Grade 7 Unit Overview Text Recommended Anchor Text Unit Focus Content and Standards Complexity* Time of Year The Giver, Developing Characters, point of view, conflict, theme, Readily ) different and comparing and contrasting different Beginning of year Lois Lowry accessible perspectives texts The interdisciplinary Beginning or Written in Bone, nature of learning Identify and examine central ideas, Moderately middle of year Sally M. Walker about the past and compare and present unique historical complex (to coordinate with how fiction authors perspectives through writing social studies) use and alter history to Write a “How Middle of year Memoir,” William Coming-of-age Moderately Read, comprehend, evaluate, and write or end of year Zinsser stories complex memoirs (based on unit focus) Character point of view/perspective and A Christmas Carol, Middle of year Self-reflection and development, influence of setting and Charles Dickens Very complex (to coordinate with selflessness characters on theme, influence of text on Christmas) society Point of view given historical perspective, Excerpts from comparing nonfiction and fiction to Behind the Scenes, and understand historical settings and events, Pre‒ post‒ Very complex End of year Elizabeth Keckley Civil War America comprehending firsthand accounts and primary sources of historical events
Grade 7 Unit Overview Anchor Text Unit Focus Text Complexity* Content and Standards Recommended Time of Year The Giver, Lois Lowry ) Developing different perspectives Readily accessible Characters, point of view, conflict, theme, and comparing and contrasting different texts Beginning of year Written in Bone, Sally M. Walker The interdisciplinary nature of learning about the past and how fiction authors use and alter history Moderately complex Identify and examine central ideas, compare and present unique historical perspectives through writing Beginning or middle of year (to coordinate with social studies) “How to Write a Memoir,” William Zinsser Coming-of-age stories Moderately complex Read, comprehend, evaluate, and write memoirs Middle of year or end of year (based on unit focus) A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens Self-reflection and selflessness Very complex Character point of view/perspective and development, influence of setting and characters on theme, influence of text on society Middle of year (to coordinate with Christmas) Excerpts from Behind the Scenes, Elizabeth Keckley Pre‒ and post‒ Civil War America Very complex Point of view given historical perspective, comparing nonfiction and fiction to understand historical settings and events, comprehending firsthand accounts and primary sources of historical events End of year