7th Grade English - Course Overview
2009-2010, Korea International School
Ms. McCord, Room - M406
email: smccord@kis.or.kr
Woman Climbing Books. Digital image. Greedy or Needy. MakeGood Technologies Inc., Nov. 2008. Web.
10 Aug. 2009. <www.greedyorneedy.com/ forumtopic/63844>.
Course Description: This course focuses on refining skills in reading, writing, speaking, and
listening. In English 7, students demonstrate their growth through reading and writing portfolios,
presentations and other formal evaluations. The writing component of this course focuses on the
writing process and the 6-traits to improve and evaluate student writing. Students write narrative,
expository and persuasive texts. Student reading covers numerous literary forms including
novels, poems and short stories as well as nonfiction. Vocabulary development occurs through
the contextual and structural study of words. In addition, the course content is integrated with
seventh grade social studies.
Evaluation
20% Homework (various reading and writing assignments)
40% Assessments: essays, tests, quizzes, major projects
30% Classwork: participation, discussions, assignments
10% Final Exam
Selected Readings
Literature Anthology
Prentice Hall Literature – Bronze Level
Novels
The Adventures of Ulysses by Bernard Evslin
Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi
I, Juan de Pareja by Elizabeth Borton De Trevino
The Serpent’s Children by Laurence Yep-optional
Shiva’s Fire by Suzanne Fisher Staples
*Students will be provided with a literature textbook and a copy of each class novel.
English Reading and Writing Portfolio
Students in this course will organize their work and demonstrate their progress by keeping a
reading and writing portfolio. The portfolio will be organized through the class wiki.
Reading strategies and resources
Responding to literature
Writing strategies and resources
Personal spelling and vocabulary
Grammar and usage
Works in progress
Published pieces
Students should have an English section in their regular binder for English homework
assignments.
Supplies for Seventh Grade English
Students will need supplies listed on the middle school supply list.
Expectations for Students
All policies and procedures outlined in the Middle School Parent/Student Handbook 2008-2009
will be enforced in the English classroom. Students and parents please take special note of the
following:
Expected School-wide Learning Results (ESLRs) p. 5
Special attention will be placed on the reasoning and analyzing ESLR this year.
Academic Honesty Policy pgs. 17-18
Cell Phone Policy p. 21
English Only Policy p. 21
Late work policy
o Work that is not turned in on time will be subject to the following
penalties:
10% off the assignment for each calendar day that it is late. After 3 calendar days including weekends (except for Art classes) the
student will receive a zero on the assignment.
Please note that in the subjects of math, science and Spanish homework
will not be accepted late but projects will follow the above policy.
All assignments are due at the beginning of class.
Expected Learning Outcomes (ELOs)
Listening and Speaking
-Plays a variety of roles in group discussion.
-Asks questions to seek elaboration and clarification of ideas.
-Uses strategies to enhance listening comprehension.
-Listens in order to understand topic, purpose, and perspective in spoken texts.
-Conveys a clear main point when speaking to others and stays on the topic being discusses.
-Uses level-appropriate vocabulary in speech.
-Makes oral presentations to the class.
-Uses appropriate verbal and nonverbal techniques for oral presentations.
Reading
- Establishes and adjusts purposes for reading.
-Uses a variety of strategies to extend reading vocabulary
-Uses reading skills and strategies to understand a variety of literary passages and texts.
-Knows the defining characteristics of a variety of literary forms and genres.
-Understands complex elements of plot development.
-Makes inferences and draws conclusions about story elements.
-Summarizes and paraphrases information in texts.
-Understands specific devices an author uses to accomplish his or her purpose.
-Reflects on what has been learned after reading.
-makes inferences and draws conclusions about story elements.
-Understands the use of specific literary devices.
-Understands the use of language in literary works to convey mood, images and meaning.
-Uses new information to adjust and extend personal knowledge base.
-Differentiates between fact and opinion in informational texts.
Writing
-Writes about autobiographical incidents, biographical sketches and persuasive compositions.
-Writes compositions that address problems/solutions.
-Writes in response to literature.
-Writes for a variety of purposes.
-Uses a variety of sentence structures to expand and embed ideas.
-Uses prepositions, interjections, transitions and coordinating conjunctions in written
compositions.
-Gathers data for research topics from interviews.
-Uses a variety of resource material to gather information for research topics.
-Determines the appropriateness of informational sources for a research topic.
-Uses appropriate methods to cite and document reference sources.
-Understands and use the writing process.
Media
-Understands a variety of messages conveyed by visual media.
-Uses a variety of criteria to evaluate and form viewpoints of visual media.
-Knows typical genre of different visual media.
-Understands the use of stereotypes and biases in visual media.
-Understands various elements that recur across media.
-Understands the influences on the construction of media messages and images.
-Differentiates between fact and opinion in informational texts.
-Understands how language, symbols, images, sounds and other conventions are used to
enhance visual media.
-Understands reason for varied interpretation of visual media.
-Knows that people with special interests are the target audience for particular message or
products.
