7th Grade English
The following is a brief overview of my 7th Grade English class. This is for your reference. Please feel free to e-mail me (garyweeks16@hotmail.com) with any specific questions you might have. Thank you.
Purpose in Literature (short stories)
p. 2 “Say It With Flowers" by Toshio Mori (Japanese American - Honesty)
p. 12 “The Circuit" by Francisco Jinenez (Mexican - Migrant Life)
p. 19 “The Birdman" by Mari Sandoz (Native American - Gaining Respect)
p. 24 “I’ll Give You Law ” by Molly Picon (Grandmother - Ethics/Values)
p. 38 “The Gift” by John Steinbeck (Western Ranching - Responsibility/Grief)
We usually start out the year with a short story unit to get all students back into the rhythm of reading. Students are asked to do a majority of the reading outside of class while discussion of the story will be done in a variety of ways in class. After discussing the first story, we then assign the next story (etc.).
Upon completion of all five stories, a list of literary terms is introduced to help form a study guide for the unit test. The students work together in groups to create the study guide. See us about how this works.
Other stories we have used in the past include:
p. 114 “Win or Lose”
p. 153 “Hunger”
p. 192 “Where the Girl Saved Her Brother”
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Plays
We have a wide variety of plays that we read in class. This is a nice break in routine and kids this age really enjoy them. Titles include:
“My Dad Can’t Be Crazy....Can He?” (mental illness)
“Dedicated to the One I Love” (AIDS)
“Got to do Some Coachin'’” (child leukemia)
“Flour Babies” (personal responsibility)
“The Accident” (drinking and driving)
“Iron Will” (perseverance / dog sled racing)
“The Emancipation of Lizzie Stern” (declaring independence)
“Bluffing It” (reading difficulty)
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Novels
The following titles are available to 7th graders:
The Incredible Journey |
by Sheila Burnford |
Island of the Blue Dolphins |
by Scott O'Dell |
The Face on the Milk Carton |
by Caroline B. Cooney |
My Side of the Mountain |
by Jean Craighead George |
Freak The Mighty |
by Rodman Philbrick |
Max The Mighty |
by Rodman Philbrick |
The Barn |
by Avi |
Bridge to Terabithia |
by Katherine Paterson |
Hatchet |
by Gary Paulsen |
Dog Song |
by Gary Paulsen |
Soldier's Heart |
by Gary Paulsen |
The Witch of Blackbird Pond |
by Elizabeth George |
The Midwife's Apprentice |
by Karen Cushman |
We can usually get through four to five novels in a year while working around other areas of the 7th grade curriculum. Students are expected to do the assigned reading outside of class in order to be prepared for class activities, pop quizzes, and related writing assignments.
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English Mechanics
SPELLING - We give spelling lists / tests (25 at a time). The words come from everyday writing and therefore are not particularly difficult, but they are the most frequently misspelled words. We have many lists of varying degrees of difficulty on file. Later in the year, the lists will often coincide with the vocabulary program used in class. Spelling tests tend to get more challenging as the year progresses.
VOCABULARY - Students will receive ten vocab words a week from a vocabulary program. This program is intended to expose them to new words to improve their reading comprehension skills and to promote more sophisticated writing. They have an assignment that goes with the words and then a test. We will introduce anywhere from 200-220 new words a year. Vocabulary is also presented in the literature.
GRAMMAR - The following areas of grammar will be specifically stressed:
o Nouns / Pronouns / Possessives
o Adjectives / Adverbs
o Subject / Verb Agreement
o Punctuation
o Capitalization
Grammar will be presented in the vocabulary program, in preparation for the NYS Grade 7 ELA exam, and will be routinely checked throughout the writing process.
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Writing
Students will have at least one sample (usually more than one) of each of the different writing experiences presented in the district writing portfolio. This will include creative, narrative, persuasive, and composition writing in relation to the literature presented throughout the year. We will also introduce the different parts of the NYS 7th Grade ELA exam and prepare for the test in 8th grade as well. Research writing will be done in the form of a research paper. Peer editing and extensive use of the computer lab are scheduled in. Please see us for samples.
Projects
READING LOGS - It is the goal of New York State that all 7th graders have up to 25 reading experiences throughout the course of the school year. An information sheet explaining the requirements to reach this goal has been given to each student. Please ask your son or daughter about what is considered an acceptable reading experience.
BOOK REPORTS - To go along with our Reading Logs, students will be asked periodically to create book reports on the computer. Each student will use the same computer format when doing the report. This way every report posted in the room looks the same regardless of reading level. These are done in the computer lab. See us for samples.
DEBATE - This project is an oral communication experience. We have had great success with these in the past as the kids really seem to enjoy themselves. See us about materials and the process.
RESEARCH PAPER - Students are encouraged to expand their understanding of different concepts learned in other classes through extended research. They will learn all the steps in the research process including researching their topic, proper note taking techniques, documentation, computer graphics, and writing drafts / final copies.
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