Short Story and Elements of Literature

To prepare students to read richly and approach the NCLB (No Child Left Behind) testing as well armed as possible, elements of literature are the focus of first quarter.  Point of view, setting, characters, the idea of conflict, cause and effect, figurative language (simile/metaphor/personification/ alliteration/onomatopoeia), theme, plot (rising action, climax and resolution) as well as critical evaluation are the elements of literature that students will learn to identify and process as they read. 

The stories we are reading this quarter are all found in the ScottForesman Seventh Grade Literature and Integrated Studies Textbook.  Each student will be lent a text for the duration of the unit.  Students are responsible for covering their text and keeping track of it, making sure it is at school when needed and taken home for independent reading assignments.  In addition to poetry found in the text, the specific titles/authors we are reading are as follows:

·        Seventh Grade by Gary Soto

·        After Twenty Years by O. Henry

·        The Gun by Carol Ellis

·        Sir Gawain and the Loathly Lady by Betsy Hearne

·        The Author by M.E. Kerr

·         Rikki-tikki-tavi by Rudyard Kipling

In addition to literature, students will be reading a variety of non-fiction articles and reviewing the preview/highlight method of reading and other reading strategies to increase understanding and comprehension.