FARINA, JENNIFER
Advanced 7th Grade ELA
Grading
Major Assessments = 40%
Minor Assessments = 35%
Independent Assessments = 25%
Unit 1: The Thoughtful Reader
The purpose of this unit is to encourage a deeper level of observation as a reader which will allow for expressing more mature concepts through writing pieces and discussions. It will prepare students for the more in-depth nature of the advanced course. Students will focus on mostly fiction and some nonfiction. A great deal of effort will be dedicated to establishing effective study habits, strategic thinking, and analytical writing.
Unit 2: The Universal Appeal of Great Literature
The purpose of this unit is to identify the universal appeals of great literature and to analyze how authors develop such appeals. By studying elements of folk literature, students will discover the literary intersections across human civilization. Students will mostly focus on folk literature fiction, but there will also be an emphasis on nonfiction. Nonfiction-based activities will help students understand folk literature more deeply by providing historical background knowledge. Also, students will study
the similarities and differences that they see between fiction and nonfiction.
Unit 3: The Creativity of Nonfiction
The purpose of this unit is to help students be more perceptive to the craft of writing by paying attention to how authors use certain writing strategies to serve their purposes in writing. As students become more perceptive in this way, this unit will not only enhance their comprehension abilities, but it will also inspire their imitation of professional authors within their own writing. Students will focus on a variety of nonfiction modes and forms including essays and a literary nonfiction historical book.
Unit 4: The Skillful Writer
The purpose of this unit is to build upon and showcase the skills that have been acquired this year. Through an emphasis of modeling, imitation, and invention, the goal is to establish an environment of contagious creativity. Students will focus on showcasing their writing by applying the skills they have noticed in great writing throughout the year. First, they will write an original narrative. Then, they will write a literary analysis essay based on a peer’s narrative. Students will read and discuss exemplar texts that will serve as writing role models. Also, the completion of a variety of comparative literature activities will help students continue to build specific reading skills.
7th Grade ELA
Grading
Major Assessments = 40%
Minor Assessments = 35%
Independent Assessments = 25%
Unit 1: A Deep Study of Character
In this unit, students will examine fictional characters and characterization (how authors create those characters). Readers will learn to notice what shapes the perspective of characters, and how the author's style and craft impact a reader's response to literature. Students will use note-taking strategies to deepen their thinking and engage in literary conversations with their peers.
Unit 2: Literary Analysis
In this unit, students will develop their literary analytical skills and compose a literary analysis. Students will: identify and analyze the author's purpose in particular selections. identify some literary elements used within a particular selection, including characterization, setting, plot, and theme.
Unit 3: Dystopian Literature
This unit has been designed to develop students' reading, writing, thinking, listening and speaking skills through exercises and activities related to The Giver by Lois Lowry. Students will explore Dystopian Societies by analyzing their characteristics and interpreting what comments the author is making about our society.
Unit 4: Writing a Narrative
In this unit, students will create their own dystopian society and write their own dystopian narrative. Students will select a current societal problem or issue in the world that their dystopian society will try to eliminate. In their stories, students will create rules and customs for their societies, a ruling government, and a hero/heroine to shine a light on the problems within the society.
Unit 5: Reading Across the Texts
This unit aims to apply the NJSLS Reading Informational skills while examining how authors use literacy to affirm all aspects of one’s identity and understand, connect to, and respect other perspectives and cultures. Through examining text structures and text features, learners will evaluate how authors organize writing, convey perspectives, and make connections to events that have shaped the world in which they live. By the end of the unit, students will be able to determine the central idea, text structure, and unique qualities of information texts. Students will analyze the structure and reflect on the historical/cultural context through nonfiction historical personal accounts of events that shaped the world in which we live.
Unit 6: Informative/Explanatory
The purpose of this unit is to use various nonfiction sources to examine current issues and discuss their impact in an informative/explanatory essay. Students will organize a topic, using a choice text structure to convey ideas, concepts, and information through selecting, organizing, and analyzing relevant content. Students will cite relevant evidence from various sources to support their claims about social issues and environmental issues. By the end of the unit, students will demonstrate their ability to read and comprehend information texts and use their research to organize an informative explanatory essay.
Unit 7: Historical Fiction/ Mini-Research
The purpose of this unit is to research historical periods to gain knowledge about specific periods as a foundation for understanding the historical/cultural context of people and events. Through research and the presentation of information, learners can investigate how lives were shaped by the events in which they lived. Using the internet, students must decipher between the credibility and accuracy of sources in gathering evidence. Students will follow MLA formatting to avoid plagiarism and present their discoveries and connections. This unit will challenge students to compare and contrast texts to analyze the unique qualities of different mediums, including the integration of information from multiple formats and sources, to develop a deeper understanding of the concept, topic, or subject and resolve conflicting information. By the end of the unit, students will demonstrate an understanding of the era and events through research and will present their findings to their peers.
Unit 8: Reading Historical Fiction/ Book Clubs/ Poetry
The purpose of this unit is to apply the NJSLA Reading Literature, Analysis Writing, and Speaking and Listening skills to participate in an academic book club. Students will learn about the historical fiction genre through modeling and book club groups to engage in an academic discussion, which focuses on the analysis of specific literary devices that are specific to the genre. Students will create high-level questions and come prepared to analyze and discuss aspects of their novels. By the end of the unit, students will connect their previous research about the historical period in which the story takes place in relation to the human experience in the fictional characters experienced through reading, discussions, questioning, and analysis.