Comparative Literature
Unit description: Students will compare and contrast the same text in various formats (audio, filmed, staged, etc.) to determine the impact and effectiveness of each. Students will look deeply within one text to identify elements of plot, and analyze how they are related. Students will also work on the diction level to analyze the impact that specific words have on the development of the plot, mood, tone, and theme of each story. Students will continue to create strong arguments about a text(s) and support them with relevant and sufficient evidence.
These learning progressions were developed using Next Generation Learning Standards and were crosswalked with the Common Core Standards.
Essential Outcomes
Reading
- 7R1: Cite textual evidence to support an analysis of what the text says explicitly/implicitly and make logical inferences.
- 7R2: Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text; summarize a text.
- 7R3: In literary texts, analyze how elements of plot are related, affect one another, and contribute to meaning. In informational texts, analyze how individuals, events, and ideas are introduced, relate to each other, and are developed.
- 7R7: Compare and contrast a written text with audio, filmed, staged, or digital versions in order to analyze the effects of techniques unique to each media and each format’s portrayal of a subject.
Language
- 7L3: Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
- 7L4: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
- 7L5: Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
Writing
- 7W1: Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.
- 7W5: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. Apply the grade 7 Reading Standards to both literary and informational text, where applicable.
Speaking and Listening
- 7SL1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions with diverse partners; express ideas clearly and persuasively, and build on those of others.
- 7SL4: Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with relevant descriptions, facts, details, and examples; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear enunciation.
All Standards Addressed in this Unit
- R1, R2, R3, R5, R6, R7, R9
- L3, L4, L5, L6
- W1, W3, W4, W5
- SL1, SL4, SL6
Essential Questions and Big Ideas
- How do elements that are unique to a medium or genre impact a story’s meaning?
- Authors make deliberate choices about the medium and literary devices that they use in their writing, including mood, tone, and diction.
- These choices affect the meaning that is conveyed in a story.
- Why do we compare and evaluate literature within and across mediums?
- Good readers look for trends across genres and mediums to determine which is most effective at conveying a message or purpose.
- Good readers create or use an established criteria to evaluate a text or text set.
- Readers can synthesize their findings in many formats, including written and verbal forms.
Prerequisite Skills
- Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions with diverse partners; express ideas clearly and persuasively, and build on those of others.
- Cite explicit and implicit evidence in a text (literary.)
- Determine a theme or central idea and explain how it is supported by key details; summarize a text.
- Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to respond and support analysis, reflection, and research.
- Create a poem, story, play, artwork, or other response to a text, author, theme, or personal experience.
Download the complete Grade 7 ELA Unit 3 framework to customize for your own planning.