Reading—Grade 7

In seventh grade, students are aware of their responsibility as readers. They continue to reflect on their skills and adjust their comprehension and vocabulary strategies. Students refine their understanding of the author's craft. Oral and written responses analyze and/or synthesize information from multiple sources to deepen understanding of the content. Students read for pleasure and choose books based on personal preference, topic, genre, theme, or author.

EALR 1: The student understands and uses different skills and strategies to read.

Note: Each grade-level expectation assumes the student is reading grade-level text. Since reading is a process, some grade-level indicators and evidence of learning apply to multiple grade-levels. What changes is the text complexity as students move through the grade levels.

1.2.1 Understand and apply dictionary skills and other reference skills.

• Use dictionaries, thesauruses, and glossaries to find or confirm word meanings, pronunciations, syllabication, synonyms, antonyms, parts of speech, and/or clarify shades
  of meaning.
• Use text evidence to verify meaning from reference source.

1.2.2 Apply a variety of strategies to comprehend words and ideas in complex text.

• Use word origins to determine the meaning of unknown words.
• Use abstract, derived root words, prefixes, and suffixes from Greek and Latin to analyze the meaning of complex words (e.g., expose, exposition).
• Use structural analysis and concept-building vocabulary strategies to understand new words and concepts in informational/expository text and literary/narrative text.
• Use prior knowledge, the text, context clues, and graphic features of text to predict, clarify, and/or expand word meanings and concepts.
• Self-correct, re-read, read on, and/or slow down to gain meaning when encountering unknown words in literary/narrative and informational/expository text.

Component 1.3 Build vocabulary through wide reading.

1.3.1 Understand and apply new vocabulary.

• Integrate new vocabulary from informational/expository text and literary/narrative text, including text from a variety of cultures and communities, into written and oral communication.

1.3.2 Understand and apply content/academic vocabulary critical to the meaning of the text. W

• Identify and define content/academic vocabulary critical to the meaning of the text and use that knowledge to interpret the text.
• Identify words that have different meanings in different content areas and determine the correct meaning from the context (e.g., property in science or social studies).
• Select, from multiple choices, the meanings of words or phrases identified in the text.
• Use new vocabulary in oral and written communication.

Component 1.4 Apply word recognition skills and strategies to read fluently.

1.4.2 Apply fluency to enhance comprehension.

• Read aloud grade-level informational/expository text and literary/narrative text accurately, using appropriate pacing, phrasing, and expression.
• Read aloud unpracticed grade-level text with fluency in a range of 145-155+ words correct per minute.

1.4.3 Apply different reading rates to match text.

• Adjust reading rate by speeding up or slowing down based on purpose (e.g., pleasure, informational reading, task-oriented reading), text level of difficulty, form, and style.

EALR 2: The student understands the meaning of what is read.

Component 2.1 Demonstrate evidence of reading comprehension.

2.1.3 Apply comprehension monitoring strategies during, and after reading: determine importance using theme, main idea, and supporting details in grade-level informational/expository text and/or literary/narrative text. W

• State both literal and/or inferred main ideas and provide supporting text-based details.
• State the theme/message and supporting details in culturally relevant literary/narrative text.
• Choose, from multiple choices, a title that best fits the selection and provide details from the text to support the choice.
• Select, from multiple choices, a sentence that best states the theme or main idea of a story, poem, or selection.
• Organize theme, main idea and supporting details into a self-created graphic organizer to enhance text comprehension.

2.1.4 Apply comprehension monitoring strategies before, during, and after reading: use prior knowledge.

• Connect current issues, previous information and experiences to characters, events, and information within and across culturally relevant text(s).
• Activate prior knowledge about a topic and organize information into a graphic organizer to aid in comprehension of text.

2.1.5 Apply comprehension monitoring strategies before, during, and after reading: predict and infer. W

• Make, confirm, and revise prediction based on prior knowledge and evidence from the text.
• Cite passages from text to confirm or defend prediction and inferences.
• Select, from multiple choices, a prediction or inference that could be made from the text (e.g., what the character will do next, what will happen to a character because of an event, what will happen because of an action).
• Organize information to support a prediction or inference in a self-created graphic organizer to enhance text comprehension.

2.1.6 Apply comprehension monitoring strategies to understand fiction, nonfiction, informational text, and task-oriented text: monitor for meaning, create mental images, and generate and answer questions.

