Grade 7 - English Language Arts - Nutley Public Schools

(This list can be used to provide accommodations,modifications, and/or extensions for individual students.) Citing TextsPurposeful ThinkingTalking & Writing About CharactersWriting About ReadingSupporting Reading Notebook WorkAs readers we understand that texts can have multiplethemes when we read through different lenses(perspectives in mind). Readers note that pieces of literature can be interpretedin different ways. ( i.e.: lenses: age, gender, race,occupation, socioeconomic status)Readers analyze a piece of literature through morethan one lens in order to see how themes can change.Suggested Resources/Technology ToolsA Deep Study of Character by Lucy CalkinsTo Think Deeply About Characters.Color / B&WTo Investigate Themes.Color / B&WAn Orientation to the UnitMarked up read-aloud excerpt from "Popularity"Day ZeroImages of Classroom Libraries and Meeting AreasExtra Tips for Choosing New Books When You Feel StuckFIG. 0-1 Students set up different systems to track their own readingCourses of Study for Teen ReadersSession 1The recommended read-aloud text, First French Kiss and Other Traumas, by Adam Bagdasarian (ISBN 9781417890842), isavailable from Booksource.com (as well as in a bundle with the unit from Heinemann)."Popularity" from First French Kiss by Adam BagdasarianMarked up read-aloud excerpt from "Popularity"Will's Character Traits in "Popularity" chart"Lean-In" Comments About Book Choices"Lean-In" Comments About Early Character WorkAnchor Chart: To Think Deeply About Characters.HomeworkSession 5"Popularity" from First French Kiss by Adam BagdasarianFIG. 5-1 Which of Will's traits influence the plot?Character traits6

FIG. 5-2 Investigating physical and mental character traits.Anchor Chart: To Think Deeply About Characters.HomeworkSchoolwide Unit, for referenceVaried mentor textsAvailable Titles for Book Clubs at JHWMSMentor TextsBlessingsThe Scholarship Jacket, by Martha Salinas (Shared Reading)Short Stories for Middle SchoolStudent ResourcesSample Literary ThemesAnalyzing Theme Notes’ Doc for the Scholarship JacketWays to Jot for Realistic Fiction NovelsAnalyzing Characterization Student Charts: Blank Conflict/Trait T-Chart, Sample Character Choices T-Chart,Sample Character Feelings/Why T-ChartTeacher Sample Conflict/Trait T-ChartBook Club SurveyLearning Progressions21ST CENTURY LIFE AND CAREER STANDARDS Act as a responsible and contributing citizen and employee.Apply appropriate academic and technical skills.Communicate clearly and effectively and with reason.Demonstrate creativity and innovation.Employ valid and reliable research strategies.Utilize critical thinking to make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.Plan education and career paths aligned to personal goals.Use technology to enhance productivity.Work productively in teams while using cultural global competence.Suggestions on integrating these standards can be found at: 9.pdf7

Unit 2Writing About Reading: Literary Essay (Book 2 - Information)Summary and RationaleIn this unit, students will improve their ability to write about reading. analyze a work of fiction in order to determineand prove a cohesive theme throughout. Students will generate a claim that identifies that theme and will then bestsupport that claim using direct, specific, and relevant evidence from their selected text, song, or poem. Students willalso provide appropriate context to address and anticipate the audience’s knowledge level and needs and will utilizeself and peer editing techniques in order to produce appropriate writing. Ultimately, students will effectively concludethe analysis by reiterating the lesson to be learned from their literary work in a larger context.Recommended Pacing4-5 weeksStandardsReading: LiteratureRL.7.2Determine 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.RL.7.7Compare 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 focusand angles in a film).WritingW.7.2Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and informationthrough the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.A. .Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow; organize ideas, concepts, and information,using text structures (e.g., definition, classification, comparison/contrast, cause/effect, etc.) andtext features (e.g., headings, graphics, and multimedia).B. Develop the topic with relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or otherinformation and examples.C. Use appropriate transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas andconcepts.D. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.E. Establish and maintain a formal style academic style, approach, and form.F. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or8

explanation presented.W.7.4Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, voice and style areappropriate to task, purpose, and audience.W.7.5With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed byplanning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose andaudience have been addressed.W.7.6Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and link to and cite sources as wellas to interact and collaborate with others, including linking to and citing sources.W.7.9Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.W.7.10Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, metacognition/self correction,and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specifictasks, purposes, and audiences.Speaking and ListeningSL.7.2Analyze the main ideas and supporting details presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually,quantitatively, orally) and explain how the ideas clarify a topic, text, or issue under study.LanguageL.7.1Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing orspeaking.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 differingrelationships among ideas.C. Place phrases and clauses within a sentence, recognizing and correcting misplaced and danglingmodifiers.L.7.2Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spellingwhen writing. A. Use a comma to separate coordinate adjectives (e.g., It was a fascinating, enjoyablemovie but not He wore an old[,] green shirt). B. Spell correctly.L.7.3Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.A. Choose language that expresses ideas precisely and concisely, recognizing and eliminatingwordiness and redundancy.L.7.6Acquire 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 orexpression.Instructional Focus9

