Newport Middle High School English Language Arts
Grade 7 Curriculum Design
Newport Middle High School English Language Arts Competencies
1. Students will use critical thinking skills to understand and analyze diverse literary and
informational texts.
2. Students will build background knowledge through specific academic concepts and vocabulary.
3. Students will use the writing process to produce effective, well-grounded writing for a range of
purposes and audiences.
4. Students will apply conventions of grammar and language usage.
5. Students will communicate effectively using viewing, listening, and speaking skills for a range of
purposes and audiences.
6. Students will engage in research/inquiry using informational and technological resources to
analyze, integrate and present information.
Grade Seven English Units
Unit #
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Name
Perseverance: Personal Narrative
Characters With Character: Response to Literature
Literature Reflects Life: Argument
3 Search: Research Paper
Grammar
Vocabulary/Spelling, Academic Vocabulary
Independent Reading
Page 1
Time Frame
8 weeks
8 weeks
8 weeks
8 weeks
Ongoing
Ongoing
Ongoing
Page:
3
5
7
9
10
11
12
Reading Power Standards
1
CC.7.R.L.10
CC.7.R.L.1
2
CC.7.R.L.3.
3
4
CC.7.R.L.2
CC.7.R.L.4
5
6
CC.7.L.4
Page:
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity: By the end of the year,
read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems,
in the grades 6–8 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as
needed at the high end of the range.
Key Ideas and Details: Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support
analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from
the text.
13,22
Key Ideas and Details: Analyze how particular elements of a story or
drama interact (e.g., how setting shapes the characters or plot).
Key Ideas and Details: 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.
Craft and Structure: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as
they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings;
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.
Vocabulary Acquisition and Use: Determine or clarify the meaning of
unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 7
reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
16,20,21
14, 15,
17, 18
14, 15
English Language Arts
Writing Power Standards
1
CC.7.L.1
2
CC.7.W.3
3
CC.7.W.2.c
4
CC.7.W.9
5
CC.7.SL.1
6
CC.7.SL.1.a
7
CC.7.SL.1.b
Conventions of Standard English: Demonstrate command of the
conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or
speaking.
Text Types and Purposes: Write narratives to develop real or imagined
experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive
details, and well-structured event sequences.
Text Types and Purposes: Use appropriate transitions to create cohesion
and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.
25
Research to Build and Present Knowledge: Draw evidence from literary or
informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
23
Comprehension and Collaboration: 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.
Comprehension and Collaboration: Come to discussions prepared, having
read or researched material under study; explicitly draw on that
preparation by referring to evidence on the topic, text, or issue to probe
and reflect on ideas under discussion.
Comprehension and Collaboration: Follow rules for collegial discussions,
track progress toward specific goals and deadlines, and define individual
roles as needed
26
Page 2
24
23
26
26
Unit: Perseverance
Time Frame: 8 weeks
Guaranteed competencies:
1. Students will use critical thinking skills to understand and analyze diverse literary and
informational texts.
2. Students will build background knowledge through specific academic concepts and vocabulary.
3. Students will use the writing process to produce effective, well-grounded writing for a range of
purposes and audiences.
5. Students will communicate effectively using viewing, listening, and speaking skills for a range of
purposes and audiences.
6. Students will engage in research/inquiry using informational and technological resources to
analyze, integrate and present information.
Academic Vocabulary:
Biography, Autobiography, Character’s Conflict: external and internal, diction, imagery, tone
Common Core State Standards:
Reading Power Standards: CC.RL.7.3; CC.RI.7.2; CC.SL.7.1; CC.SL.7.1c;
CC.SL7.1d; CC.L.7.4; CC.L.7.4b; CC.L.7.4d
Writing Power Standards: CC.W.7.7
Performance Assessments:
Other Evidence
 Anchor Paper #1: Reflective Essay: Write a
 Class Discussion: Perseverance
reflective essay about a time when you had to
 Class Discussions: Comparing and Contrasting
demonstrate perseverance.
Stories
 Unit Test on Elements of Narrative Writing
 Informational Text Response: Dare to Dream!
 Dramatization/Fluency: Helen’s Eyes
 Class Discussion: How can a failure be
constructed as a success?
 “This I Believe”
 5 W’s and H
 Adding Dialogue
 First Draft
 Reading Logs
 Gathering Sensory Details
 Heart Mapping
 Learning Chart
 Peer Evaluation
 Peer Review Protocol
 Revision/Edited Copy
 Self-Assessment
 Timeline
 Writer’s Notebook
Page 3
21st Century Skills that are stressed in this unit:
Active Reading, Effective Communication, Self-Direction
Rubrics: See NMHS Assessment Guide: Reflective Essay; Before, During, and After Reading;
Presentation; School-Wide 21st Century Rubrics
Possible Resources:
Write Source; An American Childhood, by Annie Dillard; “Til, I Love Ya, Kid”, by Jennifer Gerini;
“Teacher Saves Choking Child”, by Jackie Patterson Hooper; Narrative of the Life of Frederick
Douglas, by Frederick Douglas; Thank You, Mr. Falker, by Patricia Polacco; “Block Party”, by Jewell
Rhoades (All Together, p. 96-101); This I Believe, NPR.org; The House on Mango Street, by Sandra
Cisneros; Born on a Blue Day, by Daniel Tammett; When I Was Young in the Mountains, by Cynthia
Rylant; Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood, by Marjane Satrapi; Geronimo, by Joseph Bruchac;
Dare to Dream! 25 Extraordinary Lives, by Sandra McLoed Humphrey; The Mostly True
Adventures of Homer P. Figg, by Rodman Philbrick; The Miracle Worker, by William Gibson
Page 4
Unit: Characters With Character
Time Frame: 8 weeks
Guaranteed competencies:
1. Students will use critical thinking skills to understand and analyze diverse literary and
informational texts.
2. Students will build background knowledge through specific academic concepts and vocabulary.
3. Students will use the writing process to produce effective, well-grounded writing for a range of
purposes and audiences.
5. Students will communicate effectively using viewing, listening, and speaking skills for a range of
purposes and audiences.
6. Students will engage in research/inquiry using informational and technological resources to
analyze, integrate and present information.
Academic Vocabulary:
Anagnorisis, Characterization, Cliché, Dialogue, Epiphany, Euphemism, Fantasy, Foreshadowing,
Inference, Irony, Loss of Innocence, Narrator, Plot, Protagonist, Rite of Passage, Science Fiction,
Theme, Utopia
Common Core State Standards:
Reading Power Standards: CC.RL.7.1; CC.RL.7.2; CC.RL.7.9; CC.RI.7.1;
CC.SL.7.1; CC.SL.7.1a; CC.SL.7.1b; CC.L.7.4; CC.L.7.4a; CC.L.7.4c
Writing Power Standards:
CC.W.7.3
Performance Assessments:
Anchor Paper #2: Response to Literature: How do
individuals, real and fictional, use words and actions
to demonstrate perseverance? Cite specific details
from texts read.
Unit Test
Reporting Bullying: The New Kid
Page 5
Other Evidence
Activities from Prestwick House Activity Pack
Graphic Organizer: How are characters affected
by the time period in which they live?
Class Discussion: How do authors accurately
portray or alter history?
Reading Logs
Class Discussion: Sundiata
Art Discussion: How can art provide insight into
a historical time period?
Art/Writing: Colors, Lines, and Textures
Response: What makes characters believable?
Response Paragraphs
Selecting a Topic
Gathering Details
Focus Statement
Gathering Grid
Planning Chart
Draft 1
Peer Evaluation
Self-Assessment
21st Century Skills that are stressed in this unit:
Active Reading, Effective Communication, Critical Thinking and Problem Solving,
Professionalism
Rubrics: NMHS Response to Literature Rubric; NMHS Reading Rubrics: Activating Prior Knowledge,
Making Predictions, Questioning, Literary Elements, Interpretation of Text, Synthesizing; School-Wide
21st Century Rubrics
Possible Resources: The Giver, by Lois Lowry; “The Power of Place”, Yankee Magazine, March/April
2013; “Those Who Don’t”, by Sandra Cisneros (All Together, p. 80-81); “The Long Way Around”, by
Jean McCord (Out of Tune, p. 46-55); “The Wish”, by Roald Dahl (Just Imagine, p. 12-17); “I Used to
Live Here Once”, by Jean Rhys (Just Imagine; p. 62-65); “Lob’s Girl”, by Joan Aiken (Friends, p. 7083); “Bad Characters”, by Jean Stafford (Adventures for Readers, p. 52); Seventh Grade”, by Gary Soto
(All Together; p. 12-19); “The New Kid”, by Murray Hayert
Page 6
Unit: Literature Reflects Life: Argument
Time Frame: 8 weeks
Guaranteed competencies:
1. Students will use critical thinking skills to understand and analyze diverse literary and
informational texts.
