11th Grade Honors English
Topic/Unit: From Legend to History:
The Old English and Medieval Periods (A.D. 449-1485)
Approximate # Of Weeks: 10 weeks
Essential Questions: How does the historical background of Medieval
England lend itself to producing the epics and heroes of its literature?
How do the ideals of Camelot and a utopian society emerge in Medieval
literature and modern day?
Upon completion of this unit students will be able to:
 Read fiction and nonfiction selections in different genres from the
beginning of the British literary tradition through the Middle Ages.
11.RI.5,6; 11.RL.10
 Apply a variety of reading strategies, particularly literal comprehension,
appropriate for reading these selections. 11.RL.1-3,6; 11.RI.1-3,6
 Identify, analyze, and evaluate effectiveness of literary elements present
in texts. 11.RL.2-4,6
 Use a variety of strategies to build vocabulary. 11.RI.4; 11.RL.4
 Learn and apply elements of grammar, usage, and style. 11.L.1a,b;
11.L.2a,b; 11.W.4-6
 Use recursive writing processes to write in a variety of forms. 11.W.1a-e;
2a-f; 3a-e
 Thoughtfully respond to and initiate discussion of texts during active class
discussions in order to develop listening and speaking skills. 11.SL.1a-d;23
 Express and support responses to various types of texts. 11.RI.1-3;
11.RL1-3; 11.SL.1d
 Prepare, evaluate, and critique oral presentations. 11.SL.1a,d; 11.SL.3
Interdisciplinary Standards (njcccs.org)
 Standard 6.2 World History, Global Studies
 Standard 8.1 Computer and Information Literacy
 Standard 6.1 U.S. History: American and the World
Activities – include 21st Century Technologies:
 Listen to audio clips of particular selections from the textbook (21st
Century Tech)
 Analyze another Anglo-Saxon poem showing how the poem is
representative of Anglo-Saxon poetry.
 Read a section of another national epic (such as The Illiad or El Cid)
which is similar to a section of Beowulf (i.e. a battle, the opening or closing
of the work, or a similar setting) and compare/contrast the passages.
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Using the Bible as a reference, explain several allusions to Christianity
found in Beowulf.
Compare/contrast fantasy heroes or villains to Grendel or Beowulf and
determine why these imaginative characters have universal appeal.
Research history of Anglo-Saxon era to reinforce historical context of
literature
Listen to Medieval music, “Get Up and Bar the Door” and “Greensleeves”
Wordmasters vocabulary series for SAT/ACT/AP preparation
Writing Assignments:
 Write another episode which occurs in Beowulf between Beowulf’s fight
with Grendel’s mother and his final battle. This should show a passage of
time to link the two sections of the original work.
 Write an essay comparing/contrasting Anglo-Saxon and Medieval
literature, showing what the influence the Normans had in the
development of the literature.
 Yearbook Projects – choose one pilgrim from The Canterbury Tales and
create a visual, creative yearbook which reflects the character chosen
 Choose a pilgrim described in The Canterbury Tales and write a story
suitable to this character.
 College essay writing practice assignment
Enrichment Activities:
 Add another pilgrim to The Canterbury Tales. The pilgrim should be
representative of the Middle Ages and developed in imitation of Chaucer’s
character portrayals in the General Prologue.
 Write an essay explaining the idealism of Camelot in Morte D’Arthur and
how this utopian ideal exists in modern day.
Methods of Assessments/Evaluation:
 Turnitin.com essay submissions
 Unit test
 Reading check quizzes
 Oral participation in class discussion
 Essays
 Visual yearbook project
 Creative writing story assignment
 Homework and class work
Resources: Text, Literature (RL), Informational (RI) – includes, but not
limited to
 Prentice Hall Literature, The British Tradition. Penguin Edition. 2007 (RI)
 Sarum by Edward Rutherford
 Beowulf, translated by Burton Raffel (RL)
 Selections from The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer (RL)
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Excerpt from Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, translated by Marie Borroff
(RL)
From A History of the English Church and People by Bede (RI)
From Morte d’Arthur by Sir Thomas Mallory (RL)
Early English Ballads
Online Resources:
 Teacher webpage
 Turnitin.com
11th Grade Honors English
Topic/Unit: Celebrating Humanity:
The English Renaissance Period (1485-1625)
Approximate # Of Weeks: 5 weeks
Essential Questions: What is a tragic hero as Shakespeare has
constructed the persona? What historical elements of the English
Renaissance are present in the literature of the era?
