7th Grade Lightning Literature

Authors and Works

• Rudyard Kipling ("Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" - short story)
• Mark Twain (The Adventures of Tom Sawyer - novel)
• Edward Lear (various poems)
• William Blake ("Night" - poetry)
• Lewis Carroll (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - novel)
• Stephen Crane ("The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky" - short story)
• Helen Keller (The Story of My Life - autobiography)
• James Herriot (All Creatures Great and Small - nonfiction)
• Various poets and poetry

Topics

• Plot Line
• Sub-plots
• Writing an Opening
• Outlining
• Rhyme in Poetry
• Limerick and Haiku
• Increasing Creativity
• Nonce Words
• Dialogue
• Writing About Yourself
• Brainstorming
• Sound in Poetry (Repetition, Alliteration, Assonance, Onomatopoeia)
• Cinquain and List Poem
• The Character Sketch
• Choosing a Topic

Recommendations

Although this is listed as a seventh grade text, students cannot be easily boxed into grades. A sixth grader who is a strong reader and likes writing would be able to do well with this course. Another option for the parent of a sixth grader who is eager to begin Lightning Lit is to complete this course and the eighth grade course over two years, though this will make the schedules in the Teacher's Guide useless.

This course can also work for the eighth grader who is behind in language arts, or who struggles with reading and/or writing for other reasons.