Primary goals: Building reading and writing stamina! 

Reading: During this first unit, we center our class time on reading independently across genres. We also will read Born a Crime, looking at how an author crafts a narrative. We will follow that class novel with a mystery unit. We will study the elements of suspense in And Then There Were None. 

Writing: Students are currently working on daily mini-lessons that build writing stamina and writing fluidity. Examples include writing descriptively about characters, crafting vivid settings, constructing scenes with conflict, and infusing writing with heart. Gradually, we build toward writing an original suspense story. 

Speaking/Listening: Students collaborate with each other daily. So, working constructively, providing honest, but kind feedback, and turn-taking are part of teaching students to create a safe classroom environment. We also work on presenting Book Talk during this unit, which asks kids to present to the class using appropriate volume, gestures, and inflection. 

Vocabulary/Word Usage/Grammar: We will review the 8 parts of speech, using that knowledge to build more sophisticated, interesting sentences. We will also start etymology on a weekly basis, focusing on Latin and Greek suffixes, prefixes, and roots. Finally, we will begin WordMasters, the vocabulary competition, in early October. 

Throughout the week, students have Reader’s Workshop. During that time there are two components: a mini-lesson and conferences. 

Mini-lessons

These lessons last about ten minutes at the start of the period. The lesson is intended to get kids thinking about the literary qualities of the free reading book they have chosen or books they have read this year. We explain the concept, and we show a model of the concept in relation to a book that we have read. Students are then asked to apply the concept to their free reading books. 

All of the lesson materials (if necessary) and all of the models are posted on Canvas prior to the lesson. This practice enables students who were absent or need another viewing of the model to access the materials. Students complete their mini-lessons online via the discussion feature on Canvas. 

After the mini-lesson is complete, the rest of the class time is spent conferring with students in small groups about their reading. There are usually two sets of conferences per class period. While students confer at the back table, the rest of the students have a choice between free reading and/or working on the lessons in their notebook. Students will also use my library to check out books. 

Conferences

Using Canvas's scheduling feature, students sign up for a conference when they desire. We will see students once every two weeks. During a conference, there are usually three or four students. they bring their notebooks and their free reading books. Taking turns, they share a brief summary of the book they are currently reading and their thoughts about it. The peers in the group and the teacher ask follow-up or clarifying questions. At the end, the student shares what he or she needs or wants to read next. Each student speaks for about 2-3 minutes. 

Grading the Lessons

There is a rubric for this process. It’s divided into three sections: before, during, and ongoing. The before section pertains to the actual mini-lessons. We expect that students write thoroughly, explaining their ideas, and that they focus on the skill that is being assessed. The most common pratfall for this section is students not citing enough evidence and providing a summary of the book instead of focusing on how the skill, such as how the author uses figurative language. 

In the “during” section, we grade students on how well they provide a summary, engage in the discussion, and ask questions of their peers. The most common way to miss points is to have a rambling or off-target summary. It should be precise and concise. We often use the strategy from an earlier lesson “somebody-wanted-but-so” to prompt students to stay on target. 

Students receive a grade (weighted) based on the reading standards and the speaking and listening standards. 

While Reader's Workshop occurs at regular intervals, the Writer's Workshop is a more fluid experience. We have mini-lessons as needed to support the writing growth of students.

Mini-lessons

Lesson content typically falls into two categories. Some topics are grammar-based. Instead of using a prescribed grammar curriculum, lessons are based on student needs as gleaned from their writing. During the first week of school, students take a diagnostic test that assesses their ability across several grammar topics. Based on their performance data, we create lessons that match areas of needed improvement. 

This year, we are starting with basic comma rules then moving to types of sentences. Our district promotes embedded grammar skill growth. This approach means that students begin with a mentor sentence that features the target skill, observe the structure, imitate the structure with their own original ideas, look at other example sentences, identify the grammar rule in their free reading, and then apply the skill to their own writing. Thus, a typical grammar lesson follows that format. 

Other lessons focus on the writing skills for seventh grade. We begin with narrative topics, then literary analysis, and then end with argument writing. At this point in the year, we are working through narrative structure, examining the ingredients to a good story. The four components of focus are: 1) developing memorable characters, 2) creating vivid, descriptive places, 3) understanding tension and turning points, and 4) focusing on the heart of the story (lesson or theme). 

These lessons are outlined loosely in the Units of Study materials provided by the district. For PI+, we change the sequence and add supplemental materials to meet the needs of our students. 

Conferences

All lessons are contained in the student’s Writer’s Notebook. Like Reader’s Workshop, students have a mini-lesson followed by work time. The difference is that we often work in spurts and then come back to the original content to share and collaborate. 

While Reader’s Workshop has a set conference schedule, Writer’s Workshop does not. We begin to conference with students only when we start to write longer pieces. We work through our rosters, meeting with each student to check on his or her progress. This conversation is informal and not graded. 

Grading the Notebooks

We keep an in-progress Writer's Notebook Checklist for each unit of study. Students can use this checklist to assess whether their notebooks are up-to-date.  As each lesson is presented, students see the requirements of each lesson. There is no mystery as to the content to which students are accountable. 

Because the Writer's Notebook is considered practice, the grade is formative. Students receive points for completing each lesson with fidelity and diligence. 

In sixth grade, students may have participated in the Mock Newbery reading contest. While this activity is not open to seventh graders, we promote reading through a variety of activities. It is our expectation that students are reading a variety of genres at the appropriate reading level. 

Every two weeks in language arts, we meet with each student in a Reader’s Conference. Conferences are held in small groups of three to four during Reader’s Workshop. In these meetings, we hear about the books each student is reading, we discuss the content and quality of these books, and we make book recommendations. Our goal in these meetings is to familiarize ourselves with each student’s reading habits to encourage a wider range of literature at deeper comprehension levels.  At home, you can support this work by engaging in similar conversations. For example, we’ve started a genre challenge in 7th grade. We recorded the most popular books in each genre (sci-fi, fantasy, mystery, multi-genre, realistic, historical, and nonfiction) and created a chart with these books listed across the top horizontally; student names are listed vertically. Every time a student reads a book from the recommended list, he or she can choose an emoji sticker that best represents their opinion of the book. Hopefully, these charts will become a resource for those looking for good books!