7th Grade English - Full Curriculum With Film & Literature: So the Story Goes

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞: Preparation for High School Literature, Critical Thinking, & Analytical Writing

🍿 Grab the popcorn because we use film in the first 12 lessons in this class to teach elements of literature and how to analyze, evaluate, and think critically about narratives. Hang on to that popcorn because we launch into great literature, classic pieces with rich storylines. Students apply their newly acquired analytical skills to short literature in the second half of the school year. Short stories are special. They quickly introduce us to characters, settings, conflicts, and themes that relate to our lives. Short story authors are a special breed as well, able to craft a satisfying, thought-provoking story that we can read in one sitting. Stories reflect the human experience and help us see ourselves and the world in which we live. How do authors do this? In this course, we will use classic short stories to study the author's craft, to learn to analyze literature, and to see its beauty, complexity, and most importantly, the illustration of a human experience in a theme. We will read from a variety of authors from a variety of countries and literary periods. Students will have optional homework to write about the story's theme each week. They will look at the structure, figurative language, symbolism, syntax of sentences, setting, character development, conflict, motifs, etc. to analyze how the author developed the theme. Students who submit their writing each week will get feedback from the teacher. 




🌳 A Snapshot of Each Class - Fall
❶ After students report on their leisure reading, the instructor explicitly teaches an aspect of literary analysis or element of literature (such as exposition or dramatic irony). 
❷ Students watch how the literary element is used in a short film; for example, we will look at the dramatic irony in a Pixar short. 
❸ We discuss the use of the element in the film. 
❹ The teacher offers a writing template and gives directions on how to write the short literary analysis piece, analyzing how the screenwriter and director crafted the narrative. This is an optional homework assignment, and when students turn in their writing, the teacher will offer feedback. 

⛄️  A Snapshot of Each Class - Winter & Spring
❶ After students report on their leisure reading, the instructor introduces an essential question. 
❷ We have a short teacher-led discussion about the essential question, the author, and the historical context of our story. 
❸ We read a short story together in class.
❹ Students answer questions to test their comprehension, and they have a short teacher-led discussion on the essential question and the theme.  
❺ Students write high-level discussion questions from "question starters" that will lead to thought-provoking discussions. 
❻ Students participate in a student-led, teacher-supported Socratic Seminar on the story.
❼ The teacher offers a writing template and gives directions on how to write the short literary analysis piece, analyzing how the author developed the theme. This is an optional homework assignment, and when students turn in their writing, the teacher will offer feedback. 




🍋 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙇𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙨-𝘼𝙞𝙙 𝙒𝙖𝙮 🍋
𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐋𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐬-𝐀𝐢𝐝, 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬! CLICK THROUGH TO GET A SURPRISE COUPON CODE!
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JwlFnta1ZYAlNn8t2GMMA8Bb6dd0ums1IbdtpzZwuRc/edit?usp=sharing

𝘌𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨: (𝘐 𝘥𝘰, 𝘞𝘦 𝘥𝘰, 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰)
𝘚𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘔𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 & 𝘈𝘤𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺
𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤 𝘚𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 & 𝘊𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘴 𝘖𝘯
𝘏𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬
𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘤 𝘖𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘳𝘴
𝘚𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘔𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘺
𝘛𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘍𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬--The back-and-forth work between a student and teacher significantly benefits a student if it is done well. We follow best practices in this area with how we design class time, assignments, and routines. According to Pennington Publishing, effective writing feedback (or grading) is:
• Specific, not general
• Immediate, not postponed
• Routine with a revision / feedback cycle
• Explanatory
• The right amount
• Targeted to the most critical issues
• Varied (written, audio, and video comments)
• Holding students accountable

🎥 To see teacher introduction videos, go to the Lemons-Aid profile page where you can view the video and also read bios. 
https://outschool.com/teachers/Karen-Lemons?usid=0BAnv5zn&signup=true&authTrigger=follow_teacher&follow=true&utm_campaign=share_leader_link


SUMMER 2025:
The Week Starting Aug 17--After Twenty Years by O. Henry
The Week Starting Aug 24--Hearts and Hands by O. Henry
The Week Starting Aug 31--The Jacket by Gary Soto


📆 2025 - 2026 School Year Schedule:

The Week Starting Aug 31--Summarizing Plot
The Week Starting Sept 7--Summarizing Plot
The Week Starting Sept 14--Analyzing Plot 
The Week Starting Sept 21--Analyzing Plot
The Week Starting Sept 28--Motif
The Week Starting Oct 5--Motif & Theme
The Week Starting Oct 12--Motif & Theme
The Week Starting Oct 19--Motif & Theme
The Week Starting Oct 26--Motif & Theme
The Week Starting Nov 2--Effect of Exposition on an Audience
The Week Starting Nov 9--Resolutions
The Week Starting Nov 16-Methods of Suspense
The Week Starting Nov 23--NO CLASS
The Week Starting Nov 30--The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry
The Week Starting Dec 7--The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant
The Week Starting Dec 14--Thank you, Ma'am by Langston Hughes

Dec 22 - Jan 4--NO CLASS

The Week Starting Jan 4--The Selfish Giant by Oscar Wilde
The Week Starting Jan 11--The Way Up to Heaven by Roald Dahl
The Week Starting Jan 18--The Lumber Room by H.H. Munro
The Week Starting Jan 25--A Ghost by Guy de Maupassant
The Week Starting Feb 1--The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams
The Week Starting Feb 8--The Cat That Walked by Himself by Rudyard Kipling
The Week Starting Feb 15--The Monkey's Paw by W.W. Jacobs
The Week Starting Feb 22--The Skylight Room by O. Henry
The Week Starting Mar 1--The Fisherman and His Wife by The Brothers Grimm
The Week Starting Mar 8--Dragon, Dragon by John Gardner
The Week Starting Mar 15--The Veldt by Ray Bradbury
The Week Starting Mar 22--The Star by H.G. Wells
The Week Starting Mar 29--Rikki-Tikki-Tavi by Rudyard Kipling
The Week Starting Apr 5--The Lottery by Shirley Jackson
The Week Starting Apr 12--Examination Day by Henry Slesar
The Week Starting Apr 19--Seventh Grade--Gary Soto
The Week Starting Apr 26--The Story of Prometheus and Pandora's Box [translated] by James Baldwin
The Week Starting May 3--All Summer in a Day--Ray Bradbury
The Week Starting May 10--William Wilson by Edgar Allan Poe
The Week Starting May 17--The Emperor's New Clothes by Hans Christian Anderson
The Week Starting May 24-The Aged Mother by Matsuo Basho
The Week Starting May 31--The Ransom of Red Chief by O. Henry
The Week Starting Jun 7--The Elephant's Child--Rudyard Kipling
The Week Starting Jun 14--Home by Gwendolyn Brooks
The Week Starting Jun 21--The Night the Ghost Got In by James Thurber
The Week Starting Jun 28--Monkeyman by Walter Dean Myers
The Week Starting Jul 5--Mother & Daughter by Gary Soto
The Week Starting Jul 12--The Moustache by Robert Cormier
The Week Starting Jul 19--The Wife's Story by Ursula K. Le Guin