MYP Course Outline: Grade 7

Interdisciplinary Essential Question for the Year:

Unit Title, Length / Area(s) of Interaction / Essential Questions / Activities / Assessment(s)
MYP Course Objectives
Identity & Community
Time frame: 7 weeks / Health & Social Education / To what extent can individuals discern accurate reporting? / * Adam Canfield of the SLASH
*Word Study
*1-2 Min Plays
*Spelling Practice
*Crazy Headlines
*Tenses
*Adjectives
*Editing
*Diagramming Sentences -(SV & Subject vs. Object Pronouns)
*Parts of Speech
*Double Journal Entries
*Book Reviews
*Choosing Literature [genre sorting]
*Library Orientation
*Independent Reading
*Readers’ Response
*Creating our own rubrics
*Three Paragraph Essays
*Editing
*Editorials
*Feature Articles
*Using technology to edit and improve writing i.e. final / Students will construct a class newspaper.
·  Students should discern what they are observing— objectively.
·  Criteria A, B,C
Shaping Our Morality
Time Frame 5 weeks / Health & Social Education / To What Extent Can One Determine His Or Her Morality? / *The Outsiders
*Inference
*Guided Reading
*Shared Reading
*Comparisons [metaphors,
similes, allusions]
*Using technology to edit and improve writing, i.e.
*Editing
*Diagramming Sentences - (Punctuation)
*Commas
*Prepositions
*Note taking
Dashes versus hyphens
Strong verbs / Students will write an essay comparing their lives with a fictional character.
·  Students will learn that other communities and human behavior are similar to their own experiences.
·  Criteria A, B, C
Taking Charge Of Our Destiny
Time Frame: 6 weeks / Approaches to Learning / To What Extent Do We Control Our Successes And Failure? / *Using technology to edit and improve writing, i.e.
*literary terms
*Quick writes
*Skill building for reading
*Business Letter
*Idioms
*Capitalization
*Dictation / Students will write interpretation of literature essays.
·  Students will learn that text information is important when interpreting literature.
·  Criteria A,B,C
Forging Our Lives Toward The Future
Time Frame: 6 weeks / Health &
Social Education / Does the Past Determine Our Future? / *Tableaus
*Selected novels
*Using technology to edit and improve writing, i.e.
*Literary Circles
*Book Reviews
*Characteristics of Science Fiction
*Author’s Style
*Author’s Study
*Literary Circles
Summer Journey
Aunt Harriet’s Railroad in the Sky / Students will write a short historical fiction story showing results from the past.
·  Students will walk away knowing that their future is in their hands.
·  Criteria A,B,C
Reading Between Reality & Fiction
Times Frames: 6-7 weeks / Environment / What Is Truth? / *Incorporating what we have learned from established writers into our own writing.
*Using technology to edit and improve research skills
*Fahrenheit 451
* Isaac Asimov “Hallucinations”
“The Fun They Had” other shorts TBA. / Students will construct a PowerPoint slide show or digital mini scene about an idea to help save the world.
·  Students will walk away knowing that they can make a difference in improving the environment.
·  Criteria A, B
Painting A Picture With Words
Time Frame: 6-7 weeks / Human Ingenuity / To What Extent Do We Understand Life? / Developing our own style
*Interpreting poetry
*forming opinions about poetry
* recognizing poetic devices
*Using technology to edit and improve writing, grammar, publishing, poetry books, mini lessons
*Quick Writes
*PowerPoint Presentations / Students will construct their own poetry booklet
·  Students will learn that poetry is direct and powerful.
·  Criteria A,B,C
Portfolios
Time Frame: 6-7 weeks / Homo Faber / How Is Judging Relative To The Reading? / Developing our own style
*Interpreting poetry
*forming opinions about poetry
* recognizing poetic devices
*Using technology to edit and improve writing, grammar, publishing, poetry books, mini lessons
*Quick Writes
*PowerPoint Presentations / Students will construct their portfolio.
·  Students will learn that the writing process develops writing skills.
·  Criteria A,B,C