ELA-Grade07-Unit01-UnitTemplate
Revised: 9/22/2016
SYRACUSE CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
Grade 07 Unit 01 Unit Template
Character
21 Instructional Days
Reading Standards: RL.7.2, RL.7.3, RL.7.4
UNIT DESCRIPTION
This fiction unit asks students to read deeply across a variety of literary texts with an emphasis on theme and character.
Students interpret, analyze, and evaluate short stories and a novel to study how an author develops a theme over the
course of a text, as well as how a character is developed and contributes to the theme. Students learn and apply
methods of literary analysis throughout the unit paying particular attention to how elements of a story interact. In
addition, students need to determine the figurative and connotative meanings of words and consider the significant
influence of the author’s word choice as a whole on the text’s tone or overall meaning.
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ELA-Grade07-Unit01-UnitTemplate
CCSS
Coded Standard
(Concepts are underlined, Skills are
capitalized)
DETERMINE a theme or central idea
of a text and ANALYZE its
development over the course of
the text; provide an objective
summary of the text.
Concept Elaboration
(Pre-requisite concepts/skills, what this standard looks like in
the learning progression)
Students will need to combine these skills and concepts:
-Have a mental bank of possible themes
-Understand that theme is a central idea the author
presents about life, human nature, or society
-Understand theme can be applied to various texts
-Explain theme by providing examples throughout the
course of the text (character development, turning point)
-Understand the concept of an objective summary
To summarize a text seventh graders need to:
-Determine relevant details
-Include overarching themes
-Exclude personal opinions or judgments
Assessment Questions
(How this standard is assessed in the
end of unit assessment)
Question 3 (4 Point Rubric)
Explain one theme from the excerpt,
Tamar. Provide an objective summary
of the story that shows clear examples
of the theme and how it is developed
over the course of the text. Be sure to
include relevant details and examples
from throughout the text to support
your analysis. (RL.7.2)
RL.7.3
ANALYZE how particular elements of
a story or drama interact (e.g., how
setting shapes the characters or
plot).
Students will need to combine these skills and concepts:
-Identify story elements
-Understand that elements of a text interact and influence
each other in multiple ways
-Explain how story elements affect each other using
relevant details from text
RL.7.4
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 other
repetitions of sounds (e.g.,
alliteration) on a specific verse or
stanza of a poem or section of a
story or drama.
Students will need to combine these skills and concepts:
-Understand the meaning of a word can be determined
from context clues
-Differentiate between connotative and figurative
meanings
-Explain the impact of figurative language elements on
specific text
-Mental bank of literary text structure
-Identify details that support meaning
-Describe impact of word choice on meaning and tone
Question 1 (2 Point Rubric)
Identify some of the difficulties that
Tamar’s grandfather is having with his
wife. How do these difficulties
influence his character? Be sure to
use relevant details from the text to
support your answer. (RL.7.3)
Question 2 (2 Point Rubric)
Reread the following sentences from
the text.
RL.7.2
He loved her. It was dead simple, the
way he loved her. Seamless. His love
was like a wall that he’d built around
her, and there wasn’t a chink or flaw
in it.
Explain what this quote means.
Describe how this quote impacts the
meaning of the text. Be sure to use
relevant details from the text to
support your answer. (RL.7.4)
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ELA-Grade07-Unit01-UnitTemplate
Language Standards: L.7.1a, 7.2a
*See Language and Grammar Instructional Plan Below
Spiraled Reading Standards: RL.7.1, RL.7.10
Embedded Writing Standards: W.7.2, W.7.4, W.7.9, W.7.10
Embedded Speaking and Listening Standards: SL.7.1, SL.7.4, SL.7.6
Embedded Language Standards: L.7.2b, L.7.3, L.7.6
Assessment Links
Unit Assessment (Modified Unit Assessment for Beginner ELL)
Rubrics and Scoring Guide Links
ELA-Gr07-Unit02 Reading Assessment Question One Rubric-Exemplar
ELA-Gr07-Unit02 Reading Assessment Question Two Rubric-Exemplar
ELA-Gr07-Unit02 Reading Assessment Question Three Rubric-Exemplar
Supplementary Text
Picture books:
 Mr. Peabody’s Apples by Madonna
Anchor Text
Novel
 A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park (Lexile 720)
Poems (from Appendix B):
 “Paul Revere’s Ride” by Longfellow

“The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost
Informational Text(s)
 Building Background – Dinka and Nuer Tribes Until the mid 1980s
 Time Trip - Lost Boys of Sudan
 Time Trip – Sudan’s Civil War Article
Short Stories:
 “The Good Samaritan” by Rene Saldana Jr. (Lexile 730)

“Thank You, M’am” by Langston Hughes (Lexile 850)
Big Ideas
Readers explore character’s complexities.
