"7s Adventure: Read, Comprehend, Write!"

8th Grade Project 7 weeks

"7s Adventure: Read, Comprehend, Write!"

Alexa H

RL.8.10

RI.8.10

W.8.4

Develop an inquiry plan

Finalize and share my product or performance

+ 1 more

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Purpose

The purpose of this learning experience is to engage 8th-grade students in a deep exploration of "Counting by 7s" through project-based learning that intertwines reading comprehension and narrative writing. Students will connect with the text by examining themes of family, friendship, and identity, and express these insights through narrative essays and creative projects. This approach fosters critical thinking, empathy, and self-reflection, as students analyze characterization and plot development while building community through discussions and collaborative activities.

Learning goals

Students will read and analyze "Counting by 7s" to deepen their understanding of family, friendship, and identity, connecting these themes to their personal experiences. They will develop narrative writing skills by crafting a 5-paragraph essay that reflects their analysis of characterization and plot development. Through collaboration with peers, family, and school community members, students will engage in inquiry and express their insights creatively, culminating in a hands-on project that showcases their learning. They will also reflect on their mastery of reading comprehension and narrative writing standards, focusing on social-emotional growth and empathy.

Standards

[North Carolina] RL.8.10 - By the end of grade 8, read and understand literature at the high end of the 6-8 text complexity band proficiently and independently for sustained periods of time. Connect prior knowledge and experiences to text.
[North Carolina] RI.8.10 - By the end of grade 8, read and understand informational texts at the high end of the 6-8 text complexity band proficiently and independently for sustained periods of time. Connect prior knowledge and experiences to text.
[North Carolina] W.8.4 - Use digital tools and resources to produce and publish writing and present the relationships between information and ideas efficiently as well as to interact and collaborate with others.

Competencies

Engage In Inquiry - Develop an inquiry plan (EI.2)
Express Ideas - Finalize and share my product or performance (EXI.4)
Build Community - Develop as a multilingual (BC.4)

Products

Students will craft a 5-paragraph narrative essay that explores themes of family, friendship, and identity as presented in "Counting by 7s," connecting these themes to their personal experiences. In addition to the essay, students will engage in a hands-on project by creating a visual representation, such as a gallery walk or presentation, that illustrates their analysis of the book's characters and themes. A choice board will allow students to select from various creative options, such as digital storytelling or a multimedia collage, to express their understanding and insights.

Launch

Begin the project by hosting an interactive book introduction session where students participate in a role-play activity. Assign students roles of different characters from "Counting by 7s" and have them engage in a dialogue that explores their initial perceptions of family, friendship, and identity. This activity will set the stage for the essential question and allow students to connect with the themes of the book through experiential learning.

Exhibition

Students will host a "Family, Friendship, and Identity" gallery walk, where they present their narrative essays alongside creative visual projects that explore themes from "Counting by 7s." Each student will have the opportunity to share their work with the whole 8th-grade class, administrators, and families, fostering a community dialogue about the book's impact. Interactive stations will allow visitors to engage with students' analyses and reflections, encouraging meaningful conversations and connections.

