Evidence Outcomes:

a. Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 11–12 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. (CCSS: SL.11-12.1)

i. Come to discussions prepared, having read and researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence from texts and other research on the topic or issue to stimulate a thoughtful, well-reasoned exchange of ideas. (CCSS: SL.11-12.1a)

ii. Work with peers to promote civil, democratic discussions and decision-making, set clear goals and deadlines, and establish individual roles as needed. (CCSS: SL.11-12.1b)

iii. Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that probe reasoning and evidence; ensure a hearing for a full range of positions on a topic or issue; clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions; and promote divergent and creative perspectives. (CCSS: SL.11-12.1c)

iv. Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives; synthesize comments, claims, and evidence made on all sides of an issue; resolve contradictions when possible; and determine what additional information or research is required to deepen the investigation or complete the task. (CCSS: SL.11-12.1d)

b. Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (for example: visually, quantitatively, orally) in order to make informed decisions and solve problems, evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source and noting any discrepancies among the data. (CCSS: SL.11-12.2)

c. Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, assessing the stance, premises, links among ideas, word choice, points of emphasis, and tone used. (CCSS: SL.11-12.3)

Transfer Goals: Based on the Evidence Outcomes, what will students transfer to new contexts/situations?

Actively engage with and evaluate a full range of positions on a topic or issue, and build on those ideas to communicate your own thoughts clearly in a variety of collaborative situations.

Essential Understandings: In order to meet these transfer goals, the essential ideas and core processes students must understand are...

Engage in thoughtful and collaborative discussion that balances individual and collective responsibility

• Consider different sides of a topic or issue

• Evaluate the effectiveness of the arguments on each side of the argument

In order to meet these essential understandings, students must know...

• To prepare for discussion

  • • Methods for clarifying, verifying, challenging, or articulating increasingly nuanced positions

• To collaborate in a discussion

• Critical and respectful collaborative discourse norms

• Supporting opinions and ideas with multiple relevant sources

• Strategies to invite/include/create space for all individuals and perspectives

• To evaluate contributors’:

• Ways to test/evaluate the credibility of sources and their strengths relative to one another

• Elements of a strong argument (based on sources, point of view, diction, tone, rhetoric, etc.)

In order to meet these essential understandings, students must be able to...

• Participate actively

  • Be prepared to contribute

  • Listen with an open mind

• Participate thoughtfully

  • Create and follow collaborative discussion guidelines

  • Build on/critique ideas

  • Ask questions

  • Cite diverse and reliable sources

  • Invite/include all voices in the discussion

• Evaluate the strength of arguments made in the discussion

Evidence Outcomes:

a. Present information, findings, and supporting evidence, conveying a clear and distinct perspective, such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning, alternative or opposing perspectives are addressed, and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and a range of formal and informal tasks. (CCSS: SL.11-12.4)

b. Make strategic use of digital media (for example: textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest. (CCSS: SL.11-12.5)

c. Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating a command of formal English when indicated or appropriate. (CCSS: SL.11-12.6)

Transfer Goals: Based on the Evidence Outcomes, what will students transfer to new contexts/situations?

Deliver an effective public presentation in a format appropriate to the task and audience.

Essential Understandings: In order to meet these transfer goals, the essential ideas and core processes students must understand are...

• Synthesize and organize credible, accurate information effectively

• Use digital media strategically ly to engage an audience

• Use appropriate vocabulary, speaking style, and non-verbal cues to meet the needs of the audience

In order to meet these essential understandings, students must know...

• Ways to synthesize evidence from a variety of credible sources

• Characteristics of an audience relevant to the task

  • Demographics

  • Background knowledge of topic

• Rhetorical appeals (ethos, pathos, logos, kairos) that increase persuasiveness of the presentation

• Ways to organize information in a compelling manner

  • Keep focus on main topic

  • Integrate alternative perspectives

• Digital media resources to enhance a presentation

  • How to use effectively

  • How to select from a variety of available tools

In order to meet these essential understandings, students must be able to...

• Prepare and deliver an organized presentation

  • Use organizational tools to prepare (outline, etc.)

