Standard Course of Study :: English Language Arts — Grade 7

LEARN NC

K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

Goal 6

The learner will apply conventions of application of grammar and language usage.

Objective 6.01

Model an understanding of conventional written and spoken expression by:

  • using a variety of sentences correctly, punctuating them properly, and avoiding fragments and run-ons.
  • using subject-verb agreement and verb tense that are appropriate for the meaning of the sentence.
  • applying the parts of speech to clarify language usage.
  • using pronouns correctly, including clear antecedents and correct case.
  • using phrases and clauses correctly, including proper punctuation (e.g., prepositional phrases, appositives, dependent and independent clauses).
  • determining the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary words using context clues, a dictionary, a glossary, a thesaurus, and/or structural analysis (roots, prefixes, suffixes) of words.
  • extending vocabulary knowledge by learning and using new words.
  • determining when and where dialects and standard/nonstandard English usage are appropriate.
  • applying language conventions and usage during oral presentations.
  • choosing language that is precise, engaging, and well suited to the topic and audience.
  • experimenting with figurative language and speech patterns.

Resources aligned to this objective

The ABC's 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.
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.
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 Information Skills, English Language Arts, and English Language Development)
By Janet Fore.
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.
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 and Computer Technology Skills)
By Teachers Connect.
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 English Language Arts, Visual Arts Education, and English Language Development)
By Runell Carpenter.
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.
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.
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 7–8 English Language Arts)
By Donna Harkey.

Lesson plans on the web

ABC bookmaking builds vocabulary in the content areas
Engages and motivates students in building content area vocabulary through the creation of ABC books. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 6–7 English Language Arts)
Provider: IRA/NCTE
Action is character: Exploring character traits with adjectives
Students “become” one of the major characters in a book and describe themselves and other characters using lists of accurate, powerful adjectives. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 6–7 English Language Arts)
Provider: IRA/NCTE
Alphabiography project: Totally you
In this lesson, students write alphabiographies recording an event, person, object, or feeling associated with each letter of the alphabet after reading Totally Joe by James Howe. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 6–7 English Language Arts)
Provider: IRA/NCTE
Analyzing advice as an introduction to Shakespeare
Students read and analyze the advice given in Mary Schmich's 1997 Chicago Tribune column “Advice, Like Youth, Probably Just Wasted on the Young,” as an introduction to studying the advice that Polonius gives to Laertes in Shakespeare's Hamlet. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 7 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
Book report alternative: Comic strips and cartoon squares
This lesson incorporates student handouts and a comic creator interactive to encourage student creativity and expression. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 6–7 English Language Arts)
Provider: IRA/NCTE
Book report alternative: Creating a childhood for a character
In this lesson, students examine the character traits of an adult character in a book they have read, create a childhood for the character, and describe that childhood in the form of a short story, journal entry, or time capsule letter. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 English Language Arts)
Provider: IRA/NCTE
Book report alternative: Summary, symbol, and analysis in bookmarks
Students practice summarizing, recognizing symbols, and writing reviews—all while writing for an authentic audience. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 7 English Language Arts)
Provider: IRA/NCTE
Book reviews, annotation, and web technology
Students will write a group book review, write short research papers as annotations for their reviews, and post the review to the web, demonstrating the synchronicity of hypertext. (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
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