September:  

This month we are going to begin to develop our voices as young writers.  We will kick off the year by writing a letter to the teacher, sharing our abilities and identities with the class. We will be using this piece of work as a benchmark for success. Students will also begin their analysis of short story texts by looking at text structure, author's purpose, and a variety of literary elements within texts. Students will begin applying these elements to reading comprehension, create analytical texts, and engage in critical discussion. 

October

Students continue to study short stories by annotating and identifying themes, characters, plots, significance, and detail in the story. With this, they will be looking at paragraph structure and will begin developing analytical writing skills.  Moreso, students will dive deep into their analysis skills to uncover character and characterization built throughout narratives.  With the spooky season upon us, we take a look at Edgar Allen Poe and all the creepie crawlies that he leaves behind- I look forward to some great discussion!

November: 

Students have been enjoying reading and studying their first Novel Study of the year- The Outsiders! This coming-of-age classic teaches readers the importance of friendship, sticking together, and overcoming stereotypes. Students get to express their learning in creative ways, continue to develop their voices as young writers and learn for themselves the importance of sticking with their gangs. 

December: 

We are nearly done with our Novel Study and begin to embark on your Food Truck Project! We have been counting the days as we anxiously approach this exciting project opportunity. Students will get to symbolically represent the Characters, Themes, Plot Points, Big Ideas, and Discussion points from The Outsiders, in a food truck project that may just serve snacks to share. More to come! 

January:

Happy New Year! We kick off the new year with persuasive writing. Students will look at various persuasive and rhetorical techniques that exist in ads, commercials, movies, and literature. Then, students will try to persuade me in various debate-style activities and writing prompts. After persuasive techniques, we take a close look at Film Studies and the artistry that goes into telling a compelling story.

February :

We have been working through our Non-Fiction unit annotating informational texts. Recently, students have started their Once Upon a Weekly project. Throughout this project, students will create a newspaper inspired by the events of beloved fairy tales. Then, we move into Poetry! 

March:

We enter March finishing up our Poetry unit. Students did a fantastic job on their Newspaper Projects from February, and now we move into Shakespeare! Students will have a chance to take on their actor roles and bring to life the story of A Midsummer Night's dream 

April: 

Grade 7O did a wonderful job at bringing to life their inner Shakespeare as they made it through the entire play and were very dedicated to their roles! We wrapped our unit with Reading Comprehension and thematic discussion. Now, we move on to our second novel study of the year- The Giver. The Discussion will include the questioning of social structure, the rules of society, and the importance of discovering identity. By the end of the unit (early May), students will work toward a symbolism project.

May: 

Over the next couple of weeks, Grade 7 will be finishing up The Giver novel study and working towards a unit project. We have had very fulfilling class discussions over the last couple of weeks that note society, choice, freedom, and the importance of identity. Students have pondered Dystopian societies and the recognition of how fragile society can be. Mid May, we will begin our Independent Novel Study unit!

June: 

We are wrapping up the year with our Independent Novel Study Unit and creating Amusement Parks inspired by our novel choice. As well, we begin to prepare for Final Exams. Happy June!