English Language Arts — Grade 7

Which word is it?

Students will determine the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary words using Context Clues, a dictionary, and structural analysis within a game format.

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

By Donna Harkey.

Rest in peace, dead words!

“Dead words,” by my definition, are words students “use to death” in their writing samples. As Language Arts teachers, we can generate a list of such words a mile long. Examples would include: pretty, nice, bad, a lot, and good. This cooperative learning activity is designed to eliminate those repetitious words by providing students with a word bank/wall they can refer to when given a writing assignment.

Format: lesson plan (grade 7 English Language Arts)

By Cynthia Cook.

Learn new words using context

With guided practice students will use context clues to determine meaning of unfamiliar words in short passages. When students have completed the practice activities, they will read a newspaper or magazine article, picking out unfamiliar words and using context clues to decide what the word means. As a group activity they will share the article, the words, and their meanings with the class.

Format: lesson plan (grade 4–8 English Language Arts)

By Betty DeLuca.

Job interviews: Focus on details

In CareerStart lessons: Grade seven, page 1.5

In this lesson for grade seven, students will develop questions and answers for hypothetical job interviews, and will perform job interview skits for the class.

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

By Anissia Jenkins.Adapted by Kenyatta Bennett and Sonya Rexrode.

Grandparent interview

Students will interview a grandparent and write a news article based upon their interview. They will also do research on historical events to develop questions to be asked during the interview.

Format: lesson plan (grade 7 English Language Arts)

By Jim Carson.

Elements of a fable

In this lesson students will examine the elements of a fable. Students will use their understanding of fable elements to create an original fable and present it in dramatic form. This lesson includes modifications and alternative assessments for Advanced Limited English Proficient students.

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

By Kate Boyce.

Decisions, decisions: A career exploration

In CareerStart lessons: Grade seven, page 1.10

In this lesson for grade seven, students complete personality profiles to explore career options, then conduct internet research to learn about specific careers. Students write evaluative essays about the careers they choose.

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

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

Dear Juana: Editing a letter

In CareerStart lessons: Grade seven, page 1.3

In this lesson for grade seven, students will discuss the importance of proofreading and editing in various careers. The teacher will model proofreading and editing a sample letter, and then the students will write and peer-edit their own letters.

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

By Anissia Jenkins.Adapted by Kenyatta Bennett and Sonya Rexrode.

Career vocabulary

In CareerStart lessons: Grade seven, page 1.1

In this lesson for grade seven, students will become familiar with vocabulary related to careers.

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

By Anissia Jenkins.Adapted by Kenyatta Bennett and Sonya Rexrode.

Birds of a feather, an interdisciplinary unit: Language Arts wing

This lesson, which features Mark Twain's “Jim Baker's Blue-jay Yarn,” is part of an interdisciplinary unit on birds that contains math/science and language arts components. In the language arts wing, students will explore dialects and personification through this very entertaining tall tale full of the antics of talking blue-jays.

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

By Janet Fore.

The ABCs of the Three Little Pigs

This lesson uses a familiar fairy tale to teach writing. It is designed to emphasize using varied sentence patterns in writing.

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

By Penny Canipe.

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

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 a word journal to create a personal dictionary

This lesson enables students to track unfamiliar words as they read, link these words to their background knowledge, create new sentences for their words, and develop a final project that displays their new vocabulary. (Learn more)

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

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

She did what? Revising for connotation

In this writing mini-lesson, students examine word choice to effectively portray action in a simple sentence. (Learn more)

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

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

Shared spelling strategies

Students increase their spelling accuracy and their retention by “constructing” spelling using sound, sight recall, and analyzing strategies, among others, instead of memorizing lists of words. (Learn more)

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

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

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

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

Lonely as a cloud: Using poetry to understand similes

As the teacher reads the poem, “Willow and Ginkgo,” students illustrate what is being described and compare their drawings in small groups. Students identify similes in the poem and learn to use similes as a poetic device for description in... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink