PLATO® Courses
Teacher‘s Guide—English 10B
English 10
10A
B
English
®
PLATO
PLATO® Course
Course
Teacher‘s Guide
Copyright © 2012 PLATO Learning, Inc. All rights reserved.
PLATO® Courses
Teacher‘s Guide—English 10B
Contents
English 10, Semester B
Overview ............................................................................................................................................................. 3
Course Components ........................................................................................................................................... 4
Course Implementation Models .......................................................................................................................... 7
English 10, Semester B, Overview ..................................................................................................................... 8
English 10, Semester B, Curriculum Contents and Pacing Guide ..................................................................... 9
Unit 1: Building Reading Strategies ............................................................................................................... 9
Unit 2: Reading Sciences ............................................................................................................................ 13
Unit 3: Analysis of Fiction ............................................................................................................................ 16
Unit 4: Analysis of Poetry ............................................................................................................................ 20
Unit 5: Narratives ......................................................................................................................................... 22
Appendix ........................................................................................................................................................... 24
Copyright © 2012 PLATO Learning, Inc. All rights reserved.
PLATO® Courses
Teacher‘s Guide—English 10B
Overview
PLATO Courses are developed to give the instructor a variety of ways to engage different
learning modalities and to give the student an opportunity to experience a range of
standards and objectives to ensure academic success.
PLATO Courses integrate PLATO online curriculum, electronic learning activities, and
supporting interactive activities. An array of assessment tools allows the instructor to
correctly place students at the appropriate learning level, to evaluate strengths and needs,
to create individualized learning goals, and to determine proficiency. Reports assist the
student in understanding where he or she needs to focus to be academically successful as
measured against objectives. Guidelines and tools are provided to track student progress
and to determine a final course grade.
PLATO Courses give the instructor control over the instructional choices for individual
students as well as for the classroom. The instructor may use all of the components as
sequenced or select specific activities to support and enhance instruction. PLATO Courses
can be used in a variety of ways to increase student achievement.
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PLATO® Courses
Teacher‘s Guide—English 10B
Course Components
Learning Activities
Four types of learning activities are available in PLATO Courses:

Tutorials. The tutorials are modules with direct instruction and practice
interactions. Instruction is made engaging through the use of videos and
animations. Practice interactions that help students check their progress at
mastering new concepts include drag-and-drops, multiple-choice questions, and fillin-the blank questions. Some tutorials also include Web links to informational sites,
games, and videos, which are designed to broaden students' access to information on
the topic.

Lesson Activities. The Lesson Activities are written assignments that allow the
student to develop new learning in a constructivist way or apply learning from the
direct instruction in a significant way. In either case, the Lesson Activities are
designed to be an authentic learning and assessment tool: doing something real to
develop new understanding while providing a subjective measure of that
understanding.
The Lesson Activities are embedded in the tutorials and supply a document for
offline use by students to record results. Each activity has an answer key that
provides answers for single-answer questions and objective rubrics and sample
answers for open-ended questions. Students need to submit some of these activities
through the Digital Drop Box for instructor evaluation and feedback. Other
activities can be checked by students themselves using the answer key. Keep in
mind that some students may need guidance to successfully self-check open-ended
questions against a model.

Online Discussions. Online discussion with instructors and other students is a key
activity, based on twenty-first-century skills, that allows for higher-order thinking
about terminal objectives. An online threaded discussion mirrors the educational
experience of a classroom discussion. Instructors can initiate a discussion by asking
a complex, open-ended question. Students can engage in the discussion by
responding both to the question and to the thoughts of others. Each unit in a course
has one predefined discussion topic; instructors may include additional discussion
topics. A rubric for grading discussion responses is included in this guide.

Unit Activities. The culminating activity at the end of each unit aims to deepen
understanding of some key unit objectives and either tie them together or tie them
to other course concepts. The Unit Activities entail authentic performance and
support development of twenty-first-century skills. The student version includes a
simple rubric, if appropriate, while teacher versions may contain more complex
rubrics, answer keys, and modeled sample answers. Unit activities supply a
document that students can use offline to record results.
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PLATO® Courses
Teacher‘s Guide—English 10B
Learning aids assist students within the courseware activities. In English 10 B, these
learning aids, or tools, include the following:

Assessment and Testing. Best practices in assessment and testing call for a
variety of activities to evaluate student learning. Multiple data points present
a more accurate evaluation of student strengths and needs. Some assessment
activities also serve as learning activities to provide authentic learning and
assessment opportunities. These activities are designed to encourage higherorder cognitive thinking and most focus on real-world applications and/or
twenty-first-century skills. Note that assessment items are available for most
tutorials in PLATO Courses. In support of this model of evaluation, PLATO
Courses include the following:
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Lesson Activities are embedded in the tutorials. They are designed to
encourage investigation and to provide practice. Each activity has an answer
key that provides answers for single-answer questions and objective rubrics
and sample answers for open-ended questions. Students need to submit some
of these activities through PLE’s Digital Drop Box for instructor evaluation
and feedback. Other activities can be checked by students themselves using
the answer key. Keep in mind that some students may need guidance to
successfully self-check open-ended questions against a model.
