Grade 7 ELA (CCSS-ELA) Exam Survival Guide

Must-do topics

• Reading: analyze theme across texts; trace arguments; distinguish fact vs opinion; analyze structure (chronology, compare/contrast).
• Writing: argumentative (claims, counterclaims, evidence); informative essays; narratives with dialogue, pacing, and description.
• Language: phrases/clauses; simple/compound/complex sentences; pronoun-antecedent agreement.
• Speaking/Listening: evaluate reasoning in arguments; present with visuals.

Top traps

• Skipping counterclaims in argument writing.
• Confusing main idea vs author’s purpose.
• Run-ons from misusing clauses.
• Weak evidence (personal opinion instead of cited text).

Quick checks

• Read short article → highlight claim vs evidence.
• Write 3-sentence counterclaim: “Homework should be banned.”
• Fix: “The team who won were happy.” → “The team that won was happy.”
• Summarize peer’s speech in 2–3 lines.

You will make

• Claim–Counterclaim T-Chart.
• Text Evidence Log.
• Sentence Structure Sort Cards.
• Argument Presentation Outline.