7th Grade Literacy Timeline

First Semester Page 1 of 6

Reading Workshop Writing Workshop Language Poetry

Reading Workshop **All students should have an

independent reader at all times.

***The following “Tactics for

Teaching Comprehension” are

suggested:

1. Thinking aloud

2. Modeling

3. Demonstrating

4. Conferring

5. Informal interactions and

sharing

Taken from To Understand by

Ellin Oliver Keene

Writing Workshop Grammar Study (embedded within reading

and writing workshop)

Poetry (embedded

within reading

and writing

workshop)

August Letter/Book Pass

Dictionary and Thesaurus refresher

BAV Warm Ups

Writing Survey/ Letter

Once a concept is taught as a lesson, then students find it in reading (mentor texts) and in their writing. Then it is referred to continuously through the year to reinforce it each time it appears.

Bio/I am poem

7th Grade Literacy Timeline

First Semester Page 2 of 6

Reading Workshop Writing Workshop Language Poetry

September

Setting up Notebooks

Guidelines for Reading Workshop

1st 20 days as needed

Choosing good books

How to buzz

How to abandon a book

Genres

Writing responses to

reading

Checking for understanding

as you read

Building Academic Vocabulary

Testing as a Genre

DRA testing

Minilessons introducing/ reviewing

Literary Elements w/ Short Stories or

Novels

Character

Plot

Setting

Theme

Mood

Tone

Point of View

Thinking within the text

Thinking beyond and about

the text

Figurative language

Metaphor

Simile

Oxymoron

Personification

Topic/Theme/Purpose

Setting up Notebooks

Guidelines for Writing

Workshop

The Writing Process

Narrative Process

Brainstorming

Selecting Topics

Prewriting (Gathering Seeds)

Quick writes

Trigger words

Sentence stubs

Wet ink writing

Listing

Response to photo

Blueprinting

Reporters Formula

*The list above is a suggestion. Use as

needed. Thinking Maps to Pre-write

and Organize (Tree Map, Double-

Bubble, Circle, Flow Map)

Drafting (starter pieces)

Understanding Audience

Purpose

Introduce Writing Rubric

Testing as a Genre

The student is expected to

compose meaningful texts

using

Capitalization of titles

Varied sentence types

such as compound and

complex

Apostrophes and

possessives

Commas with

conjunctions to connect

ideas meaningfully

Dependent and

independent clauses to

affect meaning

Students study run-ons

and fragments and their

effects on meaning.

Compound/ complex/

compound-complex

sentences for purpose and

meaning

Semicolons

Sound Devices

Figurative

Language as

needed

7th Grade Literacy Timeline

First Semester Page 3 of 6

Reading Workshop Writing Workshop Language Poetry

October Continue Literary Elements from

September

Short Story Elements

Mini-lessons for expanding meaning

Character

Plot

Setting

Irony

Symbolism

Thinking within the text

Thinking beyond the text

(Laying the Foundation--

levels of questioning)

Reader Response

Testing as a Genre

Building Academic Vocabulary

Revising

Structure and Use of Language

Leads

Conclusions

Editing

Ratiocination

Paragraphing

Publishing

Writing Groups

Peer Conferencing

Teacher Conferencing

Continue Narrative Process.

Should be done with personal

narratives by end of month (published

piece.)

Testing as a Genre

Topic/Theme/Purpose

Prepositional phrases to

elaborate written ideas

Various tenses for

audience and purpose:

present, past, future,

perfect & progressive

(used in writing

effectively)

Correct subject/ verb

agreement

Parts of speech correctly

in writing

Commas in direct address

Students should edit drafts for

specific purposes such as to

ensure standard usage, varied

sentence structure, and

appropriate word choice and

how they affect meaning. This

should be done continuously

every 9 weeks.

7th Grade Literacy Timeline

First Semester Page 4 of 6

Reading Workshop Writing Workshop Language Poetry

November Non- fiction texts (analysis of

writers’ crafts or tools of mentor

texts)

Biography

Commentary/Articles

Informational Text:

Text features

Text structures

Author’s purpose

Fact/opinion

Main idea (get the gist)

Summary (BME)

Thinking Maps

Continue Reading Groups

Continue Literature Circles

Building Academic Vocabulary

Testing as a Genre

Reader Response

Choice of:

Biography

Commentary

Expository

Article

Students will apply writers’ crafts from

mentor texts to their own writing.

