2016-2017 Curriculum Blueprint
Grade: 7
Course: M/J Language Arts 2 & M/J Language Arts 2 Advanced
Quarter 3: Writing a Literary Analysis (Collection 2: Perception and Reality)
Test Item Specifications: 7th Grade
Lexile Band: 1060L
Approximate Time
Frame:
9 Weeks
Quarter Overview
By the end of Quarter 3, students will be able to apply the skills they have learned about analyzing texts through close reading to an unfamiliar prompt resulting in the
product of a literary analysis (this is the Required Summative Assessment). The summative assessment, in the Performance Assessment consumable, could be given
over 1 – 2 days at the end of the quarter, depending on the flexibility of your scheduling. The Common Performance Tasks are intended to address the standards of the
quarter while offering choice for students and teachers. A teacher could also assign Common Performance Tasks for scaffolding purposes. These tasks would be
completed near the end of the quarter, and prior to the Required Summative Assessment. Consider using the CPT Option 1 if you have yet to cover poetry analysis, as
the Required Summative Assessment is a literary analysis that includes poetry. There are additional resources for poetry in the Optional Texts and Additional
Resources sections. The Common Performance Tasks may be tweaked by grade level teams during PLC time. Flexibility is granted in order to address specific student,
class, and school needs. The Priority Texts for this quarter focus on the topic of perception and reality – how things in life are not always how we perceive them to be.
The Sample Assignments were chosen to give teachers examples of tasks that support the standards necessary for students to demonstrate proficiency or approach
mastery with the Common Performance Tasks and Summative Assessment; however, these are not meant to be the only assignments for the quarter. The Sample
Assignments can be tweaked and/or additional assignments can be created by grade level PLCs. Should additional texts be needed/desired, it is recommended that
these are chosen with the Focus Standards of the quarter in mind.
* Study and application of vocabulary and grammar are meant to be taught in conjunction with what our students are reading and writing. As such, please utilize the
resources and standards found in the HMH Collections. For testing purposes, there should be a greater emphasis on LAFS.7.L.1.1, 1.2, 3.4, & 3.5.
Common Performance Task (Option 1)
Common Performance Task (Option 2)
Common Performance Task (Option 3)
Analyzing the Model: Literary Analysis
(Performance Assessment, p. 67-106)
Speaking Activity: Discussion or Philosophical Chairs
Write an Expository Essay: Performance Task B
LAFS.7.SL.1.1a-d; LAFS.7.SL.2.4; LAFS.7.SL.2.6
LAFS.7.RL.1.1; LAFS.7.W.1.2; LAFS.7.W.2.4;
LAFS.7.W.2.5; LAFS.7.W.3.8; LAFS.7.W.4.1
LAFS.7.RL.1.1, LAFS.7.RL.1.2, LAFS.7.RL.3.9, LAFS.7.RI.1.1,
LAFS.7.W.1.2, LAFS.7.W.2.4, LAFS.7.W.2.5, LAFS.7.W.3.9,
LAFS.7.L.3.4a
*This task walks students through the process of integrating
information from multiple sources and writing a literary
analysis through synthesizing information presented in
different formats. The texts are topically aligned to the
priority texts for this collection.
Following the Performance Task guidelines on p. 76,
have students work in pairs using a graphic organizer
to compare/contrast which speaker of these two
poems seems more affected by what he perceives.
See Philosophical Chairs for how to introduce this
type of activity in your classroom.
HMH, p. 131
Students will draw from their experience of reading
Sorry, Wrong Number & Another Place, Another Time
in order to write an expository essay that explains
how a single action or even can dramatically change
a person’s perception.
Informative Rubric
Informative Rubric
*Consider allowing students to present the
information digitally, using a Prezi or a PowerPoint
Required Summative Assessment
Performance Assessment: Task 3, Literary Analysis p. 121
LAFS.7.RL.1.1; LAFS.7.RL.1.2; LAFS.7.RL.3.9; LAFS.7.W.1.2; LAFS.7.W.3.9
After reading two poems about poetry, Inside a Poem and Introduction to Poetry, write a literary analysis in which you compare the themes in each poem. Support your
discussion with evidence from the texts.
LDC Template Task IE5
FSA Informative/Explanatory Rubric
Learning Goals
Sample Questions
Note: Sample Essential Questions appear at the beginning of each Collection
Reading: Students will be able to:
Reading:
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Explicitly analyze what a text says.
Formulate inferences from textual material.
Cite resources that support analysis.