Discussions encourage students to reflect on concepts, articulate their
thoughts, and respond to the views of others. Thus, discussions help assess
students’ critical-thinking skills. Each unit in a course has one predefined
discussion topic; instructors may include additional discussion topics. A
rubric for grading discussion responses is included in this guide.
Unit pretests are provided for each course unit. The purpose of these
assessments is to determine the student’s existing knowledge. If the student
scores the prescribed percentage on a unit pretest, he or she may be
exempted from completing the related courseware. Note, however, that this
feature is primarily designed for credit recovery purposes. For first-time
credit, students are typically not allowed to “test out” of course lessons.
Mastery tests at the end of each tutorial provide the instructor and the
student with clear indicators of areas of strength and weakness. These
multiple-choice tests are taken online.
Unit Activities give students the opportunity to apply and integrate
concepts they have learned across lessons within a course unit and thereby
demonstrate higher-order thinking skills. Students can use the Digital Drop
Box to electronically submit their work for grading by the instructor.
Unit posttests help instructors track how well students have mastered the
unit’s content. The tests are multiple-choice and are provided online and
offline.
End-of-semester tests assess the major objectives covered in the course. By
combining the unit pretest and unit posttest information with the end-ofsemester test results, the instructor will gain a clear picture of student
progress.
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PLATO® Courses
Teacher‘s Guide—English 10B
Subjective Assessment
Of the assessment tools listed above, three are designed specifically to address higher-level
thinking skills and operations: Lesson Activities, Unit Activities, and Discussions. All of
these activities allow the instructor to score work either on a 4-point rubric or on a scale of
0 to 100.
Lesson Activities and Unit Activities employ the Digital Drop Box, which enables students
to submit work in a variety of electronic formats. This feature allows for a wide range of
authentic learning and assessment opportunities for courses. PLATO provides keys for
PLATO-designed Digital Drop Box activities. These keys range from simple rubrics to
detailed sample responses. Online discussions may use whatever rubric the instructor sets.
A suggested rubric is provided here for your reference.
Online Discussion Rubric
D/F 0–69
C 70–79
B 80–89
Below
Basic
Proficient
Expectations
Relevance of The responses
Some responses The responses
Response
do not relate to are not on topic are typically
the discussion
or are too brief
related to the
topic or are
or low level.
topic and
inappropriate
Responses may
initiate further
or irrelevant.
be of little value discussion.
(e.g., yes or no
answers).
Content of
Ideas are not
Presentation of
Ideas are
Response
presented in a
ideas is unclear, presented
coherent or
with little
coherently,
logical manner. evidence to back although there
There are many up ideas. There is some lack of
grammar or
are grammar or connection to
spelling errors.
spelling errors.
the topic. There
are few
grammar or
spelling errors.
Participation The student
The student
The student
does not make
participates in
participates in
any effort to
some
most
participate in
discussions but
discussions on a
the discussion.
not on a regular regular basis
basis.
but may require
some prompting
to post.
6
A 90–100
Outstanding
The responses
are consistently
on topic and
bring insight into
the discussion,
which initiates
additional
responses.
Ideas are
expressed clearly,
with an obvious
connection to the
topic. There are
rare instances of
grammar or
spelling errors.
The student
consistently
participates in
discussions on a
regular basis.
PLATO® Courses
Teacher‘s Guide—English 10B
Course Implementation Models
PLATO Courses give instructors the flexibility to define implementation approaches that
address a variety of learning needs. Instructors can configure the courses to allow
individual students to work at their own pace or for group or class learning. Furthermore,
the courses can be delivered completely online (that is, using a virtual approach) or can
include both face-to-face and online components (that is, using a blended approach).
Depending on the learner grouping and learning approach, instructors can choose to take
advantage of peer-to-peer interaction through online discussions. Similarly, if students
have prior knowledge of the concepts taught in certain lessons, instructors can decide to
employ unit pretests to assess students’ prior knowledge and exempt them from taking the
lessons. Note, however, that this feature is primarily designed for credit recovery purposes.
For first-time credit, students are typically not allowed to “test out” of course lessons.
Following are two common implementation models for using PLATO Courses, along with
typical (but not definitive) implementation decisions.

Independent Learning
The student is taking the course online as a personal choice or as part of an
alternative learning program.
Learner grouping
Learning approach
Discussions
Unit pretests

independent learning
blended or virtual
remove from learning path
students do not take pretests
Group or Class Learning
The online course is offered for a group of students. These students may not be able
to schedule the specific course at their local school site, or they may simply want the
experience of taking an online course.
Learner grouping
Learning approach
Discussions
Unit pretests
group interaction
blended or virtual
use; additional discussion
questions may be added
students do not take pretests
For more information about implementation models, read the document PLATO Online
Courses—Implementation Models.
