7th Grade Family Letters

Dear Families,

At the heart of the EL Education Language Arts Curriculum is a commitment to literacy  instruction through engaging, authentic books. Each of the four modules in the Grade 7  curriculum is built around a fiction or nonfiction book that guides the learning and helps  students connect to the module topic. These books act as portals, giving students access to  the perspectives of diverse characters and to the academic challenges required for grade-level  success. 

The books selected for Grade 7 take students on a journey through southern Sudan from a  child’s point of view during and after civil war, across the globe and through history chasing  epidemics, through Harlem in the 1920s and ’30s, and back around the globe in pursuit of  plastic pollution and its solutions. Despite the variety of their content, the central texts have  this in common: rich, complex language; important and compelling themes; exciting plots with  meaningful conflicts; and thoughtful characters or historical figures who, in their own ways,  aim to be ethical people who contribute to a better world. By the end of the school year, through  work with these books and related texts, students will be more effective, more strategic, and  more joyful readers.  

Module 1: A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park 

The story of A Long Walk to Water begins in southern Sudan in 2008, following Nya as she  walks for hours under the hot sun, over a dusty, thorny path, to and from a muddy pond where  she fetches water for her family every day. She does not go to school; she walks to fetch water.  As Nya continues to walk, the story jumps back in time to 1985, when the civil war between the  north and south of Sudan forces young Salva from his school, from his town, from his family,  and on a journey that lasts almost two decades. During that time, Salva walks from Sudan to  Ethiopia to Kenya, facing starvation, wild animals, and the violence of war. Still, he does not give  up hope. He keeps walking and keeps working. Both Nya and Salva demonstrate curiosity and  resilience, journeying toward a brighter future.  

The main tasks of this module allow students to develop reading and writing skills and strategies  that will help them throughout Grade 7 and beyond. Students learn strategies for figuring out  the meanings of unfamiliar words. They determine the central ideas and important details of  early chapters in the book and write summaries of shorter texts related to topics in the book.  Students also develop their narrative writing skills to include dialogue, description, and pacing  in a story about a Lost Boy or Girl of Sudan.  

Module 2: Patient Zero by Marilee Peters 

Students join epidemiologists, doctors who study diseases, from the past and present as  they race to solve the mysteries of deadly epidemics across cities, continents, and history.  Students, like epidemiologists, must become detectives, sifting through the information and  misinformation and piecing together the story of each epidemic to find “patient zero,” the first  person identified as a carrier at the start of a disease’s outbreak. The intriguing illustrations  and different ways of presenting information keep students on their toes as they work to solve  the epidemic mysteries and uncover deeper truths about how people and societies respond to  challenging circumstances. 

In this module, students focus on researching to build and present knowledge. Inspired by the  research methods and mindsets of the scientists described in Patient Zero, students choose a  social or medical epidemic for their own investigation. Research lessons across the module— searching for sources, deciding whether they are credible and useful, and paraphrasing and  quoting them—help students become more effective investigators. Students build their  informational writing skills as they work through the stages of the essay-writing process:  crafting a focus statement, presenting evidence, using transitional words, and developing a  conclusion that reflects on the essay. 

Module 4: Trash Vortex by Danielle Smith-Llera 

“It is past time that we tackle the plastic problem that blights our oceans. Plastic pollution is  surfing onto Indonesian beaches, settling onto the ocean floor at the North Pole, and rising  through the food chain onto our dinner tables.” So explains Erik Solheim, then executive  director of UN Environment, quoted in Danielle Smith-Llera’s book Trash Vortex. Through this  text, a documentary film, and additional articles, students spend the module learning about  how plastic pollution became such a widespread problem—particularly in our oceans—and  what can be done to reduce the pollution.  

The main task of this module is researching to write and present arguments. Students conduct  research about possible solutions to reducing plastic pollution at different points of the plastic  life cycle. They develop a stance based on their learning and defend their position in a debate  with classmates. Students then transform their understanding into their own personal action  plans, which involve research and crafting narrative, informational, and argument pieces to  communicate their personal actions, evidence, and message.

Unit 1: Build Background Knowledge: The Lost Boys of the Sudan

What will your student be doing at school?

Students begin Unit 1 reading the novel A Long Walk to Water. The focus of the first half of the unit of reading is catching questions about the conflict described, how the setting shapes the characters and plot, and how an author develops and contrasts the points of view of different characters in the text. In the second half of the unit, students begin to analyze how themes have developed throughout the story so far. Students also create discussion norms in order to have productive discussions about the text at the end of the unit.

