RADNOR TOWNSHIP SCHOOL DISTRICT
Course Overview
Language Arts – Grade 7
General Information
Prerequisite: Student has met readiness level
Length: Full Year
Format: Meets Daily
Grade: 7
Course Description
Grade 7 Language Arts allows students to pursue rigorous coursework that is aligned with Pennsylvania
Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Students are admitted to this course based on criteria that
consider past performance and demonstrated readiness. Students in this course will develop grade-level
appropriate skills in reading, writing, speaking and listening, and research. Rigorous in and out of class
reading, challenging class discussions and a variety of writing experiences will be required. Summer
assignments will also be required.
Course Objectives:
1. Students will read, understand, and respond to informational text and works of literature– with an
emphasis on comprehension, vocabulary acquisition, and making connections among ideas and
between texts with a focus on textual evidence.
2. Students will develop the skills of informational, argumentative, and narrative writing.
3. Students will practice communication skills that enable critical listening and effective expression of
ideas, including collaborative discussion, inquiry, and presentation.
4. Students will develop and refine vocabulary skills to improve reading, writing, speaking, and listening.
5. Students will practice grammatical conventions and apply them consistently as they write across all
content areas.
6. Students will develop research skills including inquiry-based processes in seeking knowledge, using
appropriate and various media sources, and producing organized products that support the purpose,
draw reasonable conclusions, and cites sources.
For more detailed information on course objectives, please refer to Pennsylvania’s Common Core State
Standards for English Language Arts (Draft): http://static.pdesas.org/content/documents/612_ELA_Standards_8-2-12_DRAFT.pdf
Common Assessments:
1. WLB Response to Literature: Students will analyze an unfamiliar fiction excerpt in a multiparagraph, timed essay. This common assessment will follow Method and Meaning in Fiction and
Poetry.
2. Nonfiction Comparison: Students will compare two unfamiliar nonfiction excerpts in a multiparagraph, timed essay. This common assessment will follow Method and Meaning in Nonfiction.
3. WLB Narrative: Students will write an original personal narrative in an on-demand setting. This
common assessment will follow The Art of Narrative Writing
4. WLB Persuasive: Students will write to persuade in a multi-paragraph, timed essay. This common
assessment will follow Crafting an Argument.
Grading Policy
Grades are determined by dividing the total points earned by the total points possible. The total points for
each quarter will come from a combination of class work and homework assignments focused on reading,
writing, vocabulary, grammar, and speaking and listening.
Major Units of Study:
Units of study are organized in a manner that encourages students to make connections across complex
skills, strategies and content.
Method and Meaning in Fiction and Poetry
Fact and Fiction
Because I Said So: Crafting an Argument
Method and Meaning in Nonfiction
Tell Me a Story: The Art of Narrative Writing
Sound and Sense in Drama and Poetry
The following units are year-long and run concurrently with core units.
Ongoing Unit: Grammar
Ongoing Unit: Vocabulary
Ongoing Unit: Self-Selected Reading
Materials & Texts
Required Texts and Resources:
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton (common text)
The Call of the Wild by Jack London (common text)Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson
Glencoe Literature Anthology Grade 7
Grammar for Middle School: A Sentence- Composing Approach by Don and Jenny Kilgallon
Grammar for Writing: Grade 7 (for Co-taught)
Wordly Wise Book 7
Criterion Online Writing Evaluation, a service that evaluates students’ writing skills
Pow-word Up! A pre-AP/SAT vocabulary program implemented school-wide
Supplemental Texts and Resources (use may vary):
Selected materials from Laying the Foundation, an organization that provides teacher resources
Literature circle and individualized reading selections based on student interest and reading level.
Summer Assignment
Students in 7th Grade are expected to read two books of their choice over the summer.