Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of rhymes and other repetitions of sounds (e.g., alliteration) on a specific verse or stanza of a poem or section of a story or drama.

The focus of seventh grade is on poetry (there are no poetry-related standards in sixth or eighth grades), so this standard is all about making students understand how language can affect us emotionally. Try putting some spoken word entries into your curriculum (or even song lyrics!), so students really get to see why all that alliteration and assonance is important. The learning of figurative and connotative meanings of words is a common theme among the middle school standards, so seventh graders should be almost there to mastering connotative meanings of words, but not quite.