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Mrs. Luke. 7 th grade English 2011-2012. What guides the 7 th grade English curriculum?. Complementing & reinforcing other 7 th grade curricula Differentiation of content & products Student choice Creativity & personal expression 21 st Century Language Arts skills Fun!.
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Mrs. Luke 7th grade English2011-2012
What guides the 7th grade English curriculum? • Complementing & reinforcing other 7th grade curricula • Differentiation of content & products • Student choice • Creativity & personal expression • 21st Century Language Arts skills • Fun!
Complementing & Reinforcing • With American History curriculum: • Civil War novel – Red Moon at Sharpsburg • Immigration – Family Story Project • Great Depression novel – Out of the Dust • Holocaust memoirs – All But My Life / I Have Lived a Thousand Years • With Drama curriculum: • Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night • With Art curriculum: • First Grade Book
Differentiation • Finding appropriate challenges for each student while meeting content/skills goals • Various student groupings (small vs. large vs. leveled) • Opportunity to compact – read faster, independent research • Choice for final projects (various skill levels) • Literature Circles: something for everybody to learn & share • Teacher-selected reading groups (Holocaust memoirs) • Helping students to find appropriate “choice” books
Student Choice—a few examples • Research projects—What do I want to learn about… • the Civil War? • my family’s history & family stories? • WWII and the Holocaust? • End-of-unit projects—How will I show what I know? • Draw/animate a cartoon? Perform a skit? Write a story? • Do I want to work by myself or with a buddy? • What do I want to write about? • Which quote from my book inspires me? • Where will this story starter go? • Which poem speaks to me? • Which book should I read next?
Creativity…takes practice! • From conceptual to concrete • Wordly Wise drawings & skits • Grammar commercials • Twelfth Night “movie” stills • First Grade Book – story & illustrations • If you can dream it, you can do it (eventually). • Creative problem solving &technology
Language Arts in the 21st Century • Write, edit, e-conference on laptops • Research with online databases & websites • Online grammar resources, videos, & quizzes • PowerPoint presentations • Photoshop – images & text • Flip cameras & Premiere Elements video / sound editing software • Web 2.0 – Notaland.com – collaborative multimedia presentations • SMART Board
7th grade English is FUN! • Work with partners & groups • Grammar songs • Creative writing & dynamic projects • Poetry coffeehouse • Use technology to enhance learning • Variety—we do it all • Reading: novels, poetry, play, memoir • Writing: short stories, oral history narrative, poetry, skits, essays, literature summary & analysis
It’s ALL on the website! • Classwork & Homework assignments for the whole week • Handouts–instructions, grading rubrics, notes • Links for extra help with writing, vocabulary, grammar, spelling • Links/audio to explore & enrich units of study • GREAT IDEAS FOR DINNER TABLE DISCUSSIONS!