West Haven Public Schools
Unit Planning Organizer
Subject: Language Arts
Grade: 7
Unit 2: What’s the Big Idea?
Pacing: 25 days
Essential Question(s):
1. How do the characteristics of nonfiction texts help me understand main idea, supporting details,
and inferences from those texts?
2. How can the text help me determine the meaning of new words?
3. How do writers vary their writing for different audiences and purposes?
Big Idea(s):
1. Reading strategies help me comprehend different types of literature.
2. The characteristics of nonfiction texts help me understand main idea, supporting details, and
inferences from those texts.
Common Core State Standards (includes West Haven’s “Priority” Common Core
Standards in BOLD and “Supporting” Standards)
SL.2: Analyze the main ideas and supporting details presented in diverse media and formats and
explain how the ideas clarify a topic, text, or issue under study.
RL.1: Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well
as inferences drawn from the text.
RL.2: Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the
text; provide an objective summary of the text.
RL.9: 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.
Grade 7, ELA, Unit 2- Revised June 2014
RI.2: Determine two or more central ideas in a text and analyze their development over the course of
the text; provide an objective summary of the text.
RI4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative,
connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and
tone.
RI6: 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.
RI1: Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as
inferences drawn from the text.
W.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey ideas, concepts, and information
through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.
W.2b: Develop the topic with relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other
information and examples.
SL.2: Analyze the main ideas and supporting details presented in diverse media and formats (e.g.,
visually, quantitative, orally) and explain how the ideas clarify a topic, text, or issues under study.
L.3a: Choose language that expresses ideas precisely and concisely, recognizing and eliminating
wordiness and redundancy.
L.1: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing
and speaking.
L.2: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and
spelling when writing.
L.2b: Spell correctly.
L.3: Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
L.4: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on
grade 6 reading and content, choosing flexibility from a range of strategies.
L.4a: 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.
Grade 7, ELA, Unit 2- Revised June 2014
“Unwrapped” Concepts and Skills, and Bloom Levels (BL)
Concepts (Need to Know)
Skills (Able to Do)
R.I.2
R.I.2
BL
3

Summary of Information
Main Ideas and Supporting Details
R.I.2

Identify (main idea-literal
and inferred)
Summarize (numbers 3-5)
2
Use context clues to gain
meaning of unknown words.
3,5
Use knowledge of words to
interpret text.
3,5
R.L.4
Context Clues
R.L.4

R.I.4
Word Meanings
Word Recognition
R.I.4

L.1, L.2

Capitalization
L.1, L.2
 Punctuation
L.2b

Spelling
Grade 7, ELA, Unit 2- Revised June 2014
L.1, L.2
Recognize and Apply rules for:
 Proper nouns
 Proper adjectives
 Organizations, history and
time
 Abbreviations
 Geographic names
3,4
L.1, L.2
Identify and Use:




Semi-colon
Colon
Hyphen
Apostrophe
L.2b
Recognize and incorporate spelling
rules for
- contractions
- places and peoples
- adjective suffixes
1,3
3,4
W.2b

Details
W.2b
Elaborate writing using
- Facts/statistics
- Sensory details
-Incident
-Examples
-Quotations
5
W.10
-Recognize and compose using the
four main purposes for writing :
W.10
1,5

Audience and
Purpose
W.2b, W.1d

Introduction to expository/explanatory pillar
(conventions of standard English grammar
and usage)
W.2

