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Grade 07 ELA - Standard: CC.1.4.7.A

Grade 07 ELA - Standard: CC.1.4.7.A

Continuum of Activities

Continuum of Activities

The list below represents a continuum of activities: resources categorized by Standard/Eligible Content that teachers may use to move students toward proficiency. Using LEA curriculum and available materials and resources, teachers can customize the activity statements/questions for classroom use.

This continuum of activities offers:

  • Instructional activities designed to be integrated into planned lessons
  • Questions/activities that grow in complexity
  • Opportunities for differentiation for each student’s level of performance

Grade Levels

7th Grade

Course, Subject

English Language Arts

Activities

  1. Define the purpose of informative/explanatory writing.

  2. Define the concepts of definition; classification; compare/contrast; cause/effect.
  1. Determine which strategy (definition, classification, compare/contrast, or cause/effect) would be most useful for your purpose.

  2. Distinguish which elements of an informative/explanatory text are necessary depending on purpose.
  1. Develop an informative/explanatory essay for each of the purposes, including definition, classification, compare/contrast, and cause/effect.

  2. Differentiate among organizational strategies depending on which type of informative/explanatory text.

Answer Key/Rubric

  1. Student defines informative/explanatory writing as writing that fully explores a topic using details, concepts, and definitions.  Informative/explanatory writing builds logically and sequentially depending on purpose.  Informative/explanatory writing often assumes your reader knows little about the topic being explored so leaves nothing unsaid/unexplored.

  2. Students define
  • Definition – this type of informative/explanatory writing explains, defines, and provides examples of a topic.
  • Classification – this type of informative/explanatory writing organizes or sorts information into categories or classes.  Subheadings may be used to organize the information.
  • Compare/contrast – this type of informative/explanatory writing compares and contrasts two concepts.  This essay explores similarities and differences.
  • Cause/effect – this type of informative/explanatory writing discusses the causes of a particular outcome.
  1. Student determines, based on the definitions and purposes of the informative/explanatory writing strategies, which is most effective based on topic and task.  Students can be given different topics to explore or merely given scenarios to consider. 

  2. Student identifies which elements, based on the definitions given above, are necessary in a particular informative/explanatory essay.  Students can be given one topic and asked to create an outline or graphic organizer for each of the types of essays.

  3. Student demonstrates an ability to write an informative/explanatory essay based on topic and purpose.  Students will utilize organizational strategies depending on the type of essay they are writing.  Students will maintain a formal writing style throughout.

  4. Student will demonstrate an understanding of different organizational strategies within the body of the essay depending on task and purpose.  Some organizational strategies include:
  • Chronological – details are written in time order
  • Definition – details can be arranged from most important to least important or vice versa
  • Classification – subtitles can be used so that all information within a certain subsection can be included in the subtitle section before moving on to the next information
  • Cause/effect – the effect can be discussed first with the causes listed in the subsequent paragraphs
  • Compare/contrast – essays can be organized in numerous ways including:
    • All of the similarities can be discussed in one paragraph and then all of the differences in another
    • One topic can be discussed and the writer can show similarities and differences within that topic in one paragraph before moving on to the next
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