Character Analysis/ Informational Text and Literature
Essential Question/Anchor: How can reading about courage of real people inform our understanding of determined literary characters ?
This eight week unit delved more deeply into character analysis, focusing on determined and courageous people in both information text and literature.
Unit 3
Related Literary Texts
Drama
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101 Monologues for Middle
School Actors: Including
Duologues and Triologues
(Rebecca Young)
The Diary of Anne Frank: A
Play (Frances Goodrich and
Albert Hackett) (E)
Poetry
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“War and the Pity of War”
(Neil Philip and Michael
McCurdy )
o
A Pocket Full of Seeds
(Marilyn Sachs)
Daniel's Story (Carol Matas)
I Am David (Anne Holm)
Milkweed (Jerry Spinelli)
1
Number the Stars (Lois
Lowry)
1
Summer of My German
Soldier (Bette Greene)
The Devil's Arithmetic (Jane
Yolen)
When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit
(Judith Kerr)
Stories
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Building Student Knowledge
Students read, study, and
discuss Anne Frank: The
Diary of a Young Girl.
Read and discuss fictional
Students choose another
and informational texts
biography, such as The
about people, real and
Journal of Scott Pendleton
fictional, that face conflict.
Collins, or a fictional work
to explore how courage is
Explain how knowing the
projected through these
historical context of a story
works. Students see how
may enhance your
and where these stories fit
understanding of a story.
within informational texts
Analyze two accounts of the on World War II. They
also compare the ways in
same event and describe
which Frank’s diary is
important similarities and
similar to and different
differences in the details
from the play version her
they provide.
story. Students focus their
reading on in-depth
Explain how an author's
analyses of interactions
style can help convey the
among individuals, events,
theme of their stories,
and ideas in a variety of
poems, or speeches.
texts, comparing the ways
Compare and contrast Anne in which different authors
Frank: The Diary of a Young shape similar stories. This
unit ends with an
Girl to dramatic
interpretations for stage and informative/explanatory
essay in response to the
screen.
essential question.
Define courage.
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Suggested Objectives:
West Baton Rouge Parish 2013 Grade 7 ELA
GRADE 7
Focus Common Core Standard
Possible CCS
Reading Literature
RL. 7.2
RL.7.4
RL.7.5
RL.7.6
RL.7.7
Reading Informational Text
RI.7.2 RI.7.3
RI.7.4
RI.7.6
RI.7.7
RI.7.9
Writing
W.7.2
W.7.3
W.7.4
W.7.7
W.7.8 W.7.9
W.7.9(a)
W.7.9(b)
Speaking and Listening
SL.7.1
SL.7.2
SL.7.4
SL.7.6
Language
L.7.1
L.7.1(a) L.7.1(b) L.7.1(c)
L.7.2
L.7.2(a)
L.7.2(b)
L.7.3
L.7.3.(a)
L.7.4.
L.7.6
Note: This unit provides an example of how cross-curricular collaboration can naturally occur between English and other classes.
Students can read informational text in history class and scientific texts in science class, and then compare those accounts to personal
narratives and accounts about life during World War II read in English class. Much discussion can center upon the way background
information enhances understanding of literature (for example, whether on World War II, the Nazis, or any other history or science topic
of the teacher’s choosing). This unit also demonstrates how the reading and writing standards provide instructional connectivity between
learning in English and other areas.
