The seventh grade language arts course is designed to meet the needs of the emerging, independent seventh grade student. We focus on the development of writers who can produce succinct and accurately written text. Critical thinking patterns, standard grammar, appropriate reading levels, and use of technology are integrated into the program. The program is committed to developing and encouraging the abilities of a higher order of thinking, complex communication, and self-directed and collaborative learning. Competence in reading, writing and research are stressed throughout the year. A variety of authors are used to promote discussion and written communication. A collaborative and supportive atmosphere is always encouraged.
Goals and Objectives
Reading:
- Reads and differentiate between different types of fiction and non-fiction, including novels, short stories, poetry, biographies, plays, essays and reference materials
- Analyzes main idea, point of view, plot, conflict, setting, characterization, universal themes, foreshadowing, flashback, and bias
- Conducts research using multiple resources, including the school databases
- Properly cites primary and secondary sources
- Adapts reading comprehension strategies to text. Able to recall, when asked, pertinent information from a variety of sources.
- Distinguishes cause and effect and clearly state their arguments.
- Identifies and analyzes the use of poetic techniques and figurative language in poetry and prose
- Determines tone and mood in a selection of poetry or prose
- Uses a variety of vocabulary resources to define unfamiliar words
Writing:
- Writes confidently, and with a clear focus that holds the reader’s attention
- Uses relevant details to enrich writing
- Writing includes a strong beginning, middle and end, with clear and effective transitions
- Writes with a distinct and unique voice
- Writes from various points of view
- Adapts writing to target a specific audience
- Uses a variety of sentence structures in writing (simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences)
- Chooses words purposefully in writing
- Independently uses the writing process of pre-writing, drafting, revising, editing and publishing to create descriptive, narrative and expository pieces
- Writes produce few grammatical and spelling errors in their written work, showing an advanced level of self-editing
- Uses word processing capabilities to draft, edit and publish
- Have mastered a variety of writing formats (i.e. letters, essays, narratives, research papers, poetry, short stories, pamphlets, on-line word pieces and dialogue)
- use poetic devices and figurative language to write poetry and prose that conveys tone and mood
Handwriting:
- Writes and reads cursive
Grammar:
- Identifies all parts of speech and types and structure of sentences
- Demonstrates the mechanics of writing (e.g. quotation marks, commas at the end of dependent clauses, etc.) and appropriate English usage (e.g. pronoun references)
- Identifies hyphens, dashes, brackets, and semicolons and uses them correctly
Vocabulary:
- Uses a variety of vocabulary resources to familiarize themselves with unfamiliar words
- Memorizes Latin prefixes, suffixes and word roots
- Applies knowledge of Latin prefixes, suffixes and word roots to understand text, complete word analysis tasks (determining part of speech and meaning of familiar, unfamiliar and made up words) and spell words with affixes correctly
Listening/Speaking:
- Delivers focused, coherent presentations that convey ideas clearly
- Asks probing questions to elicit information, including evidence to support the speaker’s claims and conclusions
- Organizes information to achieve the desired purpose
- Uses speaker techniques, including voice modulation, inflection, tempo, enunciation and eye contact in effective presentations
- provides constructive feedback to speakers