Grade 7 English Language Arts
18 units matched to the Nunavut Curriculum. Kids see this subject as “Language Arts”.
Learning focus
- Uqausiliriniq: communication and language, creative and artistic expression, and reflective and critical thinking.
- Comprehension: listen, view and read to understand a range of texts.
- Production: speak, write and represent ideas clearly for different audiences and purposes.
Units
Unit 1
Close Reading
Reading original stories, arguments and informational passages, then identifying theme and main idea, making inferences, spotting claims and counterarguments, and explaining why an author made certain choices.
Approved guide: NWT English Language Arts (2011), Comprehension · using strategies to understand a text, and summarizing main ideas and drawing conclusions
Unit 2
Whose Story?
Telling first, second and third person apart, finding the clues, and imagining how a different narrator would change the story.
Approved guide: NWT English Language Arts (2011), Comprehension · the creator's point of view, such as first, second or third person
Unit 3
Literary Devices
Recognizing the tools writers use: figurative language, foreshadowing, flashback, symbolism and the three kinds of irony (verbal, situational and dramatic), plus the parts of a plot.
Approved guide: NWT English Language Arts (2011), Comprehension · using text cues to interpret meaning, and figures of speech
Unit 4
Tone & Mood
Telling the writer's attitude (tone) apart from the reader's feeling (mood), and seeing how word choice and connotation shape both.
Approved guide: NWT English Language Arts (2011), Production · tone and mood in a text and in a speaker's delivery
Unit 5
Poetry Lab
Reading short original poems to find rhyme schemes, count stanzas, identify the speaker, recognize forms like haiku, limerick and free verse, and interpret figurative language and theme.
Approved guide: NWT English Language Arts (2011), Comprehension · features of poems and how they build meaning
Unit 6
Persuasive Power
Identifying appeals to credibility, emotion and logic; spotting weak reasoning like bandwagon, false cause and slippery slope; and judging which evidence and rebuttals are strongest.
Approved guide: NWT English Language Arts (2011), Comprehension · fact, opinion and bias, and the creator's point of view
Unit 7
Source Check
Researching responsibly: judging whether a source is trustworthy and current, noticing bias, separating fact from opinion, and giving credit through quotation, paraphrase and citation.
Approved guide: NWT English Language Arts (2011), Comprehension · judging sources and telling fact from opinion
Unit 8
Clauses & Sentences
Finding independent and dependent clauses, naming the four sentence types, and fixing fragments, run-ons and comma splices, the building blocks of varied, clear sentences.
Approved guide: NWT English Language Arts (2011), Production · compound and complex sentences
Unit 9
Modifiers & Parallelism
Revising sentences so describing phrases sit next to what they describe (no misplaced or dangling modifiers) and list items match in form (parallel structure).
Approved guide: NWT English Language Arts (2011), Production · clear, balanced sentences
Unit 10
Roots & Word Parts
Children work out the meaning and spelling of new words from their roots, prefixes and suffixes, and meet figures of speech.
Approved guide: NWT English Language Arts (2011), Production · Greek and Latin roots and affixes, expanded vocabulary, figures of speech and spelling by word parts
Unit 11
Word Mix-Ups
Choosing correctly between commonly confused words: its/it's, their/there/they're, then/than, lose/loose, who's/whose, affect/effect, accept/except and more.
Approved guide: NWT English Language Arts (2011), Production · spelling and commonly confused words
Unit 12
Reading Strategies
Children practise strategies good readers use: drawing on what they know, predicting, connecting, summarizing and reading fluently.
Approved guide: NWT English Language Arts (2011), Comprehension · fluency, prior knowledge, multimodal text, gathering and summarizing information, predictions, connections and new vocabulary
Unit 13
Fair & Inclusive Texts
Children practise noticing stereotypes, unfair or one-sided views and social issues in texts, responding with evidence, and choosing inclusive language.
Approved guide: NWT English Language Arts (2011), Comprehension · inclusive language, broader social issues in text and responding to stereotypes and one-sided views
Unit 14
Plan & Organize Writing
Children practise the steps before and while drafting: choosing a focused topic, planning tools, choosing a text form for the audience, and organizing ideas in a clear pattern.
Approved guide: NWT English Language Arts (2011), Production · generating ideas, gathering information, planning tools, text forms, multimodal forms and organizational patterns
Unit 15
Word Choice & Voice
Children practise choosing precise, descriptive and subject-specific words, and matching tone, sentence style and personal voice to the audience and purpose.
Approved guide: NWT English Language Arts (2011), Production · descriptive and discipline-specific words, personal voice, and tone and sentence style that fit purpose and audience
Unit 16
Posters & Presentations
Children think about layout, visuals and sound that support a message, and how to organize a presentation with an introduction, body and conclusion.
Approved guide: NWT English Language Arts (2011), Production · multimodal forms and final copies, visual and audio aids, layout and design choices, and organizing a presentation
Unit 17
Listening & Discussion
Children practise skills for classroom talk: paraphrasing, asking and clarifying, respectful non-verbal cues, and matching language and tone to the audience.
Approved guide: NWT English Language Arts (2011), Comprehension · listening critically, supportive non-verbal cues, multifaceted questions, oral language rules and tone for audience
Unit 18
Goals & Feedback
Children practise thinking about how they learn: describing strategies, using criteria and feedback, setting specific goals and tracking progress.
Approved guide: NWT English Language Arts (2011), Comprehension · strategies, class criteria and self-assessment, descriptive feedback, setting goals and tracking growth
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