Mastering the Core
of ELA Instruction
A Pacing Guide Designed to Align with the Common Core Standards
Project Coordinator
Marjorie Bloom
Language Arts and Writing Resource Teacher
Writing Team
Julie Coleman—Cocoa Beach Jr./Sr. High School
Nancy Gray—West Shore Jr./Sr. High School
Amy Kaminski—Melbourne High School
Rob Kirkpatrick—McNair Magnet School
Mary Nelson—Palm Bay High School
Joanne Steady—Melbourne High School
Donnice Stephenson—Bayside High School
Layout Specialist- Valerie Seaman
Tables of Contents
Introduction
Pacing Guides
Grade 7
Grade 8
Grade 9
Grade 10
Grade 11
Grade 12
Reading
Reading Strands
Determining Text Complexity
Ways to Think about Text
Text Complexity for Literary Text
Text Complexity Rubric for Informational Text
Common Core Standards- Qualitative Features
Reader and Task Questions
Close Reading/Critical Thinking
Reading Strategies for Drama Instruction
CRISS Strategies
Questioning for Critical Thinking
Questioning for Quality Thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy
Writing
Writing Strands
Writing Process
Six Traits and FCAT Writing
FCAT Writing Rubric
FCAT Rubric/Holistic Scoring
Transitions and Organizational Patterns
Text-Based Questions for Writing or Discussion
Tips for Writing Literary Analysis Papers
Research Resources
Language
Language Strands
Language Strand Spiraled
Grammar Mastery Checklist
Writing Reference Sheet
Greek and Latin Roots
Speaking and Listening
Speaking and Listening Strands
Speaking and Listening Strategies
Technology Resources
Rhetorical Appeals and Logical Fallacies
Glossary of Reading and Writing Terms
What is Not Covered by the Standards
College and Career-Ready Students
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
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76
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79
80
81
82
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85
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Page 1
The Learning Bricks
Young minds use knowledge to construct thought,
Carefully building with scaffolded bricks,
Layering ideas to form a firm wall
With underpinning core standards the bbase of it all.
They inquire, investigate, analyze,
The wording of a poem, a story, or an essay;
Understand a character’s motives, or
What is literal, figurative, or implied.
Study writers who craft pictures and mirror lives in
Plots, subplots, themes, and points of view.
Listen to student speeches, confidently delivered.
Create projects, presentations to portray insight and imagination.
Discuss, debate, peer review, and share wisdom.
Achieve collegiality, collaboration, classroom community.
Arrange sente
sentence parts to convey clarity and concision.
Rearrange, expand, organize, edit, and revise.
Grapple with options of formal and informal language.
Employ fundamentals of style, syntax, and structure.
Brick upon brick core standards build thinking minds
mindsMinds,
s, strong walls, solid enough to debate and respond to inquiry,
Stalwart enough to apply learning to innovative products.
These minds, constructed on strategic foundations,
Withstand the rigors and challenges of life
life-long learning.
Marge Bloom
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Page 2
Introduction to Core Instruction
Brevard teachers, embarking on a brand new endeavor, will incorporate the national Common
Core Standards into the instruction and assessment of the ELA classroom in the 2011 school year.
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction is designed to lead teachers through the application of the new
standards to specific lesson development in grade levels 7-12.
The emphasis on complex text is inherent in every standard of the Common Core. Instruction
must scaffold from uncomplicated texts to complex texts, using each strand—reading, language,
writing, speaking and listening—as a means of developing the prescribed skills to advance successfully
to the next level.
Lessons in the guide are organized according to genre and include suggested time frames. A
week at the end of each lesson allows for reinforcement of skills, reteaching, and assessment. Each
lesson design incorporates all of the strands, the accompanying related readings, literary terms, research,
websites, and standards.
Common Core instruction promotes close, sustained reading of complex text by training
students to gain academic, independent reading habits. Instruction that culls deeper understanding
examines words and phrases, figurative language, sentence structure, paragraph organization,
ambiguity, and insightful discovery. Instruction begins with short complex pieces to prepare students
for mastering larger complex texts. The guide includes a rubric to help teachers select appropriately
complex texts.
The Core recommends that students integrate reading with writing to broaden thinking, reflect
on meaning, and convey understanding. Students respond with different types of writing including
narratives, essays, analysis, and research. Small research papers on a regular basis help students acquire
the skills to form opinions, cite support, and synthesize information from reliable sources. Student
writing should contain text-to-text comparisons and literary analysis. They must learn to cite evidence,
connect passages, and respond to prompts. Writing should be a routine, almost daily occurrence for one
of these purposes. Reading text requires writing, and writing follows reading texts.
The Common Core promotes both studying and applying correct grammar, acquiring and
applying precise vocabulary, conducting discussions, and providing multiple opportunities for reporting
on findings in partnerships or large group discussions as well as in more formal presentations.
The Common Core Standards:
• Are aligned with college and work expectations
• Are clear, understandable, and consistent
• Build upon strengths and lessons of current state standards
• Are evidence and research-based
Preparing students to be college and career ready requires sustained commitment to incorporate the
core standards in all ELA classrooms. Curriculum designed intentionally to cultivate student academic
independence will lead to life-long readers and thinkers.
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Page 3
Pacing
Guides
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Page 4
7th Grade Short Story Unit
Reading Selection
Creative Critical Thinking
Related Readings
Literary Terms
Uncomplicated
Short Story (PH IN2)
Conflict
Internal Conflict
List and explain four examples of internal
conflict from the story. Be specific and detailed.
Climax
Include the story title and author.
“A Day's Wait”
(72) (McD 466)
Mood
“How Hemingway Wrote”
(McD 476)
“A Crush”
(McD 362)
More Challenging
List 5 examples each of realistic and fantastic
elements from “The Third Level.” Answer in
complete sentences with support and detail.
Add illustrations.
Setting
6 Traits
After reading “The War of the Wall,”
design a creative mural that represents
your community.
Fantastic Elements
Organization
Word Choice
Theme
Reading Strategies / CRISS
“Mural-Making Manual” (IR 76-77)
Complex
“Amigo Brothers”
(290) (McD 310)
Inference
“Veterans' Mural Honors Those Who Served”
(IR 73-75)
Irony
COMMON CORE
RI. 7.1
RI. 7.2
RI. 7.5
Symbol
After reading your short story, design a graphic
organizer to include the following:
title, author, theme, main characters,
theme, conflict, and resolution. Use complete
sentences and cite specific support from the
text. Include illustrations.
Setting
“How Terraforming Mars Will Work” (IR 104)
COMMON CORE
RL. 7.1 RL. 7.2
RL. 7.3 RL. 7.4
RL. 7.6
“Characters and Stereotyopes” (McD 310-311)
“An Interview with Ray Bradbury”
(McD 462)
“Why We Shouldn't Go to Mars”
(McD 928)
COMMON CORE
RI. 7.5 RI. 7.6 RI. 7.7
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Think-Pair-Share
Discussion Strategies
Spool Paper
Concept Mapping
SQ3R Study Strategy
Q-Notes
Unravel
COMMON CORE
L. 7.5
Theme
Point of View
6 Traits
Third Person Omniscient
Third Person Limited
“Dark They Were and
Golden-Eyed”
(McD 444) (IR 83)
Reading Strategies / CRISS
COMMON CORE
L. 7.5
Realistic Elements
COMMON CORE
RL. 7.1 RL. 7.2
RL. 7.3 RL. 7.4
Ideas
Word Choice
Think-Pair-Share
Discussion Strategies
Static Character
Story Plans
Two -Column Notes
Dynamic Character
SQ3R Study Strategy
Q-Notes
Third Person Omniscient Unravel
COMMON CORE
RI. 7.1
RI. 7.2
RI. 7.3
“The War of the Wall”
(McD 326) (IR 58)
6 Traits
Theme
COMMON CORE
RL. 7.1
RL. 7.2
RL. 7.4
“The Third Level”
(62)
6 Traits
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Voice
Sentence Fluency
Internal Conflict
External Conflict
Mood
Tone
Style
Foreshadowing
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Think-Pair-Share
Discussion Strategies
Double Entry Journal
SQ3R Study Strategy
Q-Notes
Unravel
Science Fiction
RI. 7.8
COMMON CORE
L. 7.5
Page 5
7th Grade Short Story Unit
Writing
Language, Speaking and Listening,
Research and Technology
Quick Writes
Writing Prompts (McD 475)
Anecdote (MAWV 76-77)
Description (WS #5, #9)
Dialogue (WS #4, #21, #26)
Cause and Effect (WWPA 10-11)
Dialogue (MAWV 13-14)
Autobiographical Event (79)
Language
Nouns (LN 34-55)
Concrete and Abstract (70, MSC 25-26)
Greek Suffix-ist (70)
Prepositions/Conjunctions/Interjections
(LN 150-167)
Types of Sentences (LN 16-17)
Capitalization (LN 228-247)
Time Frame
Seven-weeks to teach
One-week to reteach, reassess,
and reevaluate
Quality Indicators
Frequent formative assessment
Text-based writing
Examples and models
Writing process
Essay Writing
Speaking and Listening
Rubrics
Autobiographical Writing (94-97)
Extension Activities (79)
Close reading of complex text
Personal Narrative Writing Workshop (LN 414-421)
Text-to-text connections
Personal Narrative (McD 850-856)
Research and Technology
Analysis of complex text
(PH 79)
elements
Text-dependent questions
COMMON CORE
COMMON CORE
Academic vocabulary
W. 7.3
L. 7.1 L. 7.4
Incorporation of research
W. 7.10
SL. 7.1
Citing of evidence
Presentation/publication
Quick Writes
Language
Study and apply grammar
(WS #23, #34 #37)
Verbs (LN 90-94, MSC 14-23)
Graphic organizers
Spacial (WWPA 45-46)
Technology and media resources
Descriptive Phrases: Setting (MAWV 20-21)
Speaking and Listening
Speaking and Listening Interview (McD 293) Various approaches/learning
Word Pictures: Description (MAWV 18-19)
styles
Analyze Characters (McD 335 #6)
Use of Multiple Intelligences
Identify Theme (McD 335 #7)
Research and Technology
B.E.S.T. practices
(PH 71)
Evaluate (McD 335 #8, IR 71)
Resource Materials Key
Essay Writing
Description of a Place (71)
Character Description (LN 422-428)
Chronological Order (WWPA 14, 15, IR 71)
Prentice Hall Literature (page #)
McDougal Littell Literature
(McD)
COMMON CORE
W. 7.1 W. 7.2
W. 7.3 W. 7.10
COMMON CORE
L. 7.1 L. 7.2
L. 7.3 SL. 7.1
Quick Writes
In “Amigo Brothers” explain why the boys leave the
ring before the fight is over.
