaningful word parts, and consulting general and specialized reference materials , as appropriate.

5.  Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships and nuances in word meanings.

6.  Acquire and use accurately a range of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when encountering an unknown term important to comprehension or expression.

7.11.1.1Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

a.   Explain the function of phrases and clauses in general and their function in specific sentences.

b.   Choose among simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences to signal differing relationships among ideas.

c. Place phrases and clauses within a sentence, recognizing and correcting misplaced and dangling modifiers.*

7.11.2.1  Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

a.   Use a comma to separate coordinate adjectives (e.g., It was a fascinating, enjoyable movie but not He wore an old[,] green shirt).

c. Spell correctly.

7.11.3.3  Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.

a. Choose language that expresses ideas precisely and concisely, recognizing and eliminating wordiness and redundancy. *

7.11.4.4  Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words or phrases based on grade 8 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.

a.   Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence or paragraph; a word’s position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.

b.   Use common, grade-appropriate Greek or Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., precede, recede, secede).

c.   Consult general and specialized reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation of a word or determine or clarify its precise meaning or its part of speech.

d. Verify the preliminary determination of the meaning of a word or phrase (e.g., by checking the inferred meaning in context or in a dictionary).

7.11.5.5  Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings to extend word consciousness.

a.   Interpret figures of speech (e.g. literary, biblical, and mythological allusions) in context.

b.   Use the relationship between particular words (e.g., synonym/antonym, analogy) to better understand each of the words.

c.   Distinguish among the connotations (associations) of words with similar denotations (definitions) (e.g., refined, respectful, polite, diplomatic, condescending).

7.11.6.6.   Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.

What are the various parts that go into a word? How is this knowledge helpful in vocabulary development?

Organize the thoughts into two different sentence structures.

How would the meaning of the sentence change based on the placement of punctuation?

How can editor’s marks be used in revising a paper?

Why are the conventions of language important when writing?

Which definition for the word best works in this context?

Find synonyms and antonyms that match the definition of the vocabulary.

What are the various types of figurative language in poetry?  

How can figurative language be interpreted for a greater meaning of the text?

What are the differences between connotation and denotation in vocabulary words.

Why would the poet use these words to describe their subject?

How can a greater vocabulary knowledge forge a better understanding of a text?

Sentence structure assessments, parts of speech assessments, and assessments on all writing and speaking assignments

Word mapping assessments, sentence structure assessments, parts of speech assessments, and all writing assignments

Vocabulary quizzes & vocabulary stories

Vocabulary quizzes

Final poetry assessment, poem analysis paper, and creating 2 poems assignment

Poetry Worksheets

All vocabulary assessments

-Sentence structure unit materials

-Parts of speech unit materials

-Writing and discussion assignments and rubrics

-Various journal topics

-Bell ringer activities

-Word mapping materials

-Sentence structure unit materials

-Parts of speech unit materials

-Writing and discussion assignments and rubrics

-Various journal topics

-Bell ringer activities

-Word of the Day templates

Vocabulary for each work of literature

Word of the day template

All poetry unit materials including: all poems, worksheets on - form, speaker, sound devices, imagery, figurative language, mood / tone, connotation and denotation, poetry analysis assignment, and creating 2 poems assignment.

Poetry Unit

All vocabulary quizzes and vocabulary stories assignments