“Misunderstood!" It is a right fool’s word. Is it so bad to be misunderstood? Pythagoras was misunderstood, and Socrates, and Jesus and Copernicus, and Galileo…and every pure and wise spirit that ever took flesh. To be great is to be misunderstood” -Ralph Waldo Emerson “Self-Reliance”

 

Welcome to 7th Grade Language Arts

Mrs. Vainisi

kvainisi@ascension-school.com

Curriculum ( Illinois Learning Goal 1—Read with understanding and fluency)

Seventh grade is a very rigorous year for both reading and writing. The theme for the year is “Life is a journey.” This encompasses not only the themes of our books and the struggles of the characters, but the journey into another realm of life—the serious preparation for high school academics. The following books will be read this year: This fulfills Illinois Learning Goal2—Read and understand literature representative of various societies, era, and ideas.

  1. Our Town by Thornton Wilder

  2. The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare

  3. The Giver by Lois Lowry

  4. Burning Up by Caroline Cooney

There will also be a unit on poetry in which the following poems and poets will be analyzed:

Edgar Allan Poe

  1. “Annabel Lee”

  2. “The Raven”

Emily Dickinson

1.        #69 “Success is counted sweetest by those who ne’er succeed…”

2.       #185 “Faith is a fine Invention…”

3.       #341 “After great pain, a formal feeling comes…”

4.       #465 “I heard a fly buzz—when I died…”

Robert Frost

  1. “Mending Wall”

  2. “Fire and Ice”

  3. “Design”

  4. “The Road Not Taken”

Editorial Unit:

Students will understand the inner workings of a newspaper, specifically, the Chicago Tribune. We will pay close attention to the editorial section. Students will then have the opportunity to write and send their letters to the Tribune.

Extra Reading :

Along with the four assigned books, you will be reading FOUR EXTRA BOOKS during the school year and have various writing projects on them. The books must be at least 200 pages in length. The following will be the schedule of genres:

October/November: Your Choice

December/January: Biography

March: Mystery/Thriller

May: Groups of 3-4 read the same book and develop a project

Writing Assignments ( Illinois State Goal 3: Write to communicate for a variety of purposes

  1. Journals will be written on a daily basis—If journals are not finished in class, they must be done as homework (5 points). If you miss class, the journal must be made up. Believe it or not 5 points can make a difference in your grade!!!

  2. Research projects/major assignments: Approximately 100 points. For every day an assignment is late, 10% will be taken off. So if the project is worth 100 points, the scale would look like this:

1st day late: 90%

2nd day late: 80%

3rd day late: 70%...and so forth

This year we will continue to stress responsibility—in our lives and assignments.

Speech Unit (Learning Goal 3.C.3a)— Illinois State Goal 4—Listen and speak effectively in a variety of situations

Throughout the year, you will be responsible for making three speeches or presentations. These are always fun and can really bring about much creativity.

  1. Demonstration Speech

  2. Persuasive Speech

  3. Memorize 15-line poem by a classic or famous poet

Guidelines for these speeches will be given well in advance of their due date.

This is just a glimpse of what you will be accomplishing in 7th grade L.A. Please come to me with any assignment that you do not understand. I am not working any lunch period this year for the purpose of allowing time to help you with any assignment that may be troubling you.

Computer and Reading Days:

Every Wednesday we will be going to computer class during Language Arts. 7A will be going 6th period and 7B will be going 8th period. The purpose is to do research, create power point presentations, and work on various writing projects. We will take advantage of this opportunity every week.

Every Friday 6th and 8th period will be designated for the purpose of quiet reading. You will be prepared to bring your book to class every Friday. I do have a library in my room in which you can check out books, but do not show up on Friday without a book. Check your book out on Thursday.

I am thrilled to be starting my third year at Ascension. I have three classes left for my Master’s Degree, which I am completing at DePaul University . I truly believe that every child is a gift and develops in his/her own time. If anything needs to come to my attention regarding your child, please feel free to contact me. The best way would be by email.

Sincerely,

Katrina Vainisi

kvainisi@ascension-school.com