Language Arts Grade 7
STRAND: ORAL LANGUAGE
(SPEAKING & LISTENING)
At the seventh-grade level, students will continue to develop oral communication skills and will become
more aware of the effects of verbal and nonverbal behaviors in oral communications. Knowledge of the
media and its impact on public opinion will be introduced.
STANDARD 1
The student will give and seek information in conversations, in group discussions,
and in oral presentations.
1.1
Use oral vocabulary and style appropriate for listeners.
 show an awareness of audience, topic, and purpose

1.2
select vocabulary, tone, and style with audience in mind
Communicate ideas and information orally in an organized, effective, and succinct manner.

state points clearly and directly

maintain a focused discussion

prepare and deliver oral presentations


participate effectively in group discussions and presentations
arrange supporting details, reasons, descriptions, and examples effectively
1.3
Ask probing questions to seek elaboration and clarification of ideas.
1.4
Make supportive statements to communicate agreement with or acceptance of others’
ideas.
1.5
Provide helpful feedback to speakers concerning the coherence and logic of a speech’s
content and delivery and its overall impact upon the listener.
STANDARD 2
The student will identify the relationship between a speaker’s verbal and
nonverbal messages.
2.1
Use verbal communication skills, such as word choice, pitch, feeling, tone, and voice for
effective presentations.
2.2
Use nonverbal communication skills, such as eye contact, posture, and gestures for
effective communication.
2.3
Compare and contrast a speaker’s verbal and nonverbal messages.
STANDARD 3
The student will describe persuasive messages in nonprint media, including
television, radio, and video.
3.1
Identify persuasive techniques used in the media, including
 name calling or innuendo – creating a negative attitude; hinting or implying;
using loaded, emotional, or slanted language
 glittering generalities or card stacking – telling only part of the truth;
generalizing from a shred of evidence
 bandwagon – creating a desire to join a large group satisfied with the idea;
making one feel left out if not with the crowd
 testimonials – using the declaration of a famous person or authoritative expert
to give heightened credibility
 appeal to prestige, snobbery, or plain folks – using a spokesperson who
appeals to the audience: a well-known or appealing person the audience wants
to emulate, a person like the audience members with whom they can identify, a
person whose lifestyle appeals to the audience
 appeal to emotions – connecting with emotions: loyalty, pity, or fear; love of
family, peace, or justice.
3.2
Identify facts and opinions in the media and distinguish between them.
3.3
Describe how word choice conveys viewpoint.
STRAND: READING ANALYSIS
(READING & VIEWING)
At the seventh-grade level, students will continue the study of roots and affixes for vocabulary development
and begin a study of figurative language. Connotations and analogies will be introduced. They will read and
understand information from various sources including a variety of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. They
will continue to read for appreciation and comprehension in both classic and recent works. Students will
apply critical reading and reasoning skills across the content areas, including history and social science,
science, and mathematics.
STANDARD 4
The student will use their knowledge of word parts and word relationships, as well
as context clues, to determine the meaning of new words.
4.1
Identify and understand idioms and comparisons — such as analogies, metaphors, and
similes — in prose and poetry.
 Idioms: expressions that cannot be understood just by knowing the meanings of
the words in the expression, such as to be an old hand at something or to get
one’s feet wet
 Analogies: comparisons of the similar aspects of two different things
 Metaphors: implied comparisons, such as The stars were brilliant diamonds in
the night sky.
 Similes: comparisons that use ―like‖ or ―as,‖ such as The stars were like a
million diamonds in the sky.
4.2
Use knowledge of Greek, Latin, and Anglo-Saxon roots and word parts to understand
subject-area vocabulary (science, social studies, and mathematics).
 Analyze the roots, prefixes, and suffixes to understand words, such as
microscope, microphone, and microbe.
4.3
Clarify word meanings through the use of definition, example, restatement, or through the
use of contrast stated in the text.
 Example: Use the text to clarify the meaning of the word pickle in the sentence
Apply the pickle, an acid solution, to the metal surface.
STANDARD 5
The student will read and demonstrate comprehension of a variety of fiction,
narrative nonfiction, and poetry.
5.1
Identify events that advance the plot and determine how each event explains past or present
action or foreshadows (provides clues to) future action.

Example: While reading the short story ―Charles‖ by Shirley Jackson, recognize
the foreshadowing of events to come as the behavior of the character Charles
begins to change.
5.2
Analyze characterization as shown through a character’s thoughts, words, speech patterns,
and actions; the narrator’s description; and the thoughts, words, and actions of other
characters.
 Example: Describe the main character, a Chinese emperor, in Ray Bradbury’s
short story ―The Flying Machine‖ and other characters’ reactions as they fail to
understand the miracle of one of his subject’s new flying invention. Use
examples of their thoughts, words, and actions to support the description.
5.3
Analyze the influence of the setting on the problem and its resolution.
5.4
Identify and analyze themes — such as bravery, loyalty, friendship, and loneliness —
which appear in many different works.
 Example: Analyze the theme of overcoming obstacles that is present in the
novel Captains Courageous by Rudyard Kipling.
5.5
Contrast points of view — such as first person, third person, limited and omniscient, and
subjective and objective — in a literary text and explain how they affect the overall theme
of the work.
 First person: the narrator tells the story from the ―I‖ perspective
 Third person: the narrator tells the story from an outside perspective
 Limited narration: the narrator does not know all thoughts of all characters
 Omniscient narration: the narrator knows all thoughts of all characters
 Subjective: the point of view involves a personal perspective
 Objective: the point of view is from a distanced, informational perspective, as in
a news report
5.6
Discuss the purposes and characteristics of different forms of written text, such as the short
story, the novel, the novella, and the essay.
5.7
Describe the impact of word choice, imagery, and common literary devices, such as
symbolism, irony, metaphor, and alliteration, in a variety of literary texts.
5.8
Explain how form, including rhyme, rhythm, repetition, line structure, and punctuation,
conveys the mood and meaning of a poem.
5.9
Draw conclusions and make inferences based on explicit and implied information.

