7th Grade Gateway English

Instructor: Ms. Bridget Moriarty

Personal planning time: 8:15-9:00 daily
Phone: 614-501-5600 ex. 7637
Room: W211
E-mail: bridget.moriarty@reyn.org

Course Description:
English is a required yearlong course for all 7
th
grade students. In English we will uncover a significant amount of material and
find the joy that comes from reading and writing while preparing for the rigors of high school English and beyond. Our classes
will contain a mixture of writing, reading, language, speaking, and listening. Class syllabus is attached.

Grades:
Grades will be posted on-line through powerschool. Please check these regularly and contact the teacher with any questions
or concerns.

Classroom Expectations:
Most importantly:
1. Be respectful
2. Be responsible
But also
3. Come to class on time and prepared to learn; bring ALL materials.
4. Bring your manners with you when you enter my room. Conduct yourself appropriately.
5. Leave whining and excuses at the door. If you have a question or concern, you are expected to deal with it in a mature
manner with the teacher first.
6. Be kind to your classmates (and teacher). Avoid put downs and interruptions.
7. Know that you will be expected to do YOUR best. Anything less is unacceptable.
8. Dress appropriately.
9. Cell phones and electronics are allowed in class for approved activities only. They should be silenced at all times.
10. Bring an outside reading book with you to class every day.
Homework: Homework is to be turned in on the day it is due. Late work will suffer a reduction in credit or may not be
accepted at all. Homework will be posted on my itslearning page as soon as it is up and running.
Absences: It is the students responsibility to get missed assignments. E-mailing teachers when absent is a great way to find
out missed work.
Final Note: I am excited about this school year! Everyone gets a fresh start and a new beginning. I believe we have a terrific
team of teachers for an extraordinary group of students! Lets make it a great year!






































7
th
Grade Gateway English Syllabus
Each unit is approximately 9 weeks long. I will teach from
the following texts, however, I believe in student
achievement, success, and understanding rather than
simply covering a breadth of material. Therefore, the
syllabus is subject to change.

Unit 1:
The Giver: Developing Different Perspectives.

Anchor Text
The Giver, Lois Lowry

Core Writing
Literary Analysis
Compare and Contrast

Reading: Informational Texts
Preamble, Constitution of the United States
Newbery Acceptance Speech, June 1994, Lois Lowry

Reading: Literary Texts
The Reaping, from The Hunger Games Suzanne Collins
The Human Abstract, William Blake (Poem)
Harrison Bergeron, Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
The Road Not Taken, Robert Frost (Poem)

Unit 2:
A Christmas Carol: Self-Reflection and Selflessness

Anchor Text
A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens

Core Writing
Literary Analysis

Reading: Informational Texts
History of Christmas from BBC
Study: Experiences Make Us Happier Than Possessions
from CNNHEALTH.com, Elizabeth Landau
Do Experiences or Material Goods Make Us Happier?
from ScienceDaily
The Eighth Tuesday We Talk About Money from
Tuesdays With Morrie, Mitch Albom
Charles Dickens: Six Things He Gave the Modern World
from BBC News, Alex Hudson

Reading: Literary Texts
The Gift of the Magi, O. Henry
The Treasure of Lemon Brown, Walter Dean Myers
Readers Theater Play of A Christmas Carol from SCOPE
Magazine, Scholastic









Unit 3:
The Call of the Wild: Human Interaction with Animals and
Nature.

Anchor Text
The Call of the Wild, Jack London

Core Writing
Research Paper

Reading: Informational Texts
The Other Animals, Jack London
Pages 117-120 Travels with Charley, John Steinbeck
(Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)
Pages 152-158, 162, and 169-170 of Do Animals Think
and Reflect, from The Ways of Nature, John Burroughs
(October 1905)
Minds of Their Own: Animals Are Smarter Than You
Think from National Geographic, Virginia Morell (March
2008)

Reading: Literary Texts
To Build a Fire, Jack London
Chapter one from The Heart of the Ancient Wood, Charles
G.D. Roberts
Excerpt from Brians Winter, Gary Paulsen

Unit 4:
Shakespeare

Anchor Plays
Will soon be determined by the Reynoldsburg Shakespeare
Festival.