Writer’s Craft

Intentional Repetition

Figurative Language

Print Features (Bold, Italics,

dashes, ellipses, and

parenthesis)

Dialogue

Paragraphing

Leads/Conclusions

Sound devices

Text structures

Cause /Effect

Compare/Contrast

Testing as a Genre

Brush strokes: Appositives

and appositive phrases

The student is expected to

compose meaningful texts

using

Pronoun agreement

Apostrophes with

contractions

Subordinate clauses for

effect and meaning

Semicolons to clarify and

enhance meaning

Editing/ proof-reading

skills

December Reading Benchmark Test

Reader Response

Sustaining Reading

Expanding Meaning

Literary Analysis: Drama

(Idea: A Christmas Carol play)

Required reading for Pre-AP is A

Christmas Carol, the novel.

Compare scene/ act from

original text to play(film)

version

Dialogue

Stage directions

Building Academic Vocabulary

Testing as a Genre

Literary Analysis

Character Analysis

Compare /Contrast

Thinking Maps

Testing as a Genre

Annotations

Brush Strokes: Adjectives out

of Order

Transitions (conjunctive

adverbs: consequently,

however, indeed…)

Relative Pronouns such as

whose, that, & which

Idea: Bio Poem

of Scrooge

7th Grade Literacy Timeline

First Semester Page 5 of 6

Reading Workshop Writing Workshop Language Poetry

January Reading short narratives

Summarization

Main Idea/Theme

Making Connections

Irony

Testing as a genre

Building Academic Vocabulary

Continue gathering seeds in your

writer’s notebook.

Rereading your writer’s notebook to

choose a seed and find a focus.

Shaping writing

Grouping strategies (see Acts)

Clocking

Peer editing

Pointing

Fishbowl

Writing Benchmark Test

Testing as a genre

Plural nouns

Pronouns

Brush Strokes: Participles

February

Reader Response

Building Academic Vocabulary

Short stories with narrative structure

Testing as a Genre

Use previously taught strategies to

develop benchmark composition

after analyzing strengths and

weaknesses using the feedback

sheet.

Continue Drafting: Adding Depth

Prove-its

Depth Charging

Framing

Snapshots/ Thought shots

Ba-da-bing

Writer’s craft

Take one narrative idea through the

entire writing process.

Testing as a Genre

Brush Strokes: Absolutes

The student is expected to

compose meaningful texts

using

Hyphens to clarify and

enhance meaning

Colons to clarify and

enhance meaning

Editing/ proof-reading

skills

7th Grade Literacy Timeline

First Semester Page 6 of 6

Reading Workshop Writing Workshop Language Poetry

March Fiction/Non-fiction

Author’s organization/text

structure

Fact/opinion

Mood/tone

Multiple themes in a work

Point of view

Main idea

Summary

Supporting details

Author’s purpose

Characterization

Building Academic Vocabulary

Reading Benchmark

Writing TAKS Test

Summarizing

Thinking Maps

Written response to reading

TTPP (Theme, tone, point of view, and

purpose)

Topic/Theme/Prompt

Take an expository essay through the

entire process.

Direct/ Indirect Objects

Hyphens

Colons

April Fiction/Non-fiction

Author’s organization/text

structure

Fact/opinion

Mood/tone

Multiple themes in a work

Point of view

Main idea

Summary

Supporting details

Author’s purpose

Characterization

Building Academic Vocabulary

Summarizing

Thinking Maps

Written response to reading

TTPP (Theme, tone, point of view, and

purpose)

Topic/Theme/Prompt

Infinitive phrases

The student is expected to

compose meaningful texts

using

Comparative and

superlative forms of

adjectives to make

writing vivid or precise

Adverbs to make writing

vivid or precise

Editing/ proof-reading

skills

Narrative poetry

May/June Persuasive Texts

Argumentation

Appeals: emotional, logical

Cause /Effect

Compare/Contrast

Building Academic Vocabulary

Writing Persuasive Texts

Thesis

Counter argument

(Multi-flow map)

Argumentation

Appeals: emotional, logical

Timed Writing

Literary Analysis

Inversions (inverted order)

Parallel Structure