5.10
use graphic organizers, such as ―It says…I say,‖ to record clues in the text and
inferences or conclusions made by the reader as a result of those clues
Use strategies for summarizing text, such as story maps and Somebody…Wanted… But…
So
STANDARD 6
The student will read and analyze a variety of informational materials and
nonfiction materials, including journals, essays, speeches, biographies, and
autobiographies.
6.1
Use knowledge of text structures, such as boldface, underlining, indentation, illustrations,
heading, and footnotes, to aid comprehension.
6.2
Use knowledge of words and phrases that signal an author’s organizational pattern to aid
comprehension, including
 as a result of, consequently for cause-and-effect
 similarly, on the other hand for comparison/contrast
 first, three for enumeration or listing
 today, meanwhile for sequential or chronological
 refers to, thus for concept/definition
 always, in fact for generalization
 begins with, in order to for process
6.3
Distinguish fact from opinion in newspapers, magazines, and other print media.
6.4
Describe how word choice and language structure convey an author’s viewpoint.
6.5
Draw conclusions and make reasonable statements about a text, supporting the conclusions
and statements with evidence from the text.
6.6
Identify methods (such as repetition of words, biased or incomplete evidence) an author
uses to persuade the reader.
6.7
Identify problems with an author’s figures of speech and faulty logic or reasoning.
6.8
Organize and synthesize information for use in written and oral presentations.
STANDARD 7
The student will apply knowledge of appropriate reference materials.
7.1
Use print and electronic sources to locate information in books and articles.
7.2
Use graphic organizers to organize information.
7.3
Synthesize information from multiple sources.
7.4
Credit primary and secondary sources by creating Works Cited pages for oral and written
presentations.
STRAND: WRITING
At the seventh-grade level, students will plan, draft, revise, and edit narratives as well as persuasive and
expository pieces with attention to composition and written expression. Students will begin the process of
becoming independent with sentence formation, usage, and mechanics and understand that the conventions
of language help convey the message from the writer to the reader. Students will use writing for expressive
purposes and as a tool for learning academic concepts. They will use technology as available and
appropriate.
The St. Michael’s School writing program is based on the 6-Traits of Writing: Ideas, Organization, Voice,
Word Choice, Sentence Fluency, and Conventions.
STANDARD 8
The student will develop narrative, expository, and persuasive writing.
8.1
Discuss ideas for writing, keep a list or notebook of ideas, and use graphic organizers to
plan writing.
8.2
Use strategies of note-taking, outlining, and summarizing to impose structure on
composition drafts.
8.3
Maintain a consistent focus on one central idea throughout the piece of writing (IDEAS).
8.4
Elaborate main ideas and support all statements and claims with anecdotes (first-person
accounts), descriptions, facts and statistics, and specific examples (IDEAS).
8.5
Create an organizational structure that balances all aspects of the composition and uses
effective transitions between sentences to unify important ideas (ORGANIZATION).
8.6
Plan and organize writing to address a specific audience and purpose (VOICE).
8.7
Choose vocabulary and information that will create voice and tone (WORD CHOICE).
8.8
Use clauses and phrases to vary sentences (SENTENCE FLUENCY).
8.9
Review, evaluate, and revise writing for meaning and clarity.
8.10
Revise writing to improve organization and word choice after checking the logic of the
ideas and the precision of the vocabulary.
8.11
Edit and proofread one’s own writing, as well as that of others.
STANDARD 9—CONVENTIONS
The student will edit writing for correct grammar, capitalization, punctuation,
spelling, sentence structure, and paragraphing.
9.1
Use simple, compound, and complex sentences; use effective coordination and
subordination of ideas, including both main ideas and supporting ideas in single sentences,
to express complete thoughts.
9.2
Properly place modifiers (words or phrases that describe, limit, or qualify another word)
and use the active voice (sentences in which the subject is doing the action) when wishing
to convey a livelier effect.
 Clear: She left the book, which she bought at the bookstore, on the table.
 Unclear: She left the book on the table, which she bought at the bookstore.
 Active voice: The man called the dog.
 Passive voice: The dog was called by the man.
9.3
Demonstrate understanding of sentence formation by identifying the eight parts of speech
and their functions in sentences.
9.4
Choose pronouns to agree with antecedents.
9.5
Use subject-verb agreement with intervening phrases and clauses.
9.6
Edit for verb tense consistency.
9.7
Identify and correctly use hyphens (-), dashes (—), brackets ( [ ] ), and semicolons ( ; ).
9.8
Demonstrate the correct use of quotation marks and the use of commas with subordinate
clauses.
9.9
Use correct capitalization.