Overview

Writing | Reading | Independent Research |Grammar | Vocabulary

English classes are closely integrated with the World History curriculum in seventh grade. Reading and writing assignments draw heavily from content learned in history class; themes common to both courses guide inter-disciplinary inquiry; and major projects each trimester are designed and assessed jointly by teachers in both subject areas.

Students will be able to write formal paragraphs, book reviews, logical and well organized persuasive essays, and various forms of creative writing such as stories, poems and play scripts. Descriptive details will be used to enhance all writing. Students will be able to write with some eloquence and to make thoughtful revisions of their work. They will have practice writing analytical essays, although proficiency may not be fully developed.

• Reinforce pre-writing and organizational techniques.
• Develop awareness of writing for a specific audience.
• Introduce the formation of a thesis statement.
• Introduce the structure of a formal paragraph.
• Expand on ways to support opinions with details from the text or outside sources.
• Reinforce correct documentation of outside sources.
• Develop awareness of plagiarism and copyright laws.
• Develop the use of vivid, appropriate, and mature vocabulary in writing.
• Introduce the use of transition words.
• Introduce the elements of strong persuasive writing.
• Introduce the structure of a formal analytical essay.
• Introduce the craft of analytical commentary.
• Expand on the elements of a book review.

• Reinforce the elimination of run-ons and fragments from writing.
• Reinforce proofreading skills.

Types of Writing

• Formal paragraph
• Persuasive essay/editorial
• Book review
• Analytical essay
• Poetry
• Dialogues
• Historical short stories
• Historical letters
• Debate
• Oral storytelling

• Graded rubrics evaluating specific writing skills
• Student/teacher writing conferences
• Teacher response to drafts of student work

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Students will be able to extract a theme or implied meaning from a short story, poem, play, or novel. Students will able to support their reasoning logically, with relevant textual evidence.

Students will improve their reading comprehension skills through frequent practice, using short, focused passages accompanied by text-based analytical questions.

Students will also read a number of young adult historical fiction novels independently and will analyze and evaluate their historical content and literary structure, with gradual improvement in logical reasoning and depth of analysis. Students will be able to identify and to describe the themes of a literary work independently of the teacher.

• Identify complex themes and make historical, personal, and literary connections.
• Identify conflict and resolution in literary works.
• Relate reading material to broader course themes.
• Understand the art of strong storytelling.
• Share personal insights to literary works in discussion seminars.

Reading Selections

All students are required to read Beowulf: A New Telling by Robert Nye and to read one other book of choice from the seventh grade section of The Cary Academy summer reading booklet.

• Core reading: Teachers choose from the following list:
• Animal Farm by George Orwell
• The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis
• The King's Shadow by Elizabeth Alder
• Under the Persimmon Tree by Suzanne Staples
• Junior Great Books 7
• A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
• A Midsummer Night’s Dream (or another play) by William Shakespeare
• The Shakespeare Stealer by Gary L. Blackwood
• Dove and Sword: A Novel of Joan of Arc by Nancy Garden
• The Samurai’s Tale by Erik Haugaard
• The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain
• "Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut
• "I Just Kept on Smiling" by Simon Burt
• "The Zodiacs" by Jay Neugeboren
• "The Cat and the Coffee Drinkers" by Max Steele
• "Day of the Butterfly" by Alice Munro
• "Songs of Innocence and Experience" by William Blake

• Reading Comprehension:
• More Reading Comprehension in Varied Subject Matter by Jane Ervin

Students write reviews of one or two historical novels each trimester. The list of novels parallels time periods addressed in World History classes.

• Assessment Methods
• Book Reviews
• Objective tests and quizzes
• Paragraphs and essays analyzing readings
• Participation in class discussions

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Students will be able to work independently finding book and Internet resources, extracting relevant information, and also crediting and citing sources according to copyright laws and a prescribed format. They will also be able to transform what they have learned into a unique, creative product, not a report. The project menu below represents a sample of what might be pursued, but it is not exhaustive.

• Historical Children’s Book
• Web sites
• Power Point presentations
• Debates
• Innovation Advertisement Campaign
• Biographical Portrait/Self-Portrait
• Oral Storytelling
• Short Stories

Students will recognize common grammar mistakes such as run-ons, fragments, and inconsistencies of verb tense, and will understand proper use of basic punctuation, pronouns, and subject-verb agreement. They will be able to edit and proofread their own written work.

• Review the parts of speech.
• Reinforce correct use of punctuation.
• Reinforce recognition of sentence fragments and run-ons.
• Develop strong proofreading and editing skills.
• Introduce subject-verb agreement.
• Elaborate on correct pronoun usage.
• Reinforce proper citation of sources.

          Texts

• Grammar and Language Workbook Grade 7 by Glencoe McGraw Hill

• Objective quizzes, tests
• Graded rubric for mechanics in writing
• Peer reviews

Goals

Students will acquire new vocabulary using a classical roots based system, so that they learn new word families in each lesson.

Skills

• Develop recognition of classical roots and word families.
• Develop use of new vocabulary in writing assignments.
• Recognize new vocabulary words in reading exercises.

Workbook

• Improving Vocabulary Skills by Townsend Press

Assessment Methods

• Objective tests and quizzes
• Required use of vocabulary in writing assignments
• Written exercises and dialogues

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