Subscribe

7th grade · English Language Arts · Unit 20 of 20

Stories, Responses and Evidence

Narrative technique, creative responses and evidence for analysis and research.

What your child practices

Your child chooses narrative techniques (openings, dialogue, pacing, flashback, foreshadowing, reflective endings), creative responses such as monologues and scripts, and evidence that supports analysis, reflection and research.

New York State Learning Standards learning standard: 7W3; 7W4; 7W5 · narrative technique, creative responses to texts, and drawing evidence for analysis, reflection and research

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. Use narrative techniques: dialogue, pacing, flashback and foreshadowing.
  2. Show a character’s motivation with details about why they act.
  3. A reflective ending shows what the experience meant. Support analysis with specific evidence.

Example: Which shows motivation: “Nadia liked blue.” or “Since her father lost his job, Nadia saved every dollar she earned.”? Motivation is the reason behind actions. The second shows why she saves. Answer: Since her father lost his job, Nadia saved every dollar she earned.

Stories, Responses and Evidence in New York

In the New York State Learning Standards, this is unit 20 of 20 in 7th grade English Language Arts, after Texts, Versions and Judging Quality.

Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.

Source: New York State Education Department (NYSED)

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    Which detail would best help readers understand a character's motivation?

    • Nadia had brown hair.
    • Nadia liked pizza.
    • Ever since her father lost his job, Nadia had saved every dollar she earned.
    • Nadia lived on Elm Street.

  2. Question 2

    Which dialogue reveals conflict between characters?

    • “Good morning,” said Mira.
    • “Pass the salt,” said Mira.
    • “You promised you'd be there,” Mira said, crossing her arms. “I waited an hour.”
    • “The sky is blue,” said Mira.

  3. Question 3

    Which sentence best connects a quotation to an analysis of theme?

    • When Kai says “home isn't a place,” it reveals the theme that belonging comes from people.
    • Here is a quote from Kai.
    • Kai says many things.
    • Kai lives in a house.

  4. Question 4

    Which opening establishes point of view and context?

    • The day my brother vanished, the whole town was busy getting ready for the fall fair.
    • Fairs happen in the fall.
    • This story has a brother in it.
    • Once upon a time there was a fair.

  5. Question 5

    A prompt asks how the author builds suspense. Which response uses evidence best?

    • I like suspense.
    • The story is scary.
    • Suspense is exciting.
    • The author ends chapters with unanswered questions, like when the lights go out in chapter 3.

  6. Question 6

    Which sentence uses foreshadowing?

    • We had pancakes for breakfast.
    • The dam was gray.
    • Nobody noticed the small crack in the dam that morning.
    • The town was quiet.

More 7th grade