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Seventh Grade English Language Arts Resources
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How to Avoid Dangling Modifiers | No Nonsense Grammar
Source: PBS Learning Media
Resource Type: Video
Modifiers are phrases, clauses, or even just words that add description. In clear sentences, modifiers are next to target words they are describing. Dangling modifiers are modifiers with no target to describe, which can confuse many readers.
Skill: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
Georgia Standard: ELAGSE7.L.1
ELA | Lesson 17 | Spelling Correctly
Source: PBS Learning Media
Resource Type: Document
Students will learn spelling rules and conventions that pertain to i before e, plurals of nouns ending in y, homophones, and the suffix -tion. They will complete an activity in which they identify and revise misspelled words in sentences.
Skill: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
Georgia Standard: ELAGSE7.L.2
Spread the Word to End the Word Campaign | Move to Include
Source: PBS Learning Media
Resource Type: Video With Support Materials
Spread the Word to End the Word is an educational campaign to increase awareness for the need to respect and inclusion of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The initiative is supported by Special Olympics and Best Buddies and numerous other organizations. It promotes using people first accepting language in schools and in the community.
Skills: Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of rhymes and other repetitions of sounds (e.g., alliteration) on a specific verse or stanza of a poem or section of a story or drama.
Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with pertinent descriptions, facts, details, and examples; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.
Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate. (See grade 7 Language standards 1 and 3 for specific expectations.)
Georgia Standards: ELAGSE7.L.3, ELAGSE7.RL.4, ELAGSE7.SL.4, ELAGSE7.SL.6
Stepping Up: Youth Media Challenge
Source: PBS Learning Media
Resource Type: Video
Inspired by the Stepping Up video series featuring four young people working for real change in their communities, support students who are passionate about an issue and have taken action to share their stories to inspire others. Use the following activity to encourage students to submit video, audio or written pieces to KQED Youth Media Challenge.
Skills: Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and link to and cite sources as well as to interact and collaborate with others, including linking to and citing sources.
Georgia Standards: ELAGSE7.L.3, ELAGSE7.W.2, ELAGSE7.W.4, ELAGSE7.W.6
Five Habits to Heal the Heart of Democracy By Parker Palmer | Global Oneness Project
Source: PBS Learning Media
Resource Type: Video With Support Materials
In this article, Parker Palmer presents qualities of citizenship that are essential for sustaining democracy in troubled times. Palmer suggests that we must value our differences, draw inspiration and greater understanding from contradictions, and celebrate the power of community building to restore our democratic society.
Skills: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 7 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone.
Trace and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient to support the claims.
Georgia Standards: ELAGSE7.L.4, ELAGSE7.RI.4, ELAGSE7.RI.8
Source: PBS Learning Media
Resource Type: Video With Support Materials
Students will view a video clip from Ken Burns: The Civil War and analyze the surrender terms, as well as the events leading to Lee’s surrender. Then they will review selections from General Grant’s memoirs. Discussion questions follow, which can be used for general class discussion or individual assessment. Answers to the questions are included.
Skills: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 7 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
Determine two or more central ideas in a text and analyze their development over the course of the text; provide an objective summary of the text.
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone.
Analyze the structure an author uses to organize a text, including how the major sections contribute to the whole and to the development of the ideas.
Analyze how two or more authors writing about the same topic shape their presentations of key information by emphasizing the different evidence or advancing different interpretations of facts.
Georgia Standards: ELAGSE7.L.4, ELAGSE7.RI.2, ELAGSE7.RI.4, ELAGSE7.RI.5, ELAGSE7.RI.9
Political Commentators on Presidential Candidate Behavior | PBS NewsHour
Source: PBS Learning Media
Resource Type: Video With Support Materials
Find out the Trump and Clinton campaigns are faring as we draw closer to election day with this video and educational resources from PBS NewsHour from October 15, 2016.
Skills: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 7 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
Acquire and accurately use grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone.
