Forest Hills School District

Planned Course of Study

Course Number & Title: English Language Arts 7Length of Period: 42 min

Grade Level: 7Periods per Week: 5 Length of Course: 36 weeksCredit Value: 1

Course Description and Objectives
The course will integrate the following:
  • Reading Informational Text (1.2) - Students read, understand, and respond to informational text with emphasis on comprehension, vocabulary acquisition, and making connections among ideas and between texts with a focus on textual evidence.
  • Reading Literature (1.3) - Students read and respond to works of literature – with emphasis on comprehension, vocabulary acquisition, making connections among ideas and between texts with focus on textual evidence.
  • Writing(1.4) - Students write for different purposes and audiences. Students write clear and focused text to convey well-defined perspective and appropriate content.
  • Informative/Explanatory
  • Opinion/Argumentative
  • Narrative
  • Response to Literature
  • Writing Process
  • Conducting Research
  • Credibility, Reliability, and Validity of Sources
  • Range of Writing
  • Speaking and Listening (1.5) - Students present appropriately in formal speaking situations, listen critically, and respond intelligently as individuals or in group discussions.

Materials
Texts:
Holt Elements of Literature (First Course) and Ancillary Materials
PSSA Performance Coach 7
Fiction:
The Call of the Wild
Black Ships Before Troy: The Story of the Iliad
Nonfiction:
Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad
Nonfiction articles related to topics of study
Extensions:
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths

The Greek Gods
Alive
Integration of Technology
LCD Projector
Interactive Whiteboard
Computer Labs
Websites Including Study Island, Quizlet, and Newsela
Classroom Diagnostic Tools
Google Apps for Education
Various Forms of Multimedia Including Streaming Video, DVDs, and Audio Recordings

Grading Scale

Regular Course / A: 92-100%
B: 91-82%
C: 81-72%
D: 71-63%
F: 63-0%
Writing Schematic
Grammar Focus / In the context of writing with differentiation supported through the use of Study Island
Argumentative / Fundamentals of claims and counterclaims
Narrative / Alternate Ending
Informative / Age related topics
Text Dependent Analysis / Ongoing practice responding to level 3 and 4 questions that ask students to analyze, critique, synthesize, prove, and connect various topics of the text(s)
Research / Integrated research assignments requiring the use of inquiry based questioning, MLA basics, multiple sources, graphic organizers and/or outlines, and the writing process
Creative Writing / Poetry, Mythology