1. + Connellsville ELA Curriculum Meeting December 9, 2014 Grades 7 and 8

2. + Agenda Curriculum in Practice: Update TDA Instruction Practice Mid-Term Assessments Other?

3. + Signposts

4. + Aha Moment What it is: The character’s realization of something that shifts his actions or understanding of himself, others, or the world around him What it signals: Character Development Internal conflict Plot How you can recognize it: “Suddenly I understood…” “It came to me in a flash that…” “The realization hit me like a lightning bolt…” “In an instant I knew…” Crash By Jerry Spinelli

5. + Tough Questions What it is: Questions a character raises that reveal his or her inner struggles What it signals: Internal Conflict *Theme* Character development How you can recognize it: “What could I possibly do to…?” “ I couldn’t imagine how I could cope with …” “How could I ever understand why she …?” “Never had I been so confused about …” A Long Walk to Water By Linda Sue Park

6. + Memory Moment What it is: A recollection by a character that interrupts the forward progress of the story What it signals: Plot *Theme* Character development Relationship between character and plot How you can recognize it: The ongoing flow of the narrative is interrupted by a memory that comes to the character, often taking several paragraphs to recount before we are returned to events of the present moment. Hope Was Here By Joan Bauer

7. + TDAs

8. + Passage Based Prompt How does the tone of “The Drummer Boy of Shiloh” affect the mood created? Amanda Sweirczynski, Grade 8 CASD Text Dependent Analysis Prompt Identify the tone of “The Drummer Boy of Shiloh” and analyze how the tone affects the mood created by the author. Use evidence from the passage to support your answer.

9. + Passage Based Prompt In the last paragraph, the writer urges the reader to conserve electricity. Explain how conserving electricity could potentially stop global warming. Give evidence from the text to support your answer. Perfection Learning Grade 7 7.19.27 Text Dependent Analysis Prompt Determine the writer’s point of view and write an essay analyzing the key details he uses to support his view. Include examples from the passage to support your response.