Georgia Standards: ELAGSE7.L.4, ELAGSE7.L.5, ELAGSE7.L.6, ELAGSE7.RI.4
Wave of Undocumented Children Challenges Health Care Programs
Source: PBS Learning Media
Resource Type: Video With Support Materials
Update your students on how U.S. organizations are caring for undocumented children that cross the U.S. border with this video and educational materials from PBS NewsHour from August 28, 2014. Check out more teaching resources at PBS NewsHour Extra.
Skills: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 7 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
Acquire and accurately use grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.
Analyze the interactions between individuals, events, and ideas in a text (e.g., how ideas influence individuals or events, or how individuals influence ideas or events).
Analyze the structure an author uses to organize a text, including how the major sections contribute to the whole and to the development of the ideas.
Georgia Standards: ELAGSE7.L.4, ELAGSE7.L.5, ELAGSE7.L.6, ELAGSE7.RI.3, ELAGSE7.RI.5
Random Sampling: How Many Fish?
Source: PBS Learning Media
Resource Type: Video With Support Materials
Experiment with random sampling methodology using goldfish crackers. This video focuses on making inferences based on a set of data, finding averages, and using a ratio table to demonstrate statistical procedures used by scientists when estimating populations in the real world. This video was submitted through the Innovation Math Challenge, a contest open to professional and nonprofessional producers. This resource is part of the Math at the Core: Middle School Collection.
Skill: Acquire and accurately use grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.
Georgia Standard: ELAGSE7.L.6
Source: PBS Learning Media
Resource Type: Lesson Plan
In this blended lesson supporting literacy skills, students learn how animals survive the change in conditions that occurs each winter. Students develop their literacy skills as they explore a science focus on varied physical and behavioral adaptations. During this process, they read informational text, learn and practice vocabulary words, and explore content through videos and interactive activities. This resource is part of the Inspiring Middle School Literacy Collection.
Skill: Acquire and accurately use grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.
Georgia Standard: ELAGSE7.L.6
The Lowdown | Do Undocumented Immigrants Pay Taxes? Lesson Plan
Source: PBS Learning Media
Resource Type: Lesson Plan
President Trump and other officials have characterized undocumented immigrants as a drain on the system, taking advantage of services but contributing little in return. In fact, undocumented immigrants pay billions in taxes each year, including into Social Security, a benefit that few end up receiving. In this lesson, students examine facts about the taxes undocumented immigrants pay and common debates about undocumented immigrants, including whether they place a strain on the economy or contribute to it.
Skills: Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and link to and cite sources as well as to interact and collaborate with others, including linking to and citing sources.
Georgia Standards: ELAGSE7.RI.1, ELAGSE7.W.6
Top 4 Tips To Spot Bad Science Reporting | Above the Noise
Source: PBS Learning Media
Resource Type: Video With Support Materials
In an era of sensationalized news and “alternative facts” it can be hard to figure out what to believe or not. And this is especially true when it comes to science and health news. Crazy claims and sketchy science reporting dilutes the public’s understanding of science, which can have some big consequences, especially when it comes to our health and environment. How can we make solid decisions--like how to vote, what to buy or what can make us sick, if our science news is hyped? Host Myles Bess helps you get above the noise by sharing tips on how to spot bad science reporting. This resource is part of the News and Media Literacy Collection.
Sensitive: This resource contains material that may be sensitive for some students. Teachers should exercise discretion in evaluating whether this resource is suitable for their class.
Skill: Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
Georgia Standard: ELAGSE7.RI.1
Why Is Fake News So Effective?
Source: PBS Learning Media
Resource Type: Interactive Lesson
This interactive lesson, based on the series Breaking Views, frames the controversial issues of fake news and trust in the media with the historical context of yellow journalism and sensationalist reporting. In addition to learning more about how fake news has evolved over the years, students will learn strategies for improving their media literacy and will be able to identify both credible and non-credible news sources. After they complete the lesson students will be better prepared to critically analyze media using the Five Key Questions of media literacy, which will become a point of enduring understanding that young people need in order to be better 21st century digital citizens in an era saturated by information.
