Unit 5 for Grade 7: War and Peace

Unit Focus Students explore the human condition to determine when war is warranted, and when peace should prevail. Students analyze both sides of the argument, as found in fiction and in history. Evidence based writing organizes rationale for war and for peace, and leads students to argue their own positions.

SEL Pillar #4 Establishing and maintaining positive relationships based on cooperation; preventing and constructively resolving interpersonal conflict.

Essential Questions How do values impact decisions? Is war ever justified? What does it mean to persuade? What is the difference between fact and opinion? Why is it important to identify your audience when trying to persuade? Possible Pre-Assessment Have students do a quick write about what persuades them to do something? How do they persuade others when they want something? Possible Unit Summative  Comprehensive unit test containing a variety of question types (e.g., multiple choice, fill in the blank, essay) Assessment  Consider a problem facing your school, community, county, state, etc. Write a speech to the appropriate audience in which you explain why the situation (integrates multiple standards needs attention and how it should be corrected. Use persuasive techniques learned in this unit. and skills)  Students read an article and then evaluate a peer’s summary of the article in relation to a set of guidelines. Each guideline appears as a separate question.

Focus Standards for This Unit Reading Standards for Literature RL.7.1: Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. * Note that the following RL.7.3: Analyze how particular elements of story or drama interact (e.g., how setting shapes the characters or plot). standards need to be RL.7.4: 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 addressed in every unit: repetitions of sounds (e.g., alliteration) on a specific verse or stanza of a poem or section of a story or drama. -RL.7.1 RL.7.10: Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently. -RL.7.10 -RI.7.1 Reading Standards for Informational Text -RI.7.10 RI.7.1: Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. -W.7.9 RI.7.2: 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. -W.7.10 RI.7.5: 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. RI.7.8: 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. Standards that in the DC RI.7.10: Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently. Standards and Core Standards that need to be covered in a

1 RELA Unit 5 Grade 7 | MAPCS lesson. Writing Standards W.7.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content. W.7.9: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. W.7.10: Write routinely over extended time frames and shorter time frames for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Speaking and Listening Standards SL.7.4: 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.

Language Standards L.7.1: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. a. Explain the function of phrases and clauses in general and their function in specific sentences. b. Choose among simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences to signal differing relationships among ideas. c. Place phrases and clauses within a sentence, recognizing and correcting misplaced and dangling modifiers. L.7.4: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grades 7 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies. a: Use context as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase. b: Use common, grade-appropriate Greek or Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., belligerent, bellicose, rebel) c: Consult reference materials, both print and digital, to find the pronunciation of a word or determine or clarify its precise meaning or its part of speech. d: Verify the preliminary determination of the meaning of a word or phrase (e.g., by checking the inferred meaning in context or in a dictionary).

2 RELA Unit 5 Grade 7 | MAPCS Suggested Works LITERARY TEXTS

Each unit includes: In the McDougal Little LITERATURE text: □ Close analysis of 3-5 short complex texts FICTION □ In-depth study of one  Zebra (Chaim Potok)—(short story) pg. 182 Deals with theme of the human condition complex extended  The Scholarship Jacket (Marta Salinas)—(short story) pg. 216 Deals with the theme of the human condition & fighting for independence text (anchor text for unit)  Charles (Shirley Jackson)—(short story) pg. 250 Deals with the theme of taking a position □ Practice of oral  The Two Brothers (Leo Tolstoy)—(short story) pg. 307 Deals with the theme of taking a position reading fluency through partner  Amigo Brothers (Phil Thomas)—(short story) pg. 310 Deals with the theme of “war /battle” in terms of being in competition with others reading, small group  The War of the Wall (Toni Cade Bambara)—(short story) pg. 326 Deals with the theme of taking a position reading, or teacher small group reading  What Do Fish Have to Do with Anything? (Avi)—(short story) pg. 338 Deals with the theme of “battling” depression

