Grade 7 Reading

In this unit, students will begin by writing personal narratives to strengthen writing fluency, focus, and classroom routines for feedback and revision. Students will then read Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution by Ji-li Jiang and examine how the author uses first-person point of view, dialogue, detail, and narrative structure to share her experiences growing up during China’s Cultural Revolution. Through reading and discussion, students will explore themes of identity, family loyalty, peer pressure, authority, and personal change.

In this unit, students will analyze how characters respond to conflict and how authors use character interactions, events, and figurative language to develop theme and perspective. Students will read Carson McCullers’s short story “Sucker” and Lorraine Hansberry’s play A Raisin in the Sun, exploring themes of family, identity, responsibility, ambition, and different ideas of success. Students will also compare the play to Langston Hughes’s poem “Harlem” and an excerpt from Hansberry’s memoir To Be Young, Gifted and Black. Through reading, discussion, and analysis, students will examine character motivation, trace themes, and deepen their understanding of Black history and Civil Rights-era ideas.

In this unit, students will explore narrative nonfiction and informational texts about the human brain, how it works, and how it shapes learning, behavior, and identity. Students will read selections from Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story About Brain Science, Inventing Ourselves: The Secret Life of the Teenage Brain, and The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat to examine brain structure, function, injury, and development. Through reading, discussion, and analysis, students will study informational text structures, scientific arguments, and evidence while reflecting on their own cognitive strengths, challenges, and control over learning.

In this unit, students will explore poetry and short stories while learning how authors use imagery, point of view, setting, sound, and mood to shape a reader’s experience. Students will begin by reading poems by D. H. Lawrence, Federico García Lorca, and Emily Dickinson to practice creating mental images. Students will then read Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart,” “The Cask of Amontillado,” and “The Raven,” analyzing narrative details, visual details, and unreliable first-person narrators. Students will also compare animated adaptations to the original texts and participate in a mystery-based investigation.

In this unit, students will explore the lives, artwork, and legacy of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera through primary sources, visual analysis, and independent research. Students will examine how these artists drew inspiration from Latin American folklore, politics, imagery, and cultural traditions. Students will build information literacy skills by generating research questions, selecting and evaluating reliable sources, analyzing artwork, and using information ethically. Through discussion, writing, and a Socratic seminar, students will interpret the meaning and impact of Frida and Diego’s work. As a culminating project, students will complete a research assignment and/or design a digital collage that presents their interpretation of the artists’ work and legacy.

In this unit, students will investigate the complex history of the California Gold Rush through primary documents, historical accounts, fiction, and independent research. Students will build information literacy skills by developing research questions, evaluating sources, and using evidence to better understand the diverse groups of people who participated in the Gold Rush. Students will also compare fictional portrayals with historical accounts and participate in a Socratic seminar to discuss important issues connected to this era. In writing, students will create narrative accounts from the perspective of a person living during the Gold Rush and complete a culminating research project that combines an essay with a media component.