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PLATO® Courses
Teacher‘s Guide—English 10B
English 10, Semester B, Overview
Instructional Approach
Each unit in English 10 uses a central theme to teach reading, writing, grammar, and
mechanics, thus providing learners with a cohesive and connected learning experience.
Research strongly supports the use of connections to increase learner achievement.
Each unit in the course includes a predefined discussion topic. These discussions provide an
opportunity for discourse on specific course concepts and their applications. In this way, the
course encourages the development of critical twenty-first-century skills.
To generate skills for lifelong learning, many of the lessons in this course use studentdriven, constructivist approaches for concept development. The remaining lessons employ
direct instruction approaches.
Instructional Strategies
Common instructional strategies include a structure that provides for both individual and
group learning. Learners are expected to respond to writing prompts, analyze fiction and
nonfiction pieces, use the Internet to research, create presentations to share information,
and use grading rubrics to understand expectations.
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PLATO® Courses
Teacher‘s Guide—English 10B
English 10, Semester B, Curriculum Contents
and Pacing Guide
The following Curriculum Contents provide a brief summary of the course units in
each semester. This semester is divided into 5 units spread over 90 days. The Unit
Pacing Guide provides a general timeline for presenting each unit. This guide is
designed to fit your class schedule and is adjustable.
Unit 1: Building Reading Strategies
Summary
Learners develop strategies that will help them improve their vocabulary and
increase their reading comprehension.
Activity Matrix
Students who score the prescribed percentage on a unit pretest will be exempted from
completing the related courseware.
Day
Activity/Objective
1 day:
1
Syllabus and Plato Student
Orientation
Review the Plato Student
Orientation and Course Syllabus at
the beginning of this course
2 days:
2-3
Building Your Vocabulary
Develop a strategy for long-term
improvement of your vocabulary
Common Core State Standard
Type
Course
Orientation
RI.9-10.2. Determine two or more central
ideas of a text and analyze their
development over the course of the text,
including how they interact and build on one
another to provide a complex analysis;
provide an objective summary of the text.
RI.9-10.4. Determine the meaning of words
and phrases as they are used in a text,
including figurative, connotative, and
technical meanings; analyze the cumulative
impact of specific word choices on meaning
and tone (e.g., how the language of a court
opinion differs from that of a newspaper).
9-10.2d. Use precise language and domainspecific vocabulary to manage the
complexity of the topic.
9
Lesson
PLATO® Courses
Teacher‘s Guide—English 10B
L.9-10.4a. Use context (e.g., the overall
meaning of a sentence, paragraph, or text; a
word‘s position or function in a sentence) as
a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
L.9-10.4b. Identify and correctly use
patterns of word changes that indicate
different meanings or parts of speech (e.g.,
analyze, analysis, analytical; advocate,
advocacy).
L.9-10.4c. 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.
L.9-10.4d. Verify the preliminary
determination of the meaning of a word or
phrase (e.g., by checking the inferred
meaning in context or in a dictionary).
L.9-10.6. Acquire and use accurately
general academic and domain-specific words
and phrases, sufficient for reading, writing,
speaking, and listening at the college and
career readiness level; demonstrate
independence in gathering vocabulary
knowledge when considering a word or
phrase important to comprehension or
expression.
2 days:
4-5
Reading to Remember
Create a plan to more effectively
remember what you read
RL.9-10.9. By the end of grade 9, read and
comprehend literature, including stories,
dramas, and poems, in the grades 9–10 text
complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding
as needed at the high end of the range.
Lesson
RI.9-10.10. By the end of grade 9, read and
comprehend literary nonfiction in the grades
9–10 text complexity band proficiently, with
scaffolding as needed at the high end of the
range.
2 days:
6-7
Analyzing Text Structures
Use graphic organizers to analyze
text structures
RL.9-10.5. Analyze how an author‘s choices
concerning how to structure a text, order
events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and
manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks)
10
Lesson
PLATO® Courses
Teacher‘s Guide—English 10B
create such effects as mystery, tension, or
surprise.
2 days:
8-9
Doing Your Best on Reading
Tests
Study strategies for answering
three kinds of questions you will
see on a standardized test
RL.9-10.8. 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).
RI.9-10.2. Determine two or more central
ideas of a text and analyze their
development over the course of the text,
including how they interact and build on one
another to provide a complex analysis;
provide an objective summary of the text.
RI.9-10.4. Determine the meaning of words
and phrases as they are used in a text,
including figurative, connotative, and
technical meanings; analyze the cumulative
impact of specific word choices on meaning
and tone (e.g., how the language of a court
opinion differs from that of a newspaper).
RI.9-10.5. Analyze in detail how an author‘s
ideas or claims are developed and refined by
particular sentences, paragraphs, or larger
portions of a text (e.g., a section or
chapter).
RI.9-10.6. Determine an author‘s point of
view or purpose in a text and analyze how
an author uses rhetoric to advance that
point of view or purpose.
L.9-10.4a. Use context (e.g., the overall
meaning of a sentence, paragraph, or text; a
word‘s position or function in a sentence) as
a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
L.9-10.4b. Identify and correctly use
patterns of word changes that indicate
different meanings or parts of speech (e.g.,
analyze, analysis, analytical; advocate,
advocacy).
11
Lesson
PLATO® Courses
Teacher‘s Guide—English 10B
L.9-10.4d. Verify the preliminary
determination of the meaning of a word or
phrase (e.g., by checking the inferred
meaning in context or in a dictionary).
L.9-10.6. Acquire and use accurately
general academic and domain-specific words
and phrases, sufficient for reading, writing,
speaking, and listening at the college and
career readiness level; demonstrate
independence in gathering vocabulary
knowledge when considering a word or
phrase important to comprehension or
expression.
4 days:
10-13
Unit Activity and
Discussion—Unit 1
Unit
Activity
Discussion
1 day:
14
Posttest—Unit 1
Assessment
12
PLATO® Courses
Teacher‘s Guide—English 10B
Unit 2: Reading Sciences
Summary
Learners develop science vocabulary, read and analyze scientific articles and essays,
and write a position paper.
Activity Matrix
Students who score the prescribed percentage on a unit pretest will be exempted from
completing the related courseware.
Day
2 days:
15-16
Activity/Objective
Building Your Science
Vocabulary
Use rules to learn science vocabulary
Common Core State Standard
Type
RI.9-10.4. Determine the meaning of words
and phrases as they are used in a text, including
figurative, connotative, and technical meanings;
analyze the cumulative impact of specific word
choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the
language of a court opinion differs from that of
a newspaper).
Lesson
9-10.2d. Use precise language and domainspecific vocabulary to manage the complexity of
the topic.
L.9-10.4a. Use context (e.g., the overall
meaning of a sentence, paragraph, or text; a
word‘s position or function in a sentence) as a
clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
L.9-10.4b. Identify and correctly use patterns
of word changes that indicate different
meanings or parts of speech (e.g., analyze,
analysis, analytical; advocate, advocacy).
L.9-10.4d. Verify the preliminary
determination of the meaning of a word or
phrase (e.g., by checking the inferred meaning
in context or in a dictionary).
L.9-10.6. Acquire and use accurately general
academic and domain-specific words and
phrases, sufficient for reading, writing, speaking,
and listening at the college and career readiness
level; demonstrate independence in gathering
vocabulary knowledge when considering a
word or phrase important to comprehension
or expression.
13
PLATO® Courses
2 days:
17-18
Coming to Terms with Science
Terms
Use technical terms and notations
accurately
Teacher‘s Guide—English 10B
RL.9-10.9. By the end of grade 9, read and
comprehend literature, including stories,
dramas, and poems, in the grades 9–10 text
complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as
needed at the high end of the range.
Lesson
RI.9-10.10. By the end of grade 9, read and
comprehend literary nonfiction in the grades 9–
10 text complexity band proficiently, with
scaffolding as needed at the high end of the
range.
9-10.2d. Use precise language and domainspecific vocabulary to manage the complexity of
the topic.
L.9-10.6. Acquire and use accurately general
academic and domain-specific words and
phrases, sufficient for reading, writing, speaking,
and listening at the college and career readiness
level; demonstrate independence in gathering
vocabulary knowledge when considering a
word or phrase important to comprehension
or expression.
2 days:
19-20
Understanding Science
Combine the information from science
texts and visual aids
RI.9-10.2. Determine two or more central
ideas of a text and analyze their development
over the course of the text, including how they
interact and build on one another to provide a
complex analysis; provide an objective summary
of the text.
SL.9-10.1d. Respond thoughtfully to diverse
perspectives, summarize points of agreement
and disagreement, and, when warranted, qualify
or justify their own views and understanding
and make new connections in light of the
evidence and reasoning presented.
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.
14
Lesson
PLATO® Courses
Teacher‘s Guide—English 10B
2 days:
21-22
Making Predictions and
Drawing Conclusions
Analyze text to make predictions and
draw conclusions
RI.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.
Lesson
4 days:
23-26
Writing a Position Paper
Research a topic and write a position
paper that expresses an opinion
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.
Practice
RI.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.
2 days:
27-28
A Strategy for Reading Science
Use a reading strategy to learn and
understand information in science
texts
RL.9-10.9. By the end of grade 9, read and
comprehend literature, including stories,
dramas, and poems, in the grades 9–10 text
complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as
needed at the high end of the range.
Lesson
RI.9-10.2. Determine two or more central
ideas of a text and analyze their development
over the course of the text, including how they
interact and build on one another to provide a
complex analysis; provide an objective summary
of the text.
RI.9-10.10. By the end of grade 9, read and
comprehend literary nonfiction in the grades 9–
10 text complexity band proficiently, with
scaffolding as needed at the high end of the
range.
