Year-long Plan and Curriculum Coverage
Overview of Major Activities by Nine-Week Grading Period
1st Nine Weeks
Writing
1. Students will write in the persuasive mode, composing an essay stating their position on a selected topic.
2. Students will compose arguments supported by textual evidence.
3. Students will begin work on their Perfect Paper, a project that will challenge them to craft, edit, and revise a piece of writing over time.
Reading
1. Students will read a variety of selections from the British literary canon, including Beowulf, Arthurian Legends, and The Canterbury Tales.
2. Students will read (and respond to) informational texts.
3. Students will read at least 625 pages of nonfiction for their independent reading assignment.
Language
1. Students will review basics related to parts of speech and sentence structure.
2. Students will complete a set of grammar lessons aligned with College and Career Ready Standards.
Speaking and Listening
1. Students will participate in formal class discussions related to topics being covered in class.
2nd Nine Weeks
Writing
1. Students will compose arguments supported by textual evidence.
Reading
1. Students will read a variety of selections from the British literary canon, including Macbeth and A Christmas Carol.
2. Students will read (and respond to) informational texts.
3. Students will read at least 625 pages of nonfiction for their independent reading assignment.
Language
1. Students will cover basic grammatical concepts that are the source of commonly made errors.
2. Students will complete a set of grammar lessons aligned with College and Career Ready Standards.
Speaking and Listening
1. Students will participate in formal class discussions related to topics being covered in class.
3rd Nine Weeks
Writing
1. Students will compose arguments supported by textual evidence.
2. Students will synthesize material covered earlier in the year into a comprehensive research paper.
Reading
1. Students will read a variety of selections from the British literary canon, including Brave New World and selected works of British poets.
2. Students will read (and respond to) informational texts.
3. Students will read at least 625 pages of nonfiction for their independent reading assignment.
Language
1. Students will cover basic grammatical concepts that are the source of commonly made errors.
2. Students will complete a set of grammar lessons aligned with College and Career Ready Standards.
Speaking and Listening
1. Students will participate in formal class discussions related to topics being covered in class.
4th Nine Weeks
Writing
1. Students will write poems based on types we cover in class.
2. Students will participate in creative writing exercises.
3. Students will craft a narrative based on an existing oral narrative.
Reading
1. Students will read (and respond to) informational texts.
2. Students will read at least 625 pages of nonfiction for their independent reading assignment.
Language
1. Students will cover basic grammatical concepts that are the source of commonly made errors.
2. Students will complete a set of grammar lessons aligned with College and Career Ready Standards.
Speaking and Listening
1. Students will participate in formal class discussions related to topics being covered in class.
2. Students will synthesize material covered earlier in the year into a comprehensive research paper.
3. Students will plan and present an end-of-year speech to their classmates in which they detail three things they learned in English class over the course of the year.
Throughout the year, the following activities will address key curriculum requirements:
Vocabulary/Grammar units covering Greek and Latin word parts and important issues related to grammar and writing-mechanics
Article responses that challenge students to understand the messages in (and complexities of) informational texts
Independent reading (which provides students with an opportunity to improve their literacy skills through continued practice with high-interest nonfiction texts they select)
Optional Extra Credit Quote responses and Riddle of the Month challenges (which give students an opportunity to practice conveying complex ideas and concepts through writing)
Class discussions in which students will practice important speaking and listening skills covered in the twelfth grade curriculum
Targeted language instruction through the use of grammar lessons grounded in specific College and Career Ready Standards.
Textual evidence assignments in which students must select and use appropriate supporting evidence from a text to either support or refute a claim.
Curriculum Coverage Overview
Reading Standards for Literature
Key Ideas and Details
1.) 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. [RL.11-12.1]
This standard will be addressed throughout the year through short writing assignments that call for the creation, support, or refutation of arguments related to literary analysis of the texts we cover in class.
2.) 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. [RL.11-12.2]
This standard will most directly be addressed through the writing of our research paper in the second semester, in which we’ll be tracing themes through the texts we’ve studied throughout the year, tying them to author choices through close reading analysis.
3.) Analyze the impact of the author's choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a story or drama (e.g., where a story is set, how the action is ordered, how the characters are introduced and developed). [RL.11-12.3]
This standard will be addressed throughout the year as we view the texts we read in class through a lens focused on the five elements of effective narratives.
Craft and Structure
4.) 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.) [RL.11-12.4]
This standard will be addressed through the close reading (and literary analysis supported through textual evidence) that we do throughout the year.
5.) Analyze how an author's choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text (e.g., 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. [RL.11-12.5]
This standard will be addressed throughout the year as we view the texts we read in class through a lens focused on the five elements of effective narratives.
6.) Analyze a case in which grasping point of view requires distinguishing what is directly stated in a text from what is really meant (e.g., satire, sarcasm, irony, or understatement). [RL.11-12.6]
This standard will be addressed through the study of various texts we cover throughout the year and will be reinforced through a specific literary analysis writing assignment.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
7.) Analyze multiple interpretations of a story, drama, or poem (e.g., recorded or live production of a play or recorded novel or poetry), evaluating how each version interprets the source text. (Include at least one play by Shakespeare.) [RL.11-12.7] (Alabama)
This standard will be addressed through the use of numerous media as we study Macbeth (along with a similar approach to the other literary texts we study throughout the year).
8.) Demonstrate knowledge of foundational works of European literature with a concentration in British literature, including how two or more texts from the same period treat similar themes or topics. [RL.11-12.9] (Alabama)
This standard will most directly be addressed through the writing of our research paper in the second semester, in which we’ll be tracing themes through the texts we’ve studied throughout the year, tying them to author choices through close reading analysis.
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
9.) By the end of Grade 12, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, at the high end of the Grades 11-College and Career Readiness (CCR) text complexity band independently and proficiently. [RL.11-12.10]
This standard will be addressed through the range of literary texts we cover throughout the year.
Reading Standards for Informational Text
Key Ideas and Details
10.) 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. [RI.11-12.1]
This standard will be addressed through the completion of our Article Response assignments.
11.) 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. [RI.11-12.2]
This standard will be addressed through the completion of our Article Response assignments.
12.) 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. [RI.11-12.3]
This standard will be addressed through the completion of our Article Response assignments.
Craft and Structure
13.) 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 (e.g., how Madison defines faction in The Federalist No. 10). [RI.11-12.4]
This standard will be addressed through the study of The Gettysburg Address as part of our End-of-Year Speech unit.
14.) 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. [RI.11-12.5]
This standard will be addressed through the study of The Gettysburg Address as part of our End-of-Year Speech unit.
15.) 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. [RI.11-12.6]
This standard will be addressed through the study of The Gettysburg Address as part of our End-of-Year Speech unit.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
16.) Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words in order to address a question or solve a problem. [RI.11-12.7]
This standard will most directly be addressed through the writing of our research paper in the second semester, in which we’ll be tracing themes through the texts we’ve studied throughout the year.
17.) Delineate and evaluate the reasoning in seminal United States texts, including the application of constitutional principles and use of legal reasoning (e.g., in United States Supreme Court Case majority opinions and dissents) and the premises, purposes, and arguments in works of public advocacy (e.g., The Federalist, presidential addresses). [RI.11-12.8]
This standard will be addressed through the study of The Gettysburg Address as part of our End-of-Year Speech unit.
18.) By the end of Grade 12, read and comprehend literary nonfiction at the high end of the Grades 11-College and Career Readiness (CCR) text complexity band independently and proficiently. [RI.11-12.10]
This standard will be addressed through the study of The Gettysburg Address as part of our End-of-Year Speech unit.
Writing Standards
Text Types and Purposes
19.) Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence. [W.11-12.1]
This standard will be addressed throughout the year through short writing assignments that call for the creation, support, or refutation of arguments related to literary analysis of the texts we cover in class.
20.) Write informative or explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content. [W.11-12.2]
This standard will most directly be addressed through the writing of our research paper in the second semester, in which we’ll be tracing themes through the texts we’ve studied throughout the year.
21.) Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences. [W.11-12.3]
This standard will be addressed in our Narrative unit, in which students will write a narrative based on an existing oral narrative.
Production and Distribution of Writing
22.) 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 standards 19-21 above.) [W.11-12.4]
This standard will be addressed through the numerous and various writing assignments we have throughout the year.
23.) 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. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of the first three standards in the Language strand in Grades K-12.) [W.11-12.5]
This standard will be addressed most directly through the Perfect Paper assignment.
24.) 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. [W.11-12.6]
This standard will be addressed through the blogs (and blog posts) students will be required to use (and publish) throughout the year for various assignments.
Research to Build and Present Knowledge
25.) 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. [W.11-12.7]
This standard will most directly be addressed through the writing of our research paper in the second semester, in which we’ll be tracing themes through the texts we’ve studied throughout the year.
26.) 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. [W.11-12.8]
This standard will most directly be addressed through the writing of our research paper in the second semester, in which we’ll be tracing themes through the texts we’ve studied throughout the year.
27.) Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. [W.11-12.9]
This standard will most directly be addressed through the writing of our research paper in the second semester, in which we’ll be tracing themes through the texts we’ve studied throughout the year.
Range of Writing
28.) Write routinely over extended time frames, including time for research, reflection, and revision, and shorter time frames such as a single sitting or a day or two for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences. [W.11-12.10]
This standard will be addressed through the variety of writing assignments that we have throughout the year.
Speaking and Listening Standards
Comprehension and Collaboration
29.) Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on Grade 12 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. [SL.11-12.1]
This standard will be addressed through the numerous class discussions we’ll have throughout the year.
30.) Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., 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. [SL.11-12.2]
This standard will be addressed through class discussions throughout the year related to our Article Response assignments centered around a specific topic.
31.) 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. [SL.11-12.3]
This standard will be addressed through the study of The Gettysburg Address as part of our End-of-Year Speech unit.
Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas
32.) 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. [SL.11-12.4]
This standard will be addressed through the preparation and presentation of our End-of-Year Speeches.
33.) Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest. [SL.11-12.5]
This standard will be addressed through the preparation and presentation of our End-of-Year Speeches.
34.) Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating a command of formal English when indicated or appropriate. (See Grade 12 Language standards 35 and 37 for specific expectations.) [SL.11-12.6]
This standard will be addressed throughout the year through various class presentation opportunities students will have along with less formal class discussions.
Language Standards
Conventions of Standard English
35.) Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. [L.11-12.1]
This standard will be addressed through the completion of grammar lessons specifically targeting College and Career Ready Standards.
36.) Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. [L.11-12.2]
This standard will be addressed through the completion (and assessment) of various writing assignments throughout the year.
Knowledge of Language
37.) 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. [L.11-12.3]
This standard will be addressed through short writing assignments throughout the year related to literary analysis.
Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
38.) Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on Grade 12 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies. [L.11-12.4]
This standard will be addressed through our continuous study of Greek and Latin word parts throughout the year.
39.) Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings. [L.11-12.5]
This standard will be addressed through the reading and analysis of literature (and specifically through the study of A Christmas Carol) throughout the year.
40.) 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. [L.11-12.6]
This standard will most directly be addressed through the writing of our research paper in the second semester, in which we’ll be tracing themes through the texts we’ve studied throughout the year.