Skills: Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
Analyze the interactions between individuals, events, and ideas in a text (e.g., how ideas influence individuals or events, or how individuals influence ideas or events).
Trace and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient to support the claims.
Analyze how two or more authors writing about the same topic shape their presentations of key information by emphasizing the different evidence or advancing different interpretations of facts.
Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions for further research and investigation.
Georgia Standards: ELAGSE7.RI.1, ELAGSE7.RI.3, ELAGSE7.RI.8, ELAGSE7.RI.9, ELAGSE7.W.7
won't you celebrate with me, by Lucille Clifton
Source: PBS Learning Media
Resource Type: Video
In this video segment from Poetry Everywhere, two-time Pulitzer Prize nominated poet Lucille Clifton reads her poem “won’t you celebrate with me.” Drawing from Whitman, the Bible, and the tradition of the sonnet, the poem invites readers to explore themes of identity, race, and gender.
Skill: By the end of the year, read and comprehend literary nonfiction in the grades 6-8 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.
Georgia Standard: ELAGSE7.RI.10
Adam Savage of Myth Busters on Why Science Matters | Above the Noise
Source: PBS Learning Media
Resource Type: Video With Support Materials
In a special episode of Above the Noise, host Shirin Ghaffary asked the host of the popular TV show MythBusters, Adam Savage, about why he participated in the March for Science in San Francisco on April 22. Savage is a passionate advocate for science. He says that much of the current opposition to science in this country comes from the belief that it’s an “elitist, provocative way of looking at the world. When in fact, it’s just an attempt to look at the world clearly.” In addition to supporting scientists, Savage says it’s also crucial to teach media literacy so that young people learn how to separate fact from fiction in the media.
Skills: Determine two or more central ideas in a text and analyze their development over the course of the text; provide an objective summary of the text.
Analyze the interactions between individuals, events, and ideas in a text (e.g., how ideas influence individuals or events, or how individuals influence ideas or events).
Georgia Standards: ELAGSE7.RI.2, ELAGSE7.RI.3
Source: PBS Learning Media
Resource Type: Lesson Plan
In this lesson, students discuss the meaning of gratitude and write their personal expressions of gratitude. Students then explore the connection between gratitude and a concern for the environment.
Skills: Determine two or more central ideas in a text and analyze their development over the course of the text; provide an objective summary of the text.
Analyze the interactions between individuals, events, and ideas in a text (e.g., how ideas influence individuals or events, or how individuals influence ideas or events).
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.
Georgia Standards: ELAGSE7.RI.2, ELAGSE7.RI.3, ELAGSE7.W.2
Source: PBS Learning Media
Resource Type: Interactive Lesson
In this interactive lesson, students learn about water management challenges. Students will hear from water specialists and analyze data concerning the availability and environmental impact of the use of water. They will make an evidence-based argument that supports the sustainability of the resource even with the increase in population.
As the Southwest looks to the future, several questions must be considered regarding a sustainable water supply, including the needs of the environment and riparian protection, the continued discussion of water rights and the means by which the needs of a growing population are met especially with the continued drought cycle. This mini-lesson provides middle schoolers with a brief look at the problems and possible solutions for the water system.
Skills: Determine two or more central ideas in a text and analyze their development over the course of the text; provide an objective summary of the text.
Analyze the interactions between individuals, events, and ideas in a text (e.g., how ideas influence individuals or events, or how individuals influence ideas or events).
Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions for further research and investigation.
Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.
Georgia Standards: ELAGSE7.RI.2, ELAGSE7.RI.3, ELAGSE7.W.7, ELAGSE7.W.8
Why Do Our Brains Love Fake News? | Above the Noise
Source: PBS Learning Media
Resource Type: Video With Support Materials
Ever have an argument with someone, and no matter how many facts you provide, you just can’t get that person to see it your way? One big reason for this is cognitive bias, which is a limitation in our thinking that can cause flaws in our judgement. Confirmation bias is a specific type of cognitive bias that motivates us to seek out information we already believe and ignore or minimize facts that threaten what we believe. Studies show that when people are presented with facts that contradict what they believe, the parts of the brain that control reason and rationality go inactive. But, the parts of the brain that process emotion light up like the Fourth of July. Have your students watch the video and respond to the question in KQED Learn.