Expository/explanatory writing
Grade 7, ELA, Unit 2- Revised June 2014
-persuade
-express oneself
-entertain
-inform
W.2b, W.1d
-recognize elements of
expository/explanatory pillar
- differentiate between lead and
thesis
-identify and apply “golden bricks”
to writing
-create powerful supporting
details
- evaluate writing by re-stating
conclusion
W.2: Write informative/explanatory
texts to examine a topic and convey
ideas, concepts, and information
through the selection, organization,
and analysis of relevant content.
1
4
1
5
6
Assessments
Common Formative Pre- Assessment (Followed by Data Team Analysis):
“Dipsticks” (Informal Progress Monitoring Checks):
Suggested Resources/Materials:
Holt Literature (T)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Powerpoint presentations (writing process)
Writer’s Craft Grammar and Usage Workbook pp. 146-147
Holt Language Handbook Worksheets pp. 119-122
Writer’s Craft Text P.619 Elaboration, Revision, and Proofreading
Vocabulary Workshop, lessons 5 and 6 (pp. 17-24)
Explanatory and writing
Read For Real Book p. 23
Harriet Tubman Book
Common Formative Post- Assessment (Followed by Data Team Analysis):
Instructional Planning
Suggested Resources/Materials:
1. Holt Literature, “Charles” (Parallel Plots), pp.296-302 and “Miss Awful” (Parallel Plots),
(Compare/Contrast) (Theme), pp. 304-321
2. Holt Literature, “Days Wait”, p.191
3. Holt Literature, “Stolen Day”, p.197
4. Holt Literature, “Barrio Boy”, p.499 (Compare/ Contrast) “Amigo Brothers”, p.484
1. Writer’s Craft (T), pp.243-250;
“Specific goals, Audience, and Purpose”
2. Holt Spelling Workbook; Lesson 9, “Places & People”, pp. 18-19
Lesson 12, “Spelling & Pronunciation”, pp. 24-25
3. Explanatory papers
4. Smarter Balance Informative-Explanatory Writing Rubric
Listening Skills:
1. Listen to informative passages from “Cave that Talked”
Grade 7, ELA, Unit 2- Revised June 2014
Suggested Research-based Effective Instructional Strategies:
Vocabulary/Word Wall
Enrichment/Extension
1. “Ghandi,” p.23,
“Evaluate,” Read for Real
(T)
2. Venn Diagram:
Compare/ Contrast
Ghandi and Einstein
3. “People, Places, and
Change,” p.35,
“Enrichment,” Holt
4. Be a Better Reader, Level
D, “Reading Graphs,” pp.
142-145
5. Holt Literature (T)
“Acceleration Activity,”
p.901
6. Holt Literature (T)
Main Idea
Supporting Details
(Explicit and Implicit)
Scim/ Scan
Inferring
Charts
Maps
Cueing System
Context Clues
Word Recognition
Genre
“Acceleration Activity,” p. 906
Capitalization
1. “Capitalization”
pp. 600-610 (T)
Proper nouns
2. “Capitalization practice”
related worksheets
(workbook pp 107-116)
Proper adjectives
3. “Punctuation” pp 641647 (T)
Contraction
4. related worksheets
(workbook pp. 125-128)
Suffix
Grade 7, ELA, Unit 2- Revised June 2014
Interdisciplinary Connections
See: Holt Literature (T), Unit 2
Selected Selections
Read for Real (T), Unit 2
Selected Selections
See: Holt Literature (T)
Selected Selections” “CrossCurricular Connections”
Writer’s Craft
4. Holt Spelling Workbook
“Lesson 9,” Places and
People pp.18-19
5. Holt Spelling Workbook
“Lesson 11” Adjective
Suffixes pp. 22-23
Idea chart
“Grammar and Resource” work
book
“Linking Mechanic and Writing:
Capitalization”
p.114
Story map
Venn diagram
6. “Writing Process”
pp. 228-230 (T)
7. Related Worksheets
“Writing to Describe’ pp. 12, 13,
15, 22-23, 24
Writer’s Craft “Grammar and
Resource” work book
“Linking Mechanics and Writing:
Punctuation”
p. 132
Small group
Audience
Jeopardy style word game
Purpose
7. “Writing Process”
pp 231 – 234
Power point models of graphic
organizers
Foreshadowing
Flashback
Grade 7, ELA, Unit 2- Revised June 2014
CBAS internet writing program
Grade 7, ELA, Unit 2- Revised June 2014