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2020-2021Mrs. Wilson7th Grade Language Arts
Lbwilson@madison-schools.com
OTMS PHONE NUMBER - (601) 898-8730
Welcome to seventh grade and to what I hope will be an exciting year of Language Arts. I know we are experiencing challenging times. Please know that I am here to help your student learn and grow. I am also here to help you adjust to our "new normal" at school and with distance learning when necessary.
Throughout the year, students will be studying language mechanics, literature, poetry, and a variety of writing styles and techniques. Students will also improve skills in public speaking, listening, and critical thinking. Also, your student was introduced to my classroom rules and procedures (digital copy) today. Please review the classroom rules and consequences with your student to ensure he or she understands the classroom and school-wide expectations.
Also note that if you ever have any comments, questions, or concerns, I am available for phone calls and virtual conferences (by appointment) each day before or after school. You may also contact me via email, and I will respond within 24 hours. If we have to move to distance learning, I will send out parent announcements using the Remind app.
Please make sure you sign up to be an "observer" on your student's CANVAS account. This will help you ensure your student is turning in assignments on time. All assignments will be turned in via CANVAS this year. Directions for parent sign up were sent home when you checked out your student's Chromebook. If you would like a digital copy of the instructions, click the link below this letter.
I am excited about working with your child. I welcome questions or comments, and I am looking forward to a great year!
Sincerely,
Lori Wilson
Sign up to be an "observer" on CANVAS
Classroom Links we will use throughout the year:
A Long Walk to Water
Vocabulary Workshop
Unit 1 Vocabulary and DefinitionsTouching Spirit Bear
Freak the Mighty PDFQuestions- Analyze the scene when Kenny makes Max go down the stairs first. What does this tell the reader about Max’s father?
- Kenny Kane tells Max that he “…can’t be trusted quite yet.” What does he mean? What do you think Max will need to do to prove he can be trusted?
- Take a second look at what you know about Iggy and Loretta and compare it with the new information from Ch. 19. Do their actions make them good or bad people?
- Why do you believe Killer Kane blames Max for costing him years in prison?
- What is Max feeling when he says, “I’m so small and weak and he’s so big and strong, you can’t stop him…”
Unit 8 VocabularyHero UnitUnit 7 VocabularyArgument EssayScope ArticlePoetic Portrait Assignment-Directions- Reread the poem "Beginning: 1920," the first entry of the book. Use it as a model to create a portrait of yourself or another person. The portrait can describe such things as how or where you were born, what you look like, what you do. Note the way Karen Hesse uses similes, comparisons with like or as (e.g. "cheekbones like bicycle handles," "mean as a rattler") in her poem.Use your own similes in the poem as you write. You must have at LEAST 3. Your completed portrait must be illustrated with photos and/or drawings.Pele's RevengeOut of the Dust ResourcesExcerpt from A Christmas CarolNarrative Writing ExamplesRating Narratives ActivityCopy of the Independent Reading Project GuidelinesCopy of the Writing Packet***This is worth one test grade.Essay Analysis ActivityExamples #1-4Argument Essay ResourcesShould Balloons Be Banned-- resources for writing your essayYes- Video shown to the whole classYes- Source 1No- Source 2No- Source 3Paired TextsWriting Discussions and InterventionsThe list of all 60 words can be found below.Test on theme, POV, central idea, and context cluesContext clues activities 1, 2, & 3Types of Conflict NotesInformational/Expository Essay OutlineI. Introductiona. hookb. background information (discuss Burmese pythons in general & tell how the presence of the snakes is changing the Everglades)c. thesis statementII. Body Paragraph 1a. Main idea and details about changes in local animalsb. Supporting evidenceIII. Body Paragraph 2a. Main idea and details about changes in peopleb. Supporting evidenceIV. Body Paragraph 3a. Main idea and details about changes in ecosystemb. Supporting evidenceV. Conclusiona. restate the thesis statementb. summarize main ideas and details presented in body paragraphsc. strong concluding sentence