Enduring Understandings: Writer's draft visions for their pieces, freewrite, and map plans to highlight their mostinsightful thoughts about the texts.Writers use graphics to note particularcrafting techniques and to help explain theauthor's structure.Writers cite evidence and elaborate on theirmain points while paying attention tolanguage conventions.Essential Questions: How do writers generate claims about theme?How do writers implement various writing techniquesto convey and organize our ideas?How do writers edit to clarify and enhance thedevelopment of ideas and analysis?Evidence of Learning (Assessments)Common Assessment PRE On-Demand Performance Assessment Prompt POST Final literary essay scored using the grade 7 informational rubric, all components RubricInformation WritingLearning Progression, Grades 3-9Information Writing RubricsGrade 6Grade 7Grade 8Information Writing ChecklistsGrade 5Grade 5 and Grade 6Grade 6Grade 6 and Grade 7Grade 7Grade 7 and Grade 8Grade 8Grade 8 and Grade 9Grade 9Compendio de Checklists Textos InformativosStudent Writing SamplesGrade 5Grade 6Grade 7Grade 8Grade 910

Writing Developed Through the ProgressionGrade 5Grade 6Grade 7Grade 8Objectives (SLO)Grammar Focus Sentence Structure (simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex) and Clauses Commas (ex: separating coordinate adjectives) Capitalization, punctuation, spellingThe grade level language standards above should be integrated into your planning. You may want to teach grammarmini-lessons to the whole class, small groups, and/or individuals. In addition to the grade level expectations above,students may need additional grammar instruction based upon their individual progress. Please utilize student work todetermine what a student knows and is able to do and what a student might need next.Students will know: (Goals)As writers we generate claims about theme.IMPORTANT TIPS FOR IMMERSION:Before beginning this goal, you should spend sometime studying mentor texts (student, as well asprofessional, samples) of literary essays. This willgive students some time to identify characteristics ofthe genre, as well as analyze structure and craftmoves. This is important so that students can seewhat they are working towards. This should be thefirst few days of the unit.Students will be able to: (Teaching Points) As writers we implement various writing techniquesto convey and organize our ideas.IMPORTANT TIPS FOR SHARED WRITING:During this unit, at the beginning, you should plansome time for shared writing lessons so that studentscan all have a common experience and study literaryessay together. You may want to use a previouslyread text to take students through the writing processtogether. You will begin with generating a theme Writers have a vision of exactly what they are trying todo, as well as what makes that type of writingpowerful. (Informational Bend I Session 3)Writers freewrite to explain their big ideas so thatothers can grasp their thinking (Informational Bend ISession 4)Writers notice many elements of a story and thinkabout how different elements of a story connect to andinfluence each other, as well as support theme.(Informational Bend I Session 5)Writers vary their ways of thinking about ideas in textsand respond to it based on the particular challengesthat the text poses. (Informational Bend I Session 6)Writers make a plan for writing about literature bytaking stock of what they’ve been thinking, and thenthey devise sections or chapters that showcase theirmost insightful, important thoughts about the text.(Informational Bend I Session 7)Writers use graphics, such as maps, diagrams, andcolor-coding, to think through their work in fresh newways. (Informational Bend I Session 2)Writers notice the particular crafting techniques anauthor used, figuring out why the author may haveused them, and writing about the insights they gain.(Informational Bend II Session 10)11

about a text, plan your structure, and share a part ofthe draft. Writers write to explain how the author’s structurechoices affect the reader’s understanding of the text.(Informational Bend II Session 12)As writers we edit to clarify and enhance thedevelopment of our ideas and analysis. Writers cite evidence from the text they are writingabout by incorporating specific details and examples,as well as direct quotations from the text.(Informational Bend I Session 8)Writers elaborate on important points by includingdetails in their writing. (Informational Bend I Session8)Writers edit their pieces with careful attention tolanguage conventions and then share their work withother writers, friends, and family. (Informational BendII Session 16) Suggested Resources/Technology ToolsTheme Development with Evidence Gathering Student WorkpageLiterary Essay Structure Documents:Although these are samples, please do not lock students into the fact a literary essay has to be written in thismanner. They should explore various samples, analyzing different ways to structure it, and try out their ownstructure, based upon what was learned in the mentor texts.Literary Analysis Essay: Introductory Paragraph Color-Coded Structure Format Document and Teacher Sample (Note:Format directions and teacher sample and Separated so students would avoid directly following at first attempt.)Literary Analysis Essay: Body Paragraph Color-Coded Structure Format Document with Sample ParagraphLiterary Analysis Essay: Conclusion Paragraph Color-Coded Structure Format Document with Teacher SamplesSession 1Mentor text: "The Stolen Party"FIG. 1-1 Writing about reading "Stray"FIG. 1-2 Pressure map of "The Goodness of Matt Kaiser"FIG. 1-3 Ways to capture thinking about "Uprising"FIG. 1-4 A.J. charts characters in Miracle's BoysAdditional piece for "Stray"Additional piece for "Stray"Session 2Mentor text: "The Stolen Party"Session 312