2. Students will build background knowledge through specific academic concepts and vocabulary.
3. Students will use the writing process to produce effective, well-grounded writing for a range of
purposes and audiences.
5. Students will communicate effectively using viewing, listening, and speaking skills for a range of
purposes and audiences.
6. Students will engage in research/inquiry using informational and technological resources to
analyze, integrate and present information.
Academic Vocabulary:
Comedy, Fantasy, Hyperbole, Irony: verbal, situational, dramatic, Oxymoron, Parody, Plot, Point of
View, Theme, Tragedy
Common Core State Standards:
Reading Power Standards:
CC.RL.7.1, CC.RL.7.2, CC.RL.7.3, CC.RL.7.4, CC.RL.7.5, CC.RI7.1,
C.RL.7.3, CC.RL.7.4, CC.RL.7.5, CC.SL.7.1, CC.RI.7.8, CC.RL.7.6, CC.RI.7.8,
CC.RI.7.9, CC.SL.7.3, CC.SL.7.4, CC.RI.7.10, CC.RL.7.10,
Writing Power Standards:
CC.W.7.3, CC.W.7.1, CC.W.7.2, CC.W.7.10, CC.W.7.7, CC.W.7.8, CC.W.7.9,
CC.W.7.4, CC.W.7.5, CC.W.7.6
Performance Assessments:
Other Evidence
Anchor Paper #3: Argument: Are characters born
Reading Strategy Assessments
brave or is courage developed by facing fears?
Writing: The human spirit
Include at least three clear reasons for your answer,
Writing: Jonas’s search for his destiny
and relevant evidence cited from texts read.
Writing: The Value of Beauty
Unit Test
Class Discussion: Truth in Comedy
Media Appreciation: text vs. film
Discussion: Is literature always a reflection of
life?
Lunchroom Murder Mystery
What Happened to Winston?
Slip or Trip?
The Case of the Dead Musician
st
21 Century Skills that are stressed in this unit:
Active Reading, Effective Communication, Critical Thinking and Problem Solving, Citizenship
Page 7
Rubrics: NMHS Argument Rubric; NMHS Reading Strategy Rubrics; School-Wide 21st Century
Rubrics
Possible Resources: Five Minute Mysteries series, by Ken Weber; The Armchair Detective Series, by
Ken Weber; Two-Minute Mysteries series, by Donald J. Sobol; You Be the Jury, by Marvin Miller; Scene
of the Crime, by Anne Winngate, Ph.D.; Seven Plays of Mystery and Suspense, by Sylvia Brodkin and
Elizabeth Pearson; Crime and Puzzlement, by Lawrence Treat; The Clue Armchair Detective, by
Lawrence Treat; Women Hollering Creek and other Stories for Sharing, by Sandra Cisneros; Little
Worlds, A Collection of Short Stories for the Middle School, by Peter Guthrie; Best Shorts: Favorite
Stories for Sharing, by Avi
Page 8
Unit: 3 Search: Research Paper
Guaranteed competencies:
Time Frame: 8 weeks
3. Students will use the writing process to produce effective, well-grounded writing for a range of
purposes and audiences.
5. Students will communicate effectively using viewing, listening, and speaking skills for a range of
purposes and audiences.
6. Students will engage in research/inquiry using informational and technological resources to
analyze, integrate and present information.