Quick Write (McD 310)
Writing Prompts (McD 325)
Writing Prompts (McD 465) (WS #38, #43, #47)
Take a Stand (298 #5)
Imagery: Setting (MAWV 30-31)
Flashback (MAWV 88, 89, IR 102, 103)
Language
Adjectives and Adverbs (LN 124-149)
Adjectives (MSC 66-80)
Adverbs (MSC 82-97)
Essay Writing
Chronological Order (WWPA 14,15)
Spacial (WWPA 45,46, IR 109)
Research and Technology
(PH 309)
COMMON CORE
W. 7.1 W. 7.2
W. 7.3 W. 7.10
COMMON CORE
L. 7.1 L. 7.2
L. 7.3 SL. 7.1
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
McDougal Interactive Reader
(IR)
Language Network (LN)
Mastering Sentence Craft (MSC)
Mastering the Artistic Writing
Voice (MAWV)
Write Starts (WS)
Speaking and Listening
Extension Activities (309)
Making a Formal Presentation (McD 743)
Persuasive Speech (McD 955)
Writing with Pattern Artistry
(WWPA)
Online Links
www.owl.english.purdue.edu
www.classzone.org
Topics: author online, grammar
arcade, vocabulary practice,
production templates and project
ideas, assessment practice, and
web research guide.
Page 6
7th Grade Poetry Unit
Reading Selection
Creative Critical Thinking
Related Readings
Uncomplicated
Poetry (PH IN8)
“I'm Nobody” (39)
emilydickinson.org
Click on “Teaching with the Archives”
Literary Terms
“Oranges” (85)
Stanza
Quatrain
Rhyme Pattern
frostfriends.org
Simile
Click on “Places and Poetry”
Refrain
(233) Create a writing hexagon. Include Metaphor
Imagery
the following topics:
Alliteration
*Poetic Elements
Assonance
*Themes
Consonance
*Author's Technique
Couplet
*Similarities to Other Works
Metaphor
*What I Liked or Didn't Like
Personification
*Summary
Choose two poems. Compare and contrast Connotation
Denotation
tone, mood, and figurative language.
COMMON CORE
RL. 7.1 RL. 7.2 RL. 7.4
COMMON CORE
RI. 7.7 W. 7.7
COMMON CORE
L. 7.5
More Challenging
eapoe.org
Click on “The Poe Log”
Narrative Poetry
“The Courage That My
Mother Had” (145) (McD 547)
“Stopping by Woods on a Snowy
Evening” (226)
“Onomatopoeia” (737)
“Fog” (750)
“Thumbprint” (134)
“Martin Luther King” (730)
“Annabel Lee”
(728) (McD 567) (IR 131)
poemuseum.org
Lyric Poetry
Click on “Teachers and Poe's Techniques”
Hyperbole
“The Cremation of Sam McGee”
Design a graphic organizer.
(708)
Include the following topics:
Internal Rhyme
*sensory imagery
“Mother to Son” (144)
*simile
Onomatopoeia
“The Highwayman” (276) (McD 575) *metaphor
*alliteration
Suspense
“”Maestro” (738)
*personification
*onomatopoeia
Tone
“Fireflies” (McD 585)
Creative Project Art (McD 569)
Mood
COMMON CORE
RL. 7.1 RL. 7.2
COMMON CORE
COMMON CORE
RI. 7.4 W. 7.7
L. 7.5
RL. 7.4
Complex
“The Charge of the Light Brigade”
(198) (McD 579)
from Henry V “St. Crispian's Day
Speech” (203)
“The Village Blacksmith” (748)
“Loo-Wit” (752)
“Jabberwocky” (McD 594)
COMMON CORE
RL. 7.1 RL. 7.2
RL. 7.4 RL. 7.5
6 Traits
Reading Strategies / CRISS
6 Traits
Ideas
Word Choice
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Two-Column Notes
SQ3R Study Strategy
Think-Pair-Share
Discussion Strategies
6 Traits
Ideas
Word Choice
Organization
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Double-Entry Journal
Concept Mapping
Q-Notes
Think-Pair-Share
Discussion Strategies
Design a chart to compare
“The Charge of the Light Brigade,” and
“St. Crispian's Day Speech.” Use the
following categories: images, feelings,
message/theme, time period and tone
Repetition
6 Traits
Sensory Imagery
Sentence Fluency
hwlongfellow.org
Click on “For Teachers,” then click
“Poems”
Rhyme
Alliteration
Voice
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Spool paper
Simile
RAFT
Design a graphic organizer for one of the Extended Metaphor
poems. Include title, author, tone, sensory
imagery, alliteration, extended metaphor, Personification
and simile.
Sentence and Word
Expansion
COMMON CORE
RI. 7.1 W. 7.7
Discussion Strategies
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
COMMON CORE
L. 7.5
Think-Pair-Share
Page 7
7th Grade Poetry Unit
Writing
Language, Speaking and Listening,
Research and Technology
Quick Writes
Language
Interpreting a Poem (LN 430)
Using Precise Words (LN 302)
Using Figurative Language (LN 303)
Pronouns (LN 56-89)
Punctuation (LN 248- 275)
Pronouns (MSC 38-51)
(43, 741, 137, 733)
Creative Project (McD 587)
Create a Nonsense Poem (McD 599)
Onomatopoeia (MAWV 9-11, WS #1, #11)
Simile (MAWV 45-46, (WS #59)
Idioms (MAWV 58-59)
Alliteration (MAWV 110-111, WS #32)
Essay Writing
Response to Poetry (732)
COMMON CORE
W. 7.1 W. 7.2 W. 7.3
W. 7.4 W. 7.5 W. 7.10
Quick Writes
Introduction to a Poetry Collection (717)
Prepare A Database (151)
Wanted Poster (287)
Analyze Symbol (McD 587)
Sensory Imagery (MAWV 24, 25, WS #42)
Imagery (MAWV 24-36)
Hyperbole (MAWV 99-100, WS #15, #17)
Humor and Surprise (MAWV 107-108)
Speaking and Listening
(43, 151, 233, 733, 757)
(McD 587)
Research and Technology
(43, 151, 733, 741, 757)
COMMON CORE
L. 7.1 L. 7.2
L. 7.3 SL. 7.1
SL. 7.2
Language
Uses of Elaboration (LN 376)
Sensory Details (LN 378)
Time Frame
Three-weeks to teach
One- week to reteach, reassess, and
reevaluate
Quality Indicators
Frequent formative assessment
Text-based writing
Examples and models
Writing process
Rubrics
Close reading of complex text
Text-to-text connections
Analysis of complex text elements
Text-dependent questions
Academic vocabulary
Incorporation of research
Citing of evidence
Presentation/publication
Study and apply grammar
Graphic organizers
Technology and media resources
Various approaches/learning styles
Use of Multiple Intelligences
B.E.S.T. practices
Resource Materials Key
Elements of Style (LN 400)
Prentice Hall Literature (page #)
Speaking and Listening
McDougal Littell Literature(McD)
Essay Writing
Response to Poetry (732)
Writing Prompts (McD 581)
Analysis of a Poem (741)
(717, 151, 287, 733)
COMMON CORE
W. 7.1 W. 7.2 W. 7.3
W. 7.4 W. 7.5 W. 7.10
COMMON CORE
L. 7.1 L. 7.2
L. 7.3 SL. 7.1 SL. 7.2
Quick Writes
Factual Account (207)
Metaphor (MAWV 47-50, WS #41)
Extended Metaphor (MAWV 51-53)
Personification (MAWV 54-57, WS #51)
Symbol (MAWV 60-61)
Allusion (MAWV82-85)
Suspense (MAWV 90-93)
Language
Choosing Precise Words (LN 404)
Connotation and Denotation (LN 406)
Using Figurative Language (LN 408)
Online Links
Speaking and Listening
(207, 757)
www.classzone.com
Topics: author online, grammar
arcade, vocabulary practice,
production templates and project
ideas, assessment practice, and web
research guide
Essay Writing
Response to Poetry (732)
Analysis of a Poem (741)
Interpreting a Poem (LN 430)
Poems (LN 467-470)
COMMON CORE
W. 7.1 W. 7.2 W. 7.3
W. 7.4 W. 7.5 W. 7.10
McDougal Interactive Reader (IR)
Research and Technology
Language Network (LN)
(717, 151, 287, 733)
Mastering the Artistic Writing Voice
(MAWV)
Research and Technology
(207,757)
COMMON CORE
L. 7.1 L. 7.2
L. 7.3 SL. 7.1
SL. 7.2
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Mastering Sentence Craft (MSC)
Write Starts (WS)
www.poetry.org
www.poetryfoundation.org
http://ettcweb.Ir.k12.nj.us/forms/ne
wpoem.html
Page 8
7th Grade Drama Unit
Reading Selection
Creative Critical Thinking
Related Readings
More Challenging
Drama (PH IN6)
A Christmas Carol:
Scrooge and Marley,
Acts 1 and II adapted from A
Christmas Carol
Israel Horovitz (600)
A Christmas Carol
Novel by Charles Dickens
Dramatized by Frederick
Gaines, Scenes 1-6
(McD 388)
COMMON CORE
RL. 7.1 RL. 7.2
RL. 7.3 RL. 7.4
RL. 7.5 RL. 7.6
RL. 7.7 RL. 7.10
Literary Terms
Drama
Acts
“Victorian London”
Prologue
www.britainexpress.com/London/victorian Scenes
-london.htm
Staging
Stage Direction
Props
www.stormfax.com
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Costume Design
Dialogue
Static Character
“Dickens and Too Many Scrooges”
Dynamic Character
(McD 413)
Direct and Indirect
Literary Criticism: “A Christmas Carol”
Characterization
Foil Character
(658)
Figurative Language
Foreshadowing
Choose a character from the play and
design a graphic organizer. Include the
Exposition
following: character, costume, dialogue,
movements, stage directions, and
Rising Action
facial expressions.
Climax
Falling Action
Resolution
Design a Venn Diagram to compare and
Internal Conflict
contrast the drama and the novel.
External Conflict
Consider the following characteristics:
characters, stage directions. descriptions of Stereotype
Sensory Imagery
setting, narrative point of view, plot
Mood
developed through action and dialogue,
Theme
narration, and theme.
