We are implementing our Amplify ELA curriculum, an engaging multimedia platform. As noted in Amplify’s pedagogical approach, “Educating middle schoolers is a critical endeavor with unique challenges and opportunities.” 

The following is an overview of the units that will guide our learning:

Red Scarf Girl & Narrative

This is a highly engaging memoir of a young girl growing up in China during the Cultural Revolution. Students will quickly learn the history and politics of this tumultuous period by focusing on the story of a young woman living through the upheaval. As students follow her journey through a world turned upside down, they will track the changes in her feelings and motivations over time.

Character & Conflict

A novel study of either Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol or Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun, provides opportunities for students to analyze characters’ responses to internal and external conflict and the author’s development of ideas over the course of a piece of fiction. Students also explore symbolism and direct and indirect characterization.

Brain Science

Could you survive an iron rod through your skull? Phineas Gage did, and his gruesome-but-true story allows students to build background information and analyze other informational texts, including the contemporary The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat and the obviously relevant “Demystifying the Adolescent Brain.”

Poetry & Poe

Poe’s texts always offer so much to notice, decipher, talk about—and creep us out. Since things are not always what they seem, students use close reading skills to question whether they should believe what Poe’s narrator’s telling them…or not. Students participate in a mock trial to reach a verdict as to whether the narrator of “The Tell-Tale Heart” is sane or insane.

And Then There Were None

This novel study allows students to hone their ability to analyze complex literary texts, focusing on plot, character, theme, and literary devices. Students will engage with the mystery genre to practice inferencing, identifying textual evidence, and analyzing arguments and claims within the text. Students will actively participate in class discussions and activities, sharing their insights and responding to others' ideas. Students will practice various writing tasks, including summarizing, analyzing, and using textual evidence to support their claims. 

The Gold Rush Collection

Students choose from a large collection of primary and secondary sources to learn about the wide diversity of people who took part in the California Gold Rush.

NOTE: Amplify ELA is an engaging digital program, and as such, it is crucial that students arrive each day with their fully charged Chromebook. We will be implementing a blended model that will use both the digital program and the comprehensive print materials; however, depending on the pacing of each lesson, students must be prepared to move back and forth between the digital program and print materials as necessary. The print materials, with the exception of any worksheets, will remain in the classroom. The blended model will allow me to make choices about when the students use devices without compromising learning or full standards coverage. This model allows for flexibility when devices or internet access are unavailable for short or extended periods of time. 

Check here for weekly updates about English II course information.

7th Grade (Periods 3 & 5) Syllabus:

7th Grade Syllabus 

The Google Classroom sites are as follows:

7th Grade (Period 3): 

https://classroom.google.com/c/Nzk4Nzg1MDE2NjEy?cjc=veg2zrjo

7th Grade (Period 5): 

https://classroom.google.com/c/Nzk4Nzg0ODYxNzIy?cjc=6itckab5

hdye@sfccs.org