SSK Unit 4.2 Planning Guide

Instructional ConsiderationsHISD PLANNING GUIDEEnglish Language Arts Grade 7SUMMER SCHOOLReview writing in the form of personal narratives. Review the guidelines of the STAAR rubric and create an anchor chartas a reference for students. See Formative Assessment- STAAR Personal Narrative Rubric in Assessment Connectionsfor the official STAAR rubric. For student models and exemplars, see SpringBoard Level 2 and Writing Coach Grade 7in Resources.(ELA.7.16A)Remind students that personal narratives are: Autobiographical Based on fact Written in first-person A recollection of a significant event ReflectiveProvide students with opportunities to evaluate models. Have students link the characteristics of the model texts to therequired attributes for this writing project. See Literature Grade 7 in Resources for suggested texts.Encourage students to choose their own topics to build a meaningful writing experience. Encourage the use of graphicorganizers to help with the prewriting process. See the Graphic Organizers website in Resources. (ELA.7.14A)Have students work in Writing Groups as a means to develop personal narratives. Students can share ideas, problems,solutions, and support one another’s efforts. Some students may require mini-lessons on appropriate group behaviorand guidelines. See Writing Groups in Instructional Strategies and SpringBoard Level 2 and Writing Coach Grade 7 inResources. (ELA.7.14B)Remind students that while literary devices and imagery are key elements of literary nonfiction, their essays must focuson quality, clarity, and a purpose for writing. Emphasize that it is not enough to only describe an event or moment intime. Students must also incorporate a reflective aspect that explains the significance of the event and its impact.Conduct Writing Conferences to assess progress and focus. See ELA Best Practices MS in Resources. (ELA.7.14B,ELA.7.16A)Revision involves not only adding grammar and stylistic elements, but also adding details to make the writingmore interesting and realistic. Provide mini-lessons focused on the specific elements of a personal narrativesuch as a lead or hook, description and sequence of event(s), and reflection. Remind students to consideraudience, style, and purpose as they revise for clarity and content. Guide students in revising their essays downto twenty-six lines. Model combining sentences as necessary to increase style quality and reduce space. Explainthe necessity of using precise and concise language to convey ideas. Students must practice writing in timedsituations in order to understand the process of revising essays effectively and efficiently. Use student drafts ormentor texts to model the revision process. See Laying the Foundation: A Resource and Planning Guide forPreAP English Grade Seven and the official STAAR Composition Box template in Resources.Encourage students to be concise and choose precise diction to create tone and describe events and avoid beingoverly “wordy.” Illustrate the concepts with mentor texts. Use Writing Conferences to ensure the students utilize theselessons and texts when revising their personal narratives. (ELA.7.14C, ELA.7.16A)Review the conventions of punctuation and capitalization. Highlight punctuation rules for semicolons, colons, andhyphens. See Grammar Notes DVD-ROM in Resources. For ELL support, see Milestones in Resources.(ELA. 7.14D)Review the publishing step of the writing process for students. Remind students that as this is the final step; the writingpiece should be as near to perfect as possible. Use a checklist as a final method of correction. See Checklist inInstructional Strategies and Grammar Notes DVD-ROM in Resources. (ELA.7.14E)STAAR Connection- There are STAAR released sample prompts for personal narratives. Creating similar promptshelps students prepare for the STAAR exam. See Released STAAR Items (Sample Prompt for Personal Narrative) inAssessment Connections. - English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS) - Literacy Leads the Way Best Practices - Aligned to Upcoming State Readiness Standard- State Process Standard R - State Readiness Standard S - State Supporting Standard© Houston ISD Curriculum2012 – 2013Page 6 of 8