Sensitive: This resource contains material that may be sensitive for some students. Teachers should exercise discretion in evaluating whether this resource is suitable for their class.
Skills: Determine two or more central ideas in a text and analyze their development over the course of the text; provide an objective summary of the text.
Trace and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient to support the claims.
Georgia Standards: ELAGSE7.RI.2, ELAGSE7.RI.8
Comparing and Contrasting - Grassland, Desert, and Forest Elephants
Source: PBS Learning Media
Resource Type: Lesson Plan
Students use a T-chart to take notes on the similarities and differences among elephants. With partners, they organize their notes and construct a Venn diagram with illustrations.
Skills: Analyze the structure an author uses to organize a text, including how the major sections contribute to the whole and to the development of the ideas.
Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how the author distinguishes his or her position from that of others.
Analyze how an author develops and contrasts the points of view of different characters or narrators in a text.
Georgia Standard: ELAGSE7.RI.5, ELAGSE7.RI.6, ELAGSE7.RL.6
Can You Win an Argument with a Conspiracy Theorist? | Above the Noise
Source: PBS Learning Media
Resource Type: Video With Support Material
A conspiracy theory is a belief that an organization is working in secret to achieve some sinister goal. These theories are nothing new, but with the internet and the rise of social media, conspiracy theories are getting in front of a lot of eyeballs. Have you ever sat down and tried to argue with someone who believes in a conspiracy theory? Watch the latest Above the Noise video to discover why some people believe in conspiracy theories and whether you can change the mind of someone who believes in one. Have your students watch the video and respond to the question in KQED Learn.
Skills: Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how the author distinguishes his or her position from that of others.
Compare and contrast a text to an audio, video, or multimedia version of the text, analyzing each medium’s portrayal of the subject (e.g., how the delivery of a speech affects the impact of the words).
Trace and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient to support the claims.
Georgia Standards: ELAGSE7.RI.6, ELAGSE7.RI.7, ELAGSE7.RI.8
False Equivalence: Why It's so Dangerous | Above the Noise
Source: PBS Learning Media
Resource Type: Video With Support Material
Not every topic warrants a “both sides” approach. Some viewpoints are simply not backed by empirical evidence or are based on false ideas. Journalists and anyone who works with facts have to be careful not to present them as legit debates. If they do, they are creating a “false equivalence.” False equivalence: what does it mean, and why is it helping to spread misinformation online?
Skills: Trace and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient to support the claims.
Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions for further research and investigation.
Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.
Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
Georgia Standards: ELAGSE7.RI.8, ELAGSE7.W.7, ELAGSE7.W.8, ELAGSE7.W.9
Identifying "Fake" News | Common Sense Education
Source: PBS Learning Media
Resource Type: Video With Support Material
What is “fake” news? How do we know it’s false? Use these resources from Common Sense Education to help students investigate the way information is presented so that they can analyze what they read and see on the Web. This resource is part of the News and Media Literacy Collection.
Skill: Analyze how two or more authors writing about the same topic shape their presentations of key information by emphasizing the different evidence or advancing different interpretations of facts.
Georgia Standard: ELAGSE7.RI.9
Literary Elements and Techniques | Setting
Source: PBS Learning Media
Resource Type: Video
Explore how authors use setting to establish the time, place, and social conditions in which a story takes place in this short animated video from WNET.
Skill: Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
Georgia Standard: ELAGSE7.RL.1
Source: PBS Learning Media
Resource Type: Interactive Lesson
In this interactive lesson, discover how literary techniques like figurative language, imagery, and symbolism contribute to the overall meaning of a poem. Explore how a poet establishes and builds on a theme. Learn how to tell the difference between tone and mood.
