7Th Grade Curriculum Overview

Mrs. Wood’s

7th Grade Curriculum Overview

Quarter 1:

· School / Classroom procedures

· Reading strategies (previewing, making inferences, questioning, predicting, etc.)

· Traditional literary “types” (the hero, the quest, etc.) in Beowulf vs. modern literature.

· Library orientation

· “6 Write Traits” overview & instruction on elements of “good” writing

· Read A Wrinkle in Time (750+ Lexile) w/ response guide

· Write Narrative Paper (“Fear Narrative”—a personal experience with fear; 1st person point-of-view; concentration on detail / description; effective conclusion; discuss voice in writing and how character is revealed by dialogue)

· Identifying “theme” and “main idea” in literature

· Short stories: “Girls” (1180L) by Gary Paulsen, “Three Skeleton Key” (1000+L), by George Toudouze, “Duffy’s Jacket” by Bruce Coville, and “Charles” by Shirley Jackson.

· Computer Lab orientation / English papers--format for typing

· Read short stories using suspense and foreshadowing

· Author lesson: Washington Irving; Comparison/contrast of “Legend of Sleepy Hollow” (1460L) text to film.

· Language review: capitalization, end marks, punctuating titles, prepositions

· Using a dictionary

· Weekly Vocabulary / Writing Prompts

· Accelerated Reading requirement for independent reading: 6 pts.

Quarter 2:

· “Aliens” Informational-Reading lessons from Jamestown Critical Reading series

· Literary / Informational / Functional texts (reading and writing)

· Read Creation Myths: Greek, Native American, etc.

· Write Creation Myth paper (original story of how something in nature came to be) or Suspense Story (original story using elements of suspense and foreshadowing)

· Writing dialoguem using correct punctuation, etc.

· Short Stories: “Prometheus,” “Echo and Narcissus,” “Raven and the Coming of Daylight,” “Strawberries,” and “The Christmas Day Hunt.”

· Listening / note-taking skills

· Read Far North (820L); Cross-curricular connection w/ Social Studies: Native American studies

· Reading-Response Journals (w/ Native American art-stamping)

· Writing haikus.

· Using a thesaurus

· Constructing strong paragraphs

· Writing a personal letter

· Author lesson: Charles Dickens; Comparison/contrast of “A Christmas Carol” (1080L) text to film.

· Language review: apostrophes, hyphens, commas, phrases, quotation marks in dialogue

· Weekly Vocabulary / Writing Prompts

· Accelerated Reading requirement for independent reading: 8 pts.

Quarter 3:

· “Rescued” Informational-Reading lessons from Jamestown Critical Reading series

· Reading / Writing Poetry (structures: narrative, descriptive, free verse, “name poetry;” similes, metaphors, alliteration, descriptive language, rhyme / meter)

· Genres of literature

· Science Fiction / Fantasy unit (short stories)

· Short Stories: “Lose Now, Pay Later,” “Salesman, Beware,” “All Summer in a Day” by Ray Bradbury, “The Smallest Dragonboy” by Anne McCaffery, “Zoo” (1030L) by Ed Hoch, “The Ruum,” by Arthur Porges

· Comparison/Contrast of literature w/ media presentation (“Wishes” poem and animated Hobbit film)

· Describing setting

· Writing a summary

· Read Crispin: the Cross of Lead (780+L) with chapter summaries journal

· “Illuminated Manuscript” Middles Ages project

· Write a Middle Ages Research Report using 3 sources for information; cite sources

· Writing argument: opinion essay on security cameras in schools (introduce a claim, acknowledge opposing claims, give supporting evidence, etc.).

· Author lesson: J.R.R. Tolkien

· Mechanics review: sentence fragments, run-on sentences, comma splices, subject/predicate, verbs (action, linking, helping)

· Weekly Vocabulary / Writing Prompts

· Accelerated Reading requirement for independent reading: 10 pts.

· Opt.: Submit an English Fair project.

Chuck-a-Rama Challenge (Qtr. 3 A.R. contest).

Quarter 4:

· “Monsters” Informational-Reading lessons from Jamestown Critical Reading series

· Read Chew On This (informational text—1110L)

· Group communication / group discussions

· Group presentation

· Write an on-demand Argument Paper

· Read Okay For Now (850L+)

· Core Test preparation, test-taking skills

· English Core Tests

· “Writer’s Workshop” (select, revise, edit, extend a writing prompt written previously in the year)

· Compile and submit English 7 Portfolio

· Book-Talk speeches

· Compiling and categorizing information: English 7 Portfolio submission

· Author lesson: Jack London

· Mechanics review: adjectives and adverbs, subj. / verb agreement, double negatives, comparative / superlative forms

· Vocabulary (root words and commonly confused words)

· Accelerated Reading requirement for independent reading: 12 pts.