□ Ongoing in-depth comparisons of NONFICTION/INFORMATIONAL TEXT complex texts  The Collected Grief of a Nation (feature article) pg. 209 Deals with the theme of the human condition & the realities of war □ Write to complex  A Mother’s Words (letter) pg. 212 texts studied, including 3-5  U. S. Involvement in Vietnam (timeline) pg. 214 informative,  Back to the Wall (magazine article) pg. 337 narrative and/or opinion pieces  Homeless (essay) pg. 356 Deals with the theme of taking a position/problem-solution  Why Work Out? (magazine article)pg. 912 Deals with the theme of taking a position  The Promise (essay) pg. 916 Deals with the theme of taking a position/standing up for a cause  Pro Athletes’ Salaries Aren’t Overly Exorbitant (editorial) pg. 918 Deals with the theme of taking a position Do Professional Athletes Get Paid Too Much (editorial) pg. 922  Why We Shouldn’t Go to Mars (magazine article) pg. 928 Deals with the theme of taking a position  Remarks at the Dedication of the Aerospace Medical Health Center (John F. Kennedy) pg. 936 Persuasion POETRY  The Rider (Naomi Shihab Nye) pg. 204 Deals with the theme of the human condition  The Charge of the Light Brigade (Alfred Lord Tennyson) pg. 572 Deals with the themes of war and personal sacrifice  The Highwayman (Alfred Noyes) pg. 575 Deals with the theme of personal sacrifice 3 RELA Unit 5 Grade 7 | MAPCS 4 RELA Unit 5 Grade 7 | MAPCS Key Terminology and  point of view  fact  opinion  alliteration Academic Language  persuasive techniques  argument  counterargument  textual support *5-10 terms per reading  emotional appeal  judgment  myth  universal theme should be selected for each short complex text  bandwagon  fallacy  legend  cultural values *5-10 words per week should  repetition  generalization  fable  prediction be selected for extended complex text  sound effects  overgeneralization  folk tale  cause & effect  propaganda  claim  tall tale  context (clues)  logical appeal  folklore  interview  chronological order  expert appeal  clarify  inference  summarize

Additional Interdisciplinary Social Studies Music Connections Students analyze and discuss how wars have changes society/the world. What Students listen to songs related to war and/or peace. Then write their own have been the positive effects? Negative effects/ songs put to the tune of well-known songs. Students learn about the Patriot Act and other anti-terrorist legislation that has  Wake up Everybody (Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes) come about as a result of 9-11.  Heal the World (Michael Jackson) Science  Imagine (John Lennon) Students research and discuss the effects of war the earth/nature? How have Health and Physical Education recent wars, including the 9-11 attacks, affected the areas where they were Students research and discuss the physical demands of war. How do soldier fought? What will be the long term consequences? prepare and train physically for war? What do they eat while in battle to maintain their health and stamina? Parts of this document were adapted from CommonCore.org.

5 RELA Unit 5 Grade 7 | MAPCS PLANNING WORKSHEET: Use the additional space in this tool to further develop the plan for instruction  ELA Standard  Critical Sub-skills  Possible Learning Tasks (Knowledge that students *Tasks may be accomplished over multiple literacy block periods or repeated for emphasis over should understand and skills several periods. they should demonstrate) *Some tasks address multiple standards and more than one knowledge or skill item. *Tasks that may apply to more than one ELA standard are cited in multiple rows. RL.7.1  Cite textual evidence to  Students discuss a fictional text that they are given, they identify passages, which highlight the author's style, support explicit statements language nuances and textual ambiguities. Pupils brainstorm possible topics for an analytical essay, they are in text. engaged in the writing process as they develop a literary topic into an analytical essay.  Cite textual evidence to  Students work together to evaluate the accuracy of generalizations. In this stereotyping lesson, students support implicit statements examine the effects of cultural stereotyping based on generalizations. Students will engage in a class discussion about text. aimed at answering the question, "What are some ways we can avoid stereotyping other people who are  Gather textual evidence to different from us?" form a generalization or  Students revise a recent draft of writing to make the content more specific. They trace their hands on a large analysis statement about sheet of paper. Students, in the palms of their traced hand print, write in the general topic of the writing draft. text. On the extended fingers, they should include details that relate to or support the general topic.  Read closely and find  Ask students what can we exactly infer about a character? Students should brainstorm things like what they answers implicitly in text say, what they do, what they think. and answers that require an Differentiation: Vary the length and difficulty of text, provide some students with a highlighted or annotated version of the inference. text, Mini-lesson on vocabulary before starting, Provide real-world examples of explicit statements vs. implicit statements, Clarify misunderstood meanings, Use a T-chart for classifying new statements RL.7.4  Define and identify various  Students describe the basic plots of three Greek myths. Students discuss three types of themes in Greek myths: forms of figurative stories about heroes, stories about "how it came to be," and stories about the consequences of unwise language. behavior. Students cite examples of contemporary use of terms from Greek mythology. Students analyze artistic  Distinguish between literal and literary works based on or inspired by Greek myths. language and figurative  Students consider the influence of Greek mythology in today's world. They describe basic Greek mythology language. plots, discuss common themes, cite examples of contemporary use of terms from Greek mythology and analyze  Analyze why authors choose modern works inspired by the classics. specific words to evoke a  Assign students a specific tone or mood word and ask them to write a poem or short essay that conveys that particular meaning or tone. word. For example, choose the word "disappointment" and ask students to write a letter from a parent to a child who received a bad grade on a report card or choose the word "joy" and ask students to write about a baby being born. Differentiation: Vary the length and difficulty of text, provide some students with a highlighted or annotated version of the text, Mini-lesson on vocabulary before starting, Use a graphic organizer and real-world examples, i.e. music to help students classify the forms of language and why they are used in text, Have students create/use foldables with definitions, examples, and pictures to demonstrate/recall what they have learned about the forms of language 6 RELA Unit 5 Grade 7 | MAPCS RL.7.10  I can determine reading  http://www.busyteacherscafe.com/worksheets/reading/text_self.pdf strategies that will help me Use this worksheet with students for making text-to-self connections while reading. comprehend difficult texts.  http://www.busyteacherscafe.com/worksheets/reading/questioning%20web.pdf Use this questioning web worksheet to help students formulate questions about a text as they read.  http://www.readinglady.com/mosaic/tools/MentalImagesPlansbyKelley.pdf Ideas for helping students learn to visualize while reading.  http://www.readinglady.com/mosaic/tools/Sensory%20Imagery%20Graphic%20Organizer.pdf Graphic organizer for visualizing while reading.