Academic Vocabulary:
Interview, Primary Source, Secondary Source, Text Features, Courage
Common Core State Standards:
Reading Power Standards:
CC.7.RI.1,CC.7.RI.2, CC.7.RI.3, CC.7.RI.5, CC.7.RI.7, CC.7.RI.9
Writing Power Standards:
CC.7.W.1d, CC.7.W.2, CC.7.W.2a, CC.7.W.2b, CC.7.W.2c, CC.7.W2d,
CC.7.W.2e, CC.7.W.2f, CC.7.W.4, CC.7.W.7, CC.7.W.8, CC.7.W.9
Performance Assessments:
Other Evidence
Anchor Paper #4: Research paper: What does it
Class Discussion: Courage
mean to have courage? Does having courage make
Graphic organizers
somebody a hero? Can a hero be without courage?
Note cards
Write a research paper about three people who
MLA activities
demonstrate courage. Choose somebody you know, Heroes
somebody who is famous, and a literary character
Villains
from texts we have read this year. Use primary and
Reading Strategy Assessments
secondary sources, including both print and nonThe Woodpile Awards
print media. Cite textual evidence using MLA
Class Discussion: Kinds of Courage
formatting.
Class discussion: heroes we know
Unit Test
Letters to Heroes
st
21 Century Skills that are stressed in this unit:
Research, Effective Communication, Self-Direction, Professionalism, Citizenship
Rubrics: NMHS Research Paper Rubric; NMHS Reading Strategy Rubrics; School-Wide 21st Century
Rubrics
Possible Resources: print and non-print resources as specific to student topics; NMHS Guide to
Research
Page 9
Time Frame: ongoing
Unit: Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics
Guaranteed competencies:
4. Students will apply conventions of grammar and language usage.
5. Students will communicate effectively using viewing, listening, and speaking skills for a range of
purposes and audiences.
Common Core State Standards:
Reading Power Standards: CC.7.L.1, CC.7.L.1b, CC.7.L.1c, CC.7.L.2, CC.7.L.2a, CC.7.L.2b,
CC.7.L.3, CC.7.L.3a
Performance Assessments:
- Performance on anchor papers as evaluated
by the NMHS writing rubric.
Other Evidence
-
Grammar quizzes
Participation in daily grammar opening
lessons
21st Century Skills that are stressed in this unit:
Effective Communication, Self-Direction
Rubrics: NMHS writing rubric, School-Wide 21st Century Rubrics
Possible Resources:
Great Source Daily Oral Language exercises, Write Source grade level text
Page 10
Course: English Grade Seven
Unit: Vocabulary/Spelling, Academic
Vocabulary
Time Frame
Ongoing
Guaranteed competencies:
2. Students will build background knowledge through specific academic concepts and
vocabulary.
5. Students will communicate effectively using viewing, listening, and speaking skills for a
range of purposes and audiences.
Common Core State Standards:
Reading Power Standards:
CC.L.7.4a; CC.L.7.4b; CC.L.7.4c; CC.L.7.4d; CC.L.7.5a; CC.L.7.5b; CC.L.7.5c; CC.L.7.6
Academic Vocabulary:
Derivatives, Six Traits: Conventions, Word Choice
Biography, Autobiography, Character’s Conflict: external and internal, diction, imagery, tone,
Anagnorisis, Characterization, Cliché, Dialogue, Epiphany, Euphemism, Fantasy,
Foreshadowing, Inference, Irony, Loss of Innocence, Narrator, Plot, Protagonist, Rite of Passage,
Science Fiction, Theme, Utopia, Background Knowledge; Climax, Character Trait, Elaboration,
Figurative Language, Foreshadowing, Literary Convention, Questioning, Resolution, SelfCorrection, Shades of Meaning, Writing Process
Performance Assessments:
Performance on anchor papers as evaluated by the
NMHS rubric
Other Evidence
Final written assignments for:
 Reflective Essay Anchor paper
 Response to Literature Anchor paper
 Research Paper
 Argumentative Essay

Assignments from Great Source
vocabulary lessons

Vocabulary quizzes/unit assessments

Assignments from Great Source spelling

Spelling quizzes/unit assessments
21st Century Skills that are stressed in this unit:
Effective Communication
Rubrics: See Assessment Guide: Reflective Essay, Response to Literature, Research Paper, Argument,
School-Wide 21st Century Rubrics
Possible Resources: Vocabulary for Achievement, Write Source, Academic Vocabulary FirstClass
conference materials, Marzano Research Lab materials, Spelling Works (Great Source, level H and G)
Page 11
Unit: Independent Reading
Time Frame: Ongoing
Guaranteed competencies:
1. Students will use critical thinking skills to understand and analyze diverse literary and
informational texts.
