Seventh graders are expected to read approximately one million words per year. This will be accomplished by reading academic texts, novels, and independent reading. In our class, we will do the following:
We will read 2-3 class novels throughout the year. Each book will include activities that go into, through, and beyond.
Creating prior knowledge through activities helps students better understand the context of the novel. These include vocabulary development and previous research.
Through activities that include comprehension questions, quizzes, and other exercises, students can visualize and gain meaning.
Beyond activities can include final projects and presentations that allow students to showcase the meaning they gained from the content.
Students will complete book reports throughout the year. Students will be provided with specific instructions at the time of the book report. Students will be allowed to read books in whatever format they want- in hand or online. One book report will involve reading an online book.
We will use a writer's notebook to collect writing topics and samples that we can develop into future projects. These notebooks will mostly remain in the classroom unless a student needs to take them home for use.
We will be writing three genres this year- Report of Information (research), Argumentative, and Narrative (story). We will work together to draft, write, and type their essays. Students must produce a handwritten rough draft to ensure it is their work. All essay drafts turned in to me for editing must be typed.
We will also study a variety of other areas that will help us develop our vocabulary, as well as our reading and writing skills. We will study affixes on a weekly basis, and grammar will be presented as needed.
Students will have homework every night. Homework will consist of either completing classwork or reading. Students will track this on a weekly log. We are presently working with the homework log as a class. Students also need to read for 20 minutes per day on weekends.
Students will visit the media center regularly and should have access to reading materials at both home and school. Textbooks will be issued on an as-needed basis. We have a variety of textbooks available for students to check out. The book is also available online. We will use several consumable items (students can write in them) throughout the year.