2009-2010, Korea International School
Ms. McCord, Room - M406
email: smccord@kis.or.kr
Woman Climbing Books. Digital image. Greedy or Needy. MakeGood Technologies Inc., Nov. 2008. Web.
10 Aug. 2009. <www.greedyorneedy.com/ forumtopic/63844>.
Course Description: This course focuses on refining skills in reading, writing, speaking, and
listening. In English 7, students demonstrate their growth through reading and writing portfolios,
presentations and other formal evaluations. The writing component of this course focuses on the
writing process and the 6-traits to improve and evaluate student writing. Students write narrative,
expository and persuasive texts. Student reading covers numerous literary forms including
novels, poems and short stories as well as nonfiction. Vocabulary development occurs through
the contextual and structural study of words. In addition, the course content is integrated with
seventh grade social studies.
Evaluation
20% Homework (various reading and writing assignments)
40% Assessments: essays, tests, quizzes, major projects
30% Classwork: participation, discussions, assignments
10% Final Exam
Selected Readings
Literature Anthology
Prentice Hall Literature – Bronze Level
Novels
The Adventures of Ulysses by Bernard Evslin
Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi
I, Juan de Pareja by Elizabeth Borton De Trevino
The Serpent’s Children by Laurence Yep-optional
Shiva’s Fire by Suzanne Fisher Staples
*Students will be provided with a literature textbook and a copy of each class novel.
English Reading and Writing Portfolio
Students in this course will organize their work and demonstrate their progress by keeping a
reading and writing portfolio. The portfolio will be organized through the class wiki.
Reading strategies and resources
Responding to literature
Writing strategies and resources
Personal spelling and vocabulary
Grammar and usage
Works in progress
Published pieces
Students should have an English section in their regular binder for English homework
assignments.
Supplies for Seventh Grade English
Students will need supplies listed on the middle school supply list.
Expectations for Students
All policies and procedures outlined in the Middle School Parent/Student Handbook 2008-2009
will be enforced in the English classroom. Students and parents please take special note of the
following:
Expected School-wide Learning Results (ESLRs) p. 5
Special attention will be placed on the reasoning and analyzing ESLR this year.
Academic Honesty Policy pgs. 17-18
Cell Phone Policy p. 21
English Only Policy p. 21
Late work policy
o Work that is not turned in on time will be subject to the following
penalties:
10% off the assignment for each calendar day that it is late. After 3 calendar days including weekends (except for Art classes) the
student will receive a zero on the assignment.
Please note that in the subjects of math, science and Spanish homework
will not be accepted late but projects will follow the above policy.
All assignments are due at the beginning of class.
Expected Learning Outcomes (ELOs)
Listening and Speaking
-Plays a variety of roles in group discussion.
-Asks questions to seek elaboration and clarification of ideas.
-Uses strategies to enhance listening comprehension.
-Listens in order to understand topic, purpose, and perspective in spoken texts.
-Conveys a clear main point when speaking to others and stays on the topic being discusses.
-Uses level-appropriate vocabulary in speech.
-Makes oral presentations to the class.
-Uses appropriate verbal and nonverbal techniques for oral presentations.
Reading
- Establishes and adjusts purposes for reading.
-Uses a variety of strategies to extend reading vocabulary
-Uses reading skills and strategies to understand a variety of literary passages and texts.
-Knows the defining characteristics of a variety of literary forms and genres.
-Understands complex elements of plot development.
-Makes inferences and draws conclusions about story elements.
-Summarizes and paraphrases information in texts.
-Understands specific devices an author uses to accomplish his or her purpose.
-Reflects on what has been learned after reading.
-makes inferences and draws conclusions about story elements.
-Understands the use of specific literary devices.
-Understands the use of language in literary works to convey mood, images and meaning.
-Uses new information to adjust and extend personal knowledge base.
-Differentiates between fact and opinion in informational texts.
Writing
-Writes about autobiographical incidents, biographical sketches and persuasive compositions.
-Writes compositions that address problems/solutions.
-Writes in response to literature.
-Writes for a variety of purposes.
-Uses a variety of sentence structures to expand and embed ideas.
-Uses prepositions, interjections, transitions and coordinating conjunctions in written
compositions.
-Gathers data for research topics from interviews.
-Uses a variety of resource material to gather information for research topics.
-Determines the appropriateness of informational sources for a research topic.
-Uses appropriate methods to cite and document reference sources.
-Understands and use the writing process.
Media
-Understands a variety of messages conveyed by visual media.
-Uses a variety of criteria to evaluate and form viewpoints of visual media.
-Knows typical genre of different visual media.
-Understands the use of stereotypes and biases in visual media.
-Understands various elements that recur across media.
-Understands the influences on the construction of media messages and images.
-Differentiates between fact and opinion in informational texts.
-Understands how language, symbols, images, sounds and other conventions are used to
enhance visual media.
-Understands reason for varied interpretation of visual media.
-Knows that people with special interests are the target audience for particular message or
products.