United States · Common Core State Standards
7th Grade English Language Arts
This curriculum focuses on the development of critical reading and analytical writing skills through a diverse range of literary and informational texts. Students examine how authors build meaning through craft and structure while refining their own voices in academic and creative expression.
01The Power of Narrative: Analyzing Plot and Character
Students investigate how authors develop complex characters and intricate plot structures to convey universal themes. This unit emphasizes textual evidence and the impact of setting on character choices.
Analyze how internal and external conflicts drive character development over the course of a story.
Explore how sensory details and word choice establish the mood and influence the plot's progression.
Examine the effects of different perspectives and how an author's choice of narrator shapes the reader's understanding.
Analyze how authors introduce characters, setting, and initial conflicts, building tension towards the climax.
Examine the turning point of a narrative and how subsequent events lead to the story's conclusion.
Identify universal themes in narratives and analyze how they are developed through plot, character, and setting.
Analyze how authors use literary devices like foreshadowing and flashback to build suspense and provide context.
Examine how authors make deliberate choices regarding word choice, imagery, and sentence structure to create specific effects.
Plan and draft a narrative that includes a clear exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.
Develop well-rounded characters and create vivid settings using descriptive language and sensory details.
Experiment with different narrative points of view and develop a distinct authorial voice in personal narratives.
Apply revision strategies to improve narrative coherence, character development, and descriptive language, and edit for conventions.
Conduct a comprehensive analysis of a complex short story, integrating all learned narrative elements.
02The Art of Persuasion: Argument and Rhetoric
Students learn to identify and evaluate the strength of arguments in informational texts and media. They practice constructing their own evidence based claims using rhetorical appeals.
Identify the central claim of a text and distinguish between supported and unsupported assertions.
Analyze the use of ethos, pathos, and logos in speeches and persuasive essays.
Draft a formal argument that uses clear reasoning and relevant evidence to support a specific position.
Analyze how authors use loaded language, stereotypes, and other techniques to influence an audience's opinion.
Examine how effective arguments acknowledge and respond to opposing viewpoints.
Develop skills to discern factual statements from subjective opinions in various informational texts.
Examine how visual and audio elements in advertisements, news clips, and social media are used to persuade.
Formulate clear, debatable claims and select relevant, credible evidence to support them.
Structure persuasive essays with clear introductions, body paragraphs with evidence, and strong conclusions.
Employ a variety of transition words and phrases to create coherence and clarify relationships between ideas.
Practice writing in a formal, objective style appropriate for academic and persuasive essays.
Refine argumentative essays for clarity, coherence, logical reasoning, and grammatical correctness.
Participate in a structured debate, presenting well-supported arguments and responding to opposing viewpoints.
03Uncovering Information: Research and Synthesis
Students engage in the research process by generating inquiry questions, evaluating sources for bias, and synthesizing information from multiple platforms.
Develop focused research questions and use advanced search techniques to find relevant information.
Assess the credibility and accuracy of various digital and print sources.
Combine information from different texts to create a cohesive understanding of a topic.
Develop effective note-taking strategies and organizational methods for research projects.
Understand the definition of plagiarism and learn proper techniques for quoting, paraphrasing, and citing sources.
Practice summarizing main ideas and key details from informational texts concisely and objectively.
Identify and analyze common text structures (e.g., cause/effect, problem/solution, compare/contrast) and their impact on meaning.
Learn to seamlessly incorporate evidence from research into written responses and essays.
Draft informative essays that present complex information clearly and accurately, using evidence from research.
Analyze how charts, graphs, images, and videos enhance understanding in informational texts and presentations.
Apply all stages of the research process to complete a short, focused research project.
Refine informative essays for clarity, accuracy, organization, and adherence to conventions.
Deliver a presentation of research findings, using appropriate visuals and speaking techniques.
04The Poetic Voice: Structure and Figurative Language
Students explore the nuances of poetry and drama, focusing on how form contributes to meaning and how figurative language enhances imagery.
Analyze how metaphors, similes, and personification deepen the reader's connection to the text.
Study how line breaks, stanzas, and rhyme schemes influence the rhythm and meaning of a poem.
Examine the unique elements of drama, including dialogue, stage directions, and soliloquies.
Analyze the use of alliteration, assonance, consonance, and onomatopoeia to create musicality and emphasize meaning.
Identify and analyze the central themes conveyed through poetic language, imagery, and structure.
Examine how a poet's word choice, imagery, and rhythm create a specific tone and evoke a particular mood in the reader.
Analyze how dramatic irony and various types of conflict (man vs. man, man vs. self, man vs. nature) drive the plot in drama.
Examine how playwrights develop characters through dialogue, actions, and interactions with others.
Experiment with different poetic forms (e.g., haiku, limerick) and free verse to express ideas and emotions.
Craft original poems that effectively use metaphors, similes, personification, and imagery.
Transform a short narrative into a dramatic scene, focusing on dialogue and stage directions.
05Language in Action: Conventions and Style
Students refine their command of standard English grammar and usage while exploring how style and vocabulary choices affect the tone of their writing.
Master the use of simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences to improve writing flow.
Use context clues, Greek and Latin roots, and reference materials to determine the meaning of unknown words.
Apply rules for commas, semicolons, and colons to enhance the readability and sophistication of student writing.
Master the rules for ensuring subjects and verbs agree in number, including with indefinite pronouns and compound subjects.
Ensure pronouns agree with their antecedents in number and gender, addressing common agreement issues.
Differentiate between active and passive voice and understand when to use each for clarity and impact.
Identify and correctly use intensive and reflexive pronouns in sentences.
Recognize and analyze the use of idioms, proverbs, and adages in common language and literature.
Distinguish between the literal (denotative) and implied (connotative) meanings of words.
Apply rules for using commas in a series, with introductory elements, and in compound and complex sentences.
Master the use of apostrophes for possession and contractions, and quotation marks for direct speech and titles.
06The Shared Conversation: Speaking and Listening
Students develop collaborative discussion skills and learn to present complex ideas through multimedia presentations and formal debates.
Practice active listening and constructive responding during group academic discussions.
Integrate visual and audio elements into a presentation to clarify information and engage the audience.
Deliver a speech or participate in a debate using appropriate eye contact, volume, and clear pronunciation.
Evaluate a speaker's purpose, claims, and evidence, and identify any biases or rhetorical strategies.
Practice active and critical listening skills to comprehend and evaluate spoken information.
Plan and organize content for a formal presentation, including outlining, research, and visual aid selection.