Unit 1
September/October
Introduction to Short Story
Mentor Text:
“Charles” by Shirley Jackson
“Rules of the Game” by Amy Tan
“The Veldt” by Ray Bradbury
Focus: Workshop Expectations, Setting up Reader's/Writer’s Notebook, Characterization, Conflict, Plot Chart, Theme, Literary Devices
I-Ready Assessment
Short Stories Quiz
Unit 2
October
Narrative Writing
Mentor Text:
“The Landlady” by Raold Dahl
“The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe
Focus: Crafting a Story, Plot Chart, Leads, Creating Suspense, Developing a Character, Crafting Conflict, Writing Conclusions
Narrative Short Story Writing
Unit 3
November/ December
Contemporary Books Club
Mentor Text:
Pride by Ibi Zoboi
Focus: Using Book Reviews to “set the stage” for Learning, Mirrors, and Windows, Understanding Character Through Individual Lenses, Summarizing Complicated Stories, Inquiry Skills
Digital Notebooks:
Sticky notes
Journal responses
Netflix Project
Book Clubs
Unit 4
December
Literary Essay
Mentor Text:
“All Summer in a Day” by Ray Bradbury
Focus: Elements of writing a literary essay, How to Write a Theme Statement, How to Use and Incorporate Evidence
Literary Essay
Unit 5
January/ February
Dystopian Book Club
Mentor Text:
“Ponies” by Kij Johnson
Focus: Note Taking Skills, Understanding Character Archetypes, Conflict, and Power Dynamics as a way to gain a deeper understanding of character roles/motivations
Reader Response/ Journaling
Setting Project
Hero’s Journey
Book Clubs
Unit 6
February
Argument Writing
Mentor Text: Various articles
Focus: How to Construct an Argument, Claim, Evidence, Reasoning, Research, Angling Evidence, Connotation vs. Denotation
Argument Writing piece on the topic of choice
Unit 7
March
Literary Nonfiction Book Clubs
Mentor Text: Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly
Focus: Nonfiction and Fiction Reading Strategies, Main Idea, Author’s Purpose, Theme
I-Ready Assessment
Reader Response/ Journal Prompts
Black History Month one-pager
Book Clubs
Unit 8
April
Poetry
Mentor Text: Various poems
Focus: Elements of figurative language, analyzing poetry for message/theme, how to use figurative language to enhance imagery
Poetry Slam
Unit 9
May- June
Novel Study
Mentor Text:
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
Focus: Character Development, Theme, Author’s Purpose, Conflict, Literary Devices
Personal Narrative
September - June
Vocabulary/Grammar Development
Vocabulary Workshop: Sadlier Achieve, Greek and Latin Root Word Practice, Suffixes and Prefixes
Focus: word study, context clues
Grammar: Parts of Speech. Types of Sentences, Punctuation
Focus: Mentor Sentences
Practice Activities
Weekly Quizzes