Upon completion of this unit students will be able to:
(List objectives with corresponding Standard Number)
 Read fiction and nonfiction selections for the English Renaissance,
including the work of William Shakespeare. 11.RI.5,6; 11.RL.10
 Apply a variety of reading strategies, particularly strategies for reading
poetry, appropriate for reading these selections. 11.RL.1-3,6; 11.RI.1-3,6
 Identify, analyze, and evaluate effectiveness of literary elements present
in texts. 11.RL.2-4,6
 Use a variety of strategies to read unfamiliar words and build vocabulary.
11.RI.4; 11.RL.4
 Learn elements of grammar, usage, and style. 11.L.1a,b; 11.L.2a,b;
11.W.4-6
 Use a recursive writing process to write in a variety of forms. 11.W.1a-e;
2a-f; 3a-e
 Thoughtfully respond to and initiate discussion of texts during active class
discussions in order to develop listening and speaking skills. 11.SL.1a-d;23
 Express and support responses to various types of text. 11.RI.1-3;
11.RL1-3; 11.SL.1d
 Prepare, organize, and present literary interpretations. 11.SL.1a,d;
11.SL.3
Interdisciplinary Standards (njcccs.org)
 Standard 6.2 World History, Global Studies
 Standard 8.1 Computer and Information Literacy
 Standard 6.1 U.S. History: American and the World
Activities – include 21st Century Technologies:
 Listen to audio clips of Macbeth and Othello (21st Century Tech)
 Trace the chain of major events in Macbeth and Othello, showing how a
cause lead to an event which in turn becomes the cause of the next event;
analyze if free will or fate determines the real tragedy of the plays.
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Select puns used in Macbeth and Othello and collect quotations that
contain the image and trace their value interpreting character theme or
mood.
Design a program (Playbill) to present to an Elizabethan audience.
Wordmasters vocabulary series for SAT/ACT/AP preparation
Writing Assignments:
 Write a soliloquy that provides additional insight of a character’s motives
and/or actions for a selected character from Othello or Macbeth.
 Research information concerning the production of a Shakespearean play
during the Renaissance period and compare/contrast a modern film
version of Macbeth or Othello with this information.
 Write a persuasive essay arguing whether Othello or Macbeth is the
greater tragic hero.
Enrichment Activities:
 Read independently a Shakespearean Comedy of choice and write an
essay comparing/contrasting how Shakespeare portrays women in
comedy and tragedy.
 Memorize and present to the class one sonnet and one soliloquy
Methods of Assessments/Evaluation:
 Turnitin.com essay submissions
 Unit test
 Reading check quizzes
 Oral participation in class discussion
 Essays
 Creative writing soliloquy assignment
 Playbill
 Homework and class work
Resources: Text, Literature (RL), Informational (RI) – includes but not
limited to
 Prentice Hall Literature, The British Tradition. Penguin Edition. 2007 (RI)
 Sonnets of Spenser, Sidney, Marlowe, Raleigh, and Shakespeare (RL)
 From Utopia by Sir Thomas Moore (RL)
 “Elizabeth’s Speech Before Her Troops” (RI)
 From The King James Bible
 The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare (RL)
 The Tragedy of Othello by William Shakespeare (RL)
Online Resources:
 Teacher webpage
 Turnitin.com
11th Grade Honors English
Topic/Unit: A Turbulent Time: The Seventeenth and Eighteenth
Centuries (1625-1789)
Approximate # Of Weeks: 3-4 weeks
Essential Questions: What are metaphysical conceits in the Renaissance
era and how do they transcend to modern day? What makes a person
literate? How is satire effectively used in the literature of this era?
Upon completion of this unit students will be able to:
 Read fiction and nonfiction selections from seventeenth- and eighteenthcentury English literature. 11.RI.5,6; 11.RL.10
 Apply a variety of reading strategies, particularly for constructing meaning,
appropriate for reading these selections. 11.RL.1-3,6; 11.RI.1-3,6
 Identify, analyze, and evaluate effectiveness of literary elements present
in texts. 11.RL.2-4,6
 Use a variety of strategies to read unfamiliar words and build vocabulary.
11.RI.4; 11.RL.4
 Learn elements of grammar, usage, and style. 11.L.1a,b; 11.L.2a,b;
11.W.4-6
 Use a recursive writing process to write in a variety of forms. 11.W.1a-e;
2a-f; 3a-e
 Thoughtfully respond to and initiate discussion of texts during active class
discussions in order to develop listening and speaking skills. 11.SL.1a-d;23
 Express and support responses to various types of text. 11.RI.1-3;
11.RL1-3; 11.SL.1d
 Evaluate and critique oral presentations and performances. 11.SL.1a,d;
11.SL.3
Interdisciplinary Standards (njcccs.org)
 Standard 6.2 World History, Global Studies
 Standard 8.1 Computer and Information Literacy
 Standard 6.1 U.S. History: American and the World
Activities – include 21st Century Technologies:
 Listen to audio clips of selected poems (21st Century Tech)
 Read a poem written by a Cavalier and/or Metaphysical poet not included
in the textbook, identify the school of thought represented in the poem and
analyze the poem as representative of this thinking. Present individually
or in groups to the class for evaluation.
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
Find words coined during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries and
prepare a “dictionary” in the style of Johnson to define these words.
Wordmasters vocabulary series for SAT/ACT/AP preparation
Writing Assignments:
 Choose a modern “vanity” which is a problem in society and write an
allegory to demonstrate how this is true and the dangers of this practice in
modern society.
 Choose a modern example of the subjects used in metaphysical conceits,
and using modern technology and concepts, write analogies in the form of
a conceit to express the comparison.
 Assume the persona of Lemuel Gulliver or Brobdingnag and write a satire
of a modern social situation. Limit the setting to a contemporary location.
Enrichment Activities:
 Research another account of the Great Fire of London and write a
creative, historically accurate depiction of another perspective of that
tragedy.
 Write an essay comparing and contrasting the satire present in The Rape
of the Lock and Gulliver’s Travels.
Methods of Assessments/Evaluation:
 Turnitin.com essay submissions
 Unit test
 Reading check quizzes
 Oral participation in class discussion
 Essays
 Conceit analogies
 Creative writing satire piece
 Homework and class work
 Allegory writing project
 Dictionary project
Resources: Text, Literature (RL), Informational (RI) – includes but not
limited to
 Prentice Hall Literature, The British Tradition. Penguin Edition. 2007 (RI)
 Poetry of Donne, Jonson, Marvell, Herrick, Suckling, Milton, Lovelace (RL)
 From Paradise Lost by John Milton (RL)
 From Samuel Pepys’ diary (RI)
 From A Journal of the Plague Year by Daniel Defoe (RL)
 Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift (RL)
 From The Rape of the Lock by Alexander Pope (RL)
 “Elegy Written in a Church Courtyard” by Thomas Gray (RL)
 Essays of Samuel Johnson, Joseph Addison, and Jonathan Swift (RI)
Online Resources:
 Teacher webpage
 Turnitin.com
11th Grade Honors English
Topic/Unit: Rebels and Dreamers: The Romantic Period
(1798-1832)
Approximate # Of Weeks: 4 weeks
Essential Questions: What literary elements define the Romantic era of
British literature?
Upon completion of this unit students will be able to:
 Read fiction and nonfiction selections from the Romantic Period in English
Literature. 11.RI.5,6; 11.RL.10
 Apply a variety of reading strategies, particularly for constructing meaning,
appropriate for reading these selections. 11.RL.1-3,6; 11.RI.1-3,6
 Identify, analyze, and evaluate effectiveness of literary elements present
in texts. 11.RL.2-4,6
 Use a variety of strategies to read unfamiliar words and build vocabulary.
11.RI.4; 11.RL.4
 Learn elements of grammar, usage, and style. 11.L.1a,b; 11.L.2a,b;
11.W.4-6
 Use a recursive writing process to write in a variety of forms. 11.W.1a-e;
2a-f; 3a-e
 Thoughtfully respond to and initiate discussion of texts during active class
discussions in order to develop listening and speaking skills. 11.SL.1a-d;23
 Express and support responses to various types of text. 11.RI.1-3;
11.RL1-3; 11.SL.1d
 Prepare, organize, and present literary interpretations. 11.SL.1a,d;
11.SL.3
Interdisciplinary Standards (njcccs.org)
 Standard 6.2 World History, Global Studies
 Standard 8.1 Computer and Information Literacy
 Standard 6.1 U.S. History: American and the World
Activities – include 21st Century Technologies:
 Listen to audio clips of selected poems (21st Century Tech)
 Chart a list of subjects which are discussed in various works read in this
unit, and indicate which writers have used their subjects, explain how they
are used, and give examples from their works. Use this as a basis for a
compare/contrast essay.
