District 11 Educational Support Services
Literacy & Language Arts

Grade 7, Quarter 1:  August - September Unit
Nonfiction / Expository Writing 
(@ 21days)

Overview        
To start the year, you will be reading and writing nonfiction.  Although many students think that nonfiction writing is boring, try to think of it in a new way.   Think of it as "discovery".  Your reading assignments in science and social studies classes are nonfiction writings, and you will learn skills to help you understand the challenging ideas in those texts.  You'll also be researching topics during this unit and using skills to comprehend difficult texts. Since nonfiction and expository writing are based on facts and evidence, every time you read, you are learning about your world. When it is time for you to write your own nonfiction or expository piece, think about what you would want to teach the world about your topic.

For Teachers
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Yearly Overview

Enduring Understandings - important ideas that students should carry with them years beyond the instruction received this year.

  •  Different strategies and skills are required to understand a variety of texts.

  •  An effective communicator knows his/her audience and purpose.

  •  An effective communicator uses standard English language rules.

  •  Independent learners use critical thinking skills.

  •  The selection and use of relevant information requires evaluating a variety of sources.

Essential Questions - most important “big picture” questions students should be able to answer after completing learning activities.

  • What is text?  How do we apply different strategies and skills to understand a variety of texts?

  • How do we communicate?  What is effective communication?  Why does effective communication require a process?

  • What is standard English?  Why do we need to know and use standard English rules?

  • How do we apply stylistic elements and appropriate formats?

  • What is critical thinking?  How do we think critically in our lives?

  • What is responsible research?  What makes information relevant?

  • How do I use information?

Standards
  Highest Frequency Standards High Frequency Standards Other Standards & E-skills

Reading


1c/1f/4e. Determine the main idea or essential message in a text/Find support in the text for main ideas/Explain the text's main point and use relevant details to support the explanation.
1i.  Use context clues to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words.
4d. Make predictions, draw conclusions, and analyze.
5a. Use organizational features of printed text to locate information.

5d.  Locate and select relevant information and justify the information selection.

 

   1d.  Make reasonable inferences from information that is implied but not directly stated.
   1g. Use words recognition skills (roots, prefixes, suffixes) to comprehend text.

   4c.  Distinguish between fact and opinion. 

 
       5f. Locate meanings and pronunciations of unfamiliar words using dictionaries, glossaries, and other sources.

 

Writing


2a.  Write in a variety of genre - expository.
2b.  Develop ideas and content with significant details, examples, and/or reasons.
3a.  Identify parts of speech, such as nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, conjunctions, prepositions, and interjections.
3b.  Use standard English usage in writing, including subject/verb agreement (pronoun referents, modifiers, homonyms, and homophones.)
3c.  Write in complete sentences.
3e.  Use conventional spelling in published work.
3f.   Punctuate correctly (for example:  apostrophes, quotation marks, end marks, and commas).


    2e.  Plan, draft, revise, and edit for a legible final copy.

    2f.  Use a variety of sentence structures with varied length.
    2h. Choose a range of words that are precise and vivid.

Lessons

Lesson 1: Lesson 1 Title
Duration: @ 1 class period

Standard information #: 
District Indicator:
 
Enduring Understanding:
 
Essential Questions:
 
Assessment:
 

Activities

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Resources

Differentiation
Extension:
 
Support: