Delaware Grade 7 English

Choose connecting words that match the argument

Connecting words tell readers how ideas relate. Students should choose them after examining the reasoning, because a fluent transition can still suggest the wrong relationship. This short draft provides a practical revision task.

Curriculum source: Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy, adopted for Delaware English language arts in 2010, from the Delaware Department of Education ELA resource directory.

Delaware Grade 7 references for this activity

Delaware’s ELA/literacy standards use the Common Core State Standards. The full ELA document contains the Grade 7 expectations across its subject strands. These are selected references for the activity on this page; use the full document for curriculum planning.

These are selected CCSS references used in Delaware’s ELA/literacy standards. Activity labels describe a teaching focus rather than reproduce the full requirements. Districts develop their own curriculum sequence; use the complete document and the school’s plan for wider coverage.

A worked Grade 7 reading and writing activity

This original classroom example is separate from official assessment questions.

Draft: The school should place a book-return basket near the classroom doors. Students sometimes forget to take returned books to the library. Some people worry a basket will be untidy. A labeled shelf position and a daily collection routine could keep the area organized.

Try the activity

Identify the claim, the reason, and the opposing concern. Revise the draft with words or phrases that explain those relationships. Decide whether the final sentence is evidence of a successful trial or a proposed response to a concern.

Follow the reasoning

The claim asks for a return basket. The next sentence supplies a reason, so “because” could connect it to the claim. “However, some people worry…” signals a concern about the proposal. “To address that concern…” can introduce the shelf position and collection routine. That last sentence proposes a safeguard; it does not report that one was tested successfully. The revision becomes clearer when transitions reflect what each sentence actually contributes.

Notice what needs more practice

Using “therefore” before the untidiness concern would imply that the concern follows as a conclusion from students forgetting books. The draft does not establish that relationship. Calling the daily routine proof also changes a possibility into a result. Keep the difference between a reason, evidence, and a planned solution visible. A transition should clarify the reasoning already present rather than disguise a missing connection.

Grade 7 English worksheets

Choose printable practice that matches the skill being taught. Check the task, reading difficulty, and directions before assigning it; the collection is independently published.

Browse Grade 7 English worksheets

Use the next session to build independence

1. Label each sentence’s role in the argument.
2. Choose a connecting phrase for the specific relationship.
3. Check that the revision does not turn a plan into a finding.
4. Read the paragraph aloud and explain why each transition belongs.

Add a plan for collecting useful evidence during a short trial, such as recording whether returned books reach the library and whether the designated shelf stays clear. Describe those as future observations. Then revise the claim to match what could reasonably be concluded from such a trial. Ask a partner to identify one remaining concern and respond fairly without treating every objection as settled.

For more general reading and writing resources, visit the Grade 7 English Online Center.

Delaware Grade 7 English: useful planning questions

Can transitions make an unsupported argument convincing?

They can clarify relationships, but they cannot supply missing evidence. Check the reasoning and evidence first, then select words that accurately connect the ideas.

Where are the complete state requirements?

Delaware’s ELA/literacy standards use the Common Core State Standards. The full ELA document contains the Grade 7 expectations across its subject strands. These are selected references for the activity on this page; use the full document for curriculum planning. The school’s sequence also includes reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language work beyond this example.