English Language Arts — Grade 7

Asian, African, or Australian Inventors & Inventions

The lesson integrates both Social Studies and Language Arts in a research and a creative writing component. The student will further understand inventors or inventions from Asia, Africa, and Australia, the focused continents in the 7th grade Social Studies curriculum, as well as have the opportunity to develop his/her writing, reading, and oral communication skills. The project also incorporates mathematics with an emphasis on percentages and graphing.

Format: lesson plan (grade 7 Information Skills, English Language Arts, Social Studies, and Mathematics)

By Jeff Rachlin and Melissa Reid.

Coastal Weather Issues: Planning for a Hurricane

The unit is designed for seventh grade students who have been studying Earth and its atmosphere. In this sequence, students are faced with the realistic issue of personal and social decision-making when planning for hurricane strikes, which includes classification, tracking, and monitoring hurricanes, as well as planning for evacuations. The inquiry-based approach involves a WebQuest in which the learner will assume the role of an emergency management team member who must create a preparation plan for the community.

Format: lesson plan (grade 7 English Language Arts, Computer Technology Skills, and Science)

By Karen Greene.

Diseases of Africa

Students will demonstrate an ability to research diseases in Africa and the causes, symptoms, treatment, and long-range solutions involving infrastructure development. They will compare and contrast countries and diseases. Working in groups, students will do research and prepare a multimedia presentation on the disease.

Format: lesson plan (grade 7 English Language Arts, Social Studies, Computer Technology Skills, English Language Development, and Science)

By Teachers Connect.

Interdisciplinary Integrated Unit on DNA/Genetics Part C: Language Arts

This lesson is part of an interdisciplinary integrated unit on DNA and genetics. The idea is that students will complete a week's worth of activities in science, math, and language arts related to this topic. This lesson is Part C: Language Arts. Students will apply information retrieval skills as they investigate controversial issues on human genetic cloning. Students then will develop a point-of-view essay stating their personal opinion on whether human cloning should or should not be allowed.

Format: lesson plan (grade 7 Information Skills, English Language Arts, and Computer Technology Skills)

By Jane Lentz, Jimmy White, Marlene Smith, and Tori Goldrick.

Interpreting Diaries of the American South

Students will read diaries of individuals who lived in the American South from 1865-1917. After reading these diaries the students will use a visual means of displaying their interpretation. Visual presentations will be one of the following: shadow box, poster, PowerPoint using drawings done by the student, brochure, or presenting an item that would have been used during the time that their diary was written.

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

By Rhonda Sneeden.

The Life of Twain

This assignment allows students to explore the life of Mark Twain by using concept map graphic organizers to compile their research in an interesting and creative way. This is a great way to assess students' comprehension!

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

By Pam Stonesifer.

Literature Biography Project

For this project, students will learn to develop the various processes used in researching and writing a biographical research paper, including brainstorming, notetaking, outlining, creating a bibliography, and writing the final draft. This project is designed to act as an independent study geared toward AG or Level 3 and Level 4 students, but each step in the research process can also be taught directly to students in the classroom.

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

By Sandra Dail.

Master Artist Internet Research Project: Timeline

Students apply their knowledge of how to find specific information about a topic on the Internet using an outline created by the class prior to the lesson. Using this outline, the students will create a chronological timeline of the artist's life on MSPublisher.

Format: lesson plan (grade 7–8 English Language Arts, Visual Arts Education, and Computer Technology Skills)

By Gail Dreis.

Resource Recon

Teams of students will search for the answers to questions using various information resources. The questions will be in categories such as: biography, current events, historical events, geography, language. Besides competing for the fastest answer, the students will learn (1) how to use the resource effectively, and (2) which resource is best for finding different types of information.

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

By Keith Dudley.

Survival! A Lesson for Language Arts and Novice ESL Students

Students brainstorm to orally identify and agree upon ten elements necessary for survival. Students will create a categorized chart of the items necessary for survival. Using the chart and working within groups, students will use the chart to create a Survival board game.

This lesson serves well as an introductory activity for students who will read a novel with a setting in another country or culture, or as the basis of comparing two different time periods or cultures.

It is modified for the Novice High English Language Learner.

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

By Cynthia Moretz.

Zoo integrated unit

The unit uses the North Carolina Zoological Park as a teaching tool rather than as a nice place to visit. It can be used by a single teacher or multiple teachers of different subjects, and it is aimed at 7th and 8th graders.

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 Information Skills, English Language Arts, Social Studies, Computer Technology Skills, Mathematics, and Science)

By Craig Smith.

Lesson plans on the web

Avalanche, Aztek, or Bravada? A connotation mini-lesson

In this lesson that introduces connotation in literature, students examine familiar car names (such as Avalanche, Aztek, Bravada, Suburban or Vue) for underlying meaning. (Learn more)

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

Provider: IRA/NCTE

Beyond the story: A Dickens of a party

Students understand the values and customs that Dickens' characters represented in Victorian society by virtually attending a 19th-Century party as a character from Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 7 English Language Arts and Computer Technology Skills)

Provider: IRA/NCTE

Campaigning for fair use: Public service announcements on copyright awareness

In this lesson that introduces issues of fair usage and copyright laws, students create audio public service announcements that can be broadcast over the school's public address system or published as podcasts on the Internet. (Learn more)

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

Provider: IRA/NCTE

Can the chiru be saved?

In this Xpeditions lesson, students are introduced to the chiru of Tibet. A small deerlike animal, the chiru is endangered because it is hunted and killed for its luxurious wool. (Learn more)

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

Provider: National Geographic

Choose your own adventure: A Hypertext writing experience

In this lesson that focuses on reading and writing, students discuss various stories and plan their own adventure story. (Learn more)

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

Provider: IRA/NCTE

Cooking up descriptive language: Designing restaurant menus

In this lesson students explore the genre of menus by analyzing existing menus from local restaurants and creating their own original menus. (Learn more)

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

Provider: IRA/NCTE

Deep-sea technology

Students will discuss the story of the biblical flood and the theory of how the flood may have occurred. (Learn more)

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

Provider: National Geographic

Entering history: Nikki Giovanni and Martin Luther King, Jr.

Students read Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech in conjunction with Nikki Giovanni’s poem “The Funeral of Martin Luther King, Jr.” in order to better understand the speech and the impact it had on observers like Giovanni during the Civil Rights movement and Americans today. (Learn more)

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

Provider: IRA/NCTE

Expository escapade-Detective's handbook

In this lesson, students combine reading the detective fiction genre with expository writing. (Learn more)

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

Provider: IRA/NCTE