Determine a theme or central idea.
Analyze theme or central idea development over the course of a text.
Write/provide an objective summary.
Analyze the structure of a drama or poem.
Analyze the meaning of a drama or poem.
Analyze the relationship between the poem/drama’s form and structure.
Cite details or example where the author develops the point of view of various
characters or narrators.
Compare/contrast points of view of different characters or narrators.
Analyze how the author develops points of view of different characters or the
narrators.
Analyze how the author contrasts different points of view in a single text.
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How can I provide proof of what I have learned from different kinds of text?
How can I use the theme to determine what the work says about the subject of the
text?
How does the text structure help me understand the text?
Why does the structure of the text matter?
How does the text structure of a poem or drama impact meaning of the text?
How can contrasting point of view between characters influence how the story is
told?
Writing:
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How can I use information to express an idea?
How can I use domain-specific vocabulary to express ideas accurately?
How can I use evidence to support my purpose?
Writing: Students will be able to:
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Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic, convey ideas, or explain
concepts and information.
Write with organization.
Organize ideas, concepts, and information using definitions, classifications,
comparison/contrast, and cause/effect.
Write with analysis of relevant content.
Introduce, preview, and develop a topic with relevant facts, definitions,
concrete details, quotations, and examples.
Analyze key ideas and details as evidence of understanding text.
Reflect on key ideas and details as evidence of understanding text.
Cluster of Standards
* Utilize the Deconstructed Standards document for vertical alignment, full standard, standards-based question stems, and examples of unpacking the standard into
specific skills as you progress through the course of the year.
Reading
Writing
Speaking & Listening
Language
LAFS.7.RL.1.1 Cite several pieces of textual
evidence to support analysis of what the text
says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from
the text.
LAFS.7.RL.1.2 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.
LAFS.7.RL.1.3 Analyze how particular elements
of a story or drama interact (e.g., how setting
shapes the characters or plot).
LAFS.7.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 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.
LAFS.7.RL.2.5 Analyze how a drama’s or poem’s
form or structure (e.g., soliloquy, sonnet)
contributes to its meaning.
LAFS.7.RL.3.7 Compare and contrast a written
story, drama, or poem to its audio, filmed,
staged, or multimedia version, analyzing the
effects of techniques unique to each medium
(e.g., lighting, sound, color, or camera focus and
angles in a film).
LAFS.7.RL.3.9 Compare and contrast a fictional
portrayal of a time, place, or character and a
historical account of the same period as a means
of understanding how authors of fiction use or
alter history.
LAFS.7.RL.4.1 By the end of the year, read and
comprehend literature, including stories,
dramas, and poems, in the grades 6–8 text
complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as
needed at the high end of the range.
LAFS.7.W.1.2 Write informative/explanatory
texts to examine a topic and convey ideas,
concepts, and information through the selection,
organization, and analysis of relevant content.
a. Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to
follow; organize ideas, concepts, and
information, using strategies such as definition,
classification, comparison/contrast, and
cause/effect; include formatting (e.g., headings),
graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia
when useful to aiding comprehension.
b. Develop the topic with relevant facts,
definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other
information and examples.
c. Use appropriate transitions to create cohesion
and clarify the relationships among ideas and
concepts.
d. Use precise language and domain-specific
vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.
e. Establish and maintain a formal style.
f. Provide a concluding statement or section that
follows from and supports the information or
explanation presented.
LAFS.7.W.2.4 Produce clear and coherent
writing in which the development, organization,
and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and
audience. (Grade-specific expectations for
writing types are defined in standards 1–3
above.)
LAFS.7.W.3.9 Draw evidence from literary or
informational texts to support analysis,
reflection, and research.
a. Apply grade 7 Reading standards to literature
(e.g., “Compare and contrast a fictional portrayal
of a time, place, or character and a historical
account of the same period as a means of
understanding how authors of fiction use or alter
history”).
b. Apply grade 7 Reading standards to literary
nonfiction (e.g. “Trace and evaluate the
argument and specific claims in a text, assessing
whether the reasoning is sound and the
evidence is relevant and sufficient to support the
claims”).
LAFS.7.SL.1.2 Analyze the main ideas and
supporting details presented in diverse media
and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally)
and explain how the ideas clarify a topic, text, or
issue under study.
LAFS.7.L.3.5 (b) 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, analogy) to better
understand each of the words.
c. Distinguish among the connotations
(associations) of words with similar denotations
(definitions) (e.g., refined, respectful, polite,
diplomatic, condescending).