  • Integrate relevant evidence

  • Use effective digital media

  • Use effective rhetorical strategies

• Maintain high audience engagement during presentation

  • Plan and practice presentation

  • Utilize non-verbal strategies

  • Utilize appropriate style and diction for the audience and task

Evidence Outcomes:

a. Use Key Ideas and Details to:

i. Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain. (CCSS: RL.11-12.1)

ii. Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text. (CCSS: RL.11-12.2)

iii. Analyze the impact of the author’s choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a story or drama (for example: where a story is set, how the action is ordered, how the characters are introduced and developed). (CCSS: RL.11-12.3)

b. Use Craft and Structure to:

i. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including words with multiple meanings or language that is particularly fresh, engaging, or beautiful. (Include Shakespeare as well as other authors.) (CCSS: RL.11-12.4)

ii. Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text (for example: the choice of where to begin or end a story, the choice to provide a comedic or tragic resolution) contribute to its overall structure and meaning as well as its aesthetic impact. (CCSS: RL.11-12.5)

iii. Analyze a case in which grasping a point of view requires distinguishing what is directly stated in a text from what is really meant (for example: satire, sarcasm, irony, or understatement). (CCSS: RL.11-12.6)

c. Use Integration of Knowledge and Ideas to:

i. By the end of 12th grade, analyze multiple interpretations of a story, drama, or poem (for example: recorded or live production of a play or recorded novel or poetry), evaluating how each version interprets the source text. (for example: a play by Shakespeare and/or a play by an American dramatist.) (adapted from CCSS: RL.11-12.7)

ii. By the end of 12th grade, demonstrate knowledge of foundational works of American literature, including how two or more texts from the same period treat similar themes or topics. (adapted from CCSS: RL.11-12.9)

d. Use Range of Reading and Complexity of Text to:

i. By the end of grade 11, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 11–CCR text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range. (CCSS: RL.11-12.10)

ii. By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, at the high end of the grades 11-CCR text complexity band independently and proficiently. (CCSS RL.11-12.10)

Transfer Goals: Based on the Evidence Outcomes, what will students transfer to new contexts/situations?

Read and interpret a variety of literary texts to better understand the world we live in and the human experience

Essential Understandings: In order to meet these transfer goals, the essential ideas and core processes students must understand are...

• Independently read and comprehend grade-level literature

• Analyze:

  • Themes

  • How a text’s form affects meaning

  • How texts provide social and historical commentary

In order to meet these essential understandings, students must know...

• Characteristics of genres and styles of literature

• Text interaction strategies

• Characteristics of strong evidence to support the reader’s stance

• How to make inferences

• How themes develop throughout a text

• Literary techniques and figurative language

• Diverse story structures and their significance

• Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

  • Author and background information for each text

  • Social/historical context for the text

In order to meet these essential understandings, students must be able to...

• Annotate and take notes on the text

• Consider stylistic choices and how they develop the author’s intent

• Trace the development of complex themes throughout a book

  • Cite strong evidence to support

  • Explain how themes overlap and inform one another

• Determine and understand the meaning of word choice

• Determine and analyze point of view

• Compare/contrast two different artistic interpretations of a single story or subject and the effect of artistic choices

• Compare/contrast two different texts from an era that address similar topics

Evidence Outcomes:

a. Use Key Ideas and Details to:

i. Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain. (CCSS: RI.11-12.1)

ii. Determine two or more central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to provide a complex analysis; provide an objective summary of the text. (CCSS: RI.11-12.2)

iii. Analyze a complex set of ideas or sequence of events and explain how specific individuals, ideas, or events interact and develop over the course of the text. (CCSS: RI.11-12.3)

iv. Designate a purpose for reading expository texts and use new learning to complete a specific task (such as convince an audience, shape a personal opinion or decision, or perform an activity).

v. Predict the impact an informational text will have on an audience and justify the prediction.

b. Use Craft and Structure to:

i. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze how an author uses and refines the meaning of a key term or terms over the course of a text (for example: how Madison defines “faction” in Federalist No. 10). (CCSS: RI.11-12.4)

ii. Analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of the structure an author uses in his or her exposition or argument, including whether the structure makes points clear, convincing, and engaging. (CCSS: RI.11-12.5)

iii. Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text in which the rhetoric is particularly effective, analyzing how style and content contribute to the power, persuasiveness or beauty of the text. (CCSS: RI.11-12.6)

c. Use Integration of Knowledge and Ideas to:

i. Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different media or formats (for example: visually, quantitatively) as well as in words in order to address a question or solve a problem. (CCSS: RI.11-12.7)

ii. Delineate and evaluate the reasoning in seminal U.S. texts, including the application of constitutional principles and use of legal reasoning (for example: in U.S. Supreme Court majority opinions and dissents) and the premises, purposes, and arguments in works of public advocacy (for example: The Federalist Papers, presidential addresses) by the end of 12th grade. (adapted from CCSS: RI.11-12.8)

iii. Analyze 17th-, 18th-, and 19th-century foundational U.S. documents of historical and literary significance (for example: The Declaration of Independence, the Preamble to the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address) for their themes, purposes, and rhetorical features by the end of 12th grade. (adapted from CCSS: RI.11-12.9)

d. Use Range of Reading and Complexity of Text to:

i. By the end of grade 11, read and comprehend literary nonfiction in the grades 11-CCR text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range. (CCSS: RI.11-12.10)

ii. By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend literary nonfiction at the high end of the grades 11-CCR text complexity band independently and proficiently.

Transfer Goals: Based on the Evidence Outcomes, what will students transfer to new contexts/situations?

Read and evaluate a variety of non-fiction texts to better understand the subject at hand, the world we live in, and the human experience.

Essential Understandings: In order to meet these transfer goals, the essential ideas and core processes students must understand are...

• Read and understand grade-level non-fiction texts independently by utilizing reading strategies

• Evaluate:

  • The quality of information provided in the text

  • Historical, technical, and legal foundational US documents

In order to meet these essential understandings, students must know...

• Key Ideas and Details

  • How to identify/cite strong evidence

    • To support analysis of text

    • What text states directly (explicitly)

    • draw inferences

    • Determine where text leaves matters uncertain

  • Determine Central Ideas

    • Development over course of text

      • Interactions

      • Building on one another

      • Summarizing text

  • Analysis of sequence of ideas and events

    • Interaction of individuals’ ideas and events

    • Development of individuals, ideas and events

  • Designating Purpose

    • Choose a task

    • Ex: convince an audience, shape a personal opinion/decision, perform an activity

  • Making Predictions

    • Impact text will have on audience

    • Justify predictions

• Craft and Structure

  • Determining meaning of words/phrases

    • Figurative

    • Connotative and technical

    • Author’s use of key term/s over course of text

  • Analyze and evaluate structure

    • What does author use in exposition or argument

    • Does structure make points clear, convincing and engaging

  • Determine POV and purpose

    • Look for effective rhetoric

    • Analyze how

      • Style and content contribute to power, persuasion and beauty of a text

Use Integration of Knowledge and Ideas to:

• Delineate and evaluate the reasoning, premises, purposes and arguments:

  • Sources and formats

    • Utilize different media

      • Visually and quantitatively

      • Wording

    • Seminal (influential) US texts

      • Constitutional principles

      • Legal reasoning

      • Works of Public advocacy

        • Ex: Federalist Papers, presidential addresses

• Analyze foundational US historical and literary documents

  • for themes, purposes, and rhetorical features

  • Historical documents

    • Ex: Declaration of Independence, Preamble, Bill of Rights, Lincoln’s 2nd Inaugural Address

In order to meet these essential understandings, students must be able to...

Use Key Ideas and Details to:

• Cite strong and thorough textual evidence

• Determine where the text leaves matters uncertain.

• Determine central ideas in a text or texts

• Analyze development of ideas and events

• Designate or determine a purpose for reading to complete a specific task

• Make predictions

Use Craft and Structure to:

• Determine meaning of words and phrases

• Analyze and evaluate structure

• Determine author’s point of view and purpose

Use Integration of Knowledge and Ideas to:

• Integrate and evaluate multiple sources in different formats

• Delineate and evaluate the reasoning in seminal US texts

• Analyze foundational US historical and literary documents

Evidence Outcomes:

a. Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grades 11–12 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies. (CCSS: L.11-12.4)

i. Use context (for example: the overall meaning of a sentence, paragraph, or text; a word’s position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase. (CCSS: L.11-12.4a)

ii. Identify and correctly use patterns of word changes that indicate different meanings or parts of speech (for example: conceive, conception, conceivable). (CCSS: L.11-12.4b)

iii. Consult general and specialized reference materials (for example: dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation of a word or determine or clarify its precise meaning, its part of speech, its etymology, or its standard usage. (CCSS: L.11-12.4c)

iv. Verify the preliminary determination of the meaning of a word or phrase (for example: by checking the inferred meaning in context or in a dictionary). (CCSS: L.11-12.4d)

b. Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings. (CCSS: L.11-12.5)

i. Interpret figures of speech (for example: hyperbole, paradox) in context and analyze their role in the text. (CCSS: L.11-12.5a)

ii. Analyze nuances in the meaning of words with similar denotations. (CCSS: L.11-12.5b)

c. Acquire and use accurately general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression. (CCSS: L.11-12.6)

Transfer Goals: Based on the Evidence Outcomes, what will students transfer to new contexts/situations?

Understand the function of language in different contexts and how its use makes meaning; also, use language appropriately and effectively when writing and speaking.

Essential Understandings: In order to meet these transfer goals, the essential ideas and core processes students must understand are...

• Determine the meaning words and phrases within a grade-level text independently

• Understand

  • the nuances of meaning for similar words

  • how figurative language impacts the meaning of a text

  • which words/phrases within a text are most important for understanding the text as a whole

In order to meet these essential understandings, students must know...

• Strategies for determining and confirming word meaning

  • Context clues

  • Patterns of word changes

  • Reference tools - dictionary, thesaurus

• Types of figurative language

• Morphology of words

  • Prefixes, affixes, and roots to help determine meaning and tailor use

  • Word families: Run (noun), “She has a run in her tights”; vs. run (verb), “He wants to run the race today”

• Synonyms and their nuanced meanings

In order to meet these essential understandings, students must be able to...

• Use vocab strategies and reference tools to acquire new vocabulary

• Explain how figurative language affects meaning

• Explain the precise impact of a word based on nuances in meaning

• Acquire and use domain-specific words in writing and speaking independently

Evidence Outcomes:

a. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence. (CCSS W.11-12.1)

i. Introduce precise, knowledgeable claim(s), establish the significance of the claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that logically sequences claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence. (CCSS W.11-12.1a)

ii. Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly and thoroughly, supplying the most relevant evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience’s knowledge level, concerns, values, and possible biases. (CCSS W.11-12.1b)

iii. Use words, phrases, clauses, as well as varied syntax to link the major sections of the text, to create cohesion, and to clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims. (adapted from CCSS W.11-12.1c)

iv. Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing. (CCSS W.11-12.1d)

v. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented. (CCSS W.11-12.1e)

Transfer Goals: Based on the Evidence Outcomes, what will students transfer to new contexts/situations?

Write coherent and credible arguments tailored to the audience and subject.

Essential Understandings: In order to meet these transfer goals, the essential ideas and core processes students must understand are...

• Formulate a clear argument in the form of a claim, and distinguish it from reasonable counterclaims

• Support claim with strong and valid evidence

• Clearly and succinctly explain how and why the evidence provides adequate support for the claim

In order to meet these essential understandings, students must know...

Writing Structure:

• Elements of an effective claim and counterclaim (both included in a thesis)

  • Complex: complex sentence structure to include multiple parts to an argument, may require dependent clauses

  • Credible: a strong argument based on the source texts

  • Valid: true, based on the source

  • Relevant: clearly related to the prompt

  • Arguable: debatable, not a statement of fact

• Resources for evaluating sources

  • Validity of source

  • Strength of evidence

  • Totality of available perspectives

• Characteristics of strong evidence

  • Students must evaluate evidence (via critical reading) before use

  • Credible: from a reliable and reputable source, as determined using credibility-testing tools

  • Relevant: related to the claim/thesis

  • Sufficient: fully supports all parts of the thesis

  • Varied: in multiple formats (articles, websites, etc.)

  • Supports both the claim and counterclaim thoroughly

  • Proper in-text citation methods for the format (MLA, APA, etc.)

• Effective embedding of evidence with appropriate context

  • Effective: multiple/varied methods of embedding that create flow and cohesion between the context and evidence

  • Appropriate: for non-fiction, context establishes the credibility of the source (author, title, etc.)

  • Appropriate: for fiction, context includes sufficient detail of how the evidence fits into the source text in order to facilitate analysis

• Elements of compelling analysis/ reasoning

  • Analyze key parts of the evidence to explain precisely what it means

  • Connect clearly to the claim to explain why the evidence was chosen

  • Explains the significance of the evidence to the topic as a whole (synthesis)

  • Include new insights into the thesis (or counterclaim) revealed through the analysis

• Steps to write a logical conclusion that explains the relevance or significance of the argument

Writing Style:

• Stylistic tools appropriate to the objective

  • Rhetorical tools (ethos, pathos, logos, kairos)

  • Develop a clear tone via diction and syntax

  • Create cohesion and flow

    • Varied syntax, diction

    • Transitions (words, phrases and clauses)

  • Appropriate structure (headers, formatting, etc.)

• Evidence is seamlessly incorporated into the argument

  • Use a variety of transitions to show nuance of relationship

  • Flow of syntax is smooth and uninterrupted between context and evidence

• Use intentionally varied syntax

  • Use sentence complexity, type, and length to emphasize ideas

In order to meet these essential understandings, students must be able to...

• Write an argument that includes these elements:

  • Make a valid and complex claim, including reasonable counterclaims

  • Support both the claim and the counterclaim with strong evidence

  • Write thorough and convincing reasoning

  • Use appropriate transitions to create clarity and cohesion

  • Provide appropriate conclusion

• Use appropriate stylistic tools to achieve the objective

Evidence Outcomes:

a. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content. (CCSS W.11-12.2)

i. Introduce a topic; organize complex ideas, concepts, and information so that each new element builds on that which precedes it to create a unified whole; include formatting (for example: headings), graphics (for example: figures, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension. (CCSS W.11-12.2a)

ii. Develop the topic thoroughly by selecting the most significant and relevant facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audience’s knowledge of the topic. (CCSS W.11-12.2b)

iii. Use appropriate and varied transitions and syntax to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among complex ideas and concepts. (CCSS W.11-12.2c)

iv. Use precise language, domain-specific vocabulary, and techniques such as metaphor, simile, and analogy to manage the complexity of the topic. (CCSS W.11-12.2d)

v. Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing. (CCSS W.11-12.2e)

vi. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented (for example: articulating implications or the significance of the topic). (CCSS W.11-12.2f)

Transfer Goals: Based on the Evidence Outcomes, what will students transfer to new contexts/situations?

Write organized information about an idea which is as free from bias as possible.

Essential Understandings: In order to meet these transfer goals, the essential ideas and core processes students must understand are...

• Select as wide a range of valid evidence on the topic as possible

• Organize the evidence effectively to present information clearly

• Analyze the evidence to explain it within the context of the larger topic in an objective, unbiased manner

In order to meet these essential understandings, students must know...

• Writing Structure

  • Complex ideas = ideas that build off of others

  • Develop the topic

    • Select the most significant (sufficient and noteworthy) and relevant (relates to topic) facts, extended definitions, concrete/solid details, quotations, or other information and examples

    • Awareness of audience's knowledge of the topic.

  • Transitions

    • Appropriate and varied

    • Clarify relationships among ideas

    • Organize transitions and syntax to enhance cohesion

    • Link major sections of the text

  • Conclusions

    • Follows from and supports the information or explanation presented

      • articulating impacts or the significance of the topic

• Writing Style & Techniques

  • Elements of formal style and tone appropriate to the discipline

  • Strategies to use domain-specific vocabulary effectively

    • Include definitions or appropriate context

    • Define via metaphor/analogy

In order to meet these essential understandings, students must be able to...

