Stefani Tweedy 7th Grade Language Arts Created: 1/29/10

Zillah Middle School Modified: 4/2/10

Unit Title:
Biography

Time Frame:
14 Days

Grade Level:
7th

Unit Summary:
During this unit students will change gears and begin looking at
nonfiction literature and writing. We will start off discussing
nonfiction selections such as biography and narrative nonfiction.
Students will read Meta Vaux Warrick by Walter Dean Myers.
Then students will research a person of interest and write a short
biography.

Essential Question(s):
How is nonfiction different from fiction?
What is a biography?
How do I find information in nonfiction books?

Core Concept(s):
Reading
Writing

Content Area Standards (GLE’s):

Reading: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 3.1, 3.4
Writing: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3

Assessments:
Formative:
As new topics are presented (via PowerPoint presentation)
students will have an opportunity to quiz themselves on the
material to see if they understood it. If some did not, we will go
back over the material to clarify their understanding.

Students will be completing a variety of exercises on worksheets.

These items will be corrected as a class and missed concepts will
be reviewed as needed.

Students will be reading this story and discussing it aloud with

the class. The teacher will ask questions to check for
understanding. Students will be called on at random both to read
and to answer questions to ensure participation.
Stefani Tweedy 7th Grade Language Arts Created: 1/29/10
Zillah Middle School Modified: 4/2/10

Summative:
Students will be tested at the end of the unit on the following
concepts: story comprehension (questions will follow Bloom’s
Taxonomy), and vocabulary.

Students will be given a spelling test to check their

understanding of the vocabulary words from this unit.

Students will write a biography of a ‘famous dead person’. They

will use books and the Internet to find information and organize it
into an essay about their person.

Key Vocabulary:
Superficial
Prominent
Tainted
Anatomical
Esthetics
Inextricably
Gleaned
Excavation
Staunchest
Arduous

Materials/Resources:
Textbooks/Kits/Instructional Guides:
Spotlight on Literature (7th Grade Edition)
Elements of Writing (7th Grade Edition)
STARS Lessons 7, 8, 9

Print Materials (Books, Articles):

Library Book Checkout

Multimedia:
Biography PowerPoint

Handouts:
Spelling List
Unit Assessment
STARS Packets
STARS Extensions Packets
Biography Rubric

Other Materials:
Dictionaries
Stefani Tweedy 7th Grade Language Arts Created: 1/29/10
Zillah Middle School Modified: 4/2/10

Lessons/Activities:
1. Famous Dead People
a. Biography PowerPoint
b. Hand out rubric and questions
c. Library/Internet – pick topic
d. Due on day 14 of unit
2. Famous Dead People
a. Check off topics
b. Library/Internet
3. STARS Strategies Lesson 7
a. Finding Word Meaning in Context
i. Discuss as a class
ii. Worksheet
4. STARS Extensions Lesson 7
a. Worksheet
5. STARS Strategies Lesson 8
a. Drawing Conclusions and Making Inferences
i. Discuss as a class
ii. Worksheet
6. STARS Extensions Lesson 8
a. Worksheet
7. STARS Strategies Lesson 9
a. Distinguishing Between Fact and Opinion
i. Discuss as a class
ii. Worksheet
8. STARS Extensions Lesson 9
a. Worksheet
9. STARS Review Lessons 7, 8, 9
a. Worksheet
10. Literature Book
a. Before reading on page 98
b. Begin story
c. Spelling word definitions
11. Literature Book
a. Read story
b. Spelling word sentences
12. Literature Book
a. Read Story
13. Literature Book
a. Spelling Words 5x Each
b. Read story
14. Comprehension Test
a. Students will be tested on spelling, vocabulary, and
comprehension.
b. Biography due today