• Monitor for meaning by identifying where and why comprehension was lost and use comprehension-repair strategies to regain meaning.
• Generate and answer questions about the text before, during, and after reading to aid comprehension.
• Use questioning strategies to comprehend text.
• Create and describe mental images to understand text.
• Organize images and information into a self-created graphic organizer to enhance text comprehension.

2.17 Apply comprehension monitoring strategies during and after reading: summarize grade-level informational/expository text and literary/narrative text.W

• Create a summary including the main idea and the most important text-based facts, details, and/or ideas from informational/expository text.
• Summarize the plot in culturally relevant literary/narrative texts.
• Select, from multiple choices, a sentence that best summarizes the story or selection.
• Organize summary information for informational/expository text and/or literary/narrative text into a self-created graphic organizer to enhance text comprehension.

Component 2.2 Understand and apply knowledge of text components to comprehend text.

2.2.1 Apply understanding of time, order, and/or sequence to aid in comprehension.

• Explain an author’s development of time and sequence through the use of literary devices (e.g., diary entries within a text) and/or the use of traditional/cultural organizational structures.
• Explain the use of steps in a process to convey meaning in an informational/expository text (e.g., obtaining a passport, how the laser was discovered).

2.2.2 Apply understanding of printed and electronic text features to locate information and comprehend text. W

• Locate information using grade-level appropriate text features.
• Interpret and draw conclusions from grade-level appropriate text features such as maps, charts, tables, and graphs, etc. (e.g., given a bar graph on how a demographic group spends its money, draw a conclusion about how the group spends its time).
• Use organizational features and electronic sources (such as headings and numberings, CD-ROM, internet, pull-down menus, key word searches, and icons) to access information.
• Select, from multiple choices, the purpose of a specific text feature, and/or information learned from a text feature.
• Explain how specific text features help you understand a selection (e.g., how margin entries provide additional information to assist in comprehension, how specific symbols are used, such as the numeration for footnotes).

2.2.3 Understand and analyze story elements. W

• Use multiple sources of information from the text (e.g., character’s own thoughts/words, what others say about the character, and how others react to the character) to describe how major and minor characters change over time.
• Identify the important events that lead to conflicts and explain how each does or does not contribute to the resolution.
• Explain the influence of setting on mood, character, and plot.
• Identify the point of view used (first, third, or omniscient point of view) and interpret how point of view influences the text.
• Explain how a story would change if the narrator’s perspective changed.
• Identify implied themes in text and support with evidence from the text.
• Compare/contrast common recurring themes in books by the same or different authors.
• Select, from multiple choices, words or sentences that best describe specific story elements from the story, selection, or poem.

2.2.4 Apply understanding of text organizational structures.

• Recognize and use previously taught organizational structures (simple listing, sequential order, description, comparison and contrast, chronological order, cause and effect, order of importance, and process/procedural) to aid comprehension.
• Identify and use text written in concept/definition and problem/solution organizational structure to find and organize information and comprehend text.

Component 2.3 Expand comprehension by analyzing, interpreting, and synthesizing information and ideas in literary and informational text.

2.3.1 Analyze informational/expository text and literary/narrative text for similarities and differences and cause and effect relationships. W

• Find similarities and differences within and between texts using text-based evidence (e.g., the author’s feelings and the poet’s feelings; descriptions recorded in a science article vs. poetry; perspectives seen in newspaper article, short story).
• Select, from multiple choices, a sentence that tells how two text elements are alike or different (e.g., character, information/facts).
• Identify and interpret cause and effect relationships within a literary/narrative text or informational/expository text using evidence from the text (e.g., an article and a poem about wolves or a description of the Underground Railroad from a newspaper article, a short story, or a biographical sketch of a leader in the Underground Railroad).
• Select, from multiple choices, a sentence that explains or describes cause and effect relationships (e.g., what caused something to happen, what was the result of an action).

2.3.2 Analyze and synthesize information for a specific topic or purpose.

• Integrate information from multiple sources for a variety of purposes (e.g., create a report, debate an issue, solve a problem).

2.3.3 Understand the functions (to make the story more interesting and convey a message) of literary devices. W

• Recognize previously taught literary devices (simile, metaphor, idiom, imagery, exaggeration, irony, sarcasm, humor, and dialogue) and explain how they make the story more interesting and/or convey a message.
• Identify literary devices such as analogy and explain how they make the story more interesting and/or convey a message.
• Select, from multiple choices, a sentence from the story/poem/selection that is an example of a specific literary device.