Symbolism
Sarcasm
COMMON CORE
Irony
RI. 7.1 RI. 7.2
RI. 7.3 RI. 7.4
RI. 7.5 RI. 7.7
COMMON CORE
RI. 7.10
L. 7.5
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
6 Traits
Reading Strategies / CRISS
6 Traits
Ideas
Organization
Voice
Word Choice
Sentence Fluency
Conventions
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Venn Diagram
Two-Column Notes
Double-Journal Entry
Think-Pair-Share
Discussion Strategies
Author's Craft
KWL
Opinion-Proof
Page 9
7th Grade Drama Unit
Writing
Language, Speaking and Listening,
Research and Technology
Quick Writes
Quote It (McD 386)
In what ways are the young and old characters
of Scrooge the same and different (McD 398)
Short and Extended Responses (McD 415)
Free write about an event in your life that you
would like to change. (627)
Design a poster for a production of A
Christmas Carol. (645, WS #24)
Elaboration (WS #38, #41, #46)
Comparison and Contrast (WWPA 18-20)
Sensory Imagery in Comparison
(WS #26, #29, #42)
Idioms (MAWV 58-59)
Language
One-week to reteach, reassess, and
reevaluate
Latin Root aud (656)
Quality Indicators
Active and Passive Voice (625)
Pronouns and Antecedents (656)
Combine Clauses (McD 415)
Pronouns (MSC 38-51)
Style and Effective Language (399)
Speaking and Listening
Speaking and Listening (625)
Choose a popular Christmas movie to watch
such as Miracle on 34th Street or A Christmas
Story. Write an essay comparing and
contrasting the themes and symbols of the
movie with A Christmas Carol.
Think about when you or someone you know
has been given a second chance to improve a
situation or make amends. Write an essay
or poem about the importance of second
chances in life.
Comparison and Contrast (127)
Comparison and Contrast (LN 446-453)
Comparison and Contrast (McD 286-292)
Comparison (WWPA 21)
Contrast (WWPA 23)
Comparison and Contrast (WWPA 18)
Three-weeks to teach
Latin Root bene (625)
Sentence Expansion (LN 299, 394)
Essay Writing
Write a prose narrative of one of the scenes in
the play. Include dialogue and descriptions of
characters as well as an account of events.
(625)
Time Frame
Creative Project: Drama (McD 414)
Frequent formative assessment
Text-based writing
Examples and models
Writing process
Rubrics
Close reading of complex text
Text-to-text connections
Analysis of complex text elements
Text-dependent questions
Academic vocabulary
Incorporation of research
Citing of evidence
Presentation/publication
Study and apply grammar
Graphic organizers
Technology and media resources
Various approaches/learning styles
Use of Multiple Intelligences
B.E.S.T. practices
Give an oral summary of one review of
Resource Materials Key
a performance of A Christmas Carol.
(657)
Prentice Hall Literature (page #)
McDougal Littell Literature(McD)
Research and Technology
Language Network (LN)
Mastering Sentence Craft (MSC)
Film Clips on Media Smart DVD
Mastering the Artistic Writing Voice
(McD 416)
(MAWV)
Writing with Pattern Artistry (WWPA)
Write Starts (WS)
Create a timeline of Charles Dickens
Online Links
using the internet and library
resources. (657)
classzone.com
Online writing lab:
owl.english.purdue.org
“Fun Trivia-A Christmas Carol”
funtrivia.com/en/Literature/A-ChristmasCarol-14720.html
“Dickens' Glossary”
charlesdickenspage.com/glossary.html
“Dickens' London”
fidnet.com/~dap1955/dickens/dickens_lond
on.html
COMMON CORE
W. 7.1 W. 7.2
W. 7.3 W. 7.4
W. 7.5 W. 7.6
W. 7.9 W. 7.10
COMMON CORE
L. 7.1 L. 7.2
L. 7.3 L. 7.4
L. 7.5 SL. 7.1
SL. 7.2 SL. 7.5
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
“Scrooge, The Musical”
allmusicals.com/s/scrooge.htm
“Charles Dickens' online Greeting cards”
perryweb.com/Dickens/cards.shtml
Page 10
7th Grade Nonfiction Unit
Reading Selection
Related Readings
“Nolan Ryan” (572)
“All Together Now” (532)
nolanryanfoundation.org
Click on “Nolan Ryan.”
“Four Skinny Trees” (230)
“Names/Nombres”
(McD 780) (IR 167)
“Name That Child: How Culture and
Tradition Influence Choices” (IR 176)
COMMON CORE
RI. 7.1 RI. 7.2
RI. 7.4 RI. 7.6 RI. 7.8
More Challenging
“I Am a Native North American”
(528)
“Melting Pot” (122)
“Cat on the Go” (342)
“Rattlesnake Hunt” (518)
Author's
Perspective
Tone
sandracisneros.com
Click on “Button Boxes.”
“Encounter with Martin Luther
King, Jr.” (McD 260)
Biography
Expository Essay
thekingcenter.org
Click on “The King Holiday.”
COMMON CORE
RI. 7.1 RI. 7.2 RI. 7.3
“Revitalizing Native Cultures”
pbs.org/indiancountry/challenges/cultures.html
jamesherriot.net
Click on videos or pictures.
“Do Professional Athletes Get Paid Too
Much?” (McD 922)
Personal Essay
6 Traits
Reflective Essay
Ideas
Organization
Word Choice
Sentence Fluency
Hyperbole
sportsillustrated.cnn.com/features/1997/blackb Voice
aseball/timeline.html
“The Noble Experiment”
(McD 808)
memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/robinson
Flashback
Civics Connection: The Bill of Rights (538)
Atmosphere
COMMON CORE
RI. 7.1 RI. 7.2
RI. 7.4 RI. 7.6 RI. 7.8
COMMON CORE
RI. 7.1 RI. 7.2 RI. 7.3
RI. 7.4 RI. 7.5 RI. 7.6
COMMON CORE
L. 7.5
Complex
alicewalkersgarden.com
Click on videos.
thewildwest.org
Click on “Cowboys”
encyclopedia-titanica.org
Click on “Articles.” Click on “Titanic
Research Articles”
Autobiography
Think-Pair-Share
Discussion Strategies
Author's Craft
KWL
Venn Diagram
Concept Mapping
Opinion-Proof
Double-Entry Journal
Organization
Sentence Fluency
Voice
Conventions
Bias
Reading Strategies / CRISS
from “Into Thin Air” (190)
“I Was Saved From the Titanic"
from “Exploring the Titanic”
(McD 98)
firstladies.org
“A First Lady Speaks Out” (McD 776)
Chronological
Order
COMMON CORE
RI. 7.1 RI. 7.2 RI. 7.3
RI. 7.4 RI. 7.5 RI. 7.6
COMMON CORE
L. 7.5
“Eleanor Roosevelt” (McD 760)
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Reading Strategies / CRISS
6 Traits
Stereotype
COMMON CORE
RI. 7.1 RI. 7.2
RI. 7.4 RI. 7.6 RI. 7.8
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Think-Pair-Share
Discussion Strategies
Author's Craft
Persuasive Essay
KWL
COMMON CORE Venn Diagram
L. 7.5
“Was Tarzan a Three-Bandage
Man?” (82)
“My Furthest-Back Person” (46)
Ideas
Organization
Word Choice
Narrative Essay
from “An American Childhood”
(562) (McD 120)
“The Real Story of a Cowboy's
Life” (281)
6 Traits
Dialect
Exaggeration
“Jackie Robinson”:
archives.gov/exhibits/featured_documents/jack
Word Choice
ie_robinson_letter/
from “In Search of Our Mothers'
Gardens” (106)
6 Traits
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Anecdote
Uncomplicated
from “Barrio Boy” (523)
Literary Terms
Think-Pair-Share
Discussion Strategies
Author's Craft
KWL
Venn Diagram
Double-Entry Journal
Opinion-Proof
Page 11
7th Grade Nonfiction Unit
Writing
Language, Speaking and Listening,
Research and Technology
Quick Writes
Language
Comparing Tone (McD 501)
Verbs (LN 90-123, MSC 14-23)
Emotion: Imagery (WWPA 65, WS 65, 66)
Verbals and Verb Phrases (LN 168)
Anecdote (WWPA 76)
Subject Verb Agreement (LN 206-227)
Strong Verbs (WS 2, 7, 23, 27)
Commonly Confused Words
(LN 638-641)
Essay Writing
Autobiographical Writing (94)
Hooks/Conc. (WWPA 122, 127)
Speaking and Listening
Extension and Challenge (McD 265 #9)
COMMON CORE
W. 7.1 W. 7.2
W. 7.3 W. 7.10
COMMON CORE
L. 7.1 L. 7.2
L. 7.3 SL. 7.1
Quick Writes
Comparing Literary Works (535)
Connecting Literary Elements and Interpreting Idioms
(355)
Humor: Hyperbole (WWPA 99, WS 99, 100)
Humor: Surprise (WWPA 107, WS 107, 108)
Comparison (WWPA 21)
Contrast (WWPA 23)
Flashback (WS 88,89, WWPA 88)
Descriptive Phrases (WS 24, 25)
Language
Essay Writing
Persuasion (322, 537)
Argumentation (WWPA 7)
Comparison and Contrast (WWPA 18)
Sentence Structure (LN 184)
Finding Information (LN 493)
Speaking and Listening
(537, 357, 89)
Time Frame
Seven-weeks to teach
One-week to reteach, reassess,
and reevaluate
Quality Indicators
Frequent formative assessment
Text-based writing
Examples and models
Writing process
Rubrics
Close reading of complex text
Text-to-text connections
Analysis of complex text
elements
Text-dependent questions
Academic vocabulary
Incorporation of research
Citing of evidence
Presentation/publication
Study and apply grammar
Graphic organizers
Technology and media resources
Various approaches/learning
styles
Use of Multiple Intelligences
B.E.S.T. practices
Research and Technology
Resource Materials Key
(537, 357, 89)
Prentice Hall Literature (page #)
McDougal Littell
Literature(McD)
McDougal Interactive Reader
(IR)
COMMON CORE
W. 7.1 W. 7.2
W. 7.3 W. 7.4
W. 7.5 W. 7.9 W. 7.10
COMMON CORE
L. 7.1 L. 7.2
L. 7.3 SL. 7.1
SL. 7.2 SL. 7.3
Quick Writes
Write a Tribute (113)
Short and Extended Response (McD 117)
Illustration (WWPA 37)
Specificity (WWPA 38)
Language
Write Starts (WS)
Research Report (LN 474)
Writing with Pattern Artistry
(WWPA)
Essay Writing
Cause and Effect (WWPA 10)
Personal Narrative (McD 850)
Description (WWPA 30, WS 5, 9, 46)
Speaking and Listening
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Mastering Sentence Craft (MSC)
Online Links
(113, 57)
Research and Technology
(113, 57)
Delivering a Research Presentation (592)
COMMON CORE
W. 7.1 W. 7.2
W. 7.3 W. 7.4
W. 7.5 W. 7.9
W. 7.10
Language Network (LN)
classzone.com
Topics: author online, grammar
arcade, vocabulary practice,
production templates and project
ideas, assessment practice, and
web research guide.
www.pbs.org
COMMON CORE
L. 7.1 L. 7.2
L. 7.3 SL. 7.1
SL. 7.2 SL. 7.3 SL. 7.4
Online writing lab:
owl.english.purdue.edu
Page 12
7th Grade Novel Unit
Reading Selection
Creative Critical Thinking
Related Readings
More Challenging
Design a graphic organizer with 3 examples
each of internal and external conflict that
Winnie experiences in the first half of the
Fantasy
novel.
Prologue
Design a graphic organizer explaining and
illustrating three of the novel's themes.
Support from the text.
Epilogue
Create a time line of 10 major events in the
novel.
Foreshadowing
Related readings:
Tuck Everlasting
Flashback
Omniscient Point of
View
6 Traits
Reading Strategies / CRISS
6 Traits
Ideas
Organization
Voice
Word Choice
Symbolism
Sentence Fluency
Dialogue
Conventions
Theme
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Plot
Venn Diagram
Static Character
Two-Column Notes
Dynamic Character
Double-Entry Journal
Protagonist
Think-Pair-Share
“The Circle of Life”
fi.edu/tfi/units/life/living/living.html
Antagonist
Discussion Strategies
Setting
Author's Craft
“Water Symbolism”
suite101.com/content/water-symbolisma129182
Internal Conflict
KWL
External Conflict
Opinion-Proof
Rising Action
Concept Mapping
Climax
Problem-Solution
“Peekaboo, I Almost See You” by Ogden
Nash
poemhunter.com/poem/peekabo-i-almostsee-you/
“The Happiness Machine” by Ray
Bradbury
saturdayeveningpost.com/wpcontent/uploads/satevepost/ray-bradburythe-happiness-machine-SEP.pdf
COMMON CORE
RL. 7.1 RL. 7.2
RL. 7.3 RL. 7.4
RL. 7.6 RL. 7.10
Literary Terms
COMMON CORE
RI. 7.1 RI. 7.2
RI. 7.3 RI. 7.4
RI. 7.5 RI. 7.6 RI. 7.10
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Falling Action
Resolution
Page 13
7th Grade Novel Unit
Writing
Language, Speaking and Listening,
Research and Technology
Quick Writes
Language
Design a wanted poster for Mae Tuck. State
her crime and the reward money.
Developing Your Vocabulary (LN 567-581)
Adverbs (MSC 82-97)
Create an advertisement for the spring water
that the man in the yellow suit might put in a Adjectives/Adverbs (LN 124-145)
newspaper.
Adjectives (MSC 66-80)
Write your own version of the epilogue in
which the Tucks' return to find that Winnie is Sentence Combining (LN 330, 331, 394)
alive.
Speaking and Listening
Word Pictures (MAWV 18-36)
Prepare a mock trial in which Mae is tried for
Word Choice (MAWV 7-16)
killing the man in the yellow suit. Decide on
Descriptive Phrases (WS 24, 25)
witnesses, the judge, constable, jury, lawyers
Symbol (MAWV 60, 61)
and the characters. Use the book as a reference
to figure Mae's defense.
Essay Writing
Time Frame
Three-weeks to teach
One-week to reteach, reassess, and
reevaluate
Quality Indicators
Frequent formative assessment
Text-based writing
Examples and models
Writing process
Rubrics
Close reading of complex text
Text-to-text connections
Analysis of complex text elements
Text-dependent questions
Academic vocabulary
Incorporation of research
Citing of evidence
Presentation/publication
Study and apply grammar
The Tucks' decision to drink from the spring Prepare a two minute newscast for Treegap TV Graphic organizers
brings immortality. Explain the lifelong
about the recent jailbreak. Either videotape or Technology and media resources
Various approaches/learning styles
effects of their choice.
prepare a live broadcast.
Use of Multiple Intelligences
Write an essay comparing Jesse and Miles
Debate among your classmates how the Tucks B.E.S.T. practices
Tuck. Explain how their differences affect
might have handled their immorality
Resource Materials Key
their feeling about immortality.
differently.
Language Network (LN)
Explain what the ferris wheel, woods, the
Research and Technology
Mastering Sentence Craft (MSC)
man in the yellow suit and the spring
Research
how
human
life
spans
have
increased
symbolize in the novel. Be specific in your
Mastering the Artistic Writing Voice
the last few decades. Sum up the discoveries
support. Make connections to your life.
(MAWV)
and explain why life spans have increased.
Cause and Effect (WWPA 10)
Cause (WWPA 12)
Compare and Contrast (WWPA 18)
Comparison (WWPA 21)
Contrast (WWPA 23)
Writing with Pattern Artistry
Read one of the following articles, and design (WWPA)
a PowerPoint summarizing what you learned.
Write Starts (WS)
“Fountain of Youth, St. Augustine”
exploresouthernhistory.com/fountainofyouth.ht
Online Links
ml
www.webenglishteacher.com
fountainofyouthflorida.com/index.php
“Fountain of Youth Activity”
home.earthlink.net/~eduscapes/units/t
uck/activity1.htm
“Keeping Secrets Activity”
home.earthlink.net/~eduscapes/units/t
uck/activity2.htm
COMMON CORE
W. 7.1 W. 7.2
W. 7.4 W. 7.5
W. 7.6 W. 7.9 W. 7.10
COMMON CORE
L. 7.1 L. 7.2
L. 7.3 L. 7.4
L. 7.5 SL. 7.1
SL. 7.2 SL. 7.4 SL. 7.5
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
“The Fountain of Youth, the Most
Futile Search video”
history.com/videos/the-most-fountainof-youth#the-most-fountain-of-youth
“About Natalie Babbitt”
scholastic.com/kids/homework/pdfs/T
uck_Everlasting_pt1.pdf
Page 14
8th Grade Short Story Unit
Reading Selection
Related Readings
Research
Uncomplicated
Video clips of school track meets
news.youthrunner.com
Research & Technology (299)
COMMON CORE
RL. 8.1 RL. 8.2
RL. 8.3 RL. 8.4
6 Traits
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Internal Conflict
Articles related to running
news.youthrunner.com
“Raymond’s Run”
(286) (IR 5)
Literary Terms
COMMON CORE
RI. 8.1
RI. 8.9
External Conflict
6 Traits
Major Character
Minor Character
Voice
Ideas
Theme
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Characterization
Author's Craft
Story Plans
Problem-Solution
Idiom
COMMON CORE
L.8.5
More Challenging
Dynamic Character
6 Traits
“Flowers for Algernon” (180)
Articles related to intelligence
studies
www.indiana.edu/~intell
Static Character
Organization
Conventions
“Us and Them” (IR 141)
Research & Technology (213)
First-Person Point of
View
Reading Strategies / CRISS
COMMON CORE
RL. 8.1 RL. 8.3
RL. 8.4 RL. 8.6
COMMON CORE
RI. 8.1
RI. 8.7
RI. 8.9
COMMON CORE
L. 8.5
Journals
Opinion-Proof
Think-Pair-Share
More Challenging
“A Ribbon for Baldy” (380)
“The White Umbrella” (384)
Articles related to science and
agriculture
www.usda.gov
6 Traits
Predictions
Sentence Fluency
Word Choice
Character Traits
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Research & Technology (395)
“Rules of the Game” (IR 31)
Novel connection:
Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother —
Amy Chua
COMMON CORE
RL. 8.1 RL. 8.2
RL. 8.6
COMMON CORE
RL. 8.1 RL. 8.9
RI. 8.10
Story Plans
RAFT
Vocabulary Maps
COMMON CORE
L. 8.5
Complex
Mood
“The Secret” (116)
“The Monkey’s Paw”
(IR 59)
COMMON CORE
RL. 8.1 RL. 8.2
RL. 8.3 RL. 8.4
Articles related to space exploration
and health
(see online links)
Research & Technology (127)
COMMON CORE
RI. 8.1
RI. 8.9
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
6 Traits
Tone
Setting
Voice
Ideas
Science Fiction
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Word Origins
Concept Mapping
One-Sentence Summaries
Problem-Solution
COMMON CORE
L. 8.5
Page 15
8th Grade Short Story Unit
Writing
Language
Listening and Speaking
Quick Writes
Language
Parts of Speech Review (MWS 3, 4, 103-105)
Figurative Language: Idiom (MAWV 58)
Root Word: Scope (298)
The Sentence and Its Parts (LN 4-33)
Types of Sentences (LN 4-33)
Capitalization (LN 228-247)
Narration (WWPA 39)
Dialogue: Bringing Text to Life
(MAWV 13)
Specificity with Dialogue (MAWV 40)
Essay Writing
Personal Narrative Essay (MI 10)
Time Frame
Seven-weeks to teach
Listening and Speaking
Discuss personal experiences about
competition.
COMMON CORE
W. 8.3 W. 8.10
COMMON CORE
L. 8.1 L. 8.4 L. 8.5
Quick Writes
Chronological Order (WWPA 14)
Word Pictures: Description (MAWV 18)
Anecdote (MAWV 76)
Language
Parts of Speech Review (MWS 3, 4)
Verb Tenses (LN 105-113)
Root Word: Psych (212)
Essay Writing
Exploring social issues through literature
(MI 22)
Listening and Speaking
Analyze different media concerning lab mice.
COMMON CORE
W. 8.3 W. 8.10
COMMON CORE
L. 8.1 L. 8.4 SL. 8.2
Quick Writes
Language
Sensory Detail (WWPA 43)
Clauses (LN 194, 186-188)
Color Words (MAWV 7)
Simple, compound, and complex sentences
(LN 184-205)
SL. 8.1
Quality Indicators
Frequent formative assessment
Text-based writing
Examples and models
Writing process
Rubrics
Close reading of complex text
Text-to-text connections
Analysis of complex text elements
Text-dependent questions
Academic vocabulary
Incorporation of research
Citing of evidence
Presentation/publication
Study and apply grammar
Graphic organizers
Technology and media resources
Various approaches/learning styles
Use of Multiple Intelligences
B.E.S.T. practices
Resource Materials Key
Listening and Speaking
Prentice Hall Literature (page #)
McDougal Interactive Reader (IR)
Language Network (LN)
Mastering the Artistic Writing Voice
(MAWV)
Mastering Ideas (MI)
Mastering Writing Skills (MWS)
Writing with Pattern Artistry (WWPA)
Discuss relationships with parents.
Online Links
Tone (MAWV 71)
Essay Writing
One-week to reteach, reassess, and
reevaluate
Expository—Character Analysis (MI 15)
www.ehow.com/list_6717952_differenttrack-field-events.html
COMMON CORE
W. 8.2 W. 8.3
W. 8.4 W. 8.10
COMMON CORE
L. 8.1 SL. 8.1
www.thematzats.com/algernon/rorschac
h.html
Quick Writes
Language
Cause and Effect (WWPA 10)
Parts of Speech Review (MWS 3,4)
www.brevardcountyfair.com/horticultur
e.html
Emotion: Suspense (MAWV 63)
Action Verbs and Linking Verbs (LN 90-122,
MSC 144-23)
Emotion: Negative (MAWV 69)
Root Word: Micro (126)
Essay Writing
Persuasive (MI 22)
Listening and Speaking
Present findings on medical research in space.
COMMON CORE
W. 8.1 W. 8.3
W. 8.4 W. 8.10
COMMON CORE
L. 8.1 L. 8.4 SL. 8.4
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
thecreativityquiz.com/
science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/
nasa-inventions/nasa-breakthroughs-inmedicine.htm#mkcpgn=em2
www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/NEEMO/
NEEMO14/NEEMO14_featurestory.ht
ml
SL. 8.5
Page 16
8th Grade Poetry Unit
Reading Selection
Related Readings
Research
Literary Terms
Uncomplicated
6 Traits
Reading Strategies / CRISS
6 Traits
Word Choice
“Grandma Ling”
(68)
“For My Sister Molly Who
in the Fifties”
(882)
Chinese New Year in Taiwan
(video link)
Voice
Imagery
Reading Strategies / CRISS
From “I Know Why the Caged Bird
Sings” (32)
Sensory language
Memoir
Use Context to Find the
Meaning of Words
Principles and Philosophy
COMMON CORE
RL. 8.1
RL. 8.4
RL. 8.5
COMMON CORE
RL. 8.1
RL. 8.5
Pattern Puzzle
COMMON CORE
L. 8.5
Sentence and Word Expansion
More Challenging
Idiom
6 Traits
Mood
Word Choice
Tone
Voice
Analogy
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Ballad
Selective Highlighting
“All But Blind” (46)
“Old Man” (70)
Research and Technology (51)
“The Choice” (48)
“Paul Revere’s Ride” (300)
COMMON CORE
RL. 8.1
RL. 8.4
RL. 8.5
Paul Revere: Fact and Fiction
“The Deposition: Draft”
(310)
Sentence and Word Expansion
COMMON CORE
RL. 8.5
RI. 8.9
COMMON CORE
L. 8.5
Complex
6 Traits
“The Secret Heart” (811)
Simile
Word Choice
“The Centaur” (824)
“The Wreck of the Hesperus” (818)
Metaphor
“The Dark Hills” (890)
“Incident in a Rose Garden” (892)
Personification
“Colossus” (372)
Research & Technology (897)
Symbol
Voice
Reading Strategies / CRISS
RAFT
Allusion
COMMON CORE
RL. 8.1
RL. 8.4
RL. 8.5
RL. 8.10
Concept Mapping
Vocabulary Maps
COMMON CORE
RL. 8.5
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
COMMON CORE
L. 8.5
Page 17
8th Grade Poetry Unit
Writing
Language
Speaking and Listening
Quick Writes
Language
Illustration (WWPA 37)
Verbs (LN 90-123, MSC 14-23))
Sensory language (MAWV 18-36)
Flashback (MAWV 88)
Strong Verbs (e.g. “stretched”, “measure”)
Punctuation (248-275)
Nouns (LN 34-55)
Speaking and Listening
Discuss common ideas in the readings.
COMMON CORE
W. 8.2
W. 8.3
W. 8.4
COMMON CORE
L. 8.3
SL. 8.1
Quick Writes
Language
Spatial (WWPA 45)
Unusual Adjectives Pairings
(e.g. “awesome aromas”) (MSC 66-80)
Idiom (MAWV 58)
Humor: Sarcasm (MAWV 103)
Speaking and Listening
Discuss sarcasm in “The Choice.”
Use visual displays to to clarify the spatial
element in “Paul Revere's Ride.”
COMMON CORE
W. 8.2
W. 8.3
W. 8.4
COMMON CORE
L. 8.5
SL. 8.1
SL. 8.5
Quick Writes
Language
Metaphor (MAWV 47)
Punctuation (semicolon, dash)
(LN 262, 264)
Symbol (MAWV 60)
Allusion (MAWV 82)
Inappropriate Shift in Verb Voice
(MSC 16-17)
Speaking and Listening
Time Frame
Three-weeks to teach
One-week to reteach, reassess, and
reevaluate
Quality Indicators
Frequent formative assessment
Text-based writing
Examples and models
Writing process
Rubrics
Close reading of complex text
Text-to-text connections
Analysis of complex text elements
Text-dependent questions
Academic vocabulary
Incorporation of research
Citing of evidence
Presentation/publication
Study and apply grammar
Graphic organizers
Technology and media resources
Various approaches/learning styles
Use of Multiple Intelligences
B.E.S.T. practices
Resource Materials Key
Prentice Hall Literature (page #)
McDougal Interactive Reader (IR)
Mastering the Artistic Writing Voice
(MAWV)
Mastering Sentence Craft (MSC)
Writing with Pattern Artistry
(WWPA)
Online Links
www.lonelyplanet.com/taiwan
lonelyplanet.com/taiwan/videos/shrfe
n-taiwan$ltv-B5E5A67B9C8E4A97
indianpueblo.org/19pueblos/index.ht
ml
paulreverehouse.org
Enact poems and adapt speech to different
purposes
COMMON CORE
W. 8.2
W. 8.3
W. 8.4
mythicalrealm.com/creatures/centaurs
.html
mlahanas.de/Greeks/Colossus.htm
COMMON CORE
L. 8.1
SL. 8.6
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
statueofliberty.org/Statue_of_Liberty
_Picture.html
Page 18
8th Grade Drama Unit
Reading Selection
Related Readings
Research
Literary Terms
6 Traits
Reading Strategies / CRISS
More Challenging
Plot (779)
The Diary of Anne
Frank
Acts I and II (700)
from “Life is Beautiful” (786)
(Complex)
Staging (695)
“The Diary of Anne Frank Study
Guide”
www.sainthelena.us
Historical Context
Dialogue (695)
Theme (695)
Mood
“Anne Frank Museum”
www.annefrank.org/
Audio-slideshow of Anne Frank
www.pbs.org
COMMON CORE
RL.8.3 RL.8.5 RL.8.7
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Ideas
Organization
Voice
Word Choice
Sentence Fluency
Conventions
Symbolism
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Denotation
Venn Diagram
Vocabulary Maps
Journals
Problem-Solution
Opinion-Proof
Story Plans
Connotation
Characterization
COMMON CORE
RL.8.1 RL.8.2
RL.8.3 RL.8.4
RL.8.6 RL.8.10
6 Traits
COMMON CORE
L. 8.5
Page 19
8th Grade Drama Unit
Writing
Language
Speaking and Listening
Quick Writes
Spatial: Describe the stage. (WWPA 45)
Narration (WWPA 4)
Sensory Detail (WWPA 43)
Dialogue: Creating Voice (MAWV 15)
Imagery: Setting (MAWV 30)
Symbol: Star of David (MAWV 60)
Suspense (MAWV 90)
Humor: Surprise (MAWV 107)
Summary (782)
Language
Sentence Expansion (LN 330-331, 341)
Distinguish between connotations of
words with similar denotations.
(LN 596)
Time Frame
Three-weeks to teach
One-week to reteach, reassess, and
reevaluate
Quality Indicators
Frequent formative assessment
Text-based writing
Sentence Combining (LN 332-337)
Examples and models
Writing process
Acquire fluency of words in The Diary of Rubrics
Anne Frank. (747, 780)
Close reading of complex text
Essay Writing
Text-to-text connections
Expository—Describe a prolonged,
Sentence Clarity (LN 395-407)
Analysis of complex text elements
difficult situation in which you or
Text-dependent questions
someone close to you made the best of Speaking and Listening
Academic vocabulary
the situation.
Incorporation of research
Discuss the social issues in The Diary of Citing of evidence
Persuasive—Persuade the German
Anne Frank and compare those issues to Presentation/publication
government to value the members of the social issues in the present.
Study and apply grammar
Frank family as human beings.
Graphic organizers
Enact some or all of The Diary of Anne
Technology and media resources
Frank.
Various approaches/learning styles
Use of Multiple Intelligences
Create a video diary.
B.E.S.T. practices
PBS Video Diary Project
www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/annefran Resource Materials Key
k/videodiary.html
Prentice Hall Literature (page #)
Language Network (LN)
COMMON CORE
L.8.1 L.8.2 W.8.1
W.8.2 W.8.4 W. 8.5
W.8.10
COMMON CORE
L. 8.3 L. 8.4
L. 8.5 L. 8.6
SL. 8.1 SL. 8.2
SL. 8.5 SL. 8.6
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Mastering the Artistic Writing Voice
(MAWV)
Writing with Pattern Artistry
(WWPA)
Page 20
8th Grade Nonfiction Unit
Reading Selection
Related Readings
Research
Literary Terms
6 Traits
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Uncomplicated
“Ellis Island and Angel Island” Articles on immigration and Ellis
(376)
Island
www.angel-island.com
“Travels with Charley” (350) www.ellisisland.org
“A Glow in the Dark” (494)
“Baseball” (624)
DiscoveryEducation.com: video clip
on dog sledding
COMMON CORE
RI. 8.1 RI. 8.2
RI. 8.3
COMMON CORE
RI. 8.7 RI. 8.9
6 Traits
Metaphor
Simile
Sentence Fluency
Voice
Personification
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Clarify
Concept Mapping
Journals
Spool Paper
COMMON CORE
L. 8.5
More Challenging
6 Traits
“The American Dream” (673)
“I Have a Dream” speech by Martin
Luther King, Jr.