Write informative/explanatory texts that include:

• Introduce a topic

• Organization

  • Complex ideas

  • Build on preceding information to create a unified whole

  • Provide a conclusion

  • Formatting (headings/subheadings, etc.)

• Develop the topic thoroughly

  • Include aids and visuals to enhance audience comprehension

  • Analyze content/topic

• Use transitions to create cohesion

• Use precise language, domain-specific vocabulary, and techniques

• Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone

Evidence Outcomes:

a. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences. (CCSS W.11-12.3)

i. Engage and orient the reader by setting out a problem, situation, or observation and its significance, establishing one or multiple point(s) of view, and introducing a narrator and/or characters; create a smooth progression of experiences or events. (CCSS W.11-12.3a)

ii. Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, reflection, and multiple plot lines, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters. (CCSS W.11-12.3b)

iii. Use a variety of techniques to sequence events so that they build on one another to create a coherent whole and build toward a particular tone and outcome (for example, a sense of mystery, suspense, growth, or resolution). (CCSS W.11-12.3c)

iv. Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and/or characters. (CCSS W.11-12.3d)

v. Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on what is experienced, observed, or resolved over the course of the narrative. (CCSS W.11-12.3e)

vi. Select and use stylistic devices to craft engaging and effective text.

Transfer Goals: Based on the Evidence Outcomes, what will students transfer to new contexts/situations?

Craft engaging and significant narratives that illustrate universal truths about the human experience.

Essential Understandings: In order to meet these transfer goals, the essential ideas and core processes students must understand are...

• Engage the reader by establishing a conflict, using the narrative to create growth or change in the characters, and resolving the conflict in order to reveal a theme

In order to meet these essential understandings, students must know...

Writing Structure

• Narrative plot structures

  • Varieties of plot structures

  • Pacing to maintain interest

  • Sequence events (plot) to create a coherent and impactful whole

• Engage and orient reader:

  • Introduce setting, character, problem/situation

  • Establish point of view (1st, 2nd, 3rd person), narrative voice

  • Progression of story

• Character types and development

• Conflict types and resolution/change

• Conclusions

  • Resolution or transformation of main conflict

  • Change or growth of characters

  • Illuminates the meaning or impact implicit in the story (theme)

Style, Mechanics and Conventions

• Characteristics of genres

• Writing conventions

  • Formatting

  • Dialogue

  • Syntax

• Writing techniques

  • Diction

  • Precise details

  • Tone (author perspective/attitude)

  • Mood (emotional impact on audience)

  • Figurative language

  • Sensory details

  • Consistent point of view (1st, 2nd, 3rd person)

  • Character voice

In order to meet these essential understandings, students must be able to...

Write narratives that:

• Utilize appropriate style for the genre

• Structure a story for maximum engagement and impact

  • Concise and engaging introduction (character, setting and conflict)

  • Progression of events raising tension and leading toward climax

  • Develop strong and dynamic characters

  • Craft a meaningful, impactful conclusion

  • Utilize varied writing conventions and techniques to achieve goal

Evidence Outcomes:

a. Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. (CCSS: L.11-12.1)

i. Apply the understanding that usage is a matter of convention, can change over time, and is sometimes contested. (CCSS: L.11-12.1a)

ii. Resolve issues of complex or contested usage, consulting references (for example: Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage, Garner’s Modern American Usage) as needed. (CCSS: L.11-12.1b)

b. Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. (CCSS: L.11-12.2)

i. Observe hyphenation conventions. (CCSS: L.11-12.2a)

ii. Correctly spell frequently used words and consult reference materials (for example: dictionaries, both print and digital, spell check, and/or trusted peers and/or adults) to determine the spelling of less frequent vocabulary. (adapted from CCSS: L.11-12.2b)

c. Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening. (CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.11-12.3)

i. Vary syntax for effect, consulting references for guidance as needed; apply an understanding of syntax to the study of complex texts when reading. (adapted from CCSS: L.11-12.3a)

d. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in expectations 1-2 above.) (CCSS: W.11-12.4)

e. Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience. (CCSS: W.11-12.5)

f. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or information. (CCSS: W.11-12.6)

g. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences. (CCSS W.11-12.10)

Transfer Goals: Based on the Evidence Outcomes, what will students transfer to new contexts/situations?