Informational Texts
Biographies
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Anne Frank: Beyond the Diary: A Photographic Remembrance (Ruud van der Rol and Rian Verhoeven)
Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl (Anne Frank)
I Have Lived a Thousand Years: Growing Up in the Holocaust (Livia Bitton-Jackson)
Night (Elie Wiesel)
2
The Journal of Scott Pendleton Collins: A World War II Soldier, Normandy, France, 1944 (Walter Dean Myers)
Zlata’s Diary: A Child’s Life in Wartime Sarajevo (Zlata Filipovic)
Memoirs
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A Friend Called Anne: One Girl’s Story of War, Peace, and a Unique Friendship with Annie Frank (Jacqueline van Maarsen)
Children of Willesden Lane: Beyond the Kindertransport — A Memoir of Music, Love, and Survival (Mona Golabek)
Four Perfect Pebbles (Lila Perl)
Nonfiction
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2
A History of US: War, Peace, and All that Jazz (Joy Hakim) (E)
Atomic Structure and Chemical Reactions: Middle Grades and High School (Nevin Katz)
Dear Miss Breed: True Stories of the Japanese American Incarceration During World War II and a Librarian Who Made a Difference (Joanne
Oppenheim)
Fighting For Honor: Japanese Americans and World War II (Michael L. Cooper)
Ghost Soldiers: The Epic Account of World War II's Greatest Rescue Mission (Hampton Sides) (advanced)
Hiroshima (John Hersey)
Never to Forget: The Jews of the Holocaust (Milton Meltzer)
Six Million Paper Clips: The Making of a Children’s Holocaust Memorial (Peter W. Schroeder and Dagmar Schroeder-Hildebrand)
West Baton Rouge Parish 2013 Grade 7 ELA
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The Making of the Atomic Bomb (Richard Rhodes)
True Stories of D-Day (True Adventure Stories) (Henry Brook)
Speeches
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“Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat: Address to Parliament on May 13th, 1940” (Winston Churchill) (E)
“Declaration of War on Japan” (Franklin D. Roosevelt)
Art, Music and Media
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Media
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Unit 3:
Terminology:
Connotation
Documentary
Elliott Berlin and Joe Fab, dir., Paper Clips (HBO documentary) (2004)
George Stevens, dir., The Diary of Anne Frank (Screenplay by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett) (1959)
Peter Jones, dir., Bataan Rescue: The Most Daring Rescue Mission of World War II (PBS documentary) (2005)
Robert Dornhelm, dir., Anne Frank, The Whole Story (2001)
Denotation Dialogue
Point of View
Dialogue
Screenplay
Weeks 13-20
Grade 7 Unit 3 Informational Text and Literature/Character Analysis
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West Baton Rouge Parish 2013 Grade 7 ELA
Diction
Standards for Unit 3
Reading Literature
“I CAN” Statements
RL.7.2 Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their
development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.
I can determine a theme or central idea of a text.
I can analyze its development over the course of the text.
RL.7.4 Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including
determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and
analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.
I can provide an objective summary of the text.
I can determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a
text, including figurative and connotative meanings.
I can analyze the impact of rhymes and other repetitions of sounds (e.g.,
alliteration) on a specific verse or stanza of a poem or section of a story
or drama.
FOCUS STANDARD
RL.7.5 Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences,
paragraphs, and larger portions of the text (e.g., a section, chapter,
scene, or stanza) relate to each other and the whole.
FOCUS STANDARD
RL.7.6 Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style
of a text.
RL.7.7 Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and
formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.
I can analyze how a drama’s or poem’s form or structure (e.g.,
soliloquy, sonnet) contributes to its meaning.
I can analyze how an author develops and contrasts the points of view of
different characters or narrators in a text.
I can compare and contrast a written story, drama, or poem to its audio,
filmed, staged, or multimedia version, analyzing the effects of
techniques unique to each medium (e.g., lighting, sound, color, or
camera focus and angles in a film).
Reading Informational Text
RI.7.2 Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their
development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas
I can determine two or more central ideas in a text and analyze their
development over the course of the text.
I can provide an objective summary of the text.
FOCUS STANDARD
RI.7.3 Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and
interact
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West Baton Rouge Parish 2013 Grade 7 ELA
I can analyze the interactions between individuals, events, and ideas in a
text (e.g., how ideas influence individuals or events, or how individuals
over the course of a text.
RI.7.4 Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including
determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and
analyze
how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.
RI.7.6 Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style
of a text.
RI.7.7. Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and
formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.
FOCUS STANDARD
RI.7.9 Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics
in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors
take.
Writing
FOCUS STNADARD
W.7.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex
ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective
selection, organization, and analysis of content.
influence ideas or events).
I can determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a
text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings.
I can analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone.
I can determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and
analyze how the author distinguishes his or her position from that of
others.
I can compare and contrast a text to an audio, video, or multimedia
version of the text, analyzing each medium’s portrayal of the subject
(e.g., how the delivery of a speech affects the impact of the words).
I can analyze how two or more authors writing about the same topic
shape their presentations of key information by emphasizing different
evidence or advancing different interpretations of facts.
I can write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey
ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and
analysis of relevant content.
I can introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow; organize ideas,
concepts, and information, using strategies such as definition, classification,
comparison/contrast, and cause/effect; include formatting (e.g., headings),
graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding
comprehension.
I can develop the topic with relevant facts, definitions, concrete details,
quotations, or other information and examples.
I can use appropriate transitions to create cohesion and clarify the
relationships among ideas and concepts.
I can use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about
or explain the topic.
I can establish and maintain a formal style.