4 days:
29-32
Unit Activity and Discussion—
Unit 2
Unit Activity
Discussion
1 day:
33
Posttest—Unit 2
Assessment
15
PLATO® Courses
Teacher‘s Guide—English 10B
Unit 3: Analysis of Fiction
Summary
Learners identify and describe elements of plot and characters from a story as well as
analyze and critique literature.
Activity Matrix
Students who score the prescribed percentage on a unit pretest will be exempted from
completing the related courseware.
Day
Activity/Objective
Common Core State Standard
Type
2 days:
34-35
Building Your Literature
Vocabulary
Expand the strategy for learning words
from word lists by placing literary
terms in the additional context of a
category
RI.9-10.4. Determine the meaning of words
and phrases as they are used in a text,
including figurative, connotative, and
technical meanings; analyze the cumulative
impact of specific word choices on meaning
and tone (e.g., how the language of a court
opinion differs from that of a newspaper).
Lesson
L.9-10.4a. Use context (e.g., the overall
meaning of a sentence, paragraph, or text; a
word‘s position or function in a sentence) as
a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
L.9-10.4c. 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.
L.9-10.4d. Verify the preliminary
determination of the meaning of a word or
phrase (e.g., by checking the inferred
meaning in context or in a dictionary).
L.9-10.6. Acquire and use accurately
general academic and domain-specific words
and phrases, sufficient for reading, writing,
speaking, and listening at the college and
career readiness level; demonstrate
independence in gathering vocabulary
knowledge when considering a word or
phrase important to comprehension or
expression.
16
PLATO® Courses
2 days:
36-37
Understanding Literature
Find examples of contextual
information and themes as reflected in
the context
Teacher‘s Guide—English 10B
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.
Lesson
RL.9-10.3. Analyze how complex characters
(e.g., those with multiple or conflicting
motivations) develop over the course of a
text, interact with other characters, and
advance the plot or develop the theme.
RL.9-10.4. Determine the meaning of words
and phrases as they are used in the text,
including figurative and connotative meanings;
analyze the cumulative impact of specific
word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how
the language evokes a sense of time and
place; how it sets a formal or informal tone).
RI.9-10.9. Analyze seminal U.S. documents
of historical and literary significance (e.g.,
Washington‘s Farewell Address, the
Gettysburg Address, Roosevelt‘s Four
Freedoms speech, King‘s ―Letter from
Birmingham Jail‖), including how they address
related themes and concepts.
W.9-10.1d. Establish and maintain a formal
style and objective tone while attending to
the norms and conventions of the discipline
in which they are writing.
2 days:
38-39
A Strategy for Reading
Literature
Use a prescribed strategy for reading
literature
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.
RI.9-10.2. Determine two or more central
ideas of a text and analyze their development
over the course of the text, including how
they interact and build on one another to
provide a complex analysis; provide an
objective summary of the text.
17
Lesson
PLATO® Courses
Teacher‘s Guide—English 10B
RI.9-10.9. Analyze seminal U.S. documents
of historical and literary significance (e.g.,
Washington‘s Farewell Address, the
Gettysburg Address, Roosevelt‘s Four
Freedoms speech, King‘s ―Letter from
Birmingham Jail‖), including how they address
related themes and concepts.
3 days:
40-42
Plot and Setting
Analyze a story by examining its plot
and setting
RL.9-10.5. Analyze how an author‘s choices
concerning how to structure a text, order
events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and
manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks)
create such effects as mystery, tension, or
surprise.
Practice
9-10.3a. Engage and orient the reader by
setting out a problem, situation, or
observation, establishing one or multiple
point(s) of view, and introducing a narrator
and/or characters; create a smooth
progression of experiences or events.
3 days:
43-45
Character and Motive
Analyze a story's characters through
its narration and dialogue
RL.9-10.3. Analyze how complex characters
(e.g., those with multiple or conflicting
motivations) develop over the course of a
text, interact with other characters, and
advance the plot or develop the theme.
3 days:
46-48
Literary Analysis
Write a literary analysis of a short
story
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.
RL.9-10.4. Determine the meaning of words
and phrases as they are used in the text,
including figurative and connotative meanings;
analyze the cumulative impact of specific
word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how
the language evokes a sense of time and
place; how it sets a formal or informal tone).
RL.9-10.5. Analyze how an author‘s choices
concerning how to structure a text, order
events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and
manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks)
create such effects as mystery, tension, or
surprise.
RI.9-10.1. Cite strong and thorough textual
evidence to support analysis of what the text
18
Lesson
PLATO® Courses
Teacher‘s Guide—English 10B
says explicitly as well as inferences drawn
from the text.
RI.9-10.3. Analyze how the author unfolds
an analysis or series of ideas or events,
including the order in which the points are
made, how they are introduced and
developed, and the connections that are
drawn between them.
W.9-10.1a. 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.
W.9-10.1b. Develop claim(s) and
counterclaims fairly, supplying evidence for
each while pointing out the strengths and
limitations of both in a manner that
anticipates the audience‘s knowledge level
and concerns.
W.9-10.1c. Use words, phrases, and clauses
to link the major sections of the text, create
cohesion, and clarify the relationships
between claim(s) and reasons, between
reasons and evidence, and between claim(s)
and counterclaims.
W.9-10.1d. Establish and maintain a formal
style and objective tone while attending to
the norms and conventions of the discipline
in which they are writing.
W.9-10.1e. Provide a concluding statement
or section that follows from and supports the
argument presented.
4 days:
49-52
Unit Activity and Discussion—
Unit 3
Unit Activity
Discussion
1 day:
53
Posttest—Unit 3
Assessment
19
PLATO® Courses
Teacher‘s Guide—English 10B
Unit 4: Analysis of Poetry
Summary
Learners will identify and describe literary devices, explore and analyze various
writing techniques used in poetry, and apply this knowledge to write poetry.
Activity Matrix
Students who score the prescribed percentage on a unit pretest will be exempted from
completing the related courseware.
Day
Activity/Objective
2 days:
54-55
Literary Devices
Identify, interpret, and evaluate
literary elements and devices;
interpret and critically analyze the
ways in which poets use techniques
to evoke emotion in the reader;
and identify, respond to, and
analyze the effects of sound,
rhythm, and rhyme in literary
works
RL.9-10.4. Determine the meaning of
words and phrases as they are used in the
text, including figurative and connotative
meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of
specific word choices on meaning and tone
(e.g., how the language evokes a sense of
time and place; how it sets a formal or
informal tone).
Lesson
3 days:
56-58
Poet vs. Speaker
Recognize the role of a poem's
speaker and the differences
between the poet and speaker
RL.9-10.3. Analyze how complex
characters (e.g., those with multiple or
conflicting motivations) develop over the
course of a text, interact with other
characters, and advance the plot or develop
the theme
Lesson
3 days:
59-61
Poetry Techniques
Analyze various writing techniques
used in poetry to evoke a response
from the reader
9-10.2d. Use precise language and domainspecific vocabulary to manage the
complexity of the topic.
Lesson
Creating Poetry
Explore different forms of sonnets
and write a sonnet
RL.9-10.9. By the end of grade 9, read and
comprehend literature, including stories,
dramas, and poems, in the grades 9–10 text
complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding
as needed at the high end of the range.
4 days:
62-65
Common Core State Standard
Type
L.9-10.5a. Interpret figures of speech (e.g.,
euphemism, oxymoron) in context and
analyze their role in the text.
W.9-10.10. Write routinely over extended
time frames (time for research, reflection,
and revision) and shorter time frames (a
single sitting or a day or two) for a range of
tasks, purposes, and audiences.
20
Lesson
PLATO® Courses
2 days:
66-67
Getting at Word Meanings
Distinguish between the denotative
and connotative meanings of words
and interpret the connotative
power of words
Teacher‘s Guide—English 10B
RL.9-10.4. Determine the meaning of
words and phrases as they are used in the
text, including figurative and connotative
meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of
specific word choices on meaning and tone
(e.g., how the language evokes a sense of
time and place; how it sets a formal or
informal tone).
Lesson
RI.9-10.4. Determine the meaning of words
and phrases as they are used in a text,
including figurative, connotative, and
technical meanings; analyze the cumulative
impact of specific word choices on meaning
and tone (e.g., how the language of a court
opinion differs from that of a newspaper).
L.9-10.4b. Identify and correctly use
patterns of word changes that indicate
different meanings or parts of speech (e.g.,
analyze, analysis, analytical; advocate,
advocacy).
L.9-10.4c. 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.
L.9-10.4d. Verify the preliminary
determination of the meaning of a word or
phrase (e.g., by checking the inferred
meaning in context or in a dictionary).
L.9-10.5b. Analyze nuances in the meaning
of words with similar denotations.
4 days:
68-71
Unit Activity and
Discussion—Unit 4
Unit
Activity
Discussion
1 day:
72
Posttest—Unit 4
Assessment
21
PLATO® Courses
Teacher‘s Guide—English 10B
Unit 5: Narratives
Summary
Learners apply writing strategies learned in previous units to their personal
narrative writings.
Activity Matrix
Students who score the prescribed percentage on a unit pretest will be exempted from
completing the related courseware.
Day
Activity/Objective
Common Core State Standard
Type
3 days:
73-75
Making Multiple Peer
Review Passes
Study how to do peer reviews in
multiple passes and use strategies
to help increase the quality of the
peer review feedback by providing
specific suggestions for
improvement
W.9-10.5. Develop and strengthen writing
as needed by planning, revising, editing,
rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing
on addressing what is most significant for a
specific purpose and audience.
Lesson
3 days:
76-78
Narrative Essays
Employ a variety of writing
strategies and techniques to create
a narrative essay
9-10.3a. Engage and orient the reader by
setting out a problem, situation, or
observation, establishing one or multiple
point(s) of view, and introducing a narrator
and/or characters; create a smooth
progression of experiences or events.
Lesson
9-10.3b. Use narrative techniques, such as
dialogue, pacing, description, reflection, and
multiple plot lines, to develop experiences,
events, and/or characters.
