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7th Grade 4th Six Weeks (7.4.

1)
Autobiographies, Biographies, and an Expository Essay
How do authors capture a human life?
19-21 Days
1/8/13

Academic Vocabulary
Reading/Vocabular
y
Reading/Vocabular
y
Biography
Autobiography
Speaker
Point of View
Metaphor
Denotation
Connotation
Diction
Tone
Allusion

Writing/Conventions

Listening and
Speaking

Writing:
Listening and
Speaking:
Expository Essay
Interviewing
o Elaborated
Example
Group Discussion
o Thesis
Statement
o Topic Sentence
o Hooks
o Conclusions

College and Career


Readiness
Connections
Original
Biography

Conventions:
Apostrophes
Combining
Sentences
Adjectives

Unit Goal (Plan)


What do authors consider when they write about a persons life? Often they include the
individuals hopes and dreams, achievements and disappointments, relationships, childhood
experiences, and how these details will make an interesting story. Critical readers must also
analyze the text to determine the bias the biographer or autobiographer brings to the subject
and the purpose for writing about this life. Students will explore life stories and make
connections between the lives captured in text and their own lives and ideas.

Unit Resources
Teacher Resources
Holt McDougal Literature Grade 7 Texas TE
Instructional Support Materials
Best Practices Toolkit
Resource Manager

Student Resources
Holt McDougal Literature Text
Interactive Reader Grade 7
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Texas Write
Source Grade 7

Interactive Reader
PowerNotes DVD
Audio Anthology CD
WriteSmart CD-ROM
Writing Center on thinkcentral.com
WordSharp
Writing Workshop: Short Story Unit p 432

HMH SkillsBook Grade 7


HMH Daily Language Workouts Grade 7
HMH Texas Assessment Preparation
Grade 7
thinkcentral.com
Write Source On-line Resource
https://ws.hmhpub.com

Writing Resources
Image Grammar by Harry R. Noden
Inside Out: Strategies for Teaching
Writing by Dan Kirby, Dawn Latta Kirby,
and Tom Liner
Reviving the Essay: How to Teach
Structure without Formula by Gretchen
Bernabei

2005 Discover Writing Press


www.discoverwriting.com
Teaching That Makes Sense Steve Peha
www.ttms.org

Grammar Instruction Resources


Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Texas Write
Source Grade 7
HMH Write Source SkillsBook Grade 7
HMH Write Source Daily Language
Workouts Grade 7
HMH Write Source Texas Assessment
Preparation Grade 7
Write Source On-line Resource
https://ws.hmhpub.com

Target Skills and Concepts for Reading/Vocabulary


TEKS/Student Expectations

Content
Standards/Specificity

(2) Reading/Vocabulary Development.


Students understand new vocabulary and use
it when reading and writing. Students are
expected to:

Guiding Question: How do students build


vocabulary and gain a clearer
understanding of what is being read?
The student will:
Identify Latin, Greek or other linguistic

(A) determine the meaning of grade-level


academic English words derived from
Latin, Greek, or other linguistic roots and
affixes;
(B) use context (within a sentence and in
larger sections of text) to determine or
clarify the meaning of unfamiliar or
ambiguous words;

roots and affixes to build vocabulary.


Use context clues to determine meanings
of unfamiliar words.
Solidify knowledge of a words meaning
by creating analogies describing part to
whole or whole to part.
Consult a dictionary, glossary, or
thesaurus for a better understanding of
words.

(C) complete analogies that describe part to


whole or whole to part;
(E) use a dictionary, a glossary, or a
thesaurus (printed or electronic) to
determine the meanings, syllabication,
pronunciations, alternate word choices,
and parts of speech of words.
ELP (1A) use prior knowledge and
experiences to understand meanings in
English;
ELP (1D) speak using learning strategies
such as requesting assistance, employing
non-verbal cues, and using synonyms and
circumlocution (conveying ideas by defining
or describing when exact English words are
not known);
ELP (2C) learn new language structures,
expressions, and basic and academic
vocabulary heard during classroom
instruction and interactions

Guiding Question: How do we analyze the


difference between an autobiography and a
diary and fictional stories based on that
autobiography or diary?
Reading/Comprehension of Literary
The student will:
Text/Literary Nonfiction
Identify varied structural patterns and
features of an autobiography.
Students understand, make inferences and
Analyze which aspects of a text relate
draw conclusions about the varied structural
events without embellishment and which
patterns and features of literary nonfiction and
have probably been enhanced or
respond by providing evidence from text to
dramatized for effect.
support their understanding. Students are
Understand and draw conclusions about
expected to:
the different ways nonfiction texts are put
together.
7(A) describe the structural and substantive

differences between an autobiography and a


fictional adaptation of it.
Reading/Comprehension of Informational
Text/Culture and History
Students analyze, make inferences and draw
conclusions about the authors purpose in
cultural, historical, and contemporary
contexts and provide evidence from the text
to support their understanding. Students are
expected to:
9(A) explain the difference between the
theme of a literary work, and the authors
purpose in an expository text

Reading/Comprehension of
Informational Text/Expository Text
Students analyze, make inferences and draw
conclusions about expository text and provide
evidence from text to support their
understanding. Students are expected to:
10(A) evaluate a summary of the original text
for accuracy of the main ideas, supporting
details, and overall meaning
10(B) distinguish factual claims from
commonplace assertions and opinions;
10(C)use different organizational patterns as
guides for summarizing and forming an
overview of different kinds of expository text;

Support analysis with examples from the


text.

Guiding Question: How does an authors


culture and time in history affect his or her
purpose in writing and how can readers
detect bias?
The student will:
Analyze, make inferences and draw
conclusions about the authors purpose in
an expository text.
Explain the difference between the theme
of a literary work and an authors purpose,
and provide evidence from the text to
support their understanding.
Analyze authors choice of words, details,
emphasis, and other stylistic devices to
determine bias and discuss its intended
impact on the reader.
Guiding Question: How do we explain the
difference between an authors message in
a literary work and an authors reason for
writing expository text?
The student will:
Determine the accuracy of the main ideas,
supporting details, and overall meaning of
a summary of an expository text.
Distinguish factual claims from assertions
and opinions in expository text.
Analyze the organizational pattern as a
guide for summarizing and forming an
overview of different kinds of expository
text.
Make logical connections between ideas
with a text.
Synthesize and make logical connections
between ideas across two or three texts
representing similar or different genres,
and support findings with textual
evidence.

10(D) synthesize and make logical


connections between ideas within a text and
across two or three texts representing similar
or different genres, and support those findings
with textual evidence;
ELP (4D) use prereading supports such as
graphic organizers, illustrations, and
pretaught topic-related vocabulary and other
prereading activities to enhance
comprehension of written text;
ELPS (4G) demonstrate comprehension of
increasingly complex English by participating
in shared reading, retelling or summarizing
material, responding to questions, and taking
notes commensurate with content area and
grade level needs.
Reading/Media Literacy
Students use comprehension skills to analyze
how words, images, graphics, and sounds
work together in various forms to impact the
meaning. Students are expected to:
13(A) interpret both explicit and implicit
messages in various forms of media;

Guiding Question: How do we understand


media messages?
The student will:
Identify and interpret media messages that
are stated directly or indirectly.
Analyze how words, images, graphics,
and sounds work together to impact
meaning in media messages.

ELP (4F) use visual and contextual support


and support from peers and teachers to read
grade-appropriate content area text, enhance
and confirm understanding, and develop
vocabulary, grasp of language structures, and
background knowledge needed to
comprehend increasingly challenging
language.

Instructional Strategies (Do)


Suggested Lessons/Instructional Focus:
Vocabulary
Students should complete 4-squares to review
the following literary elements:
o Denotation
o Connotation

Assessment Tools &


Strategies (Study/Act)

o Diction
o Tone
o Allusion
o Metaphor
Literary Elements:

Literary Elements.docx

4-Square.docx

Define genre-specific terms as students read:


o Biography
o Autobiography
o Speaker v. Poet
Reading MOCK Preparation
Use the Texas Assessment Preparation book
to practice cold passages to prepare for the
Reading MOCK:
Persuasive Text One Hundred Trees,
Please p. 37; from The Great
Society Speech p. 79
Poetry p. 19
International News
Poetry; The Time We Climbed
Snake Mountain p. 65
Literary Nonfiction Celias
Experiment p. 13; I Was Not Alone
p. 60
Biography in Poetry Form
My Mother Enters the Workforce by Rita
Dove HM p. 876
Washington Monument by Night by Carl
Sandburg HM p. 878
Before Reading:
Level Up: Making Inferences
Level Up: Narrator and Speaker
During Reading:
Students should list clues about the

For My Mother Enters the


Workforce and Washington
Monument by Night, students should
take the selection test:

Selection Test
B-C.pdf

Key.pdf

o Show text support for each answer:


Selection Test
Answer Sheet.docx

speaker as they read the poems:


Inferences.pdf

After Reading:
Discuss how both poems reflect a
respect for people who contribute to
our country.
Students should complete the literary
analysis to prepare for the selection
test:

Question
Support.pdf

AND
Biography and Autobiography
Its NOT About the Bike by Lance Armstrong
HM p. 816 and
23 Days in July by John Wilcockson HM p.
820
*Also in Interactive Reader pp. 316 - 329
OR
The Noble Experiment by Jackie Robinson as
told to Alfred Duckett HM p. 834 and
Jackie Robinson Makes Headlines HM p. 846
Before Reading:
Review point of view and the role it
plays in autobiography vs. biography:
Point of View.pdf

For 23 Days in July / Its Not


About the Bike, students should take
the selection test:

Selection Test
B-C.pdf

Key.pdf

Show text support for each answer:

Selection Test
Answer Sheet.docx

For The Noble Experiment and


Jackie Makes Headlines, students
should take at least one of the
selection tests:
The Noble Experiment
Selection Test
B-C.pdf

Key.pdf

Jackie Makes Headlines


Selection Test
B-C.pdf

Key.pdf

For 23 Days in July / Its Not


About the Bike, discuss Lance
Armstrongs recent fall from grace by
showing one or more of the video
clips on this website:
http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/05/sport/armstr
ong-austin-doping-cycling/
For The Noble Experiment/Jackie
Makes Headlines, introduce Jackie
Robinson through the mini bio
available on this website:
http://www.biography.com/videos/mini-bios#

Show text support for each answer:

Selection Test
Answer Sheet.docx

During Reading:
For 23 Days in July/ Its Not About
the Bike, students should record the
clues to the theme and purpose:
Author's Purpose
and Theme.doc

For The Noble Experiment, students


should identify characteristics of
autobiography:
Autobiography.pdf

Share with students some clues that


reveal the authors objectivity about
the person in a biography such as
superlative adjectives (i.e., greatest
writer, best athlete, most brilliant
scientist) or writing a biography
during the same time period as the life
of the subject leaving some facts not
yet available.

After Reading:
Analyze the photographs and discuss
historical background information to
help students understand the world in
which the character lived and the
opportunities they had to make a
difference. How did world events
affect the choices made in life?
Students should complete a literary
analysis to prepare them for the
selection test:
The Noble Experiment:
Literary Analysis.pdf

Jackie Makes Headlines:


Literary Analysis.pdf

23 Days in July/ Its Not About the Bike:

Literary Analysis.pdf

Valentines Day
This exercise gives students an opportunity to
practice context clues and fact vs. opinion:

History of Valentine's
Day.docx

Intervention Strategies:
Students work in pairs and decide a part of
SIOP Strategies:
the passage that could be a journal entry a
Reinforce the idea that the people in
character in the story might write.
biographies and autobiographies really

Ask students to describe the subject of the


lived.
passage in his or her own words.
Students analyze differences between
nonfiction and a fictionalized account Simplify directions on finding quotes to
support plot analysis.
about someone who really lived.
Utilize The Interactive Reader for
English Language Learners for the
literature selected
Use graphic organizers partially filled
in for the selection have ELLs fill in
the rest of the diagram. Discuss.

Target Skills and Concepts for Writing/Oral and Written


Conventions
TEKS/Student Expectations

Content
Standards/Specificity

Writing: Expository Essay


17 (A) Students write expository texts to
communicate ideas and information to
specific audiences for specific purposes;
students are expected to write a multiparagraph essay to convey information about
a topic that
(i)
Presents effecting introductions
and concluding paragraphs
(ii)
Contains are clearly stated purpose
or controlling idea
(iii)
Is logically organized with
appropriate facts and details and

Guiding Question: How does a student


effectively utilize grammatical structures
and appropriate usage to improve writing?
The student will:
Revise sentences by correctly using
subordinating conjunctions to combine
dependent and independent clauses to
form a complex sentence.
Combine sentences using conjunctive
adverbs and avoid choppy-sounding
writing.
Use adverbial phrases and clauses to
provide details and modify a verb, and

(iv)
(v)

includes no extraneous
information or inconsistencies
Accurately synthesizes ideas from
several sources; and
Uses a variety of sentence
structures, rhetorical devices, and
transitions to link paragraphs.

Oral and Written


Conventions/Handwriting,
Capitalization, and Punctuation:
19 (A) identify, use, and understand the
function of the following parts of speech in
the context of reading, writing, and speaking:
(vii) subordinating conjunctions (e.g.,
because, since)
(viii) transitions for sentence to sentence or
paragraph to paragraph coherence;
(ix) adverbial and adjectival phrases and
clauses
19 (B) write complex sentences and
differentiate between main versus subordinate
clauses
19 (C) use a variety of complete sentences
(e.g., simple, compound, complex) that
include properly placed modifiers, correctly
identified antecedents, parallel structures, and
consistent tenses.
20 (B) (i) commas after introductory words,
phrases, and clauses
21(A) spell correctly
ELPS 5 (D) edit writing for standard grammar
and usage, including subject-verb agreement,
pronoun agreement, and appropriate verb
tenses commensurate with grade-level
expectations as more English is acquired

Guiding Question: How does a student


effectively master STAAR-style revising
and editing questions?
The student will:
Review types of questions covered in the
revising and editing passages and
strategies for choosing the best answer.
Work with partners and alone to improve
revising and editing skills.

Instructional Strategies (Do)


Suggested Lessons/Instructional Focus:
Analyze 4 Essays
Expository Essay
Examples.pdf

adverb, or an adjective in sentences.


Use adjective phrases and clauses to
provide details and modify a noun or
pronoun in sentences.
Correctly and effectively use commas
after introductory words, phrases, and
clauses when writing sentences.
Edit conventions such as capitalization
and spelling.

Assessment Tools &


Strategies (Study/Act)
Assessment:

Evaluate the final draft on the STAAR


Rubric. Essays earning a score lower than
3 should be rewritten. Twos are not
acceptable!

Discuss what they have in common.

Expository Essay Mini-Lessons from


Steve Pehas The Writing Teachers
Strategy Guide:

The Writing
Teacher's Strategy Guide.pdf

Chapter 2-Its Just a Matter of Opinion


What-why-how can help students develop
their thesis, topic sentences, and examples.
Chapter 3-Its All in the Details;
Alter examples so they fit an expository
essay; this is a good lesson to show them
how to expand the one sentence example that
students typically write as their support for
their topic sentence.
Chapter 9 & 10
Great Beginnings &Happy Endings
Focus on the types that are better suited for
expository essays.

Expository Prompt:
Contribution
Prompt.docx

Introduce Cat in the Hat and Thing 1 and


Thing 2 as a method for memorizing
Thesis and Topic Sentences

Dr Seuss
Poster.docx

After quick-writing, project the format for


students to add the missing components to
their quick-write. Provide blank paper so
students become accustomed to planning
this way:

Dr. Seuss Format


Expository Essay.docx

Prewriting Page.doc

Peer Revision and Editing

Change bingo tasks based on areas in need of


improvement in your classes right now.

STAAR Rubric with


Reflection.docx

Blackout Bingo.docx

Self-Evaluation:

Expository Essay
Checklist.docx

Texas WriteSource SkillsBook:


Apostrophes pp. 37-40
Combining Sentences pp. 113-118
Adjectives pp. 175-182
SIOP Strategies:
Check for understanding of academic
vocabulary before asking the student to
write.
Check journals for understanding of the
concept before asking ELLs to share with
a partner or the whole class.

Intervention Strategies:
Provide additional activities for students
struggling with sentence structures,
conventions, or spelling.
Reply to response journals and model
effective written responses.

Target Skills and Concepts for Listening and Speaking


TEKS/Student Expectations
Content
Standards/Specificity
Listening and Speaking/Listening
26 (A) listen to and interpret a speakers
purpose by explaining the content, evaluating
the delivery of the presentation, and asking
questions or making comments about the
evidence that supports a speakers claim
26 (C) draw conclusions about the speakers
message by considering verbal
communication (e.g., word choice, tone) and
nonverbal cues (e.g., posture, gestures, facial
expressions)
Listening and Speaking/Teamwork
28 (A) participate productively in discussions,
plan agendas with clear goals and deadlines,
set time limits for speakers, take notes, and
vote on key issues
ELPS 2 (D) monitor understanding of spoken
language during classroom instruction and
interactions and seek clarification as needed

Guiding Question: What does an active


listener look like?
The student will:
Interview a person and take accurate
notes.
Guiding Question: What does a tiered
discussion sound like?
The student will:
Respond to questioning prompts and
interpret events and dialogue and
determine the plot line of a story.
Guiding Question: How does a student
effectively participate in a group
discussion?
The student will:

ELSP 2 (I) demonstrate listening


comprehension of increasingly complex
spoken English by following directions,
retelling or summarizing spoken messages,
responding to questions and requests,
collaborating with peers, and taking notes
commensurate with content and grade-level
needs.
ELPS 3 (E) share information in cooperative
learning interactions
3(H) narrate, describe, and explain with
increasing specificity and detail

Instructional Strategies (Do)


Suggested Lessons/Instructional Focus:
When discussing biographies and
autobiographies, lead students in a
discussion of what might have happened
if the character had made a different
decision or had not cooperated in the
situation. Have students explain their
reasoning.
Discuss Listening and Speaking
Workshop: Conducting an Interview p.
890
Identify useful and appropriate
interviewing skills. Give students an
opportunity to plan, conduct and share.
Interview
Questions.docx

Effectively participate in discussions in


the classroom by following ground rules
set by the teacher.

Assessment Tools &


Strategies (Study/Act)
Observation of discussion
Interview notes

Directions for
Interview.docx

SIOP Strategies:
Assign homework to listen to CD of the
selection before or after the class reads the
selection.

College and Career Readiness Connections


College and Career
Content
Readiness Standards
Standards/Specificity
I. Writing
A. 5. Edit writing for proper voice, tense, and

Guiding Question: How do students


produce an effective piece of writing?

syntax, assuring that it conforms to standard


English, when appropriate.

The student will:


Edit writing and conform to Standard
English.

III. Speaking
B. Develop effective speaking styles for both
group and one-on-one situations.
Guiding Question: What aspects of small
1. Participate actively and effectively in one- and whole group discussion are expected at
on-one oral communication situations.
the high school level and beyond?
2. Participate actively and effectively in group The student will:
discussions.
Participate actively in group discussion.
Be prepared to use text evidence in
discussion.
IV. Listening
B. Listen effectively in informal and formal
situations.
2. Listen actively and effectively in one-onone communication situations.
3. Listen actively and effectively in group
discussions.

Instructional Strategies
(Do)
Suggested Connections:
Have students create a biography about
the person they interviewed. Encourage
them to include visual representations
such as timelines, photographs, etc.
Students should present the biography.
Biography
Paragraph.docx

Assessment Tools &


Strategies (Study/Act)
Assessment:
REG Biography
Project Rubric.docx

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