Rubric

Competency Progression Rubric Competency-first rubric

Category	Learning Goal	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4	Level 5	Level 6
Engage In Inquiry	Develop an inquiry plan	With guidance, I can plan a set of steps to explore my question. Project-specific: I can, with guidance, create a plan to explore the themes of family, friendship, and identity in "Counting by 7s" by identifying key questions about the characters and plot, and selecting digital tools to organize my findings and share my insights with others	With guidance, I can choose an approach for exploring my question (e.g., online search, experiment, community member interviews) and explain why I chose that approach. With guidance, I can create a plan that includes how I will gather and record important information. Project-specific: I can choose a method for exploring my question, such as conducting interviews with classmates about their perspectives on family and friendship, and explain my choice with support from my teacher I can create a plan that outlines how I will gather and record information, using digital tools to organize my findings and connect them to themes in "Counting by 7s "	I can choose primary or secondary research methods for my inquiry plan that will help me explore my question. I can create a plan that includes how I will collect and analyze important information related to my question. With guidance, I can identify plan constraints (e.g., time, resources, etc.). If applicable, with guidance, I can get participant consent and practice confidentiality. Project-specific: I can select primary or secondary research methods that effectively help me explore my questions about family, friendship, and identity as presented in "Counting by 7s " I can create a detailed plan that outlines how I will gather and analyze important information related to these themes With some guidance, I can recognize limits, such as time and resources, and ensure that any participants involved understand and agree to their role in my inquiry	I can choose primary or secondary research methods that are most aligned to the purpose of my inquiry. I can create a feasible plan that defines the objectives and scope of my inquiry as well as identifies my data collection and analysis methods, stating how research ethics were considered. Project-specific: I can choose research methods that best align with my inquiry about "Counting by 7s," clearly define my objectives and scope, and identify how I will collect and analyze data I ensure my plan considers research ethics, and I can independently read and connect the themes of family, friendship, and identity to my own experiences I use digital tools to efficiently publish and present my narrative essay and creative projects, collaborating effectively with others	I can choose or combine research methods that are most aligned to the purpose of my inquiry and demonstrate how my approach is informed by others’ similar inquiries. I can create a feasible plan that defines the objectives and scope of my inquiry as well as identifies my data collection and analysis methods, stating how research ethics were considered. I can articulate known limitations of the inquiry plan and develop strategies for addressing or mitigating them. Project-specific: I can thoughtfully select and integrate research methods that best fit my inquiry about themes in "Counting by 7s," drawing inspiration from similar projects to enhance my approach I can design a detailed and achievable plan that outlines my goals and scope, identifies how I will gather and analyze data, and explains how I considered ethical research practices I can recognize potential challenges in my plan and propose effective solutions to address them	I can choose or combine research methods to fulfill the purpose of my inquiry and discuss how my inquiry fits within a broader disciplinary, professional, or community context or tradition and how it contributes to existing knowledge. I can create a feasible plan that defines the objectives and scope of my advanced or complex inquiry, attends to advanced research ethics (e.g., avoiding conflicts of interest, epistemic responsibility and research integrity, reflexivity and positionality, etc.), and explains data collection and analysis methods and procedures. I can articulate known limitations of the inquiry plan and develop strategies for addressing or mitigating them. Project-specific: I can create a detailed inquiry plan that connects the themes of family, friendship, and identity in "Counting by 7s" to my personal experiences, demonstrating deep understanding through a well-organized narrative essay I effectively choose research methods to explore these themes and use digital tools to present my insights creatively, ensuring my work contributes meaningfully to classroom discussions and our community gallery walk
Express Ideas	Finalize and share my product or performance	With guidance, I can use feedback to improve something I’m making and/or sharing. Project-specific: I can use feedback from my teacher and peers to improve my narrative essay by enhancing my analysis of "Counting by 7s" themes and refining my writing structure I understand how to connect my personal experiences to the text and use digital tools to publish my work, ensuring it clearly expresses my ideas about family, friendship, and identity	I can use feedback to improve something I’m making and/or sharing. With guidance, I can use criteria to self-assess and make one or more important changes before I share my work. Project-specific: I can use feedback from my teacher and classmates to make my narrative essay and visual project clearer and more engaging With some help, I can review my work using a checklist to make sure I connect themes from "Counting by 7s" with my own experiences, and make important changes before I present it to others	I can use feedback to improve specific aspects of my work. I can use criteria to self-assess and identify areas for improvement. I can edit and/or revise my final product to ensure it meets given guidelines or parameters. When applicable, I can practice or rehearse my performance. Project-specific: I can thoughtfully use feedback from my peers and teacher to revise my narrative essay and visual project, ensuring they fully explore themes of family, friendship, and identity from "Counting by 7s " I can self-assess my work against the project guidelines and make improvements to meet these criteria I can also practice presenting my creative project to ensure I communicate my insights clearly and confidently during the gallery walk	I can use feedback to improve specific aspects of my work, taking into account my audience and purpose. I can self-assess using criteria to identify and prioritize areas for improvement. I can edit and/or revise my final product to ensure it meets given guidelines and that it follows conventions for the genre. When applicable, I can practice or rehearse my performance and make any needed adjustments. Project-specific: I can use feedback from my peers and teacher to improve my narrative essay and visual project, ensuring they clearly express my understanding of the themes of family, friendship, and identity in "Counting by 7s " I can self-assess my work using the project criteria, make necessary edits to meet the guidelines, and practice my presentation to effectively communicate my insights to the audience during the gallery walk	I can gather and selectively use feedback to improve my work for my specific audience, purpose, and desired outcome. I can self-assess using criteria to identify, prioritize, and plan for areas for improvement. I can edit and/or revise my final product to ensure it meets given guidelines and follows conventions for the genre. When applicable, I can practice or rehearse my performance, make needed adjustments, and ensure supporting technologies, supplies, and materials are ready. Project-specific: I can gather and thoughtfully use feedback to enhance my narrative essay and creative project, ensuring they effectively convey the themes of family, friendship, and identity I self-assess my work using given criteria, prioritizing improvements that will resonate with my audience and meet genre conventions I practice my presentation for the gallery walk, making necessary adjustments, and preparing all supporting materials to engage my audience fully	I can ask for general and targeted feedback based on my self-assessment and selectively integrate feedback to revise my work for my specific audience, purpose, and desired outcome. I can edit my final product to ensure it meets expectations for professional work or breaks from standard conventions for a specific purpose or effect. When applicable, I can practice or rehearse sufficiently to ensure a high-quality performance, make needed adjustments, and ensure supporting technologies, supplies, and materials are ready. Project-specific: I can thoughtfully integrate feedback from my peers and teacher to refine my narrative essay and visual project, ensuring both are polished and effectively convey my insights about family, friendship, and identity I make sure my presentation is engaging and ready for my audience, using digital tools to enhance my work and confidently share it during the gallery walk
Build Community	Develop as a multilingual	I can ask and respond to a variety of simple, common questions on a familiar topic, using words and phrases I’ve practiced and memorized. I can tell someone about a range of basic needs that I have. Project-specific: I can ask and answer questions about the themes of family, friendship, and identity in "Counting by 7s," using key vocabulary from the text that I have learned and practiced I can share my thoughts about these themes and connect them to my own experiences, using simple and clear sentences	I can tell someone about a basic need that I have. I can answer simple questions about a familiar topic (e.g., daily life), using words I’ve memorized. Project-specific: I can share a brief story about a character from "Counting by 7s" and explain how their experiences connect to my own life using simple, clear sentences	I can share and request detailed information, negotiate, or engage with diverse points of view related to ideas, events, or situations across time frames. I can maintain conversation on complex topics (e.g., social, professional, spiritual, academic) with others, using advanced vocabulary and language tailored to the cultural context. I can respond to an unexpected complication effectively and confidently. I can fluently express my needs, opinions, or preferences and respond to those of others in complex or novel situations while adapting my approach to the cultural context. Project-specific: I can engage in meaningful conversations about the themes of family, friendship, and identity from "Counting by 7s," using advanced vocabulary and language that respects different cultural perspectives I am able to share and request detailed information during discussions, confidently navigate unexpected questions, and adapt my communication to effectively express my insights and connect them to my personal experiences	I can share and request detailed information or explanations about ideas, events, or situations across time frames, using complex sentences. I can ask related follow-up questions and use strategies to support my understanding and to maintain the conversation. I can discuss and/or write about interest-based or researched topics that extend beyond daily life, using simple paragraphs and domain-specific vocabulary. I can fluently express my needs, opinions, or preferences and respond to those of others in a familiar situation while adapting my approach to fit the cultural context. Project-specific: I can effectively discuss and write about themes of family, friendship, and identity from "Counting by 7s," using complex sentences and domain-specific vocabulary in well-structured paragraphs I can connect these themes to my personal experiences and express my insights fluently in both narrative essays and creative visual projects Additionally, I adapt my communication to fit the cultural context during the gallery walk, engaging in meaningful conversations with peers and visitors	I can share and request detailed information or explanations about familiar or researched topics, using original sentences. I can ask related follow-up questions and use strategies (e.g., restate, rephrase, seek clarification, use context clues) to support my understanding. I can use details to communicate about a range of familiar or common needs or wants that I have, or that others have, using sentences and sentence series. Project-specific: I can confidently share detailed analyses of themes from "Counting by 7s," using original sentences to explain how they relate to my personal experiences I ask thoughtful follow-up questions to deepen my understanding and use strategies like rephrasing and seeking clarification when discussing characters' perceptions of family, friendship, and identity Additionally, I efficiently use digital tools to present my narrative essay and creative project, collaborating with peers and engaging my audience during the gallery walk	I can share and request basic information about everyday life, using both practiced and original sentences. I can talk about a range of familiar needs or wants that I have, using simple sentences. Project-specific: I can confidently engage in conversations about family, friendship, and identity, using both practiced and original sentences to express my thoughts and experiences I can connect ideas from "Counting by 7s" to my own life, showcasing my understanding through a well-crafted narrative essay and a creative project that effectively communicates my insights I can independently use digital tools to publish my work, present my analysis, and interact with my peers, family, and community in a meaningful way

Learning Journey

Empathize

Students will explore and discuss the themes of family, friendship, and identity in 'Counting by 7s' by sharing personal experiences, fostering empathy, and building a foundation for narrative writing and analysis throughout the project.

Days 1 - 5