Central to the EL Education curriculum is a focus on “habits of character” and social-emotional learning. Students work to become effective learners, developing mindsets and skills for success in college, career, and life (e.g., initiative, responsibility, perseverance, and collaboration); work to become ethical people, treating others well and standing up for what is right (e.g., empathy, integrity, respect, and compassion); and work to contribute to a better world, putting their learning to use to improve communities (e.g., citizenship and service).

In this unit, students focus on respect, empathy, and compassion as they respond to one another’s ideas and skills in written work and in discussions. During discussions, students also focus on collaboration and taking initiative. Also, they focus on integrity and perseverance as they work independently on assessments. As they track progress on their assessments, they take responsibility for their own learning.

How can you support your student at home?

• Talk with your student about the Lost Boys and Girls of Sudan or other children/people displaced from their homes by war or disasters.
• Read chapter books with your student, and discuss how the setting (time and place) develops the characters (people) and plot (events). Also, discuss the different points of view or opinions of the characters in the book and how the author develops those different points of view. Finally, discuss the theme or message the author is communicating through the book. You may use questions such as the following for your conversations:
  • What is the setting of this story? How does the setting affect the characters? What must they do and be like to live in this setting?
  • From whose point of view or perspective is this story told? How do we know? What is the character/narrator’s point of view of ____ (a topic/idea/character in the story)? How do we know?
  • What is the theme of this story? What message is the author communicating? What lesson do the characters learn?

Common Core State Standards addressed:

• RL.7.2, RL.7.3, RL.7.4, RL.7.6, RL.7.10
• SL.7.1, SL.7.1a, SL.7.1b, SL.7.1c
• L.7.4, L.7.4a, L.7.4b, L.7.4c, L.7.4d, L.7.6

Unit 1: Homework

At the beginning of the unit for homework, students read the module guiding questions (listed above) and discuss them with a family member, talking about how the questions make them feel and why, and what the questions make them think about. Students can sketch or write their reflections. Also, students read chapter 1 of A Long Walk to Water to prepare for in-class reading and discussion of the chapter.

For homework in this unit, students answer selected response (multiple choice) questions about the plot (or events) happening in chapter 1 of A Long Walk to Water. Also, students read chapters of
A Long Walk to Water to prepare for in-class reading and discussion of the chapters.

For homework in this unit, students use context (the words around a word) and, if necessary, a dictionary to determine the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary in chapters of A Long Walk to Water. Then students record the words and their definitions in the correct section of their vocabulary log. Also, students read chapters of A Long Walk to Water to prepare for in-class reading and discussion of the chapters.

In Lessons 9 and 15–16, homework focuses on research reading for which students read a topic-related book of choice and answer a question related to the unit’s ideas and skills. 

Research Reading: When not reading their anchor text, your student is expected to independently research the topic by reading topic-related books of his or her choice for approximately 20 minutes each day and responding to a prompt of choice in the front of the independent reading journal. These are usually books your student will bring home from school; however, they may be topic-related books chosen by the student at the public or your home library. Prompts for independent reading can be found in the homework materials provided below.

Unit 2: Write to Inform: The Lost Children of South Sudan

What will your student be doing at school?

Students begin the unit researching to answer the questions generated while reading A Long Walk to Water during Unit 1, including questions about Lost Girls too. While researching, they determine two or more central ideas in informational texts and provide objective summaries of them. Students also watch clips of the documentary God Grew Tired of Us about The Lost Boys of the Sudan, analyzing the main ideas and supporting details and explaining how the ideas clarify what they have been researching. In the second half of the unit, students use the Painted Essay® structure to write an informative essay comparing and contrasting how the novel and an informational text deal with the subject matter of the Lost Children of Sudan.

Central to the EL Education curriculum is a focus on “habits of character” and social-emotional learning. Students work to become effective learners, developing mindsets and skills for success in college, career, and life (e.g., initiative, responsibility, perseverance, and collaboration); work to become ethical people, treating others well and standing up for what is right (e.g., empathy, integrity, respect, and compassion); and work to contribute to a better world, putting their learning to use to improve communities (e.g., citizenship and service).

In this unit, students focus on the habits of character of respect, empathy, and compassion as they respond to one another’s ideas and skills in written work and in discussions. Also, students focus on integrity and perseverance as they work independently on assessments. Then as they track progress on their assessments, they take responsibility for their own learning.

How can you support your student at home?

• Talk with your student about the Lost Boys and Girls of Sudan or other children/people displaced from their homes by war or disasters.
• Read books or articles and watch documentaries with your student and summarize the chapters or scenes, noting the themes or central ideas, the message the author/director is conveying. One documentary you can watch with your student is God Grew Tired of Us, available online for free streaming. Students watch several short clips from this documentary and may enjoy and benefit from watching the whole film. Also, discuss with your student the research he/she is doing to answer questions about the Lost Children of Sudan. You may use questions such as the following for your conversations:
  • What are the main points of this chapter/book/article/documentary? What message is the author/directory trying to send?
  • What questions do you have about the Lost Children of Sudan? How are you answering those questions? How do you know your sources are credible (trustworthy)? Does this source answer your question? If so, how? If not, what will you do to try to answer the question?

