Quarter 3.2: Chasing the Impossible
Februray - March
Embedded Files
Why do people chase dreams, even if they seem impossible? What makes a dream worth pursuing? How do optimism and grit contribute to the pursuit of a dream?
This Grade 7 unit emphasizes argumentative writing and encourages students to explore these questions through the reading of a wide variety of literature. The selections convey a range of messages about people overcoming obstacles to create a better life for themselves and their community. For example, in the autobiography We Beat the Street, a doctor reflects back on his teacher’s positive influence. Barbara Jordan’s keynote speech at the 1976 Democratic National Convention expresses the ideal that “the American dream need not be forever deferred.” And an article by a physicist argues for robotic instead of human exploration of space in pursuit of the seemingly fantastical dream to one day become galactic citizens.
Unit 3: Stories and Reading Samples
We Beat the Street (Informational)
The First Americans (Argumentative)
Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad (Informational)
The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales (Fiction)
The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales (Fiction)
All Together Now (Argumentative)
Mother Jones: Fierce Fighter for Workers' Rights (Informational)
Speech to the Young: Speech to the Progress-Toward (Poetry)
Letter to President Theodore Roosevelt (Argumentative)
Before We Were Free (Fiction)
Machines, not people, should be exploring the stars for now (Argumentative)
Responses to “Machines, not people, should be exploring the stars for now” (Argumentative)
Close Read Assignments
Close Read Assignments
StudySync Summative
StudySync Summative
Students will have a Studysync Final. This is a DCSD required test to prep students for the iReady and CMAS test. The skills they are tested on are skills that we dive into throughout the unit. Many skills for this test focus on their understanding of key instructional content as well as their ability to write in response to prompts across a series of genres.
Standards in use Q3:
Standards in use Q3:
Collaboration and presentation:
EO a. Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with pertinent descriptions, facts, details, and examples; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation. (CCSS: SL.7.4)
Vocabulary:
Use the relationship between particular words (for example: synonym/antonym, analogy) to better understand each of the words. (CCCS: L.7.5b)
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. (CCSS: RI.7.1)
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. (CCSS: RI.7.2)
Analyze the interactions between individuals, events, and ideas in a text (for example: how ideas influence individuals or events, or how individuals influence ideas or events). (CCSS: RI.7.3)
Craft and Structure:
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. (CCSS: RI.7.4)
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. (CCSS: RI.7.6)
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas:
Compare and contrast a text to an audio, video, or multimedia version of the text, analyzing each medium’s portrayal of the subject (for example: how the delivery of a speech affects the impact of the words). (CCSS: RI.7.7)
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. (CCSS: RI.7.8)
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. (CCSS: RL.7.9)
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