7th grade Language Arts is an in-depth and challenging study of writing, research, speaking and listening skills, reading, grammar, spelling, and other related concepts.
Throughout the year we will be focusing on many elements including:
Writing: Students will be writing eight major papers throughout the year to help them become proficient in relating their thoughts, opinions and ideas to an audience.
The papers will include 2 informative papers, 3 argument papers, and 3 narrative papers.
Research: Students will learn how to gather quality information through credible sources to answer questions, support claims, and share relevant information.
Speaking and Listening Students will gain the ability to engage in a wide range of collaborative discussions, evaluate details presented in diverse media formats, and present claims and findings coherently.
Reading: Students will be reading numerous texts throughout the year. These texts will include both fiction and informational texts.
Grammar: Students will learn many of the ins and outs of English grammar including basic capitalization rules, subject-verb agreement, verb tense, comma rules, and sentence structures.
These areas of study are aimed towards preparing students for upper-grade levels, future careers and college. This will be achieved in part by the end of level SAGE testing given in April-May.
Major Writing Assignments
1st Quarter: King Arthur (Informative) , Bully Letter (Argument) 2nd Quarter: Letter to the Gods (Argument), Greek Gods (Informative), Civil Rights Paper (Informative) 3rd Quarter: Coming to America - Ellis Island Narrative (Narrative) 4th Quarter: Mystery Narrative (Narrative)
Class Novels
1. Freak the Mighty / Rodman Philbrick
2. Touching Spirit Bear / Ben Mikaelsen
3. Percy Jackson: The Lighting Thief / Rick Riordan
4. And Then There Were None / Agatha Christie
(Selections from other novels may be used throughout the year)