 Research the use of Frankenstein in “pop” culture.
 Wordmasters vocabulary series for SAT/ACT/AP preparation
Writing Assignments:
 Respond to the quotation by Thomas Wolfe that true Romantic feeling is
“not the desire to escape life, but to prevent life from escaping you.”
 Compare and contrast essay using the chart previously compiled.
 Create a “final” chapter for Frankenstein that more clearly indicates the
fate of the monster.
Enrichment Activities:
 Choose another Jane Austen novel and write a compare/contrast essay
focusing on the heroines and themes.
Methods of Assessments/Evaluation:
 Turnitin.com essay submissions
 Unit test
 Reading check quizzes
 Oral participation in class discussion
 Essays
 Creative writing final chapter of Frankenstein
 Homework and class work
 Quote response
Resources: Text, Literature (RL), Informational (RI) – includes but not
limited to
 Prentice Hall Literature, The British Tradition. Penguin Edition. 2007 (RI)
 Poetry of Burns, Baillie, Blake, Wordsworth, Coleridge, Byron, and Shelley
(RL)
 Essays of Byron, Macaulay, Austen, and Wollstonecraft (RI)
 Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (RL)
 Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (RL)
Online Resources:
 Teacher webpage
 Turnitin.com
11th Grade Honors English
Topic/Unit: Progress and Decline: The Victorian Period
(1833-1901)
Approximate # Of Weeks: 7 weeks
Essential Questions: How is character explored and expanded upon in the
Victorian novel? What literary elements define the Victorian era of British
literature?
Upon completion of this unit students will be able to:
 Read fiction and nonfiction selections from the Victorian period. 11.RI.5,6;
11.RL.10
 Apply a variety of reading strategies, particularly for constructing meaning,
appropriate for reading these selections. 11.RL.1-3,6; 11.RI.1-3,6
 Identify, analyze, and evaluate effectiveness of literary elements present
in texts. 11.RL.2-4,6
 Use a variety of strategies to read unfamiliar words and build vocabulary.
11.RI.4; 11.RL.4
 Learn elements of grammar, usage, and style. 11.L.1a,b; 11.L.2a,b;
11.W.4-6
 Use a recursive writing process to write in a variety of forms. 11.W.1a-e;
2a-f; 3a-e
 Thoughtfully respond to and initiate discussion of texts during active class
discussions in order to develop listening and speaking skills. 11.SL.1a-d;23
 Express and support responses to various types of texts. 11.RI.1-3;
11.RL1-3; 11.SL.1d
 Present, evaluate, and critique oral presentations and performances.
11.SL.1a,d; 11.SL.3
Interdisciplinary Standards (njcccs.org)
 Standard 6.2 World History, Global Studies
 Standard 8.1 Computer and Information Literacy
 Standard 6.1 U.S. History: American and the World
Activities – include 21st Century Technologies:
 Listen to audio clips of selected poems (21st Century Tech)
 Compare/contrast the speakers of the dramatic monologues: Tennyson’s
“Ulysses” and Browning’s “My Last Duchess” focusing on the personalities
of the speakers revealed in the poems.
 Select passages from Hardy’s Return of the Native that suggest that
Egdon Heath should be considered as one of the characters in the story.

Wordmasters vocabulary series for SAT/ACT/AP preparation
Writing Assignments:
 Rewrite a dramatic monologue from the perspective of that subject.
 After selecting the passages from Hardy’s Return on the Native which
indicate that Egdon Heath should be considered a character in the story,
imitate this setting personification in an original description.
 Write a conclusion for Return of the Native and explain your position.
Enrichment Activities:
 Write a compare/contrast essay between the independent novel choice
and one novel read in class, focusing on character, theme, literary
devices.
Methods of Assessments/Evaluation:
 Turnitin.com essay submissions
 Unit test
 Reading check quizzes
 Oral participation in class discussion
 Essays
 Creative writing conclusion of The Return of the Native
 Homework and class work
Resources: Text, Literature (RL), Informational (RI) – includes but not
limited to
 Prentice Hall Literature, The British Tradition. Penguin Edition. 2007 (RI)
 Poetry of Tennyson, Browning, Arnold, Kipling, Bronte, Harding, Hopkins,
Housman, Yeats, T.S. Eliot, Hardy (RL)
 Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte (RL)
 Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (RL)
 “Condition of Ireland” from The London Illustrated News (RI)
 From Hard Times by Charles Dickens (RL)
 From Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (RL)
 Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy (RL)
 The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (RL)
 Independent self-selection for the Victorian Age (RL)
Online Resources:
 Teacher webpage
 Turnitin.com
11th Grade Honors English
Topic/Unit: A Time of Rapid Change: The Modern and
Postmodern Periods (1901-Present)
Approximate # Of Weeks: 8 weeks
Essential Questions: Why did apocalyptic literature emerge during this
era? What literary elements define the modern era of British literature?
Upon completion of this unit students will be able to:
 Read fiction and nonfiction selections from English literature of the
twentieth and twenty-first centuries. 11.RI.5,6; 11.RL.10
 Apply a variety of reading strategies, particularly reading fiction
appropriate for these selections. 11.RL.1-3,6; 11.RI.1-3,6
 Identify, analyze, and evaluate effectiveness of literary elements present
in texts. 11.RL.2-4,6
 Use a variety of strategies to read unfamiliar words and build vocabulary.
11.RI.4; 11.RL.4
 Learn elements of grammar, usage, and style. 11.L.1a,b; 11.L.2a,b;
11.W.4-6
 Use a recursive writing process to write in a variety of forms. 11.W.1a-e;
2a-f; 3a-e
 Thoughtfully respond to and initiate discussion of texts during active class
discussions in order to develop listening and speaking skills. 11.SL.1a-d;23
 Express and support responses to various types of texts. 11.RI.1-3;
11.RL1-3; 11.SL.1d
 Prepare, organize, and present literary interpretations. 11.SL.1a,d;
11.SL.3
Interdisciplinary Standards (njcccs.org)
 Standard 6.2 World History, Global Studies
 Standard 8.1 Computer and Information Literacy
 Standard 6.1 U.S. History: American and the World
Activities – include 21st Century Technologies:
 Listen to audio clips of selected poems (21st Century Tech)
 Explain the principles of Newspeak and Doublethink in 1984 and show
how Orwell uses these in the novel.
 Research an event prior to Orwell writing 1984 that led to his predictions,
and judge Orwell’s validity as a prophet.
 Read a late twentieth century (or twenty-first century) apocalyptic novel
and compare to 1984.
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Select a contemporary piece of literature that reflects “modern
experience,” and compare that with Virginia Woolf’s or Muriel Spark’s
interpretations of the relationship between appearances and reality.
Wordmasters vocabulary series for SAT/ACT/AP preparation
Writing Assignments:
 Write a compare/contrast essay between an apocalyptic twentieth or
twenty-first century novel and 1984.
 Write an essay comparing a contemporary piece of literature’s reflections
of the “modern experience” to either Virginia Woolf’s or Muriel Spark’s
interpretations of the relationship between appearances and reality.
Enrichment Activities:
 Write an essay which identifies and explains particular elements in the
World War I poems and how they reflect the time in which they were
written. Essay requires student to include research elements to reinforce
claims.
Methods of Assessments/Evaluation:
 Turnitin.com essay submissions
 Unit test
 Reading check quizzes
 Oral participation in class discussion
 Essays
 Homework and class work
Resources: Text, Literature (RL), Informational (RI) – includes but not
limited to
 Prentice Hall Literature, The British Tradition. Penguin Edition. 2007 (RI)
 Poetry of Yeats, T.S. Eliot, Auden, MacNiece, Spender, Owen, Heaney,
Thomas (RL)
 World War I poetry (RL)
 Critical commentary of “The Hollow Men” (RI)
 Selected readings of George Orwell, Joseph Conrad, Virginia Woolf, D.H.
Lawrence, Graham Greene (RL)
 1984 by George Orwell (RL)
 Lord of the Flies by William Golding (RL)
 Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (RL)
Online Resources:
 Teacher webpage
 Turnitin.com