Academic Vocabulary:
Common Core State Standards:
Reading Power Standards: CC.RL.7.1, CC.RL.7.2, CC.RL.7.7, CC.RL.7.10,
CC.RI.7.1, CC.RI.7.2, CC.RI.7.3, CC.RI.7.4, CC.RI.7.7, CC.SL.7.5, CC.L.7.4,
CC.L.7.4a, CC.L.7.4d, CC.L.7.6
Writing Power Standards: CC.W.7.1, CC.W.7.1a, CC.W.7.1b, CC.W.7.1c, CC.W.7.1d, CC.W.7.1e,
CC.W.7.2, CC.W.7.2a, CC.W.7.2b, CC.W.7.2c, CC.W.7.2d, CC.W.7.2e, CC.7.Wf, CC.7.W.3,
CC.W.7.3b, CC.W.7.4, CC.W.7.7, CC.W.7.10
Performance Assessments:
Other Evidence
Anchor Paper #4: Heroes
 Student Contract
 SSR Extension Activities
 Reading Logs
 Literature Response Activities
 Conferences
 Homework
 Literature Circles
 Long-Term Research projects
 Interdisciplinary Reading Contracts
 Observation of student responses during
contract development
 Negotiation of an appropriate contract
 Completed contract items
 Journal reflection about the contract process
st
21 Century Skills that are stressed in this unit:
Active Reading, Self-Direction
Rubrics: See NMHS Assessment Guide: Reflective Essay; Before, During, and After Reading; SchoolWide 21st Century Rubrics
Possible Resources: Any books appropriate to seventh grade
Page 12
Newport Middle School English Language Arts
Common Core State Standard: CC.7.RL.10
Grade Seven
R:F&A: Reads grade-level appropriate material with…
R:F&A:7:1.1: Accuracy: reading material appropriate for grade 7 with 90-94% accuracy (Local) (See
Appendix F for sample titles.)
R:F&A:7:1.2: Fluency: reading with appropriate silent and oral reading fluency rates as determined
by text demands and purpose for reading (Local) (See Appendix C for suggested rates.)
Strand: Reading- Fluency
R:F&A:7:1.2: Fluency: reading with appropriate silent and oral reading fluency rates as determined
by text demands and purpose for reading (Local) (See Appendix C for suggested rates.)
Big Ideas
1. Reading fluently and accurately helps us to comprehend text.
2. Reading with expression enhances clarity and can add to an audience's enjoyment
Essential Questions
1. Why is it important to read well?
2. What is a fluent reader?
Students will…
Articulate a purpose for reading based on the material.
Read at a rate appropriate to grade level.
Demonstrate an understanding of text demands based on text features such as dialogue, italics, and
punctuation.
Read with phrasing and expression.
Demonstrate an understanding of audience demands.
Page 13
Newport Middle School English Language Arts
Common Core State Standard: CC.7.L.4
Grade Seven
R:V:1: Students identify the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary by…
R:V:7:1.1: Using strategies to unlock meaning (e.g., knowledge of word structure, including
prefixes/suffixes and base words; or context clues; or other resources, such as dictionaries, glossaries,
thesauruses; or prior knowledge) (State)
Strand: Reading- Vocabulary
Big Ideas
1. Unfamiliar vocabulary can be understood through a variety of strategies.
2. There are a number of resources available to help us unlock the meaning of words.
Essential Questions
1. How do we know which tool to use to unlock a word's meaning?
2. How do we know when we don't understand a word, and what can we do about it?
Students will…
Use prior knowledge to unlock meaning.
Demonstrate knowledge of context clues.
Demonstrate knowledge of word structure.