9-10.3c. Use a variety of techniques to
sequence events so that they build on one
another to create a coherent whole.
9-10.3d. Use precise words and phrases,
telling details, and sensory language to
convey a vivid picture of the experiences,
events, setting, and/or characters.
9-10.3e. Provide a conclusion that follows
from and reflects on what is experienced,
observed, or resolved over the course of
the narrative.
22
PLATO® Courses
Teacher‘s Guide—English 10B
2 days:
79-80
Using So Correctly in
Sentences
Modify sentences to use so as a
coordinating conjunction only when
it means “therefore”
L.9-10.2c. Spell correctly
Lesson
2 days:
81-82
Using Commas with Linking
Words like Because
Study when to use commas with
linking words like because
L.9-10.1b. Use various types of phrases
(noun, verb, adjectival, adverbial, participial,
prepositional, absolute) and clauses
(independent, dependent; noun, relative,
adverbial) to convey specific meanings and
add variety and interest to writing or
presentations.
Lesson
2 days:
83-84
Choosing Whose/Who's,
Lay/Lie, Sit/Set
Use the commonly confused terms
who‘s and whose, sit and set,
and lay and lie appropriately
RI.9-10.4. Determine the meaning of words
and phrases as they are used in a text,
including figurative, connotative, and
technical meanings; analyze the cumulative
impact of specific word choices on meaning
and tone (e.g., how the language of a court
opinion differs from that of a newspaper).
Lesson
L.9-10.2c. Spell correctly
L.9-10.4a. Use context (e.g., the overall
meaning of a sentence, paragraph, or text; a
word‘s position or function in a sentence) as
a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
L.9-10.4d. Verify the preliminary
determination of the meaning of a word or
phrase (e.g., by checking the inferred
meaning in context or in a dictionary).
4 days:
85-88
Unit Activity and
Discussion—Unit 5
Unit
Activity
Discussion
1 day:
89
Posttest—Unit 5
Assessment
1 day:
90
End-of-Semester Exam
Assessment
23
PLATO® Courses
Teacher‘s Guide—English 10B
Appendix
Unit 1: Building Reading Strategies
Building Your Vocabulary (Tutorial)
Reading Passages
Tutorial
 ―The Russian Revolution‖
 ―Genetic Engineering‖
Analyzing Text Structures (Tutorial)
Reading Passages
Lesson Activities
 Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (excerpt)
Doing Your Best on Reading Tests (Tutorial)
Reading Passages
Tutorial
 ―Military Aircraft: The Spitfire‖
 ―Distance Education‖
 ―FDR‘s New Deal‖
 ―The ‗War of the Worlds‘ Prank‖
 ―Welsh Terriers‖
 ―Life in Tyler City‖
 ―Nintendo®‖
 ―Debris in Outer Space‖
 ―The Winter Carnival in Quebec City‖
 ―The Étagère‖
 ―Emily‖
 ―The Race Track‖
 ―Sam Chapman Here‖
 ―Waiting at the Bus Stop‖
 ―Those in the Senate‖
 ―From Brigg Mountain to St. Louis‖
 ―Alexander Mackenzie and the Selective Memory of History‖
Unit 1 Unit Activity (Offline)
Reading Passages
Unit Activity
 ―Data Plots‖
24
PLATO® Courses
Teacher‘s Guide—English 10B
Unit 2: Reading Sciences
Building Your Science Vocabulary (Tutorial)
Reading Passages
Tutorial
 ―Three States of Matter‖
 ―Layers of the Earth‘s Atmosphere‖
Understanding Science (Tutorial)
Reading Passages
Tutorial
 ―The Sensory Organs: Taste‖
 ―States of Matter‖
 ―Newton‘s First Law of Motion‖
 ―Symbiosis‖
 ―The Hydrologic Cycle‖
 ―The Human Brain: The Cerebrum‖
Making Predictions and Drawing Conclusions (Tutorial)
Reading Passages
Lesson Activities
 ―NASA'S Hubble Discovers Another Moon Around Pluto,‖ NASA, July 20, 2011.
 ―Background Information Regarding Our Two Newly Discovered Satellites of Pluto,‖
Southwest Research Institute Planetary Science Directorate, 2005.
A Strategy for Reading Science (Tutorial)
Reading Passages
Tutorial
 ―What Is Physics?‖
 ―The Chain of Life‖
 ―Science and Agriculture: Improving Clover Yields,‖ based on ―New Red Clover Puts
Pastures in the Pink,‖ Agricultural Research 44:12, December 1996: 9. Published by the
Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC
(excerpt).
25
PLATO® Courses
Teacher‘s Guide—English 10B
Unit 2 Unit Activity (Offline)
Reading Passages
Unit Activity
 ―Explainer: What Went Wrong in Japan's Nuclear Reactors,‖ by Eliza Strickland,
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Spectrum, March 16, 2011.
 ―The Radiological and Psychological Consequences of the Fukushima Daiichi Accident,‖
by Frank N. von Hippel, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, September/October 2011.
Unit 3: Analysis of Fiction
Understanding Literature (Tutorial)
Reading Passages
Tutorial
 ―Mammon and the Archer‖ by O. Henry
 ―The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky‖ by Stephen Crane
A Strategy for Reading Literature (Tutorial)
Reading Passages
Tutorial
 Moby Dick by Herman Melville
 Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
Plot and Setting (Tutorial)
Reading Passages
Lesson Activities
 ―To Build a Fire‖ by Jack London
Character and Motive (Tutorial)
Reading Passages
Lesson Activities
 ―The Catacombs of Paris‖
 ―The Cask of Amontillado‖ by Edgar Allan Poe
Literary Analysis (Tutorial)
Reading Passages
Lesson Activities
 ―Red Delicious‖
26
PLATO® Courses
Teacher‘s Guide—English 10B
Unit 3 Unit Activity (Offline)
Reading Passages
Unit Activity
 The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu
 ―Women in the Pre-Heian Era,‖ by Esperanza Ramirez-Christensen, Women in

World History, a project of the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media,
George Mason University.
―Men Hold Forth on Women,‖ by Esperanza Ramirez-Christensen, Women in World
History, a project of the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media,
George Mason University.
Unit 4: Analysis of Poetry
Literary Devices (Practice)
Reading Passages
Tutorial
 ―The Autumn‖ by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
 ―Time Enough‖ by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Poet vs. Speaker (Tutorial)
Reading Passages
Tutorial
 ―The Raven‖ by Edgar Allan Poe
 ―Mending Wall‖ by Robert Frost
 ―Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening‖ by Robert Frost
 ―Captain! My Captain!‖ by Walt Whitman
 ―Ode on a Grecian Urn‖ by John Keats
 ―Ode to a Nightingale‖ by John Keats
 ―The Rime of the Ancient Mariner‖ by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
 ―Gretel in Darkness‖ by Louise Glück
 ―On the Speaker-Poet Relationship in Louise Glück's ‗Gretel in Darkness‘‖
 ―Lady Lazarus‖ by Sylvia Plath
 ―Daffy Duck in Hollywood‖ by John Ashbery
 ―The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock‖ by T. S. Eliot
 ―Killing Floor‖ by Ai
 ―The Harlem Dancer‖ by Claude McKay
 ―An Elegy for Jane (My student, thrown by a horse)‖ by Theodore Roethke
 ―The Road Not Taken‖ by Robert Frost
Lesson Activities
 ―My Last Duchess‖ by Robert Browning
27
PLATO® Courses
Teacher‘s Guide—English 10B
Poetry Techniques (Tutorial)
Reading Passages
Tutorial
 ―Daffodils (I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud)‖ by William Wordsworth
Lesson Activities
 ―Sonnet 130‖ by William Shakespeare
 ―She Walks in Beauty‖ by Lord Byron
Creating Poetry (Tutorial)
Reading Passages
Tutorial
 ―Gli Occhi Di Ch' Io Parlai‖ by Francesco Petrarch, translated by Thomas Wentworth
Higginson
 ―Sonnet 18‖ by William Shakespeare
Lesson Activities
 ―Basic Sonnet Forms‖ by Nelson Miller
 Petrarchan sonnets by Wyatt
 ―Sonnet 138‖ by William Shakespeare
 ―Quotations on the Sonnet‖ by Alfred J. Drake
 Shakespearean sonnets (samples from I-CLIV)
Unit 4 Unit Activity (Offline)
Reading Passages
Unit Activity
 ―Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night‖ by Dylan Thomas
 ―Acquainted with the Night‖ by Robert Frost
 ―We Grow Accustomed to the Dark‖ by Emily Dickinson
Unit 5: Narratives
Making Multiple Peer Review Passes (Tutorial/Offline)
Reading Passages
Tutorial
 ―The First Airplane‖
 ―The Rise of the Fast Food Industry‖ by Amy Paxton
 ―A Better Car for the Environment‖ by Anton Davis
 ―Flight 145‖ by Jessica King
 ― Take Me Out to the Ball Game‖ by Bryan Smith
28
PLATO® Courses
Teacher‘s Guide—English 10B
Using So Correctly in Sentences (Tutorial)
Reading Passages
Tutorial
 Untitled (safari in the Ngorogoro Crater)
 Untitled (skiing on the lake)
Choosing Whose/Who‘s, Lay/Lie, Sit/Set (Tutorial)
Reading Passages
Tutorial
 Untitled (Shondra‘s dream)
Unit 5 Unit Activity (Offline)
Reading Passages
Unit Activity
 I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou (excerpt)
 ―Homeless‖ by Anna Quindlen
 ―Anna Quindlen on Motherhood‖
 ―Go Carolina‖ from Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
 ―The Turning-Point of My Life‖ by Mark Twain
 ―Immortality‖ from A Cynic Looks at Life by Ambrose Bierce
29