7th Grade Language Arts
Week One: Summer Reading Assessment
Project: Book Report
Unit One: Utopia/Science-Fiction
Short Stories: All Summer in a Day
Harrison Bergeron
Zoo
War of the Worlds excerpt
Poems: God’s Wheel
The Little Boy and the Old Man
Article: Lights Over Kingston
The Big Blowup on Venus
Novel: The Giver
Film Segment: Pleasantville
Focus: Setting/Science Fiction
Materials: Selection Focus Transparency, Literature Launchers Video, Literary Elements Transparency, Reading Workbook, Text, Time Magazine, various handouts, selection vocabulary
Projects: Science Fiction Story, essays, literature circles, group community
Unit Two: Plot and Character Development
Short Story: Two Kinds
Focus: Characterization
Materials: Prentice Hall text, direct/indirect characterization transparency, video segment, Time Magazine
Short Story: Amigo Brothers
Focus: Conflict/Characterization
Materials: Selection Focus Transparency, Literature Launchers Video, Text, Literary Elements Transparency, Selection Vocabulary, Reading Workbook, Active Reading Guide, Time Magazine
Project: Character Illustration using Active Reading guide
Short Story: Broken Chain
Focus: Conflict/Climax
Materials: Literature Launchers Video, Selection Focus Transparency, Literary Elements Transparency, Text, Selection Vocabulary
Project: Compare/contrast characters of story to sitcom characters from The Wonder Years.
Short Story: Rikki Tikki Tavi
Focus: Resolution/anthropomorphism/Point of View
Materials: Literature Launchers Video, Selection Focus Transparency, Literary Elements Transparency, Selection Vocabulary, Time Magazine, Cartoon Video
Project: Rewrite story from the snake’s point of view
Unit Three: Drama
A Christmas Carol
Focus of Study: Elements of a drama
Project: group scene performance
Film: A Christmas Carol
Unit Four: Nonfiction
Biography: Rosa Parks: My Story
Focus: autobiography/memoir
Materials: Literature Launchers Video, Selection Focus Transparency, Literary Elements Transparency, Active Reading Guide, Selection Vocabulary
Film Segment: The Rosa Parks Story
Memoir: The Night the Bed Fell
Focus: formal and informal language/exaggeration
Materials: Literature Launchers Video, Selection Focus Transparency, Literary Elements Transparency, Active Reading Guide, Selection Vocabulary, handouts
Memoir: The Teacher Who Changed My Life
Focus: Ode/Memoir
Materials: Literature Launcher Video, Selection Focus Transparency, Literary Elements Transparency, Active Reading Guide, Selection Vocabulary, handouts
Projects: Informational Book Report
Mentor Letter
Memoir
Unit Five: Folklore
Myths: Atalanta’s Race
Icarus and Daedalus
Prometheus
Perseus
Materials: myth video, text, Icarus and Daedalus video, internet assignment, hero activity, Prometheus poem, etc.
Film: The Clash of the Titans
Fables: The Spider and the Fly
The Fox and the Crow
The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse
Materials: irony transparency, fable assignment sheet
Folktales: Brer Rabbit and Brer Bear
The Bunyans
Materials: Text, literary elements transparency, Paul Bunyan cartoon
Novel: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Unit Six: Poetry
Poems: How to Find Poetry (intro.)
Mother To Son (figurative language)
The Cremation of Sam McGee (narrative poetry)
The Highwayman (repetition, onomatopoeia)
Annabel Lee (rhyme scheme, repetition, alliteration)
Winter (free verse)
Stopping By Woods On a Snowy Evening (imagery)
Double Negatives (free verse)
Projects: Narrative Poem Graph
Poetry Book
Unit Seven: Author Study
Focus: author style (O’Henry)
Short Stories: A Retrieved Reformation
The Ransom of Redchief
After Twenty Years
Project: Literary Justice (character trials)
*Note: The study of units may vary in order, and additional themes and literature may be added. A&E Biographies and selected clips approved by the textbook series may also accompany the study of literature. All films will be used to reinforce the North Carolina Standard Course of Study. Refer to the above syllabus attached for further understanding of each literary movement.