The author uses the plot to develop the theme throughout the text.
Story elements interact/ influence each other to develop the plot.
The author’s word choice impacts the meaning of texts.
Essential Questions
In what ways does an author help readers to understand theme?
How do authors develop characters throughout their stories?
Vocabulary
Anchor Charts
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ELA-Grade07-Unit01-UnitTemplate
Analyze
 Interact
Story Elements
Character
 Objective
Character Traits 1
Character traits (examples
 Plot
Character Traits 2
specific to the characters in
 Setting
Bank of Themes
the texts)
 Summary
Plot Diagram
 Determine
 Theme
Open Mind Portrait
 Impact
 Subjective
 Inference
Teaching Resources:
Selecting Tier 2 Words: Beck Resource (Go to Resources. Scroll down to Choosing Words to Teach. Specifically refer to the chart on pg. 19)



Vocabulary Instruction: Cracking the Code
(From The Thoughtful Classroom Portfolio Series - Word Works: Cracking Vocabulary’s Code)
Word Walls
Vocabulary Strategies
Checks for Understanding Techniques
Questioning Strategies to Engage All Learners
Gradual Release Model: Teacher Models (I do), Teacher & student together (We do…), Students collaboratively, Students independently (You do…)
Gradual Release of Responsibility
Conferencing with Students Observations of groups/pairs working together on tasks
Chunk 1
Outcome:
Readers develop an understanding of a story
by noticing how story elements influence and
interact with each other.
Teaching Points:
1.1-1.6
CCLS Standards:
RL.7.3
Outcome Assessment #1
Unit Framework
Chunk 2
Outcome:
Readers develop a theme using relevant details
from throughout the text.
Chunk 3
Outcome:
Readers can analyze an author’s choice of
words or phrases that shape the text.
Teaching Points:
1.7-1.12
CCLS Standards:
RL.7.2
Outcome Assessment #2
Teaching Points:
1.13-1.16
CCLS Standards:
RL.7.4
Outcome Assessment #3
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ELA-Grade07-Unit01-UnitTemplate
Standard/
Outcome
7.3 Explain how
story elements
influence each
other and/or
interact with
each other
Teaching Points
(Lesson Objectives)
1.1 Readers pause to share
what they know about story
elements (characters, setting,
plot).
1.2 Readers pay attention to
what the characters do, say,
and think to determine
character traits.
1.3 Readers are always
tracking ways that different
story elements interact. One
way to do this is to ask:
- Which element feels most
important? Is driving the story?
1.4 Readers also track story
elements by paying attention
to ways that they influence
each other.
- In what ways does one
Checks for Understanding
Supports and Scaffolds
*The Checks for Understanding
can be used as a Quick Write or
the focus of a discussion with
the whole class, small groups, or
partners.
Graphic Organizers-Story Maps,
Sequencing Chart, Cite evidence
www.readingquest.org
(Go to strategies and scroll down
to History Frames/Story Maps)
Students oral/written description
of story elements (can be a
graphic organizer or note guide
that students use throughout
the text) Quick Write: What do
you know so far about
characters/setting/plot?
Turn and talk: What do you
know about the character so
far? How do you know this?
Gathering Evidence-Character
Development-A Long Walk to
Water
OR (depending on the text
used)
Gathering Evidence-Character
Development
Characterization2
Quick Write: Which element
feels most important to the
development of the story? Use
evidence from the text to
support your answer.
Quick Write: Which element
feels most important to the
development of the story? In
what ways does this element of
the story influence or interact
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Provide students with visuals and
visual representations of text
content.
Sentence Starters:
 In this part of the text,
(character) was acting…,
but now (character) is
acting…
 (Character) says… and this
means…
 (Character) does… and
this means…
(1.3-1.6) Where applicable,
provide opportunities for students
to use drawings to represent
thinking. (Support students with
transfer of visuals to written
expression.)
Quick Write/Quick Draw
Four More
Students can keep track of the
story elements and how they
influence each other.
Instructional Resources
& Tools
Character Trait List
Learnzillion Lesson:
Defining plot elements
of a fictional narrative
(The resources
attached to the
Learnzillion lessons can
be downloaded into a
powerpoint or created
into a handout.
Teachers can use
these as instructional
tools for themselves or
use with students as
they see fit.)
Glencoe Literary
Elements Transparency
#50 (Plot)
Learnzillion Lesson:
Develop ideas about a
character by analyzing
what he does, says
and thinks
Learnzillion: Growing
ideas about character
traits
ELA-Grade07-Unit01-UnitTemplate
Standard/
Outcome
Teaching Points
(Lesson Objectives)
element influence the others?
