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Susanna Hartz » Syllabus and Year Long Plan

Syllabus and Year Long Plan

Course Overview: Honors and regular English classes will engage in literature, writing, grammar, and vocabulary, individiually and collectively to grow in their mastery of comprehension and inference skills. My goal is to challenge and inspire students, as well as prepare them for high school
GRADING POLICY Grades will be based on the following categories:
Quizzes, Classwork/Homework: 45%
Projects & Papers 25%
Tests/Exams: 15%
Attendance/Participation: 15%
LATE WORK POLICY This class is focused on quality work, but also learning personal responsibility. If you turn in an assignment more than 5 days late, it will be marked down by 5 points per day after that grace period. ALWAYS TURN IN LATE WORK- it’s always worth more than 0!
EXPECTATIONS 1.Be respectful to everyone and their ideas. 2 Come prepared with a positive attitude. 3. Participate actively in discussions & activities. 4. Follow WCA guidelines and classroom rules
AI GUIDELINES & POLICY Although AI is a helpful presence in these times, your original work is crucial for maintaining academic integrity and properly learning the tools and skills. of this class. Your original writing assignments will be checked for plagiarism and AI presence. Remember you can avoid problems by properly citing sources & acknowledging the limitations of AI-generated content.
CONTACT INFO The BEST way to reach me would be by EMAIL! I will check this regularly and do my best to respond in a timely manner. Students ans well as parents should feel comfortable emailing at any time. [email protected]
 

Year-Long Plan for 7th and 8th grade ELA  2025-2026 school year– Mrs. Hartz


Note: All units will incorporate grammar practices and vocabulary, including latin and greek roots. Vocabulary will be cumulative. Independent reading will also be required and celebrated.

Unit duration

Literature/Reading

Writing

CO Standards addressed

I can…

Unit 1: August 18th- September 18th- 4.5 weeks

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

-Pre-write assessment for bench-mark

-Review narrative writing

Review effective writing- syntax, structure, word choice/tone techniques, including processes and revision

CCSS: RL.7.2, CCSS: RL.7.3, 

CCSS: W.7.3, CCSS: RI.7.4

-Use context clues to understand unfamiliar words

-show how the author uses setting and tone to create mood and themes 

-write a narrative story to convey a mood and theme 

-participate in discussions to help me see varying perspectives of the theme

Unit 2: Sept. 23- Nov. 10th (end of trimester 1) 6 weeks

Realms of Gold v. 2 selected poems and short stories, 


The Genius of the Harlem Renaissance selections

Literary analysis writing practices, with emphasis on textual support and understanding literary device usage- comparing author’s intent in poetry and prose


Oral presentation methods 

CCCS: L.7.5, CCSS: RL.7.9, CCSS: SL.7.6, CCCS: L.7.5

-examine details in a poem or story for literary devices and explain how these devices help the purpose of the story/poem

-write an effective compare/ contrast explanation of the above

-make a presentation fitting to your audience and subject

Unit 3: Nov. 12- Dec. 19th 

4.5 weeks

The Outsiders, S.E.Hinton

Nothing Gold can Stay, Robert Frost

Persuasive writing techniques, emphasis on formulating strong arguments and counter- arguments; word choice, clarity of sentence structure

CCSS: SL.7.2

CCSS: RL.7.7; CCSS: W.7.1; CCSS: RL.7.9; CCSS: RI.7.7

CCSS: RL.7.6

-formulate a strong argument and support my claims with evidence from the book

-analyze and discuss character development and themes, using the text to support my thoughts

-participate in a well-organized debate with my peers

-analyze the importance of poetry in our lives

Unit 4: Jan. 6-Feb.12 (end of trimester 2) 6 weeks

The Tempest, by William Shakespeare

Compare/Contrast writing focus

-analyzing similarities and differences

-Effectively formulating sentences to meet your purpose 

-appropriate transitions


Mid year writing assessments

CCSS: RL.7.5, CCSS: SL.7.2, CCSS: RL.7.7, CCSS: W.7.2a;

CCCS: L.7.5

-analyze poetic form, structure, and poetic devices to understand the meaning of soliloquy, dialogue, and components of a play

-compare similarities and differences in the way characters in the play interact and handle situations, and write about it effectively

Unit 5: Feb. 17- March 13th -4 weeks

The Diary of Anne Frank

Informational/Research essay emphasis–incorporating information in a cohesive fashion; sifting relevant information, capturing ‘gist’ and summarization, citing sources 

(incorporate a global perspective project)

CCSS: SL.7.1; CCSS: W.7.2; CCSS: RI.7.3; CCSS: RL.7.2

-empathize with the experiences of others, even if it’s very different from my own, and discuss this with my peers

-dig in to historical information to give me a context for Anne’s diary, and write an informative and interesting paper for others to gain knowledge

Unit 6: March 23-April 17th- 4 weeks

Code Talkers, Joseph Bruchac

Writing prompt emphasis- effective techniques for answering testing prompts– (testing practice) 

Emphasis on SRSD practices (POWER) for writing structured responses

CCSS: RI.7.3; CCCS: L.7.5; CCSS: RL.7.1; CCSS: RL.7.3; CCSS: RI.7.9 

-see an important historical event from a different point of view 

-practice skills and strategies to decipher prompts, get the gist of articles, and use evidence from the text to support my thoughts

Unit 7: April 20- May 21st- 4 weeks

Book Clubs! Read one of the below. Examples:

Time Machine, Animal Farm, Hello, Universe!, Long Way Gone, I am Malala, The Book Thief, The Boy who Harnessed the Wind, Booked, The Giver, The Science of Breakable Things, The Hobbit, etc.

Literary analysis in collaboration; project-based presentations


Cumulative vocabulary review and incorporation in projects/writing

CCSS: SL.7.1, CCSS: SL.7.3

CCSS: RL.7.2, 

-understand the theme of a book and convey the importance of a book to others

-work in groups to complete a project

-use creativity and my skill sets to collaborate on a presentation of a project

Student “I can” (7th grade state standards):

  1. I can plan and give a presentation that is clear, organized, and uses good eye contact, a strong voice, and correct pronunciation.

  2. I can use visuals and media (like slides, images, or videos) to make my presentation more interesting and help explain my ideas.

  3. I can take part in group discussions by coming prepared, listening carefully, and building on others’ ideas.

  4. I can ask and answer questions in discussions to keep the conversation on topic and to understand different points of view.

  5. I can find evidence in what I read to explain my ideas or answer questions about the text.

  6. I can explain the theme, setting, characters, and structure of a story, play, or poem, and how they connect.

  7. I can compare and contrast different versions of a story, play, poem, or informational text (like a book vs. a movie).

  8. I can figure out the meaning of new words using clues from the text, word parts (prefixes, roots, suffixes), or reference tools like dictionaries.

  9. I can write stories, essays, or reports that are organized, have strong details, and are written for a specific audience and purpose.

  10. I can revise my writing to make my ideas clearer, my word choice stronger, and my tone more effective.