LITERATURE CURRICULUM

2025 - PRESENT CURRICULUM RESOURCES

Translations Unit - 9th Grade 

Unit Overview 

Through selected stories from Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri as well as supplemental essays and historical analyses, students will explore the idea of translation and its personal relevance. Regardless of students’ heritage language, strong communication depends on effective translation of thoughts and feelings, even in a fully monolingual setting. Students will learn the historical context of British colonization in India as well as the subsequent partitions. They will analyze literary devices in short texts through popcorn reading and jigsaw, in small groups, with partners, and individually. Summative products will be a socratic seminar, class debate, and a personal translation project.

Unit Learning Outcomes 

• Students will be able to summarize and evaluate a speaker’s message, demonstrating their analysis through discussion, writing, and synthesis.

• Students will be able to cite text evidence in MLA format

• Students will be able to write persuasive paragraphs with a thesis statement

• Students will be able to identify, make, and defend choices in connotation and denotation

• Students will be able to prepare for whole group discussions

• Students will be able to give and act on peer feedback

• Students will be able to explore their identities and the role of translation in navigating identity

Facilitator Guide 

Curriculum Walkthrough Video 

Curriculum Materials 

2013 - 2024 Curriculum Units

Below you can find the Breakthrough National Literature Curriculum, sorted by grade and by unit. NOTE:  the grade levels are only suggestions, and you may choose to use a unit with a different grade depending on the level of your students. The grade indicated is the grade students will be in for the following school year, i.e., rising 7th, rising 8th, rising 9th. CLICK HERE for General Curriculum Resources. 

NOTE: These resources were most recently updated in 2018. Updates will be taking place over the next year, and this website will be updated with new resources as they become available. All new resources are highlighted in YELLOW. 

Literature Curriculum User's Guide - This guide is intended for site directors, instructional coaches, and teaching fellows - read before you teach any Breakthrough literature unit.

Breakthrough Summer Literature Unit Selections - Detailed information about Breakthrough's summer reading unit selections.

7th Grade Units & Resources

Foundational Skills Unit (5 lessons) - A five-lesson unit to start your summer. Includes classroom routines, as well as key academic skills like annotation and discussion.

12 Angry Men (10 lessons) - A ten-lesson unit on the play "12 Angry Men" by Reginald Rose.

House on Mango Street (15 lessons) - A 15-lesson unit on "The House on Mango Street" by Sandra Cisneros.

Claudette Colvin (20 lessons) - A 20-lesson unit on "Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice" by Phillip Hoose.

7th Grade Literature Summer Data Tracker - Use this tool to track student data throughout the summer. Included: daily assessment mastery tracker, homework tracker, and Kid Talk tracker.

8th Grade Units & Resources

Foundational Skills Unit (5 lessons) - A five-lesson unit to start your summer. Includes classroom routines, as well as key academic skills like annotation and discussion.

Of Mice and Men (10 lessons) - A ten-lesson unit on "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck.

Bomb (15 lessons) - A 15-lesson unit on "Bomb: The Race to Build - and Steal - the World's Most Dangerous Weapon" by Steve Sheinkin.

Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (20 lessons) - A 20-lesson unit on Sherman Alexie's novel about a Native American teen's journey of self-discovery. Part-Time Indian Updates and Resources - If you are planning to teach "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian", review these updates and suggested resources.

The Other Wes Moore (20-22 lessons) - A 20-lesson unit (with two optional add-on lessons) on the novel "The Other Wes Moore" by Wes Moore.

8th Grade Literature Summer Data Tracker - Use this tool to track student data throughout the summer. Included: daily assessment mastery tracker, homework tracker, and Kid Talk tracker.

9th Grade Units & Resources

Foundational Skills Unit (5 lessons) - A five-lesson series to start your summer. Includes classroom routines, as well as key academic skills, like annotation and discussion.

A Raisin in the Sun (10 lessons) - A ten-lesson unit on the play " A Raisin in the Sun" by Lorraine Hansberry.

Chew On This (15 lessons) - A 15-lesson unit on "Chew On This: Everything You Didn't Want to Know About Fast Food" by Eric Schlosser.

Othello (20 lessons) - A 20-lesson unit on the play "Othello' by Shakespeare.

9th Grade Literature Summer Data Tracker - Use this tool to track students throughout the summer. Included: daily assessment mastery tracker, homework tracker, and Kid Talk tracker.

Additional Text - 8th Grade - Raisin in the Sun (BT Manchester) - (22 lessons) This is an extended unit on "A Raisin in the Sun", shared by BT Manchester.

Additional text - 9th grade - Things Fall Apart (from Breakthrough Houston) (24 lessons) - A 24-lesson unit from Breakthrough Houston on the novel by Chinua Achebe.

Literature Assessments

These are the paper-based pre- and post-tests for each grade (7,8, and 9) along with answer keys.

• 7th Grade Assessments

• 8th Grade Assessments

• 9th Grade Assessments

Pre-Post Assessment Guide - This guide was designed in conjunction with our updated literature and writing assessments. Please read before administering a BT writing or literature pre/post assessment.

Shared Resources

NOTE: As this is curriculum shared by affiliates and not generated by the National Office, it has not undergone a review process and is not the work of the National Office.