Component 2.4 Think critically and analyze author’s use of language, style, purpose, and perspective in literary and informational text.

2.4.1 Analyze literary/narrative text and information/expository text to draw conclusions and develop insights. W

• Draw conclusions from grade-level text (e.g., the most important idea the author is trying to make in the story/poem/selection, what inspiration might be drawn from the story/poem/selection, who might benefit from reading the story/poem/selection).
• Select, from multiple choices, a statement that best represents the most important conclusion that may be drawn from the selection.

2.4.2 Analyze how an author’s style of writing, including language choice, achieves the author’s purpose and influences an audience. W

• Identify and explain the author’s purpose.
• Explain how the author’s style of writing impacts the reader’s enjoyment and/or comprehension of the text.
• Examine ways in which author’s style contributes to imagery, suggests a mood, or otherwise influences an audience.

2.4.3 Evaluate the author’s reasoning and the validity of the author’s position. W

• Judge the validity of the evidence the author uses to support his/her position (e.g., is the evidence dated, biased, inaccurate) and justify the conclusion.
• Decide if the author’s ideas are solid and support your position.

2.4.4 Analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of the author’s tone and use of persuasive devices. W

• Judge the effectiveness of the author’s details and arguments for a particular audience and cite examples to justify the decision.
• Identify the author’s tone and support the answer with text-based evidence.
• Describe the intended effects of persuasive devices and propaganda techniques.

2.4.5 Analyze ideas and concepts to generalize/extend information beyond the text. W

• Generalize about processes, concepts, and common themes after reading multiple texts.
• Explain how information in a text could be applied to understand a similar situation or concept in another text and cite text-based examples (e.g., use the concept of symmetry learned in mathematics to understand the concept of symmetry in art).

2.4.6 Analyze ideas and concepts in multiple texts. W

• Differentiate between the similarities and differences in how an idea or concept is expressed in multiple texts.
• Compare the feelings of the authors and/or characters as expressed in multiple texts.
• Select, from multiple choices, a sentence that tells how two pieces of information are alike or different.

2.4.7 Analyze the reasoning and ideas underlying an author’s perspective, beliefs, and assumptions. W

• Infer and explain the author’s beliefs and assumptions, citing text-based evidence for choice (e.g., describe an author’s background and beliefs and explain how they influence the author’s perspective).
• Select, from multiple choices, a sentence that describes the author’s or character’s reasoning or problem with the reasoning.

EALR 3: The student reads different materials for a variety of purposes.

Component 3.1 Read to learn new information.

3.1.1 Evaluate appropriateness of a variety of resources and use them to perform a specific task or investigate a topic.

• Select the best sources from library, web-based, and Internet materials for a specific task or to investigate a topic and defend the selection..
• Use information from various sources to investigate a topic (e.g., read newspaper want ads, websites, consumer reports, yellow pages to decide which products or services to buy).
• Follow multi-step directions (e.g., open a locker, fill out school forms, read a technical manual, design a webpage).

Component 3.2 Read to perform a task.

3.2.2 Apply understanding of a variety of functional documents.

• Locate and use functional documents to perform a task (e.g., catalogs, magazines, schedules).

Component 3.4 Read for literary experience in a variety of genres.

3.4.2 Analyze a variety of literary genres.

• Respond to literature written in a variety of genres.
• Explain why certain genres are best suited to convey a specific message or invoke a particular response from the reader.

3.4.3 Analyze literature from a variety of cultures or historical periods for relationships and recurring themes.

• Identify multiple perspectives from a variety of cultures or historical periods as expressed in literary genres (e.g., changes in medical practices from 1800 to the present).
• Identify recurring themes in literature that reflect worldwide social and/or economic change (e.g., social change such as characters that change their attitudes after learning about different cultures).

EALR 4: The student sets goals and evaluates progress to improve reading.

Component 4.1 Assess reading strengths and need for improvement.

4.1.2 Evaluate reading progress and apply strategies for setting grade-level appropriate reading goals.

• Set reading goals and create a plan to meet those goals.
• Monitor progress toward implementing the plan, making adjustments and corrections as needed.

Component 4.2 Develop interests and share reading experiences.

4.2.1 Evaluate books and authors to share common literary experiences.

• Recommend books to others and explain the reason for the recommendation.
• Discuss common reading selections and experiences with others.