Persuasive
“Sharing the American Dream” www.mlkonline.net
Techniques
(599)
Epithet
“Choice: A Tribute to Martin
Biographical article on Colin Powell
Luther King, Jr.” (364)
www.notablebiographies.com
COMMON CORE
RI. 8.4 RI. 8.5
RI.8.6
COMMON CORE
RI. 8.9
Research
Different art pieces by Hokusai
www.katsushikahokusai.org/
COMMON CORE
RI. 8.4 RI. 8.6
RI. 8.7
COMMON CORE
RI. 8.7 RI. 8.9
Complex
“Brown vs. Board of
Education” (230)
“Arguments in Favor of a
Sixteenth Amendment” (405)
COMMON CORE
RI.8.1 RI.8.8
RI.8.9 RI.8.10
6 Traits
Articles about holocaust survivors
www.holocaustsurvivors.org
“Not to Go With the Others”
(639)
Civics Connection:
The Fourteenth Amendment
www.pbs.org
Biographical
Voice
Ideas
Narrative
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Identify Author's Main Points
Author's Craft
COMMON CORE KWL
Vocabulary Maps
L. 8.5
6 Traits
Tone
“Plessy vs. Ferguson”
www.pbs.org
Allusion
The Fifteenth Amendment
www.pbs.org
Informative Essay
COMMON CORE
RI.8.9
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Evaluate a Writer's Logic or
Reasoning
Opinion-Proof
Principles & Philosophy
COMMON CORE KWL
L.8.5
More Challenging
“Hokusai: The Old Man Mad
About Drawing” (636)
Ideas
Word Choice
Organization
Sentence Fluency
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Analyze Word Origins
Vocabulary Maps
COMMON CORE Problem-Solution
Two-Column Notes
L.8.5
Page 21
8th Grade Nonfiction Unit
Writing
Language
Speaking and Listening
Time Frame
Quick Writes
Comparison and Contrast (WWPA 18)
Imagery: Action (MAWV 28)
Personification (MAWV 54)
Language
Pronouns (LN 56-89, MSC 38-51)
Figures of Speech (416)
Active/Passive Voice (LN 338-339)
One-week to reteach, reassess,
and reevaluate
Essay Writing
Comparing and Contrasting Essay,
In the Bag (MI 9)
Speaking and Listening
Present article summaries of
immigration and Ellis Island.
COMMON CORE
W. 8.2 W. 8.4 W. 8.9
COMMON CORE
L. 8.5 SL. 8.6
Quick Writes
Argumentation (WWPA 7)
Specificity through Questioning (MAWV 42)
Conclusions (MAWV 127)
Language
Verbs (LN 90-123, MSC 14-23))
Identify Verbs in Active and Passive
Voice (LN 338)
Essay Writing
A Definition Essay Explaining Tyranny,
“Et Tu, Brute?” (MI 12)
Speaking and Listening
Discuss principles in “The American
Dream.”
Evaluate Martin Luther King, Jr.'s
arguments in groups.
COMMON CORE
W. 8.2 W. 8.4 W. 8.9
COMMON CORE
L. 8.2 SL. 8.1 SL. 8.3
Resource Materials Key
Quick Writes
Definition (WWPA 26)
Word Pictures: Action (MAWV 22)
Imagery: Character Description (MAWV 26)
Language
Use Context Clues
(644, LN 587-588)
McDougal Interactive Reader
(IR)
Essay Writing
Essay Analyzing Character at Three Levels,
Thinking and Writing Outside the Box (MI 15)
Speaking and Listening
Response to Art (645)
COMMON CORE
L. 8.4 SL. 8.5
Quick Writes
Contrast (WWPA 23)
Example (MAWV 78)
Hooks (MAWV 122)
Language
Punctuation (LN 248-273)
Form a verb in the imperative.
COMMON CORE
W. 8.2 W. 8.4 W. 8.9
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Quality Indicators
Frequent formative assessment
Text-based writing
Examples and models
Writing process
Rubrics
Close reading of complex text
Text-to-text connections
Analysis of complex text elements
Text-dependent questions
Academic vocabulary
Incorporation of research
Citing of evidence
Presentation/publication
Study and apply grammar
Graphic organizers
Technology and media resources
Various approaches/learning
styles
Use of Multiple Intelligences
B.E.S.T. practices
Prentice Hall Literature (page #)
Language Network (LN)
Mastering Ideas (MI)
Mastering the Artistic Writing
Voice (MAWV)
COMMON CORE
W. 8.2 W. 8.4 W. 8.9
Essay Writing
Writing an Opinion Paper,
What-Why-How Chart Strategy (MI 17)
Seven-weeks to teach
Mastering Sentence Craft (MSC)
Writing with Pattern Artistry
(WWPA)
Online Links
www.japaneseart.org
Speaking and Listening
Present claims and findings using
relevant evidence.
library.thinkquest.org/J0112391/brow
n_v__board_of_education.htm
COMMON CORE
L. 8.1 L. 8.2 SL. 8.4
Page 22
8th Grade Novel Unit
Reading Selection
Related Readings
Research
More Challenging
Out of the Dust
Karen Hesse
The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963
Christopher Paul Curtis
Roll of Thunder,
Hear My Cry
COMMON CORE
RL.8.1 RL.8.2
RL.8.3 RL.8.4
RL.8.6 RL.8.10
Literary Terms
6 Traits
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Conflict
Plot
6 Traits
Foreshadowing
Ideas
Organization
Voice
Word Choice
Sentence Fluency
Conventions
Study Guide for Roll of Thunder, Hear
My Cry
Irony
www.scholastic.com/kids/homework/pdfs
/Roll_of_Thunder.pdf
Theme
Webquest for Roll of Thunder, Hear My First-Person Point of
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Cry
View
www.msu.edu/~wohltjes/WebQuest/inde
Venn Diagram
x.htm
Allusion
Author's Craft
Prolem-Solution
Video segments on Discovery Education: Suspense
Vocabulary Maps
Sharecropping, Great Depression, Dust
Story Plans
Bowl
Personification
Discussion Strategies
www.DiscoveryEducation.com
COMMON CORE
RL. 8.3 RL. 8.5 RL. 8.7
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
COMMON CORE
L. 8.5
Page 23
8th Grade Novel Unit
Writing
Language
Speaking and Listening
Quick Writes
Cause (WWPA 12)
Comparison (WWPA 21)
Description (WWPA 30)
Effect (WWPA 33)
Descriptive Phrases: Setting (MAWV 20)
Descriptive Phrases: Sensory Imagery
(MAWV 24)
Personification (MAWV 56)
Foreshadowing (MAWV 86)
Suspense (MAWV 92)
Language
Elaboration (LN 381-393)
Time Frame
Three-weeks to teach
One-week to reteach, reassess,
and reevaluate
Identify and emulate strong, active verbs Quality Indicators
in Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry.
Frequent formative assessment
(LN 92, MSC 23)
Text-based writing
Examples and models
Identify and emulate punctuation,
Writing process
including commas, ellipses, and dashes
Rubrics
to indicate pauses or breaks. (LN 248)
Close reading of complex text
Text-to-text connections
Speaking and Listening
Essay Writing
Analysis of complex text
Research sharecropping and write a report. Discuss various themes in Roll of
elements
Persuasive prompt: Did T.J. deserve to go to Thunder, Hear My Cry in small groups. Text-dependent questions
jail?
Academic vocabulary
Plan, revise and rewrite.
Incorporation of research
Use multimedia to present important
Publish essay or report on edline and have
Citing of evidence
themes in Roll of Thunder, Hear My
students post comments.
Presentation/publication
Cry.
Study and apply grammar
Graphic organizers
Technology and media resources
Various approaches/learning
styles
Use of Multiple Intelligences
B.E.S.T. practices
Resource Materials Key
Prentice Hall Literature (page #)
COMMON CORE
W. 8.1 W. 8.2
W. 8.4 W. 8.5
W. 8.6 W. 8.7
W. 8.8 W. 8.9
W.8.10
Language Network (LN)
COMMON CORE
L. 8.1 L. 8.2
SL. 8.1 SL. 8.2
SL. 8.5
Mastering the Artistic Writing
Voice (MAWV)
Mastering Sentence Craft
(MSC)
Writing with Pattern Artistry
(WWPA)
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Page 24
9th Grade Short Story Unit
Reading Selection
Related Readings
Literary Terms
6 Traits
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Theme
6 Traits
Uncomplicated
“Special Siblings”
(IR 106)
“The Scarlett Ibis”
(314) (IR 91)
Ideas
Word Choice
Imagery
“The Ties That Bind”
(IR 109)
COMMON CORE
RL. 9-10.1
RL. 9-10.2
RL. 9-10.3
Symbol
Simile
Conventions
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Metaphor
Concept Mapping
COMMON CORE
RI. 9-10.1
COMMON CORE
L. 9-10.5
Think-Pair-Share
“The Princess and the Tin Box”
(244)
Point of View
6 Traits
Direct Characterization
Word Choice
More Challenging
“The Necklace”
(220) (IR 53)
“Money Really Can Buy
Happiness”
(IR 64)
Indirect Characterization
Situational Irony
Organization
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Discussion Strategies
COMMON CORE
RL. 9-10.1
RL. 9-10.3
RL. 9-10.5
Opinion-Proof Notes
COMMON CORE
RI. 9-10.2
COMMON CORE
L. 9-10.5
“How Fear Works” (IR 28)
Plot
More Challenging
6 Traits
“The Most Dangerous Game”
(12) (IR 5)
COMMON CORE
RL. 9-10.1
RL. 9-10.5
RL. 9-10.6
Conflict
“Games People Probably Shouldn't
Play” (IR 31)
Inference
Ideas
Word Choice
Voice
Reading Strategies / CRISS
COMMON CORE
RI. 9-10.1
Complex
COMMON CORE
L. 9-10.5
Plot
Concept Map
6 Traits
Word Choice
“Cask of Amontillado”
(232) (IR 73)
COMMON CORE
RL. 9-10.1
RL. 9-10.2
RL. 9-10.4
Mood
“He Who Casts the First Stone
Probably Didn't” (IR 83)
Setting
Reliable/Unreliable
Narrator (232)
Sentence Fluency
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Think-Pair-Share
Two-Column Notes
COMMON CORE
RI. 9-10.1
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
COMMON CORE
L. 9-10.5
Concept Map
Page 25
9th Grade Short Story Unit
Writing
Research
Language
Speaking and Listening
Language
Prepositions/Prepositional Phrases (LN 23-25, 66-67,
Descriptive Setting (MAWV 20)
MSC 1,2,3,4,5)
Adjectives/Adverbs (LN 17-22, 55, MSC 66-68, 82,
Symbol (MAWV 60)
84-86)
Irregular Adjectives/Adverbs (LN 217-221)
Short Response Analysis: How does the
Review other Parts of Speech (if necessary)
author use symbolism to represent Doodle in (LN 4-33)
the story? (IR 104)
Time Frame
Seven-weeks to teach
Quick Writes
COMMON CORE
W. 9-10.2 W. 9-10.4
W. 9-10.9 W. 9-10.10
Quick Writes
Character Description (MAWV 26)
Characterization Graphic Organizer (IR 62)
“What's the Connection?” (IR 63)
Example (WWPA 35)
Essay Writing
Explanatory Prompt (IR 69)
Research
History/fashion (TE 225)
COMMON CORE
W. 9-10.2 W. 9-10.4
W. 9-10.10
Quick Writes
Writer's Notebook (11)
Double-Entry Journal (12)
Graphic Organizer for Plot (IR 26)
Argumentation (WWPA 7)
Map the Chase (30 #4)
Essay Writing
Persuasive Prompt (IR 33)
Research
Science (TE 20)
COMMON CORE
W. 9-10.1 W. 9-10.4
W. 9-10.10
Quick Writes
Setting (MAWV 30)
Suspense (MAWV 92)
Short Response Analysis: Is Montresor a
reliable narrator? Support your answer with
evidence from the text.
Research
Cultural Connection (TE 235)
COMMON CORE
W. 9-10.10
One-week to reteach, reassess,
and reevaluate
Quality Indicators
Frequent formative assessment
Text-based writing
Examples and models
Writing process
Rubrics
COMMON CORE
Close reading of complex text
L. 9-10.1 L. 9-10.5
Text-to-text connections
SL. 9-10.1 SL. 9-10.4
Analysis of complex text
elements
Language
Text-dependent questions
Noun Categories (review) (MSC 25-26)
Academic vocabulary
Noun Functions: Subject (LN 38-39, 54)
Incorporation of research
Direct/Indirect Object (LN 52-53, 56)
Citing of evidence
Object of Preposition (LN 23-25)
Presentation/publication
Predicate Nominative (LN 50-51, 55)
Study and apply grammar
Appositives (LN 69-70)
Pronouns (LN 9-13, 180-186, MSC 38-39, 42-44, 46, Graphic organizers
Technology and media
50-51)
resources
Various approaches/learning
Speaking and Listening
styles
Develop and Present a Debate (230 #4)
Use of Multiple Intelligences
B.E.S.T. practices
COMMON CORE
L. 9-10.1 L. 9-10.5
Resource Materials Key
SL. 9-10.1 SL. 9-10.5
Holt Elements of Literature
Language
(page #)
Action/Linking/Helping Verbs (LN 14, MSC 14-16)
Strong Verbs (31, MSC 23)
Verb Tense/Active/Passive (LN 129-145, MSC 17)
COMMON CORE
L. 9-10.1
L. 9-10.5
SL. 9-10.2
Language
Review Noun Function (MSC 29-30)
Review Prepositional Phrases (MSC 6)
Conjunctions (LN 26-26, MSC 53-55)
Conjunctive Adverbs (MSC 59-63)
Subordinating Conjunctions (MSC 63-64)
McDougal Interactive Reader
(IR)
Language Network (LN)
Mastering the Artistic Writing
Voice (MAWV)
Mastering Sentence Craft
(MSC)
Writing with Pattern Artistry
(WWPA)
Online Links
www.schmoop.com/scarlet-ibis
(Click on “Best of the Web”)
www.schmoop.com/cask-ofamontillado
(Click on “Best of the web”)
www.learnnc.org
COMMON CORE
L. 9-10.1 L. 9-10.5
SL. 9-10.3 SL. 9-10.6
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Webquests for “The Most
Dangerous Game”:
www.lessonplanet.com
Page 26
9th Grade Poetry Unit
Reading Selection
Related Readings
Literary Terms
6 Traits
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Alliteration
Allusion
Assonance
Imagery
Metaphor
Personification
Repetition
Simile
Theme
6 Traits
Uncomplicated
“Fog” (503)
“Imagery”
(492)
“Daily” (495)
“Ain't I a Woman?” (611)
“Figures of Speech: Seeing
Connections”
(520)
“Combing” (567)
COMMON CORE
RL. 9-10.1
RL. 9-10.2
COMMON CORE
RI. 9-10.1
RI. 9-10.2
Word Choice
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Concept Mapping
Two-Column Notes
Venn Diagram
COMMON CORE
L.9-10.5
More Challenging
“The Gift” (564)
“Grape Sherbet” (IR 171)
“In Just-” (505)
“Harlem” (590)
“'Hope is the Thing With
Feathers” (595)
COMMON CORE
RL. 9-10.1
RL. 9-10.2
Alliteration
Connotation
Denotation
“Langston Hughes on the IRT” Extended Metaphor
Free Verse
(593)
Lyric Poem
“The Sounds of Poetry”
Meter
(554)
Onomatopoeia
Repetition
Rhyme
“I Ask My Mother to Sing”
(IR 170)
Rhythm
Symbolism
Theme
COMMON CORE
RI. 9-10.3
6 Traits
Word Choice
Ideas
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Concept Mapping
Two-Column Notes
Venn Diagram
COMMON CORE
L.9-10.5
Complex
Connotation
Denotation
“My Papa's Waltz” (562)
Diction
Tone: “It's an Attitude”
Extended Metaphor
“Fire and Ice” (541)
(586)
Internal Rhyme
Meter
“The Seven Ages of Man” (536) “Who Exactly Is a Grown Up?” Mood
(IR 191)
Rhyme
“The Road Not Taken” (602)
Rhythm
Theme
Tone
COMMON CORE
RL. 9-10.1 RL. 9-10.2
COMMON CORE
RL. 9-10.4 RL. 9-10.5
RI. 9-10.5
COMMON CORE
RL. 9-10.9
RI. 9-10.6
L.9-10.5
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
6 Traits
Word Choice
Organization
Reading Strategies / CRISS
One-Sentence Summaries
Two-Column Notes
Venn Diagram
Page 27
9th Grade Poetry Unit
Writing
Research
Language, Speaking and Listening,
Research
Quick Writes
“Fog” (502, 508 # 3, #6)
Quickwrite (494)
“Daily”(498)
Analysis Response (IR 173)
Simile (WS #8)
Alliteration/Assonance (WS #24)
Collecting Ideas for a Compare/Contrast
Essay (609)
Language
Time Frame
Three-weeks to teach
Noun Categories(MSC 25)
One-week to reteach, reassess, and
reevaluate
Personification (MAWV 54)
Quality Indicators
Speaking and Listening
Struggling Readers (TE 610)
COMMON CORE
W. 9-10.9
W. 9-10.10
COMMON CORE
L. 9-10.3 L. 9-10.4
SL. 9-10.1 SL. 9-10.6
Quick Writes
Language
“In Just” (504)
Alliteration (MAWV 110-111)
“Harlem” (590)
Denotation and Connotation
(LN 382-383)
Compare and Contrast (609)
Onomatopoeia (MAWV 9)
Alliteration/Onomatopoeia (569 #4)
Frequent formative assessment
Text-based writing
Examples and models
Writing process
Rubrics
Close reading of complex text
Text-to-text connections
Analysis of complex text elements
Text-dependent questions
Academic vocabulary
Incorporation of research
Citing of evidence
Presentation/publication
Study and apply grammar
Graphic organizers
Technology and media resources
Various approaches/learning styles
Use of Multiple Intelligences
B.E.S.T. practices
Speaking and Listening
Research
Resource Materials Key
Verbal Music (569 #2)
History (TE 592)
COMMON CORE
W. 9-10.9
W. 9-10.10
Quick Writes
Make the Connection (561)
Quickwrite (540)
Quickwrite (536)
Tone (WS #11)
Paraphrase (539 #3)
Your Own Road Poem (605 #2)
Essay Writing
Comparison-Contrast Essay (614-618)
Research
Interview/Oral History (609 #4)
COMMON CORE
W. 9-10.4 W. 9-10.9
W. 9-10.10
Holt Elements of Literature (page
#)
COMMON CORE
L. 9-10.3
L. 9-10.4
SL. 9-10.5
McDougal Interactive Reader (IR)
Language
Denotation and Connotation
(LN 562-563)
Write Starts (WS)
Extended Metaphor (MAWV 51)
wwww.poets.org/audio/php
Speaking and Listening
http://ettcweb.Ir.k12.nj.us/forms/ne
wpoem.htm
Talking Stages (539 #2)
Mastering the Artistic Writing Voice
(MAWV)
Online Links
www.poetryarchive.org
COMMON CORE
L. 9-10.3
L. 9-10.4
SL. 9-10.3
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Page 28
9th Grade Drama Unit
Reading Selection
Related Readings
Complex
“William Shakespeare's Life :A Genius
from Stratford” (726)
Romeo and Juliet
Act I (734)
Act II (764)
COMMON CORE
RL. 9-10.1 RL. 9-10.2
RL. 9-10.3 RL. 9-10.4
RL. 9-10.5 RL. 9-10.7
“Shakespeare and His Theater: A Perfect
Match” (728)
“Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's
Day?”
www.poetry.org
COMMON CORE
RL. 9-10.1
RL. 9-10.2
Literary Terms
Theme
Tragedy
Stage Directions
Paraphrase
Exposition
Rising Action
Foil
Blank Verse
Couplet
Sonnet
Pun
Oxymoron
Imagery
Dramatic Irony
Soliloquy
Metaphor
Hyperbole
6 Traits
Reading Strategies / CRISS
6 Traits
Ideas
Word Choice
Organization
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Two-Column Notes
One-Sentence Summary
Discussion Strategies
Paraphrasing
COMMON CORE
L. 9-10.5
6 Traits
Turning Point
Romeo and Juliet
Act III (790)
Literature and History
(787)
Critical Comment:
Comic Relief
(TE 804)
Ideas
Verbal Irony
Word Choice
Cultural Allusion
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Personification
Discussion Strategies
Suspense
COMMON CORE
RL. 9-10.1
RL. 9-10.4
Think-Pair-share
COMMON CORE
RI. 9-10.1
COMMON CORE
L. 9-10.5
“Romeo and Juliet in Bosnia”
(860)
Venn Diagram
6 Traits
Falling Action
Romeo and Juliet
Act IV (818)
Act V (836)
“My Very Dear Sarah”
(852)
Ideas
Blocking Figures
Word Choice
Climax
“Your Laughter”
(853)
Organization
Resolution
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Simile
“How Do I Love Thee?”
(853)
Think-Pair-Share
Repetition
Concept Map
COMMON CORE
RL. 9-10.1
RL. 9-10.2
RL. 9-10.3
COMMON CORE:
RI. 9-10.1
RL. 9-10.1
RL. 9-10.2
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Discussion Strategies
COMMON CORE
L. 9-10.5
Page 29
9th Grade Drama Unit
Writing
Research
Language
Speaking and Listening
Time Frame
Quick Writes
Two-Column Notes: Characters
and Traits (on-going)
Connections/Quick Write (732)
Paraphrase Paris and Capulet's Conversation
(744-745)
Close Reading/Couplets (TE “C” 745)
Making Meaning: Foil Character (762 #5)
Collecting Ideas for a Research Paper (763 #1)
Paraphrase Chorus (764)
Metaphor/Hyperbole: Act 2, Scene 2, Lines 124: Compare/Contrast Romeo's Soliloquy to
“Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day?”
Language
Clauses (LN 91-100, 106, MSC 32)
The Old Problems—Grammar and Vocabulary
(789)
One-week to reteach, reassess,
and reevaluate
Speaking and Listening
Blank Verse/Couplet/Run-On Lines (TE “C” 745)
Themes (TE 760)
Performance: Speak the Speech (763 #3)
View parts of a movie version of Romeo and
Juliet.
Essay
Youth vs. Age (TE 745)
Research
(856 #1, #4, #10)
COMMON CORE
W. 9-10.2 W. 9-10.4 W. 9-10.9 W. 9-10.10
COMMON CORE
L. 9-10.1 L. 9-10.4
SL. 9-10.1 SL. 9-10.4
SL. 9-10.6
Quick Writes
Cause and Effect (TE 800)
Making Meanings/Turning Point (816 #3)
Write a Prologue (817 #2)
Language
Word Origins (817)
Essential/Nonessential Adjective Clauses
(LN 79-80)
Speaking and Listening
Research
Collecting Ideas for a Research Paper (817 #1)
Analyze a Soliloquy, (TE “A” 796)
Social Studies (TE 794)
Freeze! Speak! (817 #3)
Three-weeks to teach
Quality Indicators
Frequent formative assessment
Text-based writing
Examples and models
Writing process
Rubrics
Close reading of complex text
Text-to-text connections
Analysis of complex text
elements
Text-dependent questions
Academic vocabulary
Incorporation of research
Citing of evidence
Presentation/publication
Study and apply grammar
Graphic organizers
Technology and media resources
Various approaches/learning
styles
Use of Multiple Intelligences
B.E.S.T. practices
Resource Materials Key
Holt Elements of Literature
(page #)
McDougal Interactive Reader
(IR)
COMMON CORE
W. 9-10.3 W. 9-10.9
W. 9-10.10
COMMON CORE
L.9-10.1 L.9-10.4 SL.9-10.1
SL.9-10.2 SL.9-10.4 SL.9-10.6
Quick Writes
Paraphrase (835)
Making Meanings/Suspense/Dramatic Irony
(834 #2)
Making Meanings/Blocking Figures (834 #5)
Collecting Ideas for a Research Paper (834 #1)
Making Meanings/Plot/Climax (855 #4)
Making Meanings/Theme (855 #6)
Creative/A New Ending (856 #3)
Mastering Sentence Craft (MSC)
Language
Simple/Compound Sentences (LN 101, 104)
Online Links
Simile, Metaphor, Personification, Pun (858-859)
Compound Subjects/Compound Verbs (LN 41-44) www.poetry.org
Combining Sentences: Appositives (873)
www.cln.org/themes/romeo_juliet
.html
Essay
Synthesis/Comparing Text (856 #5)
Speaking and Listening
Interpersonal Learners (TE 820)
Music (TE 845)
Panel Discussion/If Only . . . (857 #9)
Language Network (LN)
chalk.richmond.edu/education/pro
jects/webquests/shakespeare
Research
Weddings/Funerals (TE 824)
Research Paper/Collecting Ideas (868-872)
COMMON CORE:
W. 9-10.4 W. 9-10.5
W. 9-10.6 W. 9-10.7
W. 9-10.8 W. 9-10.9
W. 9-10.10
COMMON CORE
L. 9-10.1 SL. 9-10.1
SL. 9-10.4 SL. 9-10.5
SL. 9-10.6
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Page 30
9th Grade Nonfiction Unit
Reading Selection
Related Readings
Literary Terms
6 Traits
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Uncomplicated
Tone
Biography
Autobiography
Exaggeration/Hyperbole
Exposition
Narration
Description
Main Idea
Author's Purpose
Anecdote
Euphemism
“Life's Changes”
(379)
“The Talk”
(376)
COMMON CORE
RI. 9-10.1 RI. 9-10.2
RI. 9-10.3
More Challenging
“When I Lay My Burden
Down”
(357)
from “An Indian's Views of
Indian Affairs”
(447)
“Darkness at Noon”
(455)
“Homeless”
(461)
COMMON CORE
RI. 9-10.2
RI. 9-10.3
COMMON CORE
L. 9-10.5
L. 9-10.6
“The Writer's Purpose/Persuasive
Techniques: Watch for the Tricks” (452)
“I Have a Dream” (IR 150)
Argument
Logical Argument/Appeal
Deductive Reasoning
Inductive Reasoning
Logical Fallacies
Name Calling/Attacking
the Person
Circular Reasoning
False Cause and Effect
Generalization
Emotional Appeal
Bandwagon
Testimonial
Generalization
Connotation
Denotation
Repetition
COMMON CORE
RI. 9-10.2 RI. 9-10.3
RI. 9-10.5 RI. 9-10.6
COMMON CORE
L. 9-10.5
L. 9-10.6
“Reading for Life/Evaluating an
Argument: Inductive and Deductive
Reasoning” (338)
“Blues Ain't No Mockingbird”
(266) (IR 219)
“He Turned His Camera on Appalachia,
and One Man Wouldn't Stand for It”
(IR 229)
NPPA Code of Ethics (IR 232)
“The Man from Washington” (449)
COMMON CORE
RI. 9-10.1 RI. 9-10.2
RI. 9-10.3 RI. 9-10.4
RI. 9-10.4
RI. 9-10.8
Connections: Two Letters (351)
Theme
Tone
Main Idea
“With a Task Before Me” (350)
“The Lost Boys” (IR 117)
Imagery
Diction
from Incidents in the Life of a “I Have Had to Learn to Live with Peace” Chronological Order
Slave Girl: “The Loophole of
(IR 128)
Objectivity
Retreat” (427)
Subjectivity
COMMON CORE
RI. 9-10.1 RI. 9-10.2
RI. 9-10. 3 RI. 9-10.10
Writer's Workshop: Narrative Writing
(386)
COMMON CORE
RI. 9-10.2 RI. 9-10.3
RI. 9-10.4 RI. 9-10.5
RI. 9-10.6 RI. 9-10.8
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
RI. 9-10.10
Voice
Word Choice
Ideas
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Two-Column Notes
Think-Pair-Share
Author's Craft
Discussion Strategies
Principles & Strategies
6 Traits
Complex
“Not Much of Me” (349)
6 Traits
COMMON CORE
L. 9-10.5
Ideas
Word Choice
Voice
Organization
Reading Strategies / CRISS
KWL
Author's Craft
Discussion Strategies
Two Column Notes
Concept Mapping
What Happens/So What?
Principles & Philosophy
6 Traits
Ideas
Organization
Voice
Word Choice
Sentence Fluency
Conventions
Reading Strategies / CRISS
KWL
Author's Craft
Principles and Philosophy
Think-Pair-Share
Discussion Strategies
Concept Mapping
Sentence & Word Expansion
Page 31
9th Grade Nonfiction Unit
Writing
Research
Language
Speaking and Listening
Quick Writes
Make the Connection (375)
Shaping Interpretations: Exaggeration (380 #2)
Extending the Text (380 #3)
Collecting Ideas for an Autobiographical Incident
(380 #1)
Tone (MAWV 71)
Hyperbole (MAWV 99)
Humor: Sarcasm (MAWV 103)
Emotion: Positive/Negative (MAWV 67-70)
Anecdotes (MAWV 76)
Collecting Ideas for a Persuasive Essay (458 #1)
Expressing Your Views/Editorial (458 #2)
Language
Review Sentence Patterns (MSC 27-28)
Review Sentence and Its Parts (LN 37-62)
Review Clauses: Independent, Subordinate,
Adjective, Adverb, Noun
(LN 91-100, 106, MSC 32)
Review Essential/Nonessential Adjective
Clauses (MSC 79-80)
Language Link/Euphemism (459)
Speaking and Listening
Advanced Learners: Collage/Discussion
(TE 377)
COMMON CORE
W. 9-10.4 W. 9-10.5
W. 9-10.7 W. 9-10.9
COMMON CORE
L. 9-10.1 L. 9-10.2
L. 9-10.3 L. 9-10.4 SL. 9-10.1
SL. 9-10.2 SL. 9-10.4 SL. 9-10.5
W. 9-10.10
Quick Writes
Quick Write (356)
Comparing the Texts: Finding the Likenesses (356)
Reading Skills and Strategies: Comparing Texts (356)
Extending the Text (363 #8)
Ideas for an Autobiographical Incident (364 #1)
Example (WWPA 35)
Know It and Show It (MI 68)
Essay Writing
Timed Writing Practice: Explanatory/Ethics (IR 235)
Quick Write: KWL (446)
Shaping Interpretations (450 #2, #3)
Extending the Text (450 #5)
Collecting Ideas for a Persuasive Essay (450 #1)
Topic Questionnaire (MI 43)
Degree of Importance (WWPA 28)
Persuasive Essay (478)
COMMON CORE
W. 9-10.3 W. 9-10.4
W. 9-10.7 W. 9-10.9
W. 9-10.5
W. 9-10.10
Quick Writes
Using Prior Knowledge: What's New? (348)
First Thoughts: KWL (352 #1)
Creative Writing: Dear Mr. President (353 #2)
Chronological Order (WWPA 14)
Ideas for an Autobiographical Incident (353 #1)
Make the Connection (426)
Letter to the Past (432 #2)
Essay Writing
Writer's Workshop/Autobiographical Incident (386)
COMMON CORE
W. 9-10.3 W. 9-10.4
W. 9-10.5 W. 9-10.7
W. 9-10.9
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Language
Review Simple/Compound Sentences
(LN 101)
Complex Sentences
(LN 102-103, 105, 107, MSC 101)
Review Degrees of Irregular
Adjectives/Adverbs (MSC 75, 87)
Connotation and Loaded Words (451)
Speaking and Listening
Crossing the Curriculum: Music (TE 360)
COMMON CORE
L. 9-10.1 L. 9-10.2 L. 9-10.3
L. 9-10.4 SL. 9-10.1 SL. 9-10.2
SL. 9-10.3 SL. 9-10.4 SL. 9-10.5
Time Frame
Seven-weeks to teach
One-week to reteach, reassess,
and reevaluate
Quality Indicators
Frequent formative assessment
Text-based writing
Examples and models
Writing process
Rubrics
Close reading of complex text
Text-to-text connections
Analysis of complex text
elements
Text-dependent questions
Academic vocabulary
Incorporation of research
Citing of evidence
Presentation/publication
Study and apply grammar
Graphic organizers
Technology and media resources
Various approaches/learning
styles
Use of Multiple Intelligences
B.E.S.T. practices
Resource Materials Key
Holