High School English Rationale
The English 3 Core Curriculum is divided into eight units of varying length. Students consider the theme “Voices of the
American Experience.” Students will study through literature how the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness shape our character,
choices, and lives; how immigration, migration, and colonization have shaped America; and how events from American history
have impacted American literature. The course is aligned to the Common Core State Standards as well as PA Assessment
Anchors and Eligible Content.
Each unit focuses on a thematic Unit Question and series of related Overarching Questions that guide the unit’s inquiry. These
questions also relate to and expand upon the course theme “Voices of the American Experience.”
Guiding Questions:
1.
2.
3.
How does the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness shape our character, choices, and lives?
In what ways have immigration, migration, and colonization shaped America?
How have events from American history impacted American literature?
Unit Questions:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Historically, how do Americans stand up for what they believe?
How is resiliency a part of the American identity?
How can I prepare for the Keystone Literature Assessment? (Only required for students retaking exam)
How did the Harlem Renaissance shape the American literary experience?
How do writers portray realistic and representative characters and events reflective of a time period?
How can I present myself for the workplace?
How do the events from early colonial America resonate in the writings and experiences of others?
How do we come to terms with the events of our past, in order to understand our future?
Students will read a variety of fiction and nonfiction texts including short narratives, informational text, drama, poetry and novels.
In the course of this reading, students will focus on specific comprehension strategies, the structures and purpose of the genre,
and the author’s techniques related to each. Through this work, students will strengthen key comprehension skills. Through
repeated use of the design principals of the curriculum, students will also practice the art of literary interpretation, analysis, and
criticism.
Students are encouraged, in the course of the year, to read 25 books, which include the novels read for the class. The purpose
of this is to improve reading fluency, to increase vocabulary acquisition, to independently practice the habits of mind apprenticed
throughout the year, and to encourage students to self-select reading for their own purposes.
Students write in response to the texts and from their own knowledge. The Reader’s/Writer’s Notebooks are used for daily
informal QuickWrites, notes, charting, and reader responses as part of the DL Pattern of instruction.
Students will receive the majority of their grammar instruction in the context of their reading and writing. Grammar and
mechanics will also be addressed through mini-lessons based upon formative assessment of students’ needs.
Vocabulary study is an essential component of this program. Students practice multiple strategies for acquiring and using new
vocabulary in their speaking and writing.
The Speaking and Listening Standards are addressed daily as students participate in partner, small-group, and whole group
discussions as well as formal and informal oral presentation related to their reading and writing.
FIRST MARKING PERIOD
UNIT
Unit 1
Historically, how do
Americans stand up for what
they believe?
PACING
O V E R AR C H I N G
QUESTIONS
 How is transcendental
thought represented in
social commentaries?
 How do transcendental
writings convey a sense
of nonconformity?
Suggested Pacing:
(4 Instructional Weeks)
Report Period One
Weeks 1-5
*Extra time allotted to be used at
teacher discretion
Major Works
Various nonfiction selections
(e.g., Emerson, Thoreau,
Whitman, King, Gandhi, and
Malcolm X)
Culminating Project
Compose an argumentative
essay
Grad Project Tasks for Report
Period 1:
Post-Secondary Career Goal
Journal entries
Career Education and Salary
Web search
Research of Requirements for
Career Goals, Post - Secondary
Certification and/or degree
Research steps needed to
achieve college or career goals
 In what ways does prose
writing reveal the
thoughts, motivations,
and personality of its
writer?
 How can writings
chronicle transitions in the
political or philosophical
ideals of a culture?
FOCUS CONTENT
AND SKILLS
Reading
 Analyze and evaluate the
texts of the
transcendentalists
 Make connections between
texts
 Evaluate the structure of
poetry and prose
 Analyze the uses and
effectiveness of figurative
language: personification,
metaphor, simile, and
hyperbole
Writing
 Apply essay structure and
organization
 Develop thesis statements
and supporting details
Argumentative Essay
FIRST MARKING PERIOD
UNIT
Unit 2
How is resiliency a part of the
American identity?
PACING
Suggested Pacing:
(3 Instructional
Weeks)
Report Period One
Weeks 6-9
*Extra time allotted to be used at
teacher discretion
Major Works
Various nonfiction selections
including Equiano, Douglass,
Wheatley, and Dubois.
Culminating Project
Response to Literature
First-Person Narrative
Grad Project Tasks for Report
Period 1:
Post Secondary Career Goal
Journal entries
Career Education and Salary
Web search
Research of Requirements for
Career Goals, Post - Secondary
Certification and/or degree
Research steps needed to
achieve college or career goals
O V E R AR C H I N G
QUESTIONS
 How do these texts add to
our understanding of what
it means to be resilient?
 How does audience
influence an author’s
style?
 What is it about these texts
that make them so widely
read hundreds of years
after they were written?
FOCUS CONTENT
AND SKILLS
Reading
 Analyze the effectiveness
of the point of view used by
the author.
 Examine author’s purpose
 Review literary elements
 Identify fact and opinion
Writing
 Write with a sharp, distinct
focus
 Write with controlled and/or
subtle organization
 Narrative
 Response to Literature

SECOND MARKING PERIOD
UNIT
O V E R AR C H I N G
QUESTIONS

Unit 3
Keystone Unit (This unit must be
taught to students who will retake the
Literature Keystone in December/
January. Recommend using literature
circles for students not retaking the
exam.)
How can I prepare for the
Keystone Literature
Assessment?
PACING
Suggested Pacing:
(3 Instructional Weeks)
Report Period 2
Weeks 1-3
Culminating Project
Complete a mock Keystone
Literature Exam incorporating
the strategies learned in this
unit. The test may be chosen by
the teacher from the available
released reading passages on
the Pennsylvania Department of
Education’s website.
Grad Project Tasks for Report
Period 2:
Mid – Year Progress Journal
entries
Action Plan Essay
What practices and
strategies result in a
successful open-ended
constructed response?

What practices and
strategies are needed to
read and respond to
nonfiction, poetry, and prose
texts?

What practices and
strategies are needed to
read actively and respond to
multiple-choice questions?
FOCUS CONTENT
AND SKILLS
Reading




Evaluate multiple
choice questions
Evaluate reading
strategies
Identify main ideas
Summarize
Writing

Write responses to
open-ended prompts
SECOND MARKING PERIOD
UNIT
O V E R AR C H I N G
QUESTIONS
Unit 4
FOCUS CONTENT
AND SKILLS
Reading
How did the Harlem
Renaissance shape the
American literary experience?
PACING
Suggested Pacing:
(4 Instructional
Weeks)
Report Period Two
Weeks 4-9
*Extra time allotted for differentiated
instruction and Keystone
administration.
Major Works
Various poems (e.g., Hughes,
Dunbar, Cullen)
Culminating Project
Poetry Project
Grad Project Tasks for Report
Period 2:
Mid – Year Progress Journal
entries
Action Plan Essay

What do we learn about the
Harlem Renaissance from
reading the work of these
authors?

What issues are raised by
the writers in these texts?

What are the characteristics
of an effective response to
literature?
 Poetry Devices (e.g.
figurative language, tone,
mood)
 Analyzing theme
Writing



Literary Genre
The revision process
Response to Literature
(Critical Analysis)
THIRD MARKING PERIOD
UNIT
Unit 5
FOCUS CONTENT
AND SKILLS
Reading
How do writers portray realistic
and representative characters
and events reflective of a time
period?
PACING
1.
How is The Great
Gatsby characteristic of
the Modernist literary
movement?
2.
How does the method of
narration impact
characterization?
3.
How does Fitzgerald
use characters to
portray values?
Suggested Pacing:
(4 Instructional Weeks)
Report Period Three
Weeks 1-5
*Extra time allotted to be used at
teacher discretion
4.
Major Work
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott
Fitzgerald
Culminating Project
Compare and Contrast Essay
What are the uses and
effectiveness of literary
devices?
 Identify elements of fiction
(e.g. plot, characterization,
setting)
 Identify literary devices:
symbolism, irony, imagery,
simile, metaphor,
foreshadowing, allusion
 Analyze structure, tone,
and theme in fiction
Writing
 Utilize the structure of the
comparison-and-contrast
essay
 Response to Literature
Essay (Interpretive)
THIRD MARKING PERIOD
UNIT
Unit 6
How can I present myself for
the workplace?
PACING
Suggested Pacing:
(1 Instructional Week)
Report Period Four
Week 6
Major Works
Examples of successful
resumés and cover letters
Culminating Project
 A resumé
 Cover letter
Grad Project Tasks for Report
Period 3:
Standard College Application &
Essay
Resumé
O V E R AR C H I N G
QUESTIONS
 How can I present myself
in writing in an effective
and professional manner?
 What are the conventions
of writing in the
workplace?
FOCUS CONTENT
AND SKILLS
Reading
 Read and analyze a
variety of workplace
documents including
resumés and cover letters
 Evaluate various formats
and techniques for
particular purposes
Writing
 Compose a cover letter
and resumé
THIRD/FOURTH M ARKING PERIOD
UNIT
O V E R AR C H I N G
QUESTIONS

Unit 7
How do the events from early
colonial America resonate In
the writings and experiences
of others?

What are the features and
benefits of dramatic
structure?

How do themes in
literature reflect and shape
our ideas about the
foundation of the
American identity?
PACING
Suggested Pacing:
(6 Instructional Week)
Report Period Three
Week 7-9
Report Period Four
Week 1-4
*Extra time allotted to be used at
teacher discretion
Major Work
The Crucible by Arthur Miller
Culminating Project
Response to Literature
Grad Project Tasks for Report
Period 4:
End of Year Progress Journal
entries
How can a dramatist use
literature to achieve social
justice?

How does history repeat
itself?
FOCUS CONTENT
AND SKILLS
Reading
 Identify elements of drama
 Identify elements of
nonfiction
Writing
 Complete informational
writing
 Conduct argument
research
 Response to Literature
(Interpretative)
 Argument Research
Report
FOURTH M ARKING PERIOD
UNIT
O V E R AR C H I N G

Unit 8
How do we come to terms with
the events of our past, in order to
understand our future?
Report Period Four
Weeks 5-9
Major Works
The Color of Water by James
McBride
Culminating Project
The culminating assignment for
this unit is a narrative describing
an influential event or person.
Grad Project Tasks for Report
Period 4:
End of Year Progress Journal
entries
How is The Great Gatsby
characteristic of the
Modernist literary
movement?

How does the method of
narration impact
characterization?

How does Fitzgerald use
characters to portray
values?

What are the uses and
effectiveness of literary
devices?
PACING
Suggested Pacing:
(5 Instructional Weeks)
QUESTIONS
FOCUS CONTENT
AND SKILLS
Reading
 Identify elements of fiction
(e.g. plot, characterization,
setting)
 Identify literary devices:
symbolism, irony, imagery,
simile, metaphor,
foreshadowing, allusion
 Analyze structure, tone,
and theme in fiction
Writing
 Utilize the structure of the
comparison-and-contrast
essay
 Response to Literature
Essay (Interpretive)