Essential English 12

Essential English 12 Units and Learning Targets

NOTE: The units and learning targets listed below are an outline of the material that may be covered in Essential English 12 during a particular school year.  Due to a variety of factors, the actual number of units covered (and the order in which they are covered) is subject to change from year to year.  Thank you for your understanding.

Senior Memory Book Unit (35 Days)

Learning Targets:

1. I can respond to a series of ten writing prompts about my past personal experiences and reflect upon how these experiences have shaped my life so far.  

2. I can produce clear and coherent writing that is appropriate to the task and purpose of this unit.  

3. I can construct writing which consistently demonstrates correct grammar, punctuation, and conventions.

4. I can create aesthetically-pleasing writing that flows smoothly and contains appropriately-detailed explanations of my personal experiences.

5. I can demonstrate effective management of my time by completing the rough drafts of my chapters by the deadlines 

The Great Gatsby Unit (49 Days)

Learning Targets:

1. I can make inferences about characterization and setting based on events that occur in the novel.  (1)

2. I can identify each character’s frame of reference by recognizing the character’s biases and values. (2)

3. I can describe Jay Gatsby and discuss the effect of making assumptions about others by identifying assumptions and determining their accuracy. (3)

4. I can identify important cause and effect relationships in the novel to help me understand the sequence of events that lead up to Gatsby’s death. (7)

5. I can investigate the consequences of poor decision making by identifying the decision-making ability of several characters in the novel.  (8)

6. I can gain insight into the overall morality of the twenties by identifying the moral philosophy of several characters in the novel. (9)

Job Research Paper Unit (30 Days)

Learning Targets:

1. I can conduct effective research using reliable sources to gain relevant information about my chosen career. 

2. I can produce clear and coherent writing that is appropriate to the task and purpose of this unit.  

3. I can identify a prospective career that fits my interests and skill set and effectively justify my choice. 

4. I can reflect upon the amount of time and effort I put into my job research paper and determine whether I would hire myself based on my performance on this paper.

Shakespeare & Macbeth Unit (30 Days)

Learning Targets:

1. I can understand and appreciate classic Shakespearean sonnets.

2. I can identify and examine similes and metaphors as examples of figurative language.

3. I can use strategies for analyzing sensory language.

4. I can appreciate the craft of England’s most famous playwright.

5. I can interpret the possible influences of the historical context on Macbeth.

6. I can gain information about William Shakespeare by reading nonfiction.

7. I can understand the following literary terms: comedy, tragedy, comic relief, tragic hero, tragic flaw, antagonist, and catastrophe. 

8. I can recognize shared characteristics of literature across cultures.

9. I can recognize themes across cultures.

10. I can understand and appreciate a classic Shakespearean tragedy.

11. I can identify and examine soliloquies and asides in a tragedy.

12. I can identify and examine blank verse.

13. I can identify and examine dramatic irony.

14. I can identify and examine foreshadowing in a classic tragedy.

15. I can use strategies for understanding Shakespeare’s language.

16. I can use strategies for reading drama.

17. I can expand my vocabulary by speaking, reading, listening, using context, and discussing.

18. I can read and speak complex Shakespearean language in a way that enhances my understanding and comprehension of the text.

19. I can locate the subtext present within a literary passage and use this subtext to determine the author’s intended message(s).

20. I can read, speak, and act the part of a Shakespearean character in a way that enhances my understanding and comprehension of the text as well as the understanding and comprehension of my fellow classmates.

21. I can identify Shakespeare’s use of foreshadowing, dramatic irony, and other literary devices within the text and explain the significance of the devices’ presence within the play.