English, grades 11 and 12

Units

1. 1

   Reading literature: theme, character and plot

   3 lessons

   1. Strong and thorough textual evidenceChoose quotations that directly prove a claim about a story, gather enough of them, and say honestly where the text leaves a question open.
   2. Theme and how it developsState a theme as a full sentence, not a topic, and trace how details across a whole text build and shape it.
   3. Complex characters and their motivesShow how a character with conflicting wants changes over a text, deals with others and moves the plot forward.
2. 2

   Author's craft: words, point of view and structure

   3 lessons

   1. Word choice, tone and figurative languageExplain how a writer's chosen words, with their connotations and figures of speech, build a tone and shape what a passage means.
   2. How structure shapes meaningExplain how the order of events, the opening, the pacing and the handling of time in a story create effects such as tension, mystery and surprise.
   3. Point of view and satireTell what a text says directly from what it really means, and explain how satire uses an ironic speaker to criticise something.
3. 3

   Comparing texts across genres and media

   2 lessons

   1. The same story in different mediaCompare how one scene is shown in print, on stage and on screen, and say what each medium emphasises or leaves out.
   2. How authors transform source materialShow how an author keeps, changes and adds to a source such as a myth or an older story, and explain what the changes do.
4. 4

   Poetry and drama

   2 lessons

   1. Reading poetry closelyRead a poem for its speaker, imagery, form, sound and shifts, and explain how each builds meaning and tone.
   2. Drama: structure, soliloquy and dramatic ironyExplain how a play's act structure, soliloquies and dramatic irony shape what the audience understands and feels.
5. 5

   Reading nonfiction: central ideas and evidence

   3 lessons

   1. Evidence in nonfictionFind and cite strong, thorough evidence from a nonfiction text, link it to a claim, and notice where the text leaves a matter unsettled.
   2. Central ideas and their developmentState a nonfiction text's central idea, trace how the author builds it with smaller ideas, and tell a central idea from a summary.
   3. How an author builds an analysisExplain the order in which an author makes points, how each point is introduced and developed, and how the points connect.
6. 6

   Rhetoric and argument in nonfiction

   3 lessons

   1. Meaning, tone and technical wordsWork out what a word or phrase means as used in a nonfiction text, including technical, figurative and connotative meanings, and how those choices set the tone.
   2. Structure and effect of an argumentShow how particular sentences and paragraphs develop and refine an author's claim, and judge how well the structure works.
   3. Rhetoric: purpose and styleIdentify an author's purpose and point of view and explain how appeals to logic, trust and feeling, and the author's style, advance it.
7. 7

   Foundational documents and speeches

   2 lessons

   1. Analyzing a subject in different mediumsCompare accounts of one subject told in different mediums and say which details each account emphasises and what it leaves out.
   2. Foundational U.S. documents and speechesFollow and judge the reasoning in seminal U.S. texts, including how they apply constitutional principles and legal reasoning.
8. 8

   Writing arguments

   3 lessons

   1. Writing an argumentWrite an argument with a precise claim, valid reasons and enough relevant evidence, so that a reader can follow why the claim should be accepted.
   2. Claims, counterclaims and rebuttalState your claim, fairly state the strongest opposing claim, and answer it with a rebuttal that fits your audience.
   3. Cohesion and a concluding statementLink the parts of an argument with words, phrases and clauses that show how claims and reasons relate, and end with a conclusion that follows from the argument.
9. 9

   Informative and explanatory writing

   2 lessons

   1. Writing to inform or explainWrite an informative text that states a clear controlling idea, organises information so each part builds understanding, and uses precise, accurate language.
   2. Developing a topic with evidenceDevelop a topic in an informative paragraph with well-chosen facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations and examples, in enough amount and with accurate sources.
10. 10

    Narrative writing

    2 lessons

    1. Writing a narrativeWrite a narrative of a real or imagined experience with a clear sequence of events, well-chosen details and a point of view.
    2. Narrative technique: voice, pacing and reflectionUse dialogue, voice, pacing, description, reflection and more than one plot line to develop experiences, events and characters.
11. 11

    Literary analysis essays

    3 lessons

    1. Writing a literary analysisWrite a literary analysis that makes a claim about a work and defends it with evidence from the text, explained step by step.
    2. Building the analytic paragraphWrite a body paragraph that moves from a point to embedded evidence to commentary that explains how the evidence supports the claim.
    3. Thesis, introduction and conclusion for literary essaysWrite a thesis that makes a defensible interpretive claim, and frame it with an introduction and a conclusion that extend rather than repeat it.
12. 12

    The writing process: plan, revise and edit

    3 lessons

    1. Writing for task, purpose and audienceProduce clear, coherent writing whose development, organisation and style fit the task, the purpose and the audience.
    2. Planning, revising and editingDevelop and strengthen writing by planning, revising, editing and rewriting, and tell revising for ideas from editing for correctness.
    3. Using technology to write and publishUse technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish and update individual or shared writing, and take advantage of its capacity to link information and collaborate.
13. 13

    Research projects

    2 lessons

    1. Sustained research projectsConduct a research project over time by asking a focused question, narrowing or broadening it when needed, and synthesising what several sources say.
    2. Judging sources and citing themAssess the credibility and usefulness of print and digital sources, integrate information without plagiarising, and cite sources in a standard format.
14. 14

    Discussion and presentations

    3 lessons

    1. Collaborative discussionPrepare for and take part in a discussion by drawing on evidence, setting rules, building on others' ideas and handling disagreement fairly.
    2. Evaluating a speaker's reasoningEvaluate a speaker's point of view, premises, links between ideas and use of evidence and rhetoric, and spot reasoning that does not hold up.
    3. Presenting information and findingsPresent information, findings and evidence clearly and logically, so that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organisation suits the purpose and audience.
15. 15

    Grammar, usage and punctuation

    3 lessons

    1. Parallel structure and using phrases and clausesUse parallel structure, and use phrases and clauses of different kinds to add variety and to join ideas clearly.
    2. Semicolons, colons and conventionsUse a semicolon to link closely related independent clauses and a colon to introduce a list, quotation or explanation, and follow hyphenation, capitalization and spelling conventions.
    3. Language and style for effectChoose sentence shape, words and voice for a purpose, and explain how a writer's syntax produces an effect in a complex text.
16. 16

    Vocabulary and word meanings

    3 lessons

    1. Unfamiliar words and word partsWork out an unknown word by reading its context, splitting it into prefix, root and suffix, and checking a reference work when the clues run out.
    2. Figurative language, nuance and word relationshipsRecognise a euphemism and an oxymoron, explain what each does in its passage, and choose among words with the same denotation by their shade of meaning.
    3. Academic and domain-specific vocabularyLearn and use general academic words and the specialist words of a field exactly, and build a habit of taking a new word into your own writing.