FIG. 1-1 Writing about reading "Stray"FIG. 1-2 Pressure map of "The Goodness of Matt Kaiser"FIG. 1-3 Ways to capture thinking about "Uprising"FIG. 1-4 A.J. charts characters in Miracle's BoysAnchor chart: Ways to Write Powerfully about ReadingChart: "Ladder of Abstraction"FIG. 3-2 Emma's revisionFIG. 3-3 Marcus's writingSession 4FIG. 4-1 A.J.'s chart about RadianceFIG. 4-2 Maggie's web about MatildaFIG. 4-3 Teacher's drawings and notes on War HorseAnchor chart: Ways to Write Powerfully about ReadingChart: How to Write a Theme-Based Literary EssayChart: Ways to Analyze EvidenceSession 5Chart: Ways of Visualizing Relationships Between Story ElementsFIG. 5-2 Alice's writingMentor text: "The Stolen Party"Anchor chart: Ways to Write Powerfully about ReadingSession 6Mentor text: "The Stolen Party"Chart: Character Emotions and Reader ReactionsFIG. 6-3 Brian's essay about DivergentAnchor chart: Ways to Write Powerfully about ReadingSession 7Information Writing Checklist, Grade 7Anchor chart: Ways to Write Powerfully about ReadingTeacher demonstration text: Companion book to "The Stolen Party"Chart: Common Structures for Information/Nonfiction TextsFIG. 7-1 Maggie and Jordan's tables of contentsSession 8Anchor chart: Ways to Write Powerfully about ReadingChart: Appositives and Dependent Clauses in SentencesChart: Common Ways to Organize Information WritingFIG. 8-1 Jordan's writingSession 9Information Writing Checklist, Grade 7FIG. 9-1 Jordan's draft of a first chapterFIG. 9-2 Maggie's first pageFIG. 9-3 Bella's reflectionSession 10Chart: Writers Use Techniques Such As.Chart: Writers Aim Toward Goals Such As.FIG. 10-3 Nicole's writing13

FIG. 10-4 Soraya's analysisFIG. 10-5 Serena's writingAnchor chart: Ways to Write Powerfully about ReadingSession 11Chart: Writers Aim Toward Goals Such As.FIG. 11-1 Marcus's writing on empathy in The Maze RunnerAnchor chart: Ways to Write Powerfully about ReadingSession 12Mentor text: "The Stolen Party"Chart: Thought Prompts that Help an Essayist Think and WriteChart: Writers Aim Toward Goals Such As.Information Writing Checklist, Grade 7FIG. 12-1 Claire's chapter on a theme in Chasing AlaskaFIG. 12-2 A.J.'s chapter on symbolism in Miracle's BoysSession 13FIG. 13-1 Ryan's sceneSession 14Chart: Ways that Writers Can Show How Characters Have Different PerspectivesSession 15Information Writing Checklist, Grade 7Chart: Writing Conclusions that Keep Readers HookedFIG. 15-1 Ryan's introductionSession 16Information Writing Checklist, Grade 7FIG. 16-1 A.J.'s companion book on Miracle's BoysFIG. 16-2 Maggie's companion book on MatildaFIG. 16-3 Jordan's companion book on Miracle's BoysFIG. 16-4 Emma's companion book on Uprising21ST CENTURY LIFE AND CAREER STANDARDS Act as a responsible and contributing citizen and employee.Apply appropriate academic and technical skills.Communicate clearly and effectively and with reason.Demonstrate creativity and innovation.Employ valid and reliable research strategies.Utilize critical thinking to make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.Plan education and career paths aligned to personal goals.Use technology to enhance productivity.Work productively in teams while using cultural global competence.14

Suggestions on integrating these standards can be found at: 9.pdfUnit 3Informational Reading - Becoming an Expert on a TopicSummary and RationaleIn this unit, students will be exposed to different types of informational texts, using various research strategies to readthrough and synthesize facts and evidence to analyze how authors support claims. Students will interpret whether ornot a source is valid by clarifying relationships between evidence and ideas. Ultimately, readers will recognize howthe organization of informational texts can impact the meaning and inform how they analyze evidence to explainconceptual relationships.Recommended Pacing4-5 weeksStandardsReading: Informational TextRI.7.1Cite several pieces of textual evidence and make relevant connections to support analysis of what the textsays explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.RI.7.2Determine 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.RI.7.4Determine 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.RI.7.5Analyze the structure an author uses to organize a text, including how the major sections contribute to thewhole and to the development of the ideas.RI.7.9.Analyze and reflect on (e.g. practical knowledge, historical/cultural context, and background knowledge)how two or more authors writing about the same topic shape their presentations of key information byemphasizing different evidence or advancing different interpretations of facts.RI.7.10By the end of the year read and comprehend literary nonfiction at grade level text-complexity or above,with scaffolding as needed.Writing15

W.7.2Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly andaccurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.W.7.6Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and link to and cite sources as wellas to interact and collaborate with others, including linking to and citing sources.W.7.7Conduct short research pro

Language L.7.4 Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 7 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.