Units of Study
12th Grade
Theme: Heroes/ Exploration
The Big Ideas in English Language Arts that drive instruction:
• Independent thinkers construct meaning through language.
• Through literacy experiences, we discover personal values, build selfawareness, and gain an appreciation of a variety of perspectives to have a more
meaningful and enjoyable life.
• English Language Arts helps us use a variety of literacy experiences to gain
insight and effectively express ourselves to the world.
Year at a Glance
Semester 1
1st Unit
2nd Unit
Title
Writing
Skills Assessed
Units are of varying lengths, not equal 6-week units.
Exploring Personal
College/Personal
Writing Traits
Experience
Essay
Resume writing skills
Resume
Exploring the World:
Research Paper
Thesis/Support
Research Paper
Research Skills
Writing Traits
Letter of Reflection
Business Letter Format
Presentation Skills
• Senior Sign
• Exhibit and Defense
(Sr. Project)
3rd Unit
Sr. Project Presentation
Semester 2
Units are of varying lengths, not equal 6-week units.
Heroes in Literature:
Literary Analysis
Literary Concept: epic hero cycle
Drama/ Poetry
Literary Elements: paradox, antithesis,
Sonnet
pun, stanza, sonnet
Figurative Language/Sound Devices:
rhythm
Textual Evidence
th
4 Unit
5th Unit
Satire
6th Unit
Exploring the World
through Media
Satirical Essay
Literary elements
hyperbole, understatement, satire
Viewing & Representing Skills
(focus: film interpretation)
Unit 1 TOPIC: Exploring Personal Experience (Personal/College Essay and Resume)
English IV
BIG IDEA: Writing will play an important role in my reflection on my personal experience.
Mastery Skills:
Writing: Personal/College Essay
TEKS:
1B - draw upon the distinguishing characteristics of written
forms such as essays... to write effectively in each form
1C - write in a voice and style appropriate to audience and
purpose
1E - employ precise language to communicate ideas clearly and
concisely
1F - organize ideas in writing to ensure coherence, logical
progression, and support for ideas
2A - use prewriting strategies to generate ideas, develop voice,
and plan
2B - develop drafts both independently and collaboratively by
organizing content such as paragraphing and outlining and by
refining style to suit occasion, audience, and purpose
2C - use vocabulary, organization, and rhetorical devices
appropriate to audience and purpose
2D - use varied sentence structure to express meanings and
achieve desired effect
2E - revise drafts by rethinking content organization and style to
better accomplish the task
2F - use effective sequences and transitions to achieve coherence
and meaning
2G - use technology for aspects of creating, revising, editing, and
publishing texts
2H - refine selected pieces to publish for general and specific
audiences
3A - produce legible work that shows accurate spelling and
correct use of the conventions of punctuation and capitalization
such as italics and ellipses
3B - demonstrate control over grammatical elements such as
subject-verb agreement, pronoun-antecedent agreement, verb
forms, and parallelism
3D - produce error-free writing in the final draft
Writing Traits: focus and coherence, organization,
idea development, voice, conventions
Resume style, format, and content
UNDERSTANDINGS
Learners will understand that:
•
By determining successful characteristics in a particular
genre, we can also write an effective paper in that
genre.
• To achieve effective writing, a writer must focus on one
topic, create an appropriate structure, develop ideas,
demonstrate a unique voice and style, and utilize
appropriate
conventions.
• Good
readers
read “between the lines.”
• Resumes require a specific style, format, and content.
Students will know . . .
•
•
•
•
•
Focus and coherence -choosing an appropriate topic,
having a purpose, and a sense of completeness.
Organization occurs when a paper contains a hook or lead,
sentence-to-sentence connections, paragraph-to-paragraph
progression and a closing. The order and logic of the paper
makes sense.
Idea Development - elaborating in a piece of writing and
giving enough examples, explanations, facts, reasons, details,
and descriptions to fully support each thought or point
Voice - the personality and distinct way of “talking on
paper” that allow a reader to “hear” a human personality in a
piece of writing
Conventions - Correct spelling, capitalization, punctuation,
and usage that make certain the meaning is conveyed to the
reader accurately.
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
Thematic
• Why is it important to my future to develop proficient
writing skills?
Skills
• What are the characteristics of an effective
personal/college essay?
• What resume style and format is most successful?