Skill: By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 6-8 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.
Georgia Standard: ELAGSE7.RL.10
"The Raven" | Edgar Allan Poe: Buried Alive
Source: PBS Learning Media
Resource Type: Video
Learn about the story behind Poe’s famous poem, “The Raven,” in this video from the American Masters film Edgar Allan Poe: Buried Alive.
Skill: Determine a theme and/or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text; provide an objective summary of the text.
Georgia Standard: ELAGSE7.RL.2
Lorraine Hansberry | A Raisin in the Sun: American Dream Deferred
Source: PBS Learning Media
Resource Type: Video
In this video from the American Masters film Lorraine Hansberry: Sighted Eyes/Feeling Heart, students learn how the play A Raisin in the Sun explores the impact of dreams deferred. Inspired by the famous Langston Hughes poem “Harlem,” Lorraine Hansberry brings the poem to life in the form of the Younger family in 1950s Chicago.
Skill: Determine a theme and/or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text; provide an objective summary of the text.
Georgia Standard: ELAGSE7.RL.2
Literary Elements and Techniques | Characterization
Source: PBS Learning Media
Resource Type: Video
Explore characterization and how authors reveal qualities of characters in this short animated video from WNET.
Skill: Analyze how particular elements of a story or drama interact (e.g., how settings shape the characters or plot).
Georgia Standard: ELAGSE7.RL.3
Source: PBS Learning Media
Resource Type: Interactive Lesson
In this interactive lesson, discover how literary techniques like figurative language, imagery, and symbolism contribute to the overall meaning of a poem. Explore how a poet establishes and builds on a theme. Learn how to tell the difference between tone and mood.
Skill: Analyze how a drama’s or poem’s form or structure (e.g., soliloquy, sonnet) contributes to its meaning.
Georgia Standard: ELAGSE7.RL.5
Source: PBS Learning Media
Resource Type: Video
As students explore this pivotal scene from the MASTERPIECE 2003 production of Our Town, they examine the play’s themes about legacy and memory. The Stage Manager, played by Paul Newman, reflects on what should go in the cornerstone of a new bank in Grover’s Corners, a small New Hampshire town in the early 20th century.
Skill: Compare and contrast a written story, drama, or poem to its audio, filmed, staged, or multimedia version, analyzing the effects of techniques unique to each medium (e.g., lighting, sound, color, or camera focus and angles in a film).
Georgia Standard: ELAGSE7.RL.7
Source: PBS Learning Media
Resource Type: Video
This video segment from Nature provides a background of the history of cats. Over the ages, human beings have viewed cats as both godlike and as demons. In the year 2500 BC in Ancient Egypt, cats were revered and then mummified once they died. These mummies are being studied today.
Skill: Compare and contrast a fictional portrayal of a time, place, or character and a historical account of the same period as a means or understanding how authors of fiction use or alter history
Georgia Standard: ELAGSE7.RL.9
Identifying Different Perspectives - Camilo's Drums
Source: PBS Learning Media
Resource Type: Video With Support Materials
Students watch a video segment about a boy learning how to play various Afro-Caribbean drums and drum styles. They then complete a graphic organizer that illustrates the multiple perspectives presented in the video segments.
Skill: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 7 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
Georgia Standard: ELAGSE7.SL.1
Helen Keller | Author, Advocate, and Activist
Source: PBS Learning Media
Resource Type: Video With Support Materials
In a time when opportunities for people with disabilities were few, one young woman who was both blind and deaf became a world-renowned voice for change. To this day many still marvel at the accomplishments and perseverance of author and activist Helen Keller. Through two activities and a short biographical video, students will understand Helen Keller’s accomplishments. Through viewing a video about Helen Keller’s life, examining a 1904 photograph of Keller, and reading excerpts of her autobiography, students will learn about Helen Keller’s commitment to advocating for equal treatment for people with disabilities. The lesson concludes with students choosing a quotation that best represents Keller’s challenges and successes.
