Unit Plan 35 (Grade 7 ELA): Author Study – Style and Craft
Grade 7 ELA unit: students compare an author’s craft across works and contrast fiction with historical accounts. They identify stylistic fingerprints, write short imitations using those moves, and deliver formal presentations explaining the author’s creative choices.
Focus: Comparing works; craft imitation; presentation of insights
Grade Level: 7
Subject Area: English Language Arts (Reading Literature; Writing—Craft; Speaking & Listening—Presentation)
Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 50–60 minutes per session
I. Introduction
Authors leave fingerprints—signature craft moves in diction, imagery, syntax, pacing, and point of view. This week, students study an author across two short fiction excerpts and then compare the author’s portrayal of time/place/character to a brief historical account of the same period. They’ll name the author’s moves, evaluate how the fiction uses or alters history, write a short craft imitation, and deliver a concise author-insight talk.
II. Objectives and Standards
Learning Objectives — Students will be able to…
- Compare how an author portrays a time, place, or character across two works and contrast those portrayals with a historical account to see how fiction uses or alters history (RL.7.9).
- Produce clear, coherent writing that imitates selected craft moves (diction, syntax, imagery, pacing) for a specific purpose/audience (W.7.4).
- Present author-study insights using formal English and purposeful delivery adapted to task and audience (SL.7.6).
Standards Alignment — CCSS Grade 7
- Reading Literature 7.9 (RL.7.9): Compare/contrast a fictional portrayal of a time, place, or character and a historical account of the same period to understand how authors use or alter history.
- Writing 7.4 (W.7.4): Produce clear and coherent writing appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
- Speaking & Listening 7.6 (SL.7.6): Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when appropriate.
Success Criteria — student language
- I can name an author’s signature craft moves with text evidence.
- I can explain how and why the fiction differs from the historical account.
- I can write a scene imitation that uses at least two of the author’s moves on purpose.
- I can give a 60–90 second talk that clearly presents my insight in formal, precise language.