Unit 1: Journeys and Survival

How do individuals survive in challenging environments?

How do culture, time, and place influence the development of identity?

How does reading different texts about the same topic build our understanding?

What are the ways in which an author can juxtapose two characters?

Link to student workbook

If you have misplaced your student workbook, you must print the required daily assignments from the link above. Any additional assignments outside of the workbook will be provided in class and hyperlinked below.

August 26 - 30

• Monday: First Day of Seventh Grade
  • N/A
• Tuesday: N/A
• Wednesday:
  • Signed syllabus due at start of class
  • Core 2, Core 3, and Core 4 (Core 1 exempt due to fire drill):
    • Finish Interactive Notebook Reflection Questions on page 3 of your Interactive Notebook.
• Thursday: Pre-assessment in class
  • Core 1: Finish Interactive Notebook Reflection Questions on page 3 of your Interactive Notebook.
• Friday:​ Pre-assessment in class
  • Finish pre-assessment at home this weekend if you did not finish in class.
  • When you finish your pre-assessment, go to bit.ly/SDpreassessment to input your answers on the electronic answer form.

September 2 - 6

• Monday: No School - Labor Day
• Tuesday: A Long Walk to Water novel and Workbook 1 distribution in class
  • Finish "I Notice/I Wonder" note catcher on page 1 of workbook 1 (distributed in class today).
• Wednesday: Media Center visit in class
  • Finish chapter 2 of A Long Walk to Water.
  • Complete graphic organizer columns 2 and 4 for chapter 2 (located on page 2 of the workbook).
• Thursday: No School - Inclement Weather
  • Get ahead on your reading! Read your independent reading book or begin working on your Amazon Book Review Project.
• Friday:​ No School - Inclement Weather
  • Read independent reading book.

​September 9 - 13

• Monday:
  • Finish chapter 3 of A Long Walk to Water.
  • Complete "Getting the Gist" graphic organizer for chapter 3.
  • Read independent reading book.
• Tuesday:
  • Read independent reading book.
  • Finish chapter 5 of A Long Walk to Water.
  • Complete "Getting the Gist" graphic organizer for chapter 5.
• Wednesday:
  • Read independent reading book.
  • Finish page 13 of the workbook.
• Thursday: I-Ready Testing (no class for Core 3 and Core 4)
  • Study for Tuesday's minor assessment on making inferences, citing evidence, and identifying character perspective.
  • Read independent reading book.
• Friday:​ I-Ready Testing (no class for Core 1 and Core 2)
  • Study for Tuesday's minor assessment on making inferences, citing evidence, and identifying character perspective.
  • Read independent reading book.
  • Reminder: Amazon Book Review Project (on independent reading book) due October 23.

September 16 -20

• Monday:
  • Study for tomorrow's minor assessment on making inferences, citing evidence, and identifying character perspective.
  • Finish double-bubble graphic organizer (compare and contrast).
  • Work on Article of the Week - due Monday, September 23. Review Article of the Week requirements to ensure you complete the activity in its entirety.
• Tuesday: Minor Assessment in class
  • Read independent reading book.
• Wednesday:
  • Read independent reading book.
• Thursday:
  • Finish reading "Sudanese Tribes Confront Modern War" on pages 23-25 of the workbook. . Annotate the text and write a gist statement for each paragraph.
  • Read independent reading book.
• Friday:​
  • Finish R.A.C.E. Format response for "Sudanese Tribes Confront Modern War."
  • Finish Article of the Week - due Monday!
    • Review Article of the Week requirements to ensure you complete the activity in its entirety.
  • Reminder: Amazon Book Review Project (on independent reading book) due October 23.

September 23 -27

• Monday:
  • Read independent reading book.
• Tuesday: Major Assessment in class
  • Read independent reading book. Reminder, your independent reading book will be used to create your Amazon Book Review project, due October 23.
• Wednesday:
  • Read independent reading book.
  • Finish vocabulary on page 44 of the workbook if you did not finish in class.
• Thursday:
  • Read independent reading book.
  • Finish the first two boxes on the Challenge/Survival Factor chart on page 40 of the workbook.
• Friday:​
  • Read independent reading book.
  • Reminder: Amazon Book Review Project (on independent reading book) due October 23.

September 30 - October 4

• Monday: NO SCHOOL
  • Read independent reading book.
• Tuesday:
  • Read independent reading book.
  • Finish vocabulary context clues activity on page 52 of the workbook.
• Wednesday:
  • Read independent reading book
  • Finish theme evidence for chapters 10, and 11 of A Long Walk to Water on pg. 40-41 of the workbook.
  • Finish vocabulary context clues activity on page 57 of the workbook.
• Thursday:
  • Finish Theme Practice handout.
  • Read independent reading book.
• Friday:​
  • Read independent reading book.
  • Reminder: Amazon Book Review Project (on independent reading book) due October 23.

​October 7 - 11

• Monday:
  • Finish written response prompt on page 63 of the workbook.
  • Read independent reading book.
• Tuesday:
  • Read independent reading book.
• Wednesday:
  • Read independent reading book.
• Thursday:
  • Read independent reading book.
• Friday:​
  • Finish tracking theme evidence for chapters 17 and 18 on page 41 of the workbook.
  • Finish A Long Walk to Water reflection on page 19 in Interactive Notebook.
  • Read independent reading book.
  • Reminder: Amazon Book Review Project (on independent reading book) due October 23.

October 14 - 18

• Monday:
  • Field Trip permission slip and payment due Wednesday morning!
  • Read independent reading book.
• Tuesday:
  • Read independent reading book.
  • Work on Amazon Book Review Project - due next Wednesday.
• Wednesday:
  • Read independent reading book.
• Thursday:
  • Read independent reading book.
  • Finish CommonLit story and questions: "How Santa Claus Found the Poor House." This will help you review the skills that are on tomorrow's assessment.
  • Study for tomorrow's assessment on theme and using context clues.
• Friday:​
  • Read independent reading book.
  • Reminder: Amazon Book Review Project (on independent reading book) due next week on Wednesday, October 23.

October 21 - 25

• Monday:
  • Read independent reading book.
  • Amazon Book Review Project due this Wednesday.
• Tuesday:
  • Read independent reading book.
  • Finish "Brainstorming Ideas" page of Two Voice Poem Packet.
  • Amazon Book Review Project due TOMORROW!
• Wednesday: Amazon Book Review Project due today at start of class!
  • Read new independent reading book.
  • Finish "Rough Draft" page of Two Voice Poem Packet.
• Thursday:
  • Read new independent reading book.
  • Finish revising and editing your rough draft of your Two Voice Poem. Use the "Revise and Edit" handout to assist you.
• Friday:
  • Read new independent reading book.
  • Finish final draft and juxtaposition reflection paragraph for your Two Voice Poem project.

October 28 - November 1

• Monday:
  • Read independent reading book.
• Tuesday:
  • Read independent reading book.
• Wednesday:
  • Read independent reading book.
• Thursday:
  • Read independent reading book.
• Friday:​
  • Read independent reading book.