Demonstrate knowledge of prefixes, suffixes, base words, and word origins.
Identify and use the resources needed to unlock meaning: dictionaries, glossaries, and thesauri.
Identify and use the resources needed to learn vocabulary, common roots, and word origins.
Page 14
Newport Middle School English Language Arts
Common Core State Standard: CC.7.L.4
Grade Seven
R:V:1: Students identify the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary by…
R:V:7:2.1: Identifying synonyms, antonyms, homonyms/ homophones, or shades of meaning (State)
Big Ideas
Strand: Reading- Vocabulary
1. An expansive vocabulary helps us to understand the relationships among words.
2. Unfamiliar vocabulary can be understood by identifying synonyms, antonyms, homonyms,
homophones, and shades of meaning.
Essential Questions
1. How can sorting words into groups help us unlock meaning?
2. Is it important to know how words are related?
Students will…
Sort words by like groups.
Identify synonyms, antonyms, homonyms, and homophones.
Demonstrate understanding of synonyms, antonyms, homonyms, and homophones by describing the
relationships among them.
Identify connotation and denotation (shades of meaning).
Expand vocabulary.
Page 15
Newport Middle School English Language Arts
Common Core State Standard: CC.7.RL.2
Strand: Reading- Understanding of Literary Text (LT-1)
Grade Seven
R:LT:1: Demonstrate initial understanding of elements of literary texts by…
R:LT:7:1.2: Paraphrasing or summarizing key ideas/plot, with major events sequenced, as appropriate
to text (State)
Big Ideas
1. We can demonstrate our understanding of a literary text by paraphrasing or summarizing.
2. The order of events in a literary text matters.
Essential Questions
1. How do we determine what is important when we read a literary text?
2. What are some effective ways to share your synopsis of a literary text?
3. How would changing the sequence of major events alter our understanding of a literary text?
Students will…
Analyze the sequence major events within a literary text.
Summarize key ideas, events and plot of a literary text.
Paraphrase to demonstrate understanding of the key ideas, events and plot of literary text.
Page 16
Newport Middle School English Language Arts
Common Core State Standard: CC.7.RL.4
Strand: Reading- Understanding of Literary Text
(LT-2)
Grade Seven
R:LT:2: Analyze and interpret elements of literary texts, citing evidence where appropriate by…
R:LT:7:2.1 Explaining or supporting logical predictions (State)
Big Ideas
1. Predictions should be logical and supported by evidence from the text.
Essential Questions
1. How do we generate a prediction and support it with evidence?
2. How does making predictions align with the reading process?
Students will…
Evaluate the accuracy of predictive questions generated before reading a literary text.
Cite evidence from text to support logical predictions.
Use inference to generate pre-reading questions.
Page 17
Newport Middle School English Language Arts
Common Core State Standard: CC.7.RL.4
Grade Seven
Strand: Reading- Understanding of Literary Text (LT-2)
R:LT:2: Analyze and interpret elements of literary texts, citing evidence where appropriate by…
R:LT:7:2.2: Describing characters’ traits, motivation, or interactions, citing thoughts, words, or actions
that reveal characters’ traits, motivations, or their changes over time (State)
Big Ideas
1. We can describe characters by citing evidence from literary text.
2. Characterization is when authors reveal a character's qualities; they do so in many ways.
Essential Questions
1. How do we get to know and understand characters in a literary text?
2. How do changes over time affect character development?
Students will…
Explain characterization.
Cite evidence from the text to describe characters' traits.
Cite evidence from the text to interpret characters' motivation.
Cite evidence from the text to describe characters' interactions.
Cite evidence from the text to describe the way characters change over time.
Choose evidence that cites characters' thoughts, words, or actions.
Interpret the way an author reveals characters' qualities.
Page 18
Newport Middle School English Language Arts
Common Core State Standard: CC.7.RL.5
Grade Seven
Strand: Reading- Understanding of Literary Text (LT-2)
R:LT:2: Analyze and interpret elements of literary texts, citing evidence where appropriate by…
R:LT:7:2.3: Making inferences about cause/effect (e.g. explaining how an event gives rise to the
next),internal or external conflicts (e.g., person vs. self, person versus person, person versus
nature/society/fate), or the relationship among elements within text (e.g., how the historical era
influences the characters’ actions or thinking) (State)
Big Ideas
1. Making inferences about the importance of cause and effect relationships can help us to understand
literary text.