• What information should I include in a resume?
Students will do . . .
•
•
•
•
Read sample personal/college essays and discuss the
characteristics of the essays that make them successful.
Write a personal/college essay.
Study model resumes to determine the information and
format that are most successful.
Write a resume.
Unit 2 TOPIC: Exploring the World: Inquiry/Research
English IV
BIG IDEA: Inquiry and research help people discover new information, formulate questions, think
critically, and develop and defend thoughtful decisions.
Mastery Skills
TEKS
Writing: Persuasive paper supported by research
(Minimum Expectations: 5-8 pages, 5 sources)
3E - use manual of style such as MLA, APA, and CMS
4A - use writing to formulate questions, refine topics, and clarify
ideas
4B - use writing to discover, record, review, and learn
4C - use writing to organize and support what is known and what
needs to be learned about a topic
4D - compile information from primary and secondary sources
using available technology
4E - organize notes from multiple sources in useful and
informing ways such as graphics, conceptual maps, and learning
logs
4F - link related information and ideas from a variety of sources
4G - compile written ideas and representations into reports,
summaries, or other formats and draw conclusions
14A - generate relevant, interesting, and researchable questions
14B - locate appropriate print and non-print information using
text and technical resources, including databases and the Internet
14C - use text organizers such as overviews, headings, and
graphic features to locate and categorize information
14D - evaluate the credibility of information sources and their
appropriateness for varied needs
14E - organize and record new information in systematic ways
such as notes, charts, and graphic organizers
14F - produce research projects and reports in varying forms for
audiences
14G - draw relevant questions for further study from the research
findings or conclusions
Research skills:
Paraphrasing
Use of credible sources of information
Development of appropriate text structure
Formulation of essential questions and thesis
MLA Format
Parenthetical documentation
UNDERSTANDINGS
•
Writing is a tool for learning and research.
•
Research helps people make well-informed decisions.
•
•
•
Writers must often research in order to write
knowledgeably
and thoughtfully
about
a topic.
Good
readers read
“between the
lines.”
People must always document information to avoid
plagiarizing someone else’s work.
Students will know . . .
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
•
How does research make people better readers,
writers, and thinkers?
•
A persuasive paper takes a position and uses textual
evidence or research to prove the assertion.
•
Why is it important to document sources where
information is found?
•
An essential question is a question that asks the
following: what arguable, recurring and thoughtprovoking questions will guide inquiry and point
toward the essential understandings of the unit?
•
How do I develop a thesis and defend it with
research?
•
Parenthetical documentation cites the source where
the writer found the research by putting the author’s
name and page number in parentheses after the
researched information.
•
.
A Works Cited page lists all of the sources that have
been cited in a research paper. The entries on this page
require a specified format. (See MLA Handbook)
Students will do . . .
Big 6 Research Skills
• Define a relevant question to research.
• Determine a research topic and essential questions.
• Find relevant sources and information about topic.
• Utilize note-taking strategies to summarize/
paraphrase information.
• Compare and contrast different authors’ viewpoints on
the topic.
• Determine the thesis of various sources of
information.
• Determine your own thesis.
• Write a persuasive paper incorporating and
documenting researched information.
Unit 3 TOPIC: Sr. Project Exhibit and Defense
English IV
BIG IDEA: The ability to research a subject, develop a product which is based on that research, and
exhibit and defend your work is an important real-world skill.
Mastery Skills
TEKS
1C - write in a voice and style appropriate to audience and purpose
1E - employ precise language to communicate ideas clearly and concisely
1F - organize ideas in writing to ensure coherence, logical progression,
and support for ideas
2C - use vocabulary, organization, and rhetorical devices appropriate to
audience and purpose
2E - revise drafts by rethinking content organization and style to better
accomplish the task
2F - use effective sequences and transitions to achieve coherence and
meaning
2G - use technology for aspects of creating, revising, editing, and
publishing texts
2H - refine selected pieces to publish for general and specific audiences
3A - produce legible work that shows accurate spelling and correct use of
the conventions of punctuation and capitalization such as italics and
ellipses
3B - demonstrate control over grammatical elements...
3D - produce error-free writing in the final draft
4H - use writing as a tool for reflection, exploration, learning, problem
solving, and personal growth
16A - use conventions of oral language effectively
16D - adopt verbal and nonverbal strategies to accommodate needs of the
listener and occasion
16G - express and defend a point of view using precise language and
appropriate detail
16H - speak responsibly to present accurate, truthful, and ethical
messages
17A - present clear thesis statements and claims
17B - support major thesis with logical points or arguments
17C - choose valid evidence or proofs to support claims
17D - use effective appeals to support points, claims, or arguments
17E - use language and rhetorical strategies skillfully in informative and
persuasive messages
17F - analyze purpose, audience, and occasion to choose effective verbal
and nonverbal strategies for presenting messages and performances
Sr. Project: Letter of Reflection (business letter)
Presentation Skills (exhibit and defense)
UNDERSTANDINGS
Learners will understand that:
•
•
•
Effective exhibit and defense of ideas is based on
research and evidence.
Business communications require specific formats and
stylesreaders
of writing.
Good
read “between the lines.”
Students will know . . .
Business Letter format
(See example in Sr. Project Electronic Portfolio)
Presentation Skills:
• correct use of conventions of oral language
• defense of point of view using precise language
• presentation of a clear thesis supported by logical
points
• use of valid evidence
• analysis of purpose, audience, and occasion to choose
effective verbal strategies
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
•
•
Why is it important to reflect on my learning in
writing?
What skills do I need to make an effective
presentation of my discoveries and my learning?
Students will do . . .
•
Write a letter of reflection to Sr. Project judges
following proper business letter format.
•
Prepare and present an exhibit and defense of the
research and product phases of Sr. Project.
Unit 4 TOPIC: Heroes in Literature: Drama and Poetry
English IV
BIG IDEA: Through literacy experiences, we learn about the effective elements of poetry and drama.
Mastery Skills
TEKS
Writing: Literary Analysis
Poetry
9D - interpret the possible influences of the historical context on a literary
work
10A - recognize distinctive and shared characteristics of cultures through
reading
10C - recognize and discuss themes and connections that cross cultures
11B - use elements of text to defend, clarify, and negotiate responses and
interpretations
11D - evaluate text through critical analysis
12A - compare and contrast elements of texts such as themes, conflicts,
and allusions both within and across texts
12B - propose and provide examples of themes across texts
12C - analyze relevance of setting and time frame to text's meaning
12D - describe the development of plot and identify conflicts and how
they are addressed and resolved
12E - analyze the melodies of literary language, including evocative
words and rhythms
12F - connect literature to historical contexts, current events, and his/her
own experiences
12G - understand literary forms and terms
Literary Concept: epic hero cycle
Literary Elements: pun, paradox, antithesis, stanza, sonnet
Sound Devices: rhythm
Textual evidence as support for analysis
UNDERSTANDINGS
Learners will understand that:
•
•
•
•
Poetry allows a writer to express feelings and ideas
with few words and heightened emotions.
Sound devices give rhythm to writing and appeal to the
emotions of the reader.
Breaking down text and analyzing its elements can help
us determine the meaning of a piece of text.
Readers need to defend their analysis of and reactions
to text by finding and explaining appropriate textual
evidence.
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
•
•
Students will know . . .
•
•
•
•
Effective literary analysis must be supported with textual evidence
Epic Hero cycle – The hero in an epic poem tends to follow a
predictable cycle of events that is repeated from every sort of culture,
varying slightly in order from epic to epic. The general points of the
cycle include:
Hero is charged with a quest
Hero is tested to prove worthiness
Magical beasts are present
The hero has a mentor or finds a true love
The hero’s travels take him to a
supernatural world, often that most other
humans cannot enter
The hero reaches a low point and appears
to be defeated
The hero is resurrected or is triumphant
Restitution – the hero regains his stature
and returns home
Antithesis involves a direct contrast of structurally parallel word
groupings, generally for the purpose of contrast.
•
•
•
How does cultural context affect the meaning of a piece
of literature?
How do sound devices add to the effectiveness of
literary text?
What elements need to be included in an effective
literary analysis?
How do readers find appropriate text to use as support
for their analysis?
What can I learn from studying various poems that will
help me write a poem of my own?
Students will do . . .
•
Analyze pun, paradox, antithesis, rhythm, stanza, and sonnet
within pieces of literature and discuss how they contribute to
the meaning and the effectiveness of each piece.
•
Pun is a play on words that are identical or similar in sound but have
sharply diverse meanings.
