State standards often include the expectation that seventh-grade students be able to read fluently and accurately and work to expand vocabulary and comprehension and analysis skills. Utilize a diverse range of literature and nonfiction texts in the seventh-grade classroom and consider teaching reading strategies through the use of mini-lessons. As the teacher, model a skill such as summarization for the class as a whole. Detail your mental processes as you condense a short text into a paragraph summary. Have students practice independently with a brief new text. Scanning, drawing conclusions and synthesizing are other skills you can teach in brief sessions with short texts to help students develop as critical readers. Peer collaboration is another useful strategy that allows students time to discuss a novel with a classmate in structured sessions that are repeated until the novel is completed.
Writers are often encouraged to write what they know, and seventh-grade students are no different. Assign students an autobiographical writing activity to allow them to explore an event or story from their own lives by developing characters, a plot line and other elements, such as dialogue or suspense. Combine literature with writing by asking students to write a book review like those in newspapers or magazines. Extend the activity by asking them to cast celebrities in the roles of each character and justify their choices in writing. Encourage them to create movie posters or book review posters and post them around the classroom.
Newspapers, whether online or in traditional paper format, may be intimidating to seventh-graders still developing literacy skills. Students can work in small groups and scan a section of the newspaper for a few minutes. Have them jot down a few questions about one article. Students exchange articles and questions, repeat the process with additional articles and end the unit by writing a few paragraphs of reflection. This method of reading and writing may also be used with nonfiction texts across other content areas, such as history or science. Combine computer literacy with writing as well by assigning students a project in which they research a famous person online. Either let students choose a notable figure or assign one to them, and have the students collect data and write a brief biography. Extension activities could include presenting the biography orally to the class or dressing up as the famous person for the day.
Listening is an often-neglected literacy skill that is essential to communication and may be especially challenging for seventh-graders. Tap into one of their favorite activities by incorporating music into the language arts classroom. Students may listen closely to a song to analyze its lyrics or determine its poetic structure. Have students develop their own songs individually or in pairs based on a reading text or given subject. Speaking in front of the class in a succinct and clear manner is another literacy goal you can accomplish by having seventh-graders practice often. Have them read their writing assignments or introduce themselves at the beginning of the school year. Encourage the class to practice listening in a respectful and attentive manner. Make use of persuasive or demonstrative speeches as well.