2. Making inferences about conflicts can help us to understand literary text.
3. Observing and evaluating the relationship among literary elements in a text helps us understand and
analyze meaning.
Essential Questions
1. How do actions relate to outcomes in a literary text; what is cause and effect?
2. How is a character affected by internal and external conflicts in a literary text?
3. What inferences can we make about a text based on the way the literary elements interact?
Students will…
Analyze cause and effect.
Analyze and evaluate external conflicts (person v. person, person v. nature)
Analyze and evaluate internal conflicts (person v. self)
Describe relationships among literary elements within the text.
Cite evidence to promote literary analysis and interpretation.
Make inferences about plot, conflict, character, setting, and the relationships among them.
Page 19
Newport Middle School English Language Arts
Common Core State Standard: CC.7.RL.2
Grade Seven
Strand: Reading- Understanding of Literary Text (LT-2)
R:LT:2: Analyze and interpret elements of literary texts, citing evidence where appropriate by…
R:LT:7:2.5: Explaining how the author’s message or theme is supported within the text (State)
Big Ideas
1. Authors have a message or theme that is often not directly stated in a literary text, but identifying it
can enhance understanding.
2. Readers interpret an author's message or theme and support their interpretation by citing evidence
from the text.
Essential Questions
1. How do we find an author's message or theme?
2. How do we find support for our interpretation of an author's message or theme?
Students will…
Describe point of view.
Distinguish between first person, third person, and omniscient point of view.
Distinguish between author and narrator (or speaker)'s point of view in a literary text.
Analyze how narrator's point of view affects a reader's interpretation of a literary text.
Cite evidence to defend interpretation of point of view
Page 20
Newport Middle School English Language Arts
Common Core State Standard: CC.7.RL.2
Grade Seven
Strand: Reading- Evaluation and Interpretation of Literary Texts-
R:LT:3: Analyze and interpret author’s craft, citing evidence where appropriate by …
R:LT:7:3.1: Demonstrating knowledge of use of literary elements and devices (i.e., imagery,
exaggeration, repetition, flashback, foreshadowing, or personification) to analyze literary work (State)
Big Ideas
1. Author's craft includes use of literary elements and devices.
Essential Questions
1. What is author's craft?
2. What tools does an author have to shape a literary text?
Students will…
Describe literary elements.
Explain literary devices: imagery, hyperbole, foreshadowing, suspense, repetition, flashback,
personification.
Demonstrate an understanding that simile is a type of metaphor.
Define additional literary devices: rhyme, rhyme scheme, simile, metaphor, suspense, alliteration,
dialogue, onomatopoeia, symbolism, and idioms.
Define author's craft as the use of tools, such as literary elements and devices, to create text.
Cite evidence to demonstrate understanding of author's craft.
Analyze a literary work by examining author's craft.
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Newport Middle School English Language Arts
Strand: Reading- Strategies for Monitoring and Adjusting and Reading
Comprehension Strategies (RS-1)
Common Core State Standard: CC.7.RL.10
Grade Seven
R:RS:1: Demonstrates ability to monitor comprehension for different types of texts and purposes by…
R:RS:7:2.1: Using strategies before, during, and after reading literary and informational text.
EXAMPLES of reading comprehension strategies might include: using prior knowledge; sampling a
page for readability; summarizing; predicting and making text based inferences; determining
importance; generating literal, clarifying, and inferential questions; constructing sensory images (e.g.,
making pictures in one’s mind); making connections (text to self, text to text, and text to world);
taking notes; locating, using, and analyzing text features (e.g., transition words, subheadings,
bold/italicized print, parts of the book); or using text structure clues (e.g., chronological, cause/effect,
compare/contrast, proposition, description, classification and support, logical/ sequential) (Local) (See
also Appendix D)
Big Ideas
1.The reading process includes a variety of comprehension strategies before, during, and after reading.