Skill: Analyze the main ideas and supporting details presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and explain how the ideas clarify a topic, text, or issue under study.
Georgia Standard: ELAGSE7.SL.2
The Rhetorical Triangle | Ford's Theatre
Source: PBS Learning Media
Resource Type: Lesson Plan with Videos
By understanding Aristotle’s three elements of persuasive speech—the ancient Greek words ethos, pathos and logos—students will be able to analyze the effectiveness of rhetorical strategies and elements in commercials and speeches. This lesson could be used in grades 5-12. In Lesson Activity Two, there are links to resources that allow the teacher to choose appropriate texts for their students.
Skill: Delineate a speaker’s argument and specific claims, evaluating the soundness of the reasoning and the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.
Georgia Standard: ELAGSE7.SL.3
Following Directions - Ndakinna Wilderness Project
Source: PBS Learning Media
Resource Type: Lesson Plan
Students watch a video segment, take notes and follow directions to create both a diagram with captions and a drawing that communicates information about camouflaging.
Skill: Include multimedia components and visual displays in presentations to clarify claims and findings and emphasize salient points.
Georgia Standard: ELAGSE7.SL.5
Why Some Schools Still Insist on Teaching Cursive Writing
Source: PBS Learning Media
Resource Type:
Starting in the 1970s, and under the recent implementation of the Common Core, a former pillar of elementary education has been largely forgotten. But there's a feeling that learning cursive still has value, even in the age of typing and texting. Let your students weigh in on the cursive handwriting debate with this PBS NewsHour video and educational resources from May 9, 2014. For further background and materials to support student understanding of the issue see the Teacher’s Guide, Student Handout, and Informational Text in Support Materials.
Skills: Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
Georgia Standards: ELAGSE7.W.1, ELAGSE7.W.2, ELAGSE7.W.4
Reporting from Multiple Sources - The Roles of Dogs in Three Societies
Source: PBS Learning Media
Resource Type: Lesson Plan
While watching three videos on dogs' roles in various places on Earth, students will take notes. They will later use these notes to write an essay. They will spend time revising and correcting the essay.
Skill: Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
Georgia Standard: ELAGSE7.W.10
Developing Empathy Through Retold Fairy Tales
Source: PBS Learning Media
Resource Type: Lesson Plan
In this lesson, students watch a video that explores how a Native American saying, “walk a mile in someone else’s moccasins,” relates to the practice of empathy. As a class and in small groups, students examine a well-known fairy tale, Cinderella, to try to “walk a mile” in the shoes of each character.
Skill: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.
Georgia Standard: ELAGSE7.W.3
Latino Americans Share Their Experiences
Source: PBS Learning Media
Resource Type: Interactive
Students examine the challenges that three Latino Americans faced and overcame as they achieved success in their careers. This interactive lesson introduces students to playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda, actor Judy Reyes, and astronaut José Hernández through interviews from MARIA HINOJOSA: ONE-ON-ONE. Students ultimately consider how the life experiences and achievements these individuals describe helped shape how they identify as Americans in the 21st-century United States.
Skill: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above.)
Georgia Standard: ELAGSE7.W.4
Letters to the Next President 2.0 Media Makes
Source: PBS Learning Media
Throughout the spring, KQED Education will host a series of multimedia skill-building activities, called Media Makes, for teachers and students to practice digital media making that facilitates dialogue around critical issues in this election. Find overview and media make resources here.
Skill: Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and link to and cite sources as well as to interact and collaborate with others, including linking to and citing sources.
Georgia Standard: ELAGSE7.W.6
How to Teach Your Students About Fake News - Lesson Plan
Source: PBS Learning Media
Fake news is making news, and it’s a problem. This lesson gives students media literacy skills they need to navigate the media, including how to spot fake news.
Skills: Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions for further research and investigation.
Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.
Georgia Standards: ELAGSE7.W.7, ELAGSE7.W.8