The third quarter focuses on nonfiction texts, including text features and structures, author’s purpose, and argument writing. Students will read a variety of high-interest nonfiction texts as they explore how writers organize information and write with different purposes. As they practice these concepts, students will also read novels selected by their teachers to apply and reinforce the skills. 

Some of the novels being used by seventh-grade teachers this quarter include Freak the Mighty, a story about a boy who struggles internally; A Long Walk to Water, a novel that cleverly parallels two stories—one fiction and one nonfiction—about the Lost Boys of Sudan; and Patient Zero, which tracks the fascinating stories of eight epidemics and pandemics, how they started, how they spread, and the fight to stop them. 

Throughout the quarter, students will review and practice key skills to prepare for the upcoming IAR tests.