2. Reading is an active process.
3.We use different strategies to monitor and aid comprehension in literary and informational texts.
Essential Questions
1. How do the strategies we use change for literary and informational texts?
2. What strategies do we use before, during, and after reading? Why are they important?
Students will…
(See Appendix D)
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Newport Middle School English Language Arts
Common Core State Standards: CC.7.W.9, CC.7.W.2c
Strand: Writing- Reading Connection Writing in Response to Literary or
Informational Text – Making Analytical Judgments about Text (RC:2)
Grade Seven
W:RC:2: In response to literary or informational text read aloud, students make and support
analytical judgments about text by…
W:RC:7:2.3: Using specific details and references to text or relevant citations to support focus or
judgment (State)
W:RC:7:2.4: Organizing ideas, using transitional words/phrases and writing a conclusion that provides
closure (State)
Big Ideas
1. We use a process to form a position and critically write about literary or informational texts.
2. The structure we choose for our writing affects the successful communication of our ideas.
Essential Questions
1. What tools or strategies do we use to judge literary or informational texts?
2. How do we write about our judgments?
Students will…
Make and support analytical judgments about literary or informational text.
Form and support a position when responding to a given question and critically respond.
Support focus using specific details and citations from the text.
Identify and compare literary elements within a text.
Make inferences about literary elements including author's craft and the relationships among them.
Structure writing with a beginning, middle, and end, using transitions as appropriate.
Explain author's craft.
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Newport Middle School English Language Arts
Strand: Writing- Expressive Writing Narrative Writing – Creating a Story Line
and Applying Narrative Strategies
Common Core State Standard: CC.7.W.3
Grade Seven
W:EW:1: In written narratives, students organize and relate a story line/plot/series of events
by…
W:EW:7:1.2: Establishing context, character motivation, problem/conflict/challenge, and resolution
and maintaining point of view (State)
W:EW:7:1.3: Using a variety of effective transitional devices (e.g., ellipses, time transitions, white
space, or words/phrases) to enhance meaning (State)
Big Ideas
1. An author uses the writing process and organization to craft a story.
Essential Questions
1. How does a writer organize the elements of a narrative?
Students will…
Write a narrative.
Create a clear and coherent story line and a consistent point of view within a narrative.
Establish a context, conflict, resolution, and character motivation within a story line.
Use varied transition words, phrases, and vocabulary to establish a clear chronology and enhance
meaning.
Use transition devices (e.g., ellipses, time transitions, white space, or words/phrases)
Establish and maintain a theme.
Provide a sense of closure.
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Newport Middle School English Language Arts
Common Core State Standard: CC.7.L.1
Strand: Writing- Writing Conventions – Applying Rules of
Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics
Grade Seven
W:C:1: In independent writing, students demonstrate command of appropriate English
conventions by…
W:C:7:1.1: Applying rules of standard English usage to correct grammatical errors EXAMPLES:
Clear pronoun referent, subject-verb agreement, consistency of verb tense, irregular forms of verbs
and nouns (State)
Big Ideas
1. Using English conventions accurately clarifies meaning.
2. Rules govern our system of language.
Essential Questions
1. How do we know if we use English conventions correctly?
2. Why does the English language have rules? Why should we follow them?
Students will…
Use standard English.
Capitalize and punctuate appropriately.
Spell accurately.
Identify and correct errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics.
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Newport Middle School English Language Arts
Common Core State Standards: CC.7.SL.1b, CC.7.SL.1, CC.7.SL.1a
Grade Seven
Strand: Oral Communication Strategies (OC:1)
W:OC:1: In oral communication, students demonstrate interactive listening by …
W:OC:7:1.4: Participating in large and small group discussions showing respect for a range of
individual ideas (Local)
Big Ideas
1. We learn by listening.
2. There are a variety of strategies to demonstrate our understanding of auditory information.
Essential Questions
1. What makes a good listener?
2. How do we demonstrate our listening skills?
Students will…
Describe the qualities of interactive listening.
Follow instructions.
Summarize, paraphrase, and/or question information presented.
Participate in large and small group discussions showing respect for a range of individual ideas.
Demonstrate the ability to reach consensus.
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