7th Grade ELAR Unit 4

Big Idea:

Recognize and analyze genre-specific characteristics, structures, and purposes within and across increasingly complex traditional, contemporary, classical, and diverse nonfiction texts.

Student Expectations:

Priority TEKS

• 7.2 C: determine the meaning and usage of grade-level academic English words derived from Greek and Latin roots such as omni, log/logue, gen, vid/vis, phil, luc, and sens/sent
• 7.5 F: make inferences and use evidence to support understanding
• 7.6 B: write responses that demonstrate understanding of texts, including comparing sources within and across genres
• 7.6 D: paraphrase and summarize texts in ways that maintain meaning and logical order
• 7.8 D: analyze characteristics and structural elements of informational text
• 7.8 Di the controlling idea or thesis with supporting evidence
• 7.8 i: analyze the controlling idea or thesis with supporting evidence
• 7.8 ii: explain how the author uses various types of evidence and consideration of alternatives to support the argument
• 7.11 D: compose correspondence that reflects an opinion, registers a complaint, or requests information in a business or friendly structure
• 7.10 A: plan a first draft by selecting a genre appropriate for a particular topic, purpose, and audience using a range of strategies such as discussion, background reading, and personal interests
• 7.10 B: develop drafts into a focused, structured, and coherent piece of writing
• 7.10 C: revise drafts for clarity, development, organization, style, word choice, and sentence variety
• 7.10 Di: complete complex sentences with subject-verb agreement and avoidance of splices, run-ons, and fragments
• 7.10 Dii: consistent, appropriate use of verb tenses
• 7.10 Diii: conjunctive adverbs
• 7.10 Div: prepositions and prepositional phrases and their influence on subject-verb agreement;
• 7.10 Dv: pronoun-antecedent agreement
• 7.10 Dvi: subordinating conjunctions to form complex sentences and correlative conjunctions such as either/or and neither/nor
• 7.10 Dix: correct spelling, including commonly confused terms such as its/it's, affect/effect, there/their/they're, and to/two/too
• 7.10 E: publish written work for appropriate audiences
• 7.11 B compose informational texts, including multi-paragraph essays that convey information about a topic, using a clear controlling idea or thesis statement and genre characteristics and craft
• 7.11 C compose multi-paragraph argumentative texts using genre characteristics and craft

Focus TEKS

• 7.5 B: generate questions about text before, during, and after reading to deepen understanding and gain information
• 7.5 C: make, correct, or confirm predictions using text features, characteristics of genre, and structures
• 7.5 G: evaluate details read to determine key ideas
• 7.6 C: use text evidence to support an appropriate response
• 7.6 E: interact with sources in meaningful ways such as notetaking, annotating, freewriting, or illustrating
• 7.6 I reflect on and adjust responses as new evidence is presented
• 7.8 iii: analyze organizational patterns that support multiple topics, categories, and subcategories
• 7.8 E: analyze characteristics and structures of argumentative text
• 7.8 F: analyze characteristics of multimodal and digital texts
• 7.8 Dii features such as references or acknowledgements
• 7.8 Diii organizational patterns that support multiple topics, categories, and subcategories
• 7.8 Ei analyze characteristics and structures of argumentative text by identifying the claim
• 7.8 Eii explaining how the author uses various types of evidence and consideration of alternatives to support the argument
• 8 Eiii identifying the intended audience or reader
• 7.9 G: explain the purpose of rhetorical devices such as direct address and rhetorical questions and logical fallacies such as loaded language and sweeping generalizations
• 7.11D compose correspondence that reflects an opinion, registers a complaint, or requests information in a business or friendly structure

Ongoing TEKS

• 7.1 A listen actively to interpret a message and ask clarifying questions that build on others’ ideas
• 7.1 B follow and give complex oral instructions to perform specific tasks, answer questions, or solve problems
• 7. 1 D: engage in meaningful discourse and provide and accept constructive feedback from others
• 7.2 A: use print or digital resources to determine the meaning, syllabication, pronunciation, word origin, and part of speech
• 7.5 A: establish purpose for reading assigned and self-selected texts
• 7.5 H: synthesize information to create new understanding
• 7.5 I monitor comprehension and make adjustments such as re-reading, using background knowledge, asking questions, and annotating when understanding breaks down

Student Learning Targets:

• I will cite textual evidence that strongly supports inferences and analysis of texts.
• I will analyze the structure an authors use to organize texts.
• I will explain how major sections of a text contribute to the development of the whole.
• I will determine the authors’ purpose for writing a text.
• I will explain how an author distinguishes his or her position from another author.

Essential Questions:

• Which is more important in informative writing, clarity or imaginative description?
• What are the main characteristics of an nonfiction?
• How is nonfiction writing similar or different from other genres of writing?
• What kind of organization is be used in nonfiction?

Extra Information:

Adopted Textbook: Pearson, Prentice Hall Literature

District Grading Policy

Texas Gateway Online Resource Center