Use effective writing, grammar and mechanics to communicate ideas clearly.

Essential Understandings: In order to meet these transfer goals, the essential ideas and core processes students must understand are...

How to...

• apply grammar skills to speaking and writing, formal or informal

• collaboratively and independently engage in the revision process to improve the clarity of writing and speaking

In order to meet these essential understandings, students must know...

• Conventions: Grammar & Usage

  • Understand that grammar and usage is a matter of convention, can sometimes change, and is often contested.

  • Strategies to resolve complex and contested grammar and usage through reference materials (ie: dictionaries and thesauruses)

• Mechanics: (capitalization, punctuation, spelling)

  • Rules of punctuation

    • Capitalization

    • Commas

    • Apostrophes

    • Dashes and hyphens

    • Colons and semicolons

• Writing Process and Revision

  • Planning/prewriting

  • Writing

  • Feedback and revision

• Technology supports

  • Voice to text

  • Grammarly.com

  • Noredink.com

  • Google Docs and Comments

In order to meet these essential understandings, students must be able to...

• Keep a growth mindset toward the writing process: commitment, endurance, etc

  • Extended writing

  • Timed writing

  • Revision

• Apply appropriate writing mechanics to all writing

  • Use appropriate references and supports

  • Use varied syntax

• Engage in the full writing process

  • Planning

  • Writing

  • Feedback

  • Revision

Evidence Outcomes:

a. Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation. (CCSS: W.11-12.7)

b. Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the task, purpose, and audience; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and overreliance on any one source and following a standard format for citation. (CCSS: W.11-12.8)

c. Evaluate quality, accuracy, and completeness of information and the bias, credibility and reliability of the sources.

d. Document sources of quotations, paraphrases, and other information, using a style sheet, such as that of the Modern Language Association (MLA) or the American Psychological Association (APA).

e. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. (CCSS: W.11-12.9)

i. Apply grades 11-12 Reading standards to literature (for example: “Demonstrate knowledge of 18th-, 19th- and early 20th-century foundational works of American literature, including how two or more texts from the same period treat similar themes or topics”). (CCSS: W.11-12.9a)

ii. Apply grades 11-12 Reading standards to literary nonfiction (for example: “Delineate and evaluate the reasoning in seminal U.S. texts, including the application of constitutional principles and use of legal reasoning [for example: in U.S. Supreme Court Case majority opinions and dissents] and the premises, purposes, and arguments in works of public advocacy [for example: The Federalist, presidential addresses]”). (CCSS: W.11-12.9b)

Transfer Goals: Based on the Evidence Outcomes, what will students transfer to new contexts/situations?

Research and synthesize information from a variety of high-quality sources to thoroughly answer a complex question.

Essential Understandings: In order to meet these transfer goals, the essential ideas and core processes students must understand are...

• Focus research to solve problems or answer complex questions

• Evaluate quality of varied sources with an appropriate scope for the task

• Synthesize and integrate diverse sources into the product or project

• Cite sources accurately with an appropriate style and format

In order to meet these essential understandings, students must know...

• Strategies for writing provocative, complex, and relevant research questions

  • Criterion to broaden or narrow the scope and focus of a project

  • How to evolve or refocus a question as research requires

• Foundational research skills

  • Search operations in Google

  • Advanced search features

  • Databases

  • Print texts

• Critical analysis skills to verify sources’ reliability, credibility, and relevance

• When and how to use quotes, paraphrase, or summary

• Strategies to organize/outline information to create flow and a coherent structure

• Ways to embed evidence with appropriate context

• Elements of effective analysis to connect research to the larger question (conclusion)

In order to meet these essential understandings, students must be able to...

• Develop a thoughtful inquiry question

• Conduct research to answer the question with a variety of relevant and credible sources

• Organize the information clearly to address all parts of the research question

• Draw conclusions about the information presented and how it resolves the research question

• Independently cite all information accurately and include all elements of a style sheet (MLA, APA, etc.)