Canada · Ontario Curriculum Expectations
Grade 7 Language Arts
This course focuses on developing critical literacy skills through the exploration of diverse perspectives in literature and media. Students refine their ability to analyze complex texts, craft persuasive arguments, and communicate with clarity and purpose.
The Power of Narrative: Storytelling and Identity
Students examine how authors use character development and plot structure to explore themes of personal identity and heritage.
Analyzing how internal struggles drive a character's growth and influence the resolution of a story.
Exploring how the cultural background of a narrative shapes its universal messages and themes.
Applying narrative techniques to craft original stories that feature realistic dialogue and vivid descriptions.
Informing the Public: Analyzing Non-Fiction
An investigation into the structures and strategies used in informational texts to convey facts and explain complex ideas.
Identifying how authors use cause and effect, comparison, and chronological order to organize information.
Developing the skills to distinguish between objective facts, subjective opinions, and biased reporting.
Writing clear and concise essays that synthesize information from multiple sources to explain a concept.
The Art of Persuasion: Rhetoric and Media
Students analyze how language and visual elements are used to influence opinions in advertisements, speeches, and editorials.
Understanding the three pillars of persuasion and how they are applied in historical and modern speeches.
Analyzing how images, colors, and layouts are used in digital and print media to convey persuasive messages.
Practicing the delivery of persuasive arguments through formal debates and oral presentations.
Poetic Justice: Verse and Voice
Deepening the understanding of figurative language and poetic devices to express complex emotions and social critiques.
Analyzing how poets use figurative language to represent abstract ideas through concrete objects.
Exploring how meter, rhyme, alliteration, and onomatopoeia contribute to the tone and meaning of a poem.
Examining how poets use their craft to address social issues and advocate for change.
Distant Worlds: Science Fiction and Fantasy
Students explore how speculative fiction genres use imaginary worlds to comment on contemporary human issues and ethics.
Investigating how authors create believable settings that serve as allegories for real world events.
Identifying common character archetypes and plot patterns in speculative fiction across different cultures.
Analyzing how science fiction addresses ethical dilemmas related to scientific advancement and human nature.
The Research Inquiry: Investigating the Truth
A capstone unit where students conduct independent research on a topic of interest and present their findings in multiple formats.
Moving from broad topics to narrow, researchable questions that drive an inquiry process.
Learning to combine information from diverse media formats to create a cohesive understanding of a topic.
Designing and delivering a final presentation that effectively communicates research results to a specific audience.