English Language Arts — Grade 7

Resources on the web

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

Weaving the Threads: Integrating Poetry Annotation and Web Technology

This lesson from ReadWriteThink engages students in meaningful research using poetry as a focal point. Students identify words and phrases in a poem by a Native American and in the process, learn about Native American culture and history. Students create... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Viking voyagers: Navigating online content area reading

In this lesson that focuses on Viking culture, students implement before-, during-, and after-reading strategies to support their comprehension while navigating websites and a Viking Quest. The teacher activates prior knowledge by asking students what they... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Using word webs to teach synonyms for commonly used words

This lesson uses word webs as a tool to expose students to synonyms for common words, to help students choose synonyms that are appropriate for a given context, and to encourage students to use more descriptive words in written and oral language. Suggestions... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

Using THIEVES to preview nonfiction texts

This ReadWriteThink lesson supports middle-school students' exploration of the process of previewing textbook chapters and other nonfiction texts before reading them. Online resources are included for the teacher and provide background information on previewing... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

Using the check and line method to enhance reading comprehension

This lesson is intended to uncover the underlying principle that careful monitoring of textual reading assignments can significantly increase comprehension and retention of the information. (Learn more)

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

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

Trekking to Timbuktu—student version

Students take the role of the makers of a TV travel adventure show and research Timbuktu as a potential location for an episode of the series. (Learn more)

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

Provided by: National Endowment for the Humanities

Story character homepage

This lesson from ReadWriteThink presents a project for literature circles or class novels to develop understanding of a character. In groups students will look at examples of homepages on the Internet, note what elements most contain, and use them as models... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 Computer/Technology Skills and English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

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

Pygmies, pictures, and poetry

In this Xpeditions lesson, students use photos and text on Pygmies of Africa to learn about the culture and lifestyle of these people. They then use this information to create collages and short poems. (Learn more)

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

Provided by: National Geographic

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

Products across borders

In this lesson, students identify foreign products available in the United States and learn about U.S. companies that sell products abroad. The students discuss globalization and illustrate two maps to show where products come from and where they're sold. (Learn more)

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

Provided by: National Geographic

Points of view in the news

Students will read articles from National Geographic News and answer questions describing each article's source, purpose, and viewpoint. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 7–8 English Language Arts)

Provided by: National Geographic

Play ball! Encouraging critical thinking through baseball questions

Students create a baseball-themed Jeopardy game after a read–aloud of Lou Gehrig: The Luckiest Man by David A. Adler. After the teacher explains the purpose of asking good questions, students... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

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

Persuading an audience: Writing effective letters to the editor

Students write a persuasive letter to the editor of a newspaper, focusing on a current local or national issue. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 7–8 and 10 English Language Arts)

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

No more bullying: Understanding the problem, building bully-free environments

In this lesson, students explore bullying and the concepts of social justice and empathetic responding. In order to plan a “No More Bullying” campaign at school, students examine research findings that describe the characteristics and frequencies... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

My life/your life: A look at your parents' past

The goal of this lesson is to help students make connections between their experiences and those of their parents through reflection and writing. After students become familiar with the format of interviews by evaluating sample questions and answers of... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Modeling reading and analysis processes with the works of Edgar Allan Poe

Students explore reading strategies using the think-aloud process as they investigate connections between the life and writings of Edgar Allan Poe. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 7 English Language Arts)

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

Memories Matter: "The Giver" and Descriptive Writing Memoirs

Students read The Giver by Lois Lowry, as well as short biographies, autobiographies, and memoirs in order to understand the differences between them. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 7–8 English Language Arts)

Provided by: IRA/NCTE