•
•
Paradox occurs when the elements of a statement contradict each
other. Although the statement may appear illogical, impossible, or
absurd, it turns out to have a coherent meaning that reveals a hidden
truth.
Write an analytical essay on the effect of literary elements or
sound devices on a piece of text and support the analysis with
textual evidence.
•
Create a representation of the epic hero cycle to be presented
orally, artistically, or in a written composition.
•
Rhythm is the musical quality in language produced by repetition.
•
•
A stanza is a group of consecutive lines in a poem that form a single
unit.
Write a sonnet that exhibits appropriate literary elements,
figurative language and sound devices that have been studied.
•
A sonnet is a fourteen-line lyric poem that is usually written in
iambic pentameter and that has one of several rhyme schemes.
Unit 5 TOPIC: Literary Analysis/ Satire
English IV
BIG IDEA: Through literacy experiences, we gain insight and effectively express our ideas.
Mastery Skills
TEKS
1A - write in a variety of forms with an emphasis on literary
forms such as fiction, poetry, drama, and media scripts
1B - draw upon the distinguishing characteristics of written
forms...to write effectively in each form
1C - write in a voice and style appropriate to audience and
purpose
1D - employ literary devices to enhance style and voice
1E - employ precise language to communicate ideas clearly and
concisely
1F - organize ideas in writing to ensure coherence, logical
progression, and support for ideas
10A - recognize distinctive and shared characteristics of cultures
through reading
10C - recognize and discuss themes and connections that cross
cultures
12A - compare and contrast elements of texts such as themes,
conflicts, and allusions both within and across texts
12F - connect literature to historical contexts, current events, and
his/her own experiences
12G - understand literary forms and terms
13E - describe how a writer's motivation, stance, or position may
affect text credibility, structure, and tone
13F - analyze aspects of texts such as patterns of organization
and choice of language for their effect on audiences
Writing: Imitative Writing - Satirical Essay
Literary Terms: satire, hyperbole,
understatement
UNDERSTANDINGS
Learners will understand that:
Satirical writing makes a social commentary.
•
Breaking down text and analyzing its elements can help us
determine the meaning of a piece of text.
Good readers read “between the lines.”
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
•
What strategies do satirists use to comment on
various issues of the world?
Students will know . . .
•
Satire is writing that comments humorously on human
flaws, ideas, social customs, or institutions in order to
change them.
•
A deliberate exaggeration or overstatement is
hyperbole.
•
Understatement is the opposite of hyperbole. It is a
kind of irony that deliberately represents something as
being much less than it really is.
Students will do . . .
•
Analyze satire, hyperbole, and
understatement within pieces of literature and
discuss how they contribute to the meaning
and the effectiveness of each piece.
•
Use a satirical mentor text to write an essay
that makes a meaningful social commentary.
Unit 6 TOPIC: Exploring the World through Media: Film Analysis
English IV
BIG IDEA: Film is a medium that uses intentional techniques to reflect on the human condition
Mastery Skills:
TEKS:
19) Viewing/representing/interpretation.
(A) describe how meanings are communicated through elements
of design
(B) analyze relationships, ideas, and cultures as represented in
various media; and
(20) Viewing/representing/analysis.
(B) deconstruct media to get the main idea of the message's
(E) recognize how visual and sound techniques or design
convey messages in media such as special effects, editing,
camera angles, reaction shots, sequencing, and music;
Film Analysis and Terminology: See
Instructional Vocabulary
UNDERSTANDINGS
Learners will understand that:
Specific and necessary skills are needed to
examine cinema in writing through a formal, indepth analysis.
•
Good readers read “between the lines.”
Students will know . . .
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
•
•
•
Why is it important to critically analyze film
presentations?
What techniques and strategies do filmmakers use to
create meaning and achieve purpose?
What statements/reflections about the human condition
are communicated through film?
Students will do . . .
•
Film terminology and techniques.
•
•
View various film clips and discuss the purpose
of each film technique.
How to acquire and develop an
understanding of and a greater appreciation
for the art of film.
•
View a common film clip that students have not
seen before.
How to analyze a film based on the
director’s techniques.
•
Each student completes a graphic organizer that
illustrates the student's knowledge of film
techniques used in the film and his/her ability to
analyze each technique's purpose.
•