ENGLISH 7ENGLISH 7
English 7 is designed to enhance the skills students have acquired in their previous years, and is focused on preparing them to meet the rigors of the newly designed 8th grade ELA, taken in the following year. The three areas of concentration include writing, speaking, and literature appreciation.
A emphasis is placed on improvement of writing skills through a multi-faceted approach. Students learn the five step writing process, the construction of a well written essay, techniques of editing, and methods for writing exciting prose. In addition, students create original works pertaining to the unit which they are studying. Students write poetry, short stories, and newspaper articles. Furthermore, students are taught the moral and ethical dilemmas surrounding plagiarism, and how to correctly attribute the quotes and ideas of others in their writing. In addition, students are expected to display high moral conduct while test taking.
With the aim of molding students into citizens who are prepared to meet the challenges of the future, students are taught proper speaking techniques and are then required to apply this approach during various speaking oppurtuntities.
Additionally, English 7 provides an environment designed to encourage literature appreciation. Works are not only chosen for the literary technique they model or their status as a classic, but for their ability to engage students and help foster an affinity for literature that will last a lifetime.
As the students are placed in a team, much interdisciplary work is incorporated, especially between Social Studies and English.
The following is a brief description of the genres utilized to reach the many goals of English 7:
SHORT STORY
Students read a variety of short stories and write a short story. Elements of the short story and terminology are introduced and discussed. The unit concludes with an exam. Stories include, but not limited to, the following:
The Monkey's Paw, W.W. Jacobs;
The Tell-Tale Heart ,Edgar Allan Poe;
The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle and
The Adventure of the Dying Detective , Sir Arthur Conan Doyle; The Parachutist, D'Arcy Niland;
A Visit to Grandmother's, William Kelley;
The Boar Hunt, Jose Vasconcelos;
Forgiveness in Families, Alice Monroe;
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, James Thurber;
Lamb to the Slaughter, Roald Dahl;
Priscilla and the Wimps;
The Adventure of the Clapham Cook, Agatha Christie;
The Necklace, Guy de Maupassant;
Raymond's Run, Toni Cade Bambara
Students read over thirty poems. To enhance listening skills, students sketch out the details of a descriptive poem. Authors highlighted include Emily Dickinson, Langston Hughes, and Robert Frost. Various other authors are incorporated into daily lessons.
Students study figurative language (simile, metaphor, personification), characteristics (tone, voice, theme, imagery), and literary terms (alliteration, consonance, assonance, rhyme scheme, meter). A unit test is administered.
As part of a culmnating activity,the students write original poetry, creating compilations which they read at a local coffeehouse. Students are strongly encouraged to submit their poetry to Starlit, the school's poetry book.
DRAMA
Students research and present the history of drama, read plays, individually write original scenes, then co-author and perform skits.
Students read plays and block out various scenes, participate in discussions, answer questions, and write an essay.
NOVELS
Students use the literary terminology learned in the short story unit to reinforce these concepts.
Students read biographies, then prepare a documented written report and an extensive oral report. Students create their own autobiographies.
Students read Such Nice Kids by Eve Bunting. The novel is discussed in depth. To enhance listening skills, students create a map of the setting and draw representations of the characters while listening to descriptive passages read aloud in class. Students write essays and take a test.
Students read the novel NightJohn by Gary Paulsen as part of the slavery unit (see below).
Students work on this unit in both their English and Social Studies classes, concentrating on the people, history, music, and repercussions of slavery in the United States, covering the period from the early 1600's to the middle 1800's. The unit is concluded in the 8th grade, where students study the Civil War. In English class, the students see an introductory PowerPoint presentation and read the novel Nightjohn by Gary Paulsen.
REVOLUTIONARY WAR
In conjunction with their Social Studies classes, the students do writings based on historical fiction. In some years, the students participate in book clubs, and at other times they read the novels as a class.
INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
Students work on this unit in both their English and Social Studies classes. In English class the students do writings based on reactions to historical photographs from the time period, as well as research and write about child labor in the world today.
NEWSPAPER AND ADVERTIING
Students learn about different types of newspaper articles and write articles in a similar style. Each student writes to a newspaper in the United States that participates in the Target Date project, and then uses the paper to analyze and compare to papers from other regions.
The newspaper unit is tied in with another unit, whereby students are required to create a newspaper from a different time period.
In addition, students study media and advertisement, eventually creating an original advertising script for television.
ESSAYS
The elements of an essay are taught and then utilized by students in writing the following types of essays:
Persuasive, Process, Narrative, Descriptive, and Comparison
GRAMMAR, VOCABULARY, SPELLING, AND PUNCTUATION
Students work on a variety of skills interspersed through the units. These skills include, but are not limited to, the following: Commas, semi-colons, colons, quotations, capitalization, analogies, the use of like and as ;lie and lay ; and sit and set.