Priority Texts
The Song of the Wandering Aengus by W. B. Yeats & Sonnet 43 by William
Shakespeare
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Poetry
Lexile: N/A
HMH TE: p. 71A
Focus Standards: LAFS.7.RL.1.2; 2.4; 2.5
Sample Assignments
The Song of the Wandering Aengus & Sonnet 43
Pre-teaching: As the Key Learning Objective for these selections is to help
students analyze a poem’s form, as well as the use of figurative language and
sound devices to understand their effects on meaning, it is recommended that this
terminology be explicitly taught prior to reading the text. This short video covers
most of the terminology with which students must be familiar. You can
supplement with definitions of your own. Students record the information using
Focused Note-taking, and return to their notes to add examples as they come
across them in the text.
Determine the Impact of Rhyme (Strategies for Annotation), p. 73, 7.RL.2.4 & 2.5
Have students use their eBook annotation tools to identify rhyme in The Song of
the Wandering Aengus (follow the prompts provided).
Analyzing the Text, p. 73, 7.RL.1.1, 2.4, & 2.5
Consider posting the questions around the room in a “chat station” format (be
sure to scroll down the page until you find the video on chat stations). As students
return for whole group discussion, consider utilizing the strategy found in the blog
in the above link (true, not true, true with modifications, and unable to
determine).
Analyze Form: Sonnet (Strategies for Annotation), p. 75, 7.RL.2.4 & 2.5
Have students use their eBook annotation tools to identify the rhyme scheme of
Sonnet 43 (follow the prompts in the text).
Analyzing the Text, p. 75, 7.RL.1.2, 2.4, & 2.5
Repeat the above chat station strategy as students work their way through
analyzing the sonnet.
Another Place, Another Time by Cory Doctorow
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Short Story
Lexile: 1060L
HMH TE: p. 93A
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Focus Standards: LAFS.7.RL.1.1; 1.2; 1.3; 2.4; 2.5; LAFS.7.W.3.9
Another Place, Another Time
Pre-teach: The Key Learning Objective for this piece of text is to have students
identify and analyze how setting affects characters’ traits, motivations, and
actions. Consider the use of this video which also addresses social context, mood,
symbolism, theme, and characterization.
Analyze Story Elements: Character, p. 107, 7.RL.1.3
See the prompt at the bottom of the chart that asks students to describe the main
character, Gilbert. An alternative approach to this task would be to have students
complete a Body Biography of his character, allowing for differentiation of
instruction.
Performance Task: Writing Activity; Character Profile, p. 108, 7.RL.1.1; 1.2;
W.3.9a Working with a partner, students locate and record references to the
passage of time that connect to key experiences for Gilbert. For each important
reference, they must also note what is happening to Gilbert. Together, pairs write
a one-page character profile of Gilbert, including details that answer the questions
located within the prompt. Consider the extended response rubric.
Sorry, Wrong Number by Lucille Fletcher
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Drama
Lexile: N/A
HMH TE: p. 111A
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Focus Standards: LAFS.7.RL.1.1; 1.2; 1.3; 2.5; 3.7; 4.1 LAFS.7.SL.1.2
Optional Contributing Texts
Novel of choice
Sorry, Wrong Number
The Key Learning Objective of this piece is to get students to be able to analyze
the elements of drama and make comparison between a script and a
performance. The following are a few short videos that introduce the basic
elements: video 1, video 2. Again, students can take notes of the elements using
Focused Note-taking strategies, returning to the notes to add information as they
read through the play.
Performance Task: Writing Activity; Character Analysis, p. 126, 7.RL.1.2; W.1.2;
W.2.4; W.3.9a, W.4.1 Working individually, students write a three-paragraph
character analysis of Mrs. Stevenson. Their analysis must be supported with
examples of her actions, as expressed in the dialogue and stage directions. Use the
questions within the prompt to guide your response.
Additional Resources Specific to Standards
Video to help students determine theme and main idea in poetry:
http://study.com/academy/lesson/interpreting-a-poems-main-idea-theme.html
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For additional poetry choices to scaffold up to the RSA, consider pulling
poems from the following links:
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/features/articles/detail/70069
http://www.weareteachers.com/24-must-share-poems-for-middle-school-andhigh-school/
For teachers: A strategy for teaching the identification of themes:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9H6GCe7hmmA
SOAPStone Graphic Organizer
TP-CASTT Poetry Analysis