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West Baton Rouge Parish 2013 Grade 7 ELA
I can provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and
supports the information or explanation presented.
W.7.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using
effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequ
ences.
I can write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using
effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event
sequences.
I can engage and orient the reader by establishing a context and point of view and
introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds
naturally and logically.
I can use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, and description, to
develop experiences, events, and/or characters.
I can use a variety of transition words, phrases, and clauses to convey sequence
and signal shifts from one time frame or setting to another.
I can use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details, and sensory
language to capture the action and convey experiences and events.
I can provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on the narrated
experiences or events.
W.7.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development,
organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
I can produce clear and coherent writing in which the development,
organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
W.7.7 Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based
on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under
investigation.
I can conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on
several sources and generating additional related, focused questions for
further research and investigation.
W.7.8 Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital
I can gather relevant information from multiple print and digital
sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate sources, using search terms effectively.
the information while avoiding plagiarism.
I can assess the credibility and accuracy of each source.
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West Baton Rouge Parish 2013 Grade 7 ELA
W.7.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support
analysis, reflection, and research.
I can quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while
avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.
I can draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support
analysis, reflection, and research.
I can apply grade 7 Reading standards to literature (e.g., “Compare and
contrast a fictional portrayal of a time, place, or character and a historical
account of the same period as a means of understanding how authors of
fiction use or alter history”).
I can apply grade 7 Reading standards to literary nonfiction (e.g. “Trace
and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether
the
reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient to support the
claims”).
Speaking and Listening
Sl.7.1 Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations
and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others ideas and
expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
I can engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one,
in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 7 topics, texts,
and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
I can come to discussions prepared, having read or researched material
under study.
I can explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence on the
topic, text, or issue to probe and reflect on ideas under discussion.
I can follow rules for collegial discussions, track progress toward specific
goals and deadlines, and define individual roles as needed.
I can pose questions that elicit elaboration and respond to others’ questions
and comments with relevant observations and ideas that bring the
discussion back on topic as needed.
I can acknowledge new information expressed by others and, when
warranted, modify their own views.
FOCUA STANDARD
SL.7.2 Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media
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West Baton Rouge Parish 2013 Grade 7 ELA
I can analyze the main ideas and supporting details presented in diverse
media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally).
and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.
SL.7.4 Present information, findings, and supporting evidence such that
listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization,
development, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
SL.7.6 Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and communicative tasks,
demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.
Language
L.7.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English
grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
I can explain how the ideas clarify a topic, text, or issue under study.
I can present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a
focused, coherent manner with pertinent descriptions, facts, details, and
examples.
I can use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear
pronunciation
I can adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating
command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.
I can demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English
grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
I can explain the function of phrases and clauses in general and their
function in specific sentences.
I can choose among simple, compound, complex, and compoundcomplex sentences to signal differing relationships among ideas.
L.7.2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English
capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
I can place phrases and clauses within a sentence, recognizing and
correcting misplaced and dangling modifiers
I can demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English
capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
I can use a comma to separate coordinate adjectives (e.g., It was a
fascinating, enjoyable movie but not He wore an old[,] green shirt).
I can spell correctly.
L.7.3 Apply knowledge of language to understand how language
functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or
style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening
I can apply knowledge of language to understand how language
functions indifferent contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or
style.
I can comprehend more fully when reading or listening.
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West Baton Rouge Parish 2013 Grade 7 ELA
L.7.4. Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiplemeaning words and phrases by using context clues, analyzing
meaningful word parts, and consulting general and specialized
reference materials, as appropriate
I can determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiplemeaning words and phrases based on grade 7 reading and content,
choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
I can use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence or paragraph;
a word’s position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a
word or phrase.
I can use common, grade-appropriate Greek or Latin affixes and roots
as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., belligerent, bellicose, rebel).
I can consult general and specialized reference materials (e.g.,
dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the
pronunciation of a word or determine or clarify its precise meaning or
its part of speech.
I can verify the preliminary determination of the meaning of a word or
phrase (e.g., by checking the inferred meaning in context or in a
dictionary).
FOCUS STANDARD
L.7.6 Acquire and use accurately a range of general academic and
domain specific words and phrases sufficient for reading, writing,
speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level;
demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when
encountering an unknown term important to comprehension or
expression
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West Baton Rouge Parish 2013 Grade 7 ELA
I can acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic
and domain-specific words and phrases.
I can gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase
important to comprehension or expression