Common Core State Standards addressed:

• RL.7.1, RL.7.9
• RI.7.1, RI.7.2
• W.7.2, W.7.2a, W.7.2b, W.7.2c, W.7.2d, W.7.2e, W.7.2f, W.7.4, W.7.6, W.7.7, W.7.8, W.7.9a, W.7.9b
• SL.7.2

Unit 2: Homework

In Lessons 1, 4, 7, and 14 students read chapters of A Long Walk to Water to prepare for in-class reading and discussion of the chapters.

In Lessons 1 and 2, students answer selected response (multiple choice) questions about the plot (or events) happening in chapter 1 of A Long Walk to Water or the documentary God Grew Tired of Us.

In Lessons 2–3, 5–6, and 8–13, homework focuses on research reading for which students read a topic-related book of choice and answer a question related to the unit’s ideas and skills.

Research Reading: When not reading their anchor text, your student is expected to independently research the topic by reading topic-related books of his or her choice for approximately 20 minutes each day and responding to a prompt of choice in the front of the independent reading journal. These are usually books your student will bring home from school; however, they may be topic-related books chosen by the student at the public or your home library. Prompts for independent reading can be found in the homework materials provided below.

In Lessons 3–4, students work on their researching skills, refining their research questions and revising a summary of one of their sources.

In Lesson 9, students revise their focus statements for their end of unit assessments, making sure they are clear and include at least two main points.

Unit 3: Write to Raise Awareness: The Lost Children of South Sudan

What will your student be doing at school?

Students will begin Unit 3 comparing A Long Walk to Water to the audiobook version of the text, exploring how authors and readers develop tone, mood, and expression. Students will draw on this exploration as they start the second half of the unit, planning and then writing a narrative children’s book about a Lost Boy or Girl of Sudan. Through mini lessons and independent planning work, students focus on developing characters, settings, plot points, and narrative techniques such as pacing, description, and dialogue. Once students complete a draft of their narrative, they convert it into an ebook and publish it by sharing it with others, especially elementary school children.

Central to the EL Education curriculum is a focus on “habits of character” and social-emotional learning. Students work to become effective learners, developing mindsets and skills for success in college, career, and life (e.g., initiative, responsibility, perseverance, and collaboration); work to become ethical people, treating others well and standing up for what is right (e.g., empathy, integrity, respect, and compassion); and work to contribute to a better world, putting their learning to use to improve communities (e.g., citizenship and service).

In this unit, students focus on respect, empathy, and compassion habits of character as they respond to each other’s ideas and skills in written work and in discussions. Also, students focus on integrity and perseverance as they work independently on assessments. Then as they track progress on their assessments, they take responsibility for their own learning. Finally, as students develop an ebook about a Lost Boy or Girl of Sudan, they help others in the class grow as they assist with technology and writing. Also, because students will share their ebooks with an elementary school child in their community, they focus on using their learning to improve their community.

How can you support your student at home?

• Talk with your student about the Lost Boys and Girls of Sudan or other children/people displaced from their homes by war or disasters.
• Discuss with your student about the habits of character that the Lost Boys and Girls or other children/people need in order to survive hardships.
• Talk with your student about the habits of character that the Lost Boys or other children/people need in order to be successful in a new country.
• Read and listen to stories (audiobooks are available at the library), discussing how the audio is different from the text and how the audio uses sounds, tones of voice, and other techniques to make meaning.

Common Core State Standards addressed:

• RL.7.1, RL.7.7
• W.7.3, W.7.3a, W.7.3b, W.7.3c, W.7.3e, W.7.4, W.7.6, W.7.10

Unit 3: Homework

Throughout the unit, homework focuses on research reading and determining the meaning of unfamiliar words using context and reference materials.

Research Reading: When not reading their anchor text, your student is expected to independently research the topic by reading topic-related books of his or her choice for approximately 20 minutes each day and responding to a prompt of choice in the front of the independent reading journal. These are usually books your student will bring home from school; however, they may be topic related books chosen by the student at the public or home library. Prompts for independent reading can be found in the homework materials provided.

Create Illustrations: Additional homework beginning in Lesson 4 involves students creating illustrations for the narrative children’s book they are writing. Students will create these illustrations either in art class or at home and materials (art supplies) will be provided as necessary. Students can use any medium to create the illustrations (paint, marker, crayon, colored pencil, torn paper, photographs, etc.). 

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