Seventh Grade Language Arts

Reading in seventh grade consists mainly of the use of trade books to build comprehension.  Books usually used are The Black Pearl, Old Yeller, Cheaper by the Dozen, Hatchet, The Diary of Anne Frank, Johnny Tremain and Tom Sawyer.  Also, each student reports on a biography chosen from our school library.  Generally, the books are divided into manageable reading assignments, which are followed by discussion and quizzes.  Projects may also be assigned when appropriate.

Grammar follows the usual pattern—parts of speech, the study of simple, complex, and compound sentences, capitalization, and punctuation.  Besides practice from the textbook, seventh graders get practice in diagramming sentences, which forces students to analyze each word in the sentence.

Writing takes many forms.  A standardized writing test in March may assess descriptive, persuasive, or expository writing.  The students, therefore, prepare by practicing each type of writing prior to that test.  Point-of-view writing is used throughout the year as the students respond to questions in social studies and reading.  Seventh graders also write short stories for submission to the Burlington Writers Club contest, and they write several essays throughout the year.

Research is accomplished by their reporting in the form of a scrapbook of a scientist or political figure.  The students must take notes, keep a bibliography, and create pages of a scrapbook to report their researched facts.  They do not create facts; they report facts creatively.

The study of vocabulary is prevalent in the novel studies, social studies and science curricula, and in Sadlier-Oxford’s Vocabulary Workshop: Level B.  Words in this textbook are similar to those found in SATs or ACTs that are given in high school.

Assessment is based on quizzes or tests in reading, grammar, writing, and vocabulary.  These tests may be teacher-produced, standardized, or from the book publishers.  In addition to tests, grades may be assigned to daily assignments when there has been sufficient instruction and practice of a skill.