Unit 1: The Power of Politics and Persuasion
Content Area:
Course(s):
Time Period:
Length:
Status:
Language Arts Literacy
English 10 Honors
September
6 weeks
Published
Enduring Understanding
Persuasive speeches are not limited to changing ideas, but to provoking action to instill these ideas
Our forefathers produced a wide variety of literature and informational texts that helped create a common system of
values and beliefs that have served as the building blocks of our nation.
While our forefathers worked tirelessly to build the greatest nation on earth, their success came at the price of North
America’s natural environment and cost countless indigenous peoples their lives.
Essential Questions
How do a speaker’s qualifications or credibility influence the persuasiveness of a speech?
What role does religion play in the formation of civilization?
Content
Vocabulary
Rugged Individualism, Indigenous, McCarthyism, Democracy, Freedom, Historical Fiction, Exposition, Characterization,
Conflict, Point of View, Theme, Setting, Human Rights, Witch Hunt, Red Scare, Logos, Pathos, Ethos, various rhetorical
devices
Potential Works of Study

Summer Reading Witch-Hunt: Mysteries of the Salem Witch Trials

The Scarlet Letter

“Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”

“Huswifery”

“Enemies from Within” The History Channel:

The Salem Witch Trials Documentary

ABC LIVE:The West Memphis Three

“Remarks to the Senate in Support of a Declaration of Conscience”
Independent Reading: The Crucible
Skills
Bloom's Taxonomy

Comprehend the term ‘freedom’ and how/why the definition of this term has historically changed.

Examine the impact of human beings on the natural earth and provide solutions to modern environmental
problems.

Evaluate different literary genres and their impact on American literature.

Compare and contrast authors' attitude toward Puritanism.

Analyze historical truths behind the Salem Witch Trials.
When reading literarytexts, students will...

Cite specific evidence from the text in order to identify and summarize central ideas.

Cite specific evidence from the text to summarize a plot, identifying key events in the order in which they
occur.

Determine the meanings of words in context using various methods, such as context clues, patterns,
relationships, etymology, etc.

Use resources (dictionary, glossary, thesaurus) to determine meanings of words.

Analyze how the text structure (e.g., chronology, flashbacks, stanzas) affects meaning or presentation.

Analyze how visual effects (e.g., illustrations, graphic novels, maps) influence the reader’s interpretation of a
text.

Analyze the features and the rhetorical devices of public documents (e.g.,policy statements, speeches,
debates, platforms) [or expository texts] andthe way in which authors use those features and devices.

Analyze the way in which clarity of meaning is affected by the patterns of
organization, hierarchical structures, repetition of the main ideas, syntax,
and word choice in the text.

Make warranted and reasonable assertions about the author’s arguments by using elements of the text to
defend and clarify interpretations.

Analyze an author’s implicit and explicit philosophical assumptions and
beliefs about a subject.

Analyze the way in which the theme or meaning of a selection represents a view or comment on life, using
textual evidence to support the claim.

Analyze the ways in which irony, tone, mood, the author’s style, and the
“sound” of language achieve specific rhetorical or aesthetic purposes or
both.
When readinginformational texts, students will...

Cite details from the text to justify a given inference or conclusion about ideas discussed in the text.

Summarize the text by identifying central ideas/topics, key events, or procedural steps in chronological order,
and by citing relevant supporting details without extraneous information.

Determine the meanings of words in context using various methods, such as context clues, patterns,
relationships, etymology, etc.

Use resources (dictionary, glossary, thesaurus) to determine meanings of words.

Analyze the author’s argument using details from the text as support.

Analyze the author’s point of view/purpose using details from the text as support.

Analyze how the author develops and links complex ideas using details from the text as support.

Evaluate how the author uses evidence and reasoning to support claims.

Trace the development of the ideas or arguments and how those ideas and arguments are integrated into the
text as a whole.
When writing or revising short argumentativetexts, students will...

compose short argumentative texts that establish a clear claim, support the claim by citing evidence from
sources, organize ideas and evidence logically to maintain focus, use appropriate transitions and vocabulary,
and/or provide a conclusion that is appropriate to purpose and audience.

Structure ideas and arguments in a sustained, persuasive, and sophisticated way and support them with
precise and relevant examples.
When writing or revising texts, students...

Use language, style, and vocabulary appropriate for the purpose and audience.

Revise text to highlight the individual voice, improve sentence variety and
style, and enhance subtlety of meaning and tone in ways that are consistent with the purpose, audience, and
genre.

Demonstrate [increasing] control of grammar, diction, and paragraph and
sentence structure and an understanding of English usage.
When listening to information presented orally or viewing information presented visually, students will...

Interpret the central message or claim.

Analyze the point of view or purpose of a presentation.

Analyze the reasoning and evidence used to support claims.

Use the information to draw conclusions about the topic.
When speaking students will...

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.

Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively,
orally) evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source.

Work with peers to set rules for collegial discussions and decision-making (e.g., informal consensus, taking
votes on key issues, presentation of alternate views), clear goals and deadlines, and individual roles as needed.
Standards
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.1
Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text
says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.2
Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development
over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by
specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.9
Analyze how an author draws on and transforms source material in a specific work
(e.g., how Shakespeare treats a theme or topic from Ovid or the Bible or how a
later author draws on a play by Shakespeare).
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.1.a
Introduce precise claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing
claims, and create an organization that establishes clear relationships among
claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.1.d
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.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.1.b
Work with peers to set rules for collegial discussions and decision-making (e.g.,
informal consensus, taking votes on key issues, presentation of alternate views),
clear goals and deadlines, and individual roles as needed.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.2
Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse media or formats
(e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each
source.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.3
Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric,
identifying any fallacious reasoning or exaggerated or distorted evidence.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.5
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.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.9-10.1.a
Use parallel structure.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.9-10.2.c
Spell correctly.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.9-10.3.a
Write and edit work so that it conforms to the guidelines in a style manual (e.g.,
MLA Handbook, Turabian’s Manual for Writers) appropriate for the discipline and
writing type.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.9-10.4.c
Consult general and specialized reference materials (e.g., 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, or its etymology.