(For example, in the book
Hatchet, the setting is the
element influencing the other
story elements.)
1.5 Readers will develop an
understanding of story
elements by noticing how a
character’s actions and
reaction to conflict influences
the plot.
1.6 Readers develop an
understanding of story
elements by asking how the
plot/characters would be
different if there was a
different setting.
1.7 Readers generate ideas
about the theme of a text by
asking, “What is this mostly
about? What is the author
saying about the topic?”
Checks for Understanding
Supports and Scaffolds
Instructional Resources
& Tools
with the others?
Quick Write: How do a
character’s actions and
reactions to the conflict
influence the story?
Quick Write: How would the
plot/character be different if
the setting was _______________
(For example, in Hatchet, how
would the plot/character be
different if story took place in
the desert, or the tundra).
Identification of accurate and
inaccurate themes. Quick
Write: What is this starting to be
about?
7.2 Determine a
relevant theme
or central idea
Gathering Text EvidenceA Long Walk to Water
OR (depending on the text used)
Gathering Text Evidence
Write different settings on index
cards. Hand out to students and
ask them to write about how the
plot/characters would be different
in that setting.
Have students come up with a
different setting and work with a
partner to discuss how it impacts
the story.
Simultaneous RoundTable
Getting the Gist Protocol
Readers may use/need prompts
like:
 Sometimes people… but
instead people should…
 Don’t forget that even when…
you should…
 Even if… you should…
 Often in life it seems…
Theme Bank: Class can generate
possible or common themes.
These themes can be used as an
Page 6
Guiding Questions
Handout
Things Close Readers
Do Bookmarks
The Teaching Channel:
Teaching Theme
Analysis in Layers
Finding THE MEssage:
Grasping Themes in
Literature
ELA-Grade07-Unit01-UnitTemplate
Standard/
Outcome
Teaching Points
(Lesson Objectives)
1.8 Readers uncover the
theme by identifying frequent
patterns and repeated details
throughout the text.
Think-Ink-Pair-Share:
What patterns keep coming
up? What might the author be
showing us with these patterns?
1.9 Readers develop a theme
for the text by analyzing the
text for relevant details.
Identification of relevant
supporting details to support
the theme.
Quick Write: What information
do you have? What does it
make you think? How does it
relate to earlier parts of the
text? How does it relate to the
theme?
1.10 Readers continue
developing a theme of the
text by analyzing the text for
relevant details.
7.4 Analyze the
impact of word
choice on text
Checks for Understanding
1.11 Readers understand that
theme develops throughout
the text in some type of logical
order.
1.12 Readers develop an
objective summary by
applying relevant details from
the beginning, middle, and
end of the text.
Appropriate organization of
relevant events/details.
1.13 Readers explore word
choice by paying attention to
the words an author uses and
the meaning of those words in
context.
Quick Write: Which words feel
important? What do they
suggest?
Objective summary of text.
Page 7
Supports and Scaffolds
anchor chart for support when
students are choosing a theme.
See above for a sample anchor
chart of possible themes.
T-Chart:
I think…because the text says…
*Students should decide on a
theme that they want to develop.
They may choose from the bank of
themes or the anchor chart.
Student prompts:
The idea about _____ comes up
again; for example…
I just read _____; that fits with the
earlier part because…
Instructional Resources
& Tools
Learnzillion Lesson:
Determine the theme
of the text
Glencoe Literary
Elements Transparency
#50 (Plot), #70
(Theme)
Double Entry Journal: with theme
on LEFT and relevant details on
RIGHT.
Supporting Theme
Graphic Organizers:
 Sequence Events
 Sequencing Graphic Organizer
 Storyboard
Use a copy of the text for students
to highlight
Use the sequencing graphic
organizers to write the summary.
Accordion Graphic Organizer
Student prompts:
 One word that jumped out to
me was _____; this shows…
 I’m noticing a pattern in words;
they all….
Learnzillion Lesson:
Analyze a key word or
phrase to interpret the
story
ELA-Grade07-Unit01-UnitTemplate
Standard/
Outcome
Teaching Points
(Lesson Objectives)
Checks for Understanding
Supports and Scaffolds
Using different text sections for
different groups of students (for
example teachers can use the
Read and Write workbooks for
Amigo Brothers).
Instructional Resources
& Tools
Juicy Sentences
Lily Wong Fillmore
Choosing Juicy
Sentences
Figurative Language
Powerpoint
1.14 Readers explore word
choice by comparing the
meaning when different words
are substituted into the text
and asking why the author
chose those words.