RI.7.1  Define textual evidence.  Students review and summarize the elements of fiction within and across texts. In this exploring the elements  Define inference and lesson, students examine how the evidence found in a text can be cited to support key information and to explain how a reader uses support conclusions made within and across texts. textual evidence to reach a  Students summarize information from a text. Students read fictional stories, and then write a summary of what logical conclusion. they read.  Read closely to find answers explicitly in text and answers that require an inference. Differentiation: Guide students on how to draw an inference using textual evidence, Have students draw inferences from real-world scenarios, Provide real-world examples of explicit statements vs. implicit statements, Clarify misunderstood  Analyze an author’s words meanings and determine the textual Differentiation: Vary the length and difficulty of passages that students are asked to read, Use Somebody, Wanted, But, evidence that most strongly So chart (When Kids Can’t Read, K. Beers) to help students summarize supports both explicit and inferential questions. RI.7.8  Identify the side of an  Students study the concept of author's purpose. Students participate in various activities that identify the argument an author purposes and differences in writing to explain, to inform, to entertain, and to persuade. Students find examples presents in a text. of the different purposes in print and electronic media. Students work in cooperative groups to organize and  Determine the credibility of create drafts of their writing. Students reflect on the importance of this to them as writers and as readers. the author and his/her purpose.  Identify claims that are 7 RELA Unit 5 Grade 7 | MAPCS supported by fact(s) and  Have students share facts and opinions that they found in an article. Ask: Do any opinions appear in this story? If those that are opinion(s). so, why do you think the author chose to include these opinions? Should the author's opinion be evident in a  Delineate and evaluate an news story? Why not? argument using the  Read the first few sentence of a selection aloud, identifying facts and opinions as a whole group. Next, divide the evidence an author provides class into two groups. One group will underline facts in the article. The other group will circle opinions. Remind and determine if the students that a single sentence may contain both fact and opinion. evidence provided is Differentiation: Vary the length and difficulty of passages that students are asked to read relevant and sufficient Differentiation: Provide step-by-step real-world examples to demonstrate the difference between a fact and an opinion, enough to support the Have students come up with their own examples of fact/opinion and explanations of how to prove whether the examples claim. are facts or opinions. Differentiation: Vary the length of written work required, Have students use a dictionary/thesaurus when writing, provide sentence starters

W.7.9  Determine textual evidence  After reading a work of literature as a class, students will brainstorm war "crimes" committed by characters from that supports my analysis, that text. Groups of students will work together to act as the prosecution or defense for the selected characters, reflection, and/or research. while also acting as the jury for other groups. Students will use several sources to research for their case,  Compose written responses including the novel and internet resources. All the while, students will be writing a persuasive piece to and include textual complement their trial work. evidence to strengthen my Differentiation: Vary the length and difficulty of passages that students are asked to read analysis, reflection, and/or Differentiation: Vary the length of written work required, Have students use a dictionary/thesaurus when writing, research. provide sentence starters

8 RELA Unit 5 Grade 7 | MAPCS