English Language Arts — Grade 7

TV careers: Reality vs. fantasy

In CareerStart lessons: Grade seven, page 1.6

In this lesson for grade seven, students discuss compare television portrayals of careers with reality.

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 English Language Arts and Guidance)

By Jen Presley.Adapted by Kenyatta Bennett and Sonya Rexrode.

Seeing two poems

This lesson will teach students how to actively read a poem and identify poetic devices.

Format: lesson plan (grade 7 English Language Arts)

By Karyn A. Gloden.

School uniforms: Point-of-view writing

This lesson deals with an issue that is very important to students: school uniforms. It incorporates writing, speaking, and math.

Format: lesson plan (grade 7 English Language Arts)

By Linda Bulluck.

Issues, we've all got them: Language arts/visual arts integration

Students will learn how to deal positively with social issues important in their lives through personal investigation of social issues addressed in literature and art.

Format: lesson plan (grade 7 Visual Arts Education, English Language Arts, and English Language Development)

By Runell Carpenter.

Resources on the web

You know the movie is coming—Now what?

After exploring cinematic terms, students read a literary work with director's eyes and then try to predict what elements would be present in the film version of the book. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 English Language Arts)

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

The world of Haiku

Students explore the traditions and conventions of haiku, comparing this classic form of Japanese poetry to a related genre of Japanese visual art and composing haiku of their own. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 7 and 9 Visual Arts Education, English Language Arts, and Social Studies)

Provided by: National Endowment for the Humanities

Where in the world would you like to live?

Students compare thematic maps of the continents and the world as a whole to determine where they would like to live. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–7 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

Provided by: National Geographic

Where Do Your Possessions Come From?

Students learn about the Earth's natural resources and the ways that people use these resources. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–7 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

Provided by: National Geographic

What masks reveal

Students explore the cultural significance of masks by investigating the role they play in ceremonies and on special occasions in societies from widely separated regions of the world. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 7 Visual Arts Education, English Language Arts, and Social Studies)

Provided by: National Endowment for the Humanities

What am I? Teaching poetry through riddles

Students explore, analyze, and discuss how metaphor, simile, and metonymy are used in riddle poems. They use these poetic devices to write original riddle poems. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–7 English Language Arts)

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

Using the four-square strategy to define and identify poetic terms

This lesson from ReadWriteThink helps young students understand poetry. Through the exploration of various poetry websites, students define terms and write poems using alliteration, assonance, simile, and rhyme. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 7 English Language Arts)

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

Using children's literature to develop classroom community

This lesson introduces students to the concept of collaborative learning with an activity based on Shel Silverstein's poem, “What's in the Sack?”. After developing a foundation for group and partner work, students explore children's literature... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Through the eyes of a refugee

This lesson asks students to analyze the “Afghanistan, Land in Crisis” map (available in print and online) to determine how the physical geography of this region affects the lifestyles of the individuals who live there. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 7 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

Provided by: National Geographic

Scaling back to essentials: Scaffolding summarization with fishbone mapping

In this lesson, students work in pairs and cooperative groups as they complete fishbone maps that highlight the main ideas and relevant details from a cause-effect text. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 English Language Arts)

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

Scaffolding comprehension strategies using graphic organizers

In this lesson from ReadWriteThink, collaborative strategic reading (CSR) is initially presented to students through modeling and whole-class instruction. To facilitate comprehension during and after reading, students apply four reading strategies: preview,... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

River sources and stories

In this lesson, from Xpeditions, students learn about the differences in precipitation levels and elevation in the regions of the Nile and its source rivers (the White Nile and the Blue Nile). (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 7 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

Provided by: National Geographic

Reciprocal revision: Making peer feedback meaningful

This lesson from ReadWriteThink is designed to help middle school students develop more constructive peer feedback on writing through the use of reciprocal teaching strategies. Students observe online examples of artwork, and use the strategies of predicting,... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Promoting diversity in the classroom and school library through social action

Students explore stereotypes in children's picture books, such as Disney's Princess Collection, in order to identify the limited view established in these fictional worlds. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 7 English Language Arts)

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

Pictures in Words: Poems of Tennyson and Noyes

Students will explore how poets Tennyson and Noyes use words to paint vivid and memorable pictures and describe how “word pictures” emphasize or qualify the meanings of their poems. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–7 English Language Arts)

Provided by: National Endowment for the Humanities

Painting poetry: Using visual representation as a response to literature

Students are encouraged to think critically about what a poet is trying to say and the means he or she uses to convey these ideas. Interpreting a poem using visual representation helps students better understand their own beliefs about a poem. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 7 English Language Arts)

Provided by: IRA/NCTE