Ticket Out the Door (Admit and
Exit Ticket Protocol): Expressing
the meaning of words in
context and how it changes
with different words.
1.15 Readers identify when an
author uses figurative
language by locating
examples in the text.
(metaphors, similes, alliteration,
personification, etc.
depending on the text used)
Ticket Out the Door:
Write an example of figurative
language from the text and
provide an explanation. Write
an original example.
1.16 Readers can explain what
effect figurative language has
by asking, “Why does the
author use this device?”
Quick Write: Why did the author
use this device? What is he/she
trying to achieve by doing so?
Page 8
Student Prompts:
 If the author used…
instead of…, then the
meaning would be
different because…
 The author used…
because…
Questions to Consider:
 Why did the author use this
word?
 What if the author used…?
How does the meaning
change?
 How to Identify Figurative
Language
 Figurative Language Matching
Activity
 Identifying Figurative
Language 1
 Identifying Figurative
Language 1 Answers
 Identifying Figurative
Language 2
 Identifying Figurative
Language 2 Answers
Use the examples from the
activities above to have students
explain what they mean.
ELA-Grade07-Unit01-UnitTemplate
7th Grade Unit 2
Language and Grammar Instructional Plan
Week 1
Language Standard (s)
L.7.1.a
Explain the function of
phrases and clauses in
general and their function
in specific sentences.
*Focus this week is on
phrases.
Day One
Explicit Skill
Instruction
8-10 minutes
Day Two
Guided Practice/
Partner Activity
10-15 minutes
Glencoe Grammar
and Language
Transparency 4, 23
Glencoe Grammar
and Composition
Handbook
Practice Sets:
 Identifying
Prepositiona
l Phrases,
pgs. 175-176
 Identifying
Pronouns as
Objects of
Prepositions,
pg. 177
 Identifying
Adjective
and Adverb
Phrases, pg.
179
Glencoe Grammar
and Composition
Handbook
Read pgs. 174-178
Week 2
L.7.1.a
Explain the function of
phrases and clauses in
general and their function
in specific sentences.
Explicit Skill
Instruction
8-10 minutes
Guided Practice/
Partner Activity
10-15 minutes
Glencoe Grammar
Glencoe Grammar
Page 9
Day Three
Independent
Practice/ Do-ItNow
5 minutes
Day Four
Review/ Small
Group Instruction/
Reteach
10-15 minutes
Homework Practice
10-15 minutes
Glencoe Grammar
and Language
Workbook (Online
Link)
Pgs. 141-146 as
needed
Day Five
Assessment
10 minutes
Glencoe Grammar
and Language
Handbook
Pg. 187, first set only
Flashcard Practice
Independent
Practice/ Do-ItNow
5 minutes
Glencoe Grammar
Review/ Small
Group Instruction/
Reteach
10-15 minutes
Assessment
10 minutes
Glencoe Grammar
and Language
ELA-Grade07-Unit01-UnitTemplate
Language Standard (s)
*Focus this week is on
clauses.
Day One
and Language
Transparency 47, 48
Glencoe Grammar
and Composition
Handbook
Read pgs. 192-195,
197-201
Week 3
L.7.2.a
Use a comma to
separate coordinate
adjectives (e.g., It was a
fascinating, enjoyable
movie but not He wore an
old, green shirt).
Explicit Skill
Instruction
8-10 minutes
Resource from
Perdue Owl
Rule #6
Day Two
and Composition
Handbook
Practice Sets:
 Identifying
Adjective
Clauses, pg.
196
 Identifying
and
Punctuating
Adjective
Clauses, pg.
198
 Identifying
Adverb
Clauses,
pgs. 199-200
 Identifying
Noun
Clauses, pg.
201
Guided Practice/
Partner Activity
10-15 minutes
Day Three
and Composition
Handbook
Proofreading
Practice, pg. 202
Day Four
Glencoe Grammar
and Language
Workbook (Online
Link)
Pgs. 153-162 as
needed
Day Five
Workbook (Online
Link)
Unit Review
Pg. 163 only
Independent
Practice/ Do-ItNow
5 minutes
Review/ Small
Group Instruction/
Reteach
10-15 minutes
Assessment
10 minutes
Homework Practice
10-15 minutes
Additional
Resource for reteaching
Homework Practice
10-15 minutes
Homework
Resource from Get
It Write
Suggested Pacing Calendar
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
September 24
September 25
September 26
September 27
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ELA-Grade07-Unit01-UnitTemplate
September 30
October 1
October 2
October 3
October 4
October 7
October 8
October 9
October 10
October 11
October 14
October 15
October 16
October 17
October 18
October 22
October 23
October 24
October 25
Unit Assessment
Unit Assessment
No School-Columbus Day
October 21
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