2014-2015 Curriculum Blueprint
Grade:
7
Course: ELA
Unit 2: Explanatory Writing/Literary Elements/Word Meaning
Lexile Band 925L-1185L
Approximate
Time:
25 days
Unit Overview
In this unit, students will have the opportunity to examine stories with cultural significance. Students will understand how literary elements influence one another in a story and
how figurative and connotative words and phrases impact the story. Once students identify the literary elements used to develop a story and how these elements affect one
another, students will be able to analyze how folklore has shaped today’s society.
Learning Goal
Essential Question
Students will identify literary elements within text and analyze how elements interact 1. How do the story elements interact with one another in the text?
and shape one another. Student will be able to analyze figurative and connotative
2. How does the author’s use of specific types of figurative language and connotations
words and phrases to determine the impact of word choice on the story.
affect the meaning of a text?
Link to Learning Scale
3. How do rhyming and alliteration affect the mood and tone of a text?
Writing Standards
UNIT 2 Published Product
7. W.1.2 (DOK 4) Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and After reading and drafting short responses to the text, engage in a collaborative
discussion to analyze each mini unit (fables, myths, folk tales). Speaking and Listening 4
convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization,
Point Rubric (pg.120)
and analysis of relevant content.
AND
a. Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow; organize ideas,
After reading How the Snake Got Poison, write a 2-paragraph extended response on
concepts, and information, using strategies such as definition, classification,
why folklore is important to society. Include the effect of dialect on the story, as well as
comparison/contrast, and cause/effect; include formatting (e.g., headings),
how it relates to Florida history. Provide specific examples of folklore elements, word
graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding
choices, and cultural significance from the text. Extended Response Rubric (pg.22)
comprehension.
OR
b. Develop the topic with relevant facts, definitions, concrete details,
Students choose one mini unit to write an explanatory essay that discusses the purpose
quotations, or other information and examples.
of cultural literature, explaining how the story functions in society and including
authentic words and phrases from the text. Students should use constructed responses,
c. Use appropriate transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships
objective summaries, or extended response as prewriting.
among ideas and concepts.
Informative Explanatory Writing Rubric (pg.1-2)
d. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or
explain the topic.
Reading Standards
LAFS.7.RL.1.3 (DOK 3) Analyze how particular elements of a story or drama interact (e.g., how
setting shapes the characters or plot).
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Describe elements of a story or drama.
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Identify interactions between elements.
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Identify changes in elements of the story or drama.
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Analyze how elements of a story or drama interact.
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Analyze how a change in one element shapes another.
LAFS.7.RL.2.4 (DOK 3) Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text,
including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of rhymes and repetitions of
sounds (e.g. alliteration) on a specific verse or stanza of a poem or section of a story or drama.
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Identify figurative words and phrases and connotative words and phrases
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Identify rhymes and repetitions of sounds, including alliteration, in a story or drama
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Interpret figurative and connotative meanings
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Analyze the impact of rhymes and repetitions in a story or drama
October 2014
Vertical Progression
6.RL.1.3 Describe how a particular story’s or drama’s plot unfolds in a series of episodes
as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution
8.RL.1.3 Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama propel
the action, reveal aspects of a character, or provoke a decision
6.RL.2.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text,
including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word
choice on meaning and tone.
8.RL.2.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text,
including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word
choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to other texts
Speaking and Listening Standards
7.SL.2.4 (DOK 2) Present claims and findings, sequencing ideas logically and using
pertinent descriptions, facts, and details to accentuate main ideas or themes; use
appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.
Language Standards
7. L.1.2 (DOK 2) Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English
capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
a. Use a comma to separate coordinate adjectives
b. Spell correctly
7. L.3.5 (DOK 3) Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships,
and nuances in word meanings.
a. Interpret figures of speech (e.g. literary, Biblical, and mythological allusions) in
context.
b. Use the relationship between particular words (e.g. synonym/antonym) to better
understand each of the words.
c. Distinguish among the connotations of words with similar denotations
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Literary Texts
Prentice Hall LITERATURE Unit 6-Introducing the Unit pp. 901-906
Prentice Hall LITERATURE Unit 6-Oral Traditions Grasshopper Logic and
duckbilled platypus vs. beefsnakstik pages 907-911
Pearson Hall LITERATURE Unit 6-Oral Traditions – Icarus and Daedalus pages
913-921. Lexile 1110
Pearson Hall LITERATURE Unit 6-Oral Traditions – How the Snake Got Poison
pages 998-1003. Lexile 900
Pearson Hall LITERATURE Unit 6-Oral Traditions – Vocabulary Workshop pages
1052-1053
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Lexile 1030 – or other novel with political and
cultural connections and folk tale elements 1st half of novel
Write Source – pages 157-169
Literary Tasks
LAFS.7.RL.1.3 (DOK 3) After reading Grasshopper Logic and duckbilled platypus vs. beefsnakstik,
write a one-paragraph constructed response in which you analyze the elements of fables and
how those elements shape the outcomes of the stories. Provide 3-5 supporting details from the
text to support your answer. Constructed Response Rubric (pg.118)
LAFS.7.RL.2.4 (DOK 3) After reading Icarus and Daedalus and Phaethon, write a one-paragraph
objective summary in which you analyze the effects of figurative and connotative words and
phrases in shaping cultural values. Provide 3-5 supporting details from the text to support your
answer. Objective Summary Guideline
LAFS.7.RL.1.3 (DOK 3) After reading the first half of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, write a
constructed response in which you analyze the development of plot, characters, and setting.
Discuss what makes the text significant to the time period in which it was written. Provide 3-5
supporting details from the text to support your answer.
LAFS.7.RL.2.4 (DOK 3) Locate figurative and connotative words and phrases in The Wonderful
Wizard of Oz. Write an objective summary in which you analyze the impact of the author’s word
choice on theme and main idea. Provide 3-5 supporting details from the text to support your
answer.
Acceptable Response, Task Demand & Sample Item Stems 7.RL.1.3 (pg. 7-9)
Acceptable Response, Task Demand & Sample Item Stems 7.RL.2.4 (pg. 10-13)
*Teachers should use these pages to ensure daily tasks meet the standard; teachers can also use
test item stems as a mini assessment of student achievement.
Higher Order Questions Link to Webb’s DOK Guide
LAFS.7.RL.1.3 (DOK 3)
*How does __ (ex: setting) shape the __ (characters, plot, resolution)?
*How might __ (ex: characters, plot) be different if __?
What is the impact of __’s personality on the plot? Cite textual evidence.
*How do the interactions between the characters shape the text?
*How does the author the story elements to create __?
October 2014
LAFS.7.RL.2.4 (DOK 3)
*What is the meaning of __ in paragraph __? Which words help you understand the
meaning of __?
*What is the effect of using the word __ in paragraph __?
*What is the impact of the repetition of the word __ ?
*How does the use of the phrase __ shape the tone or meaning of the text?
*Why might the author have used the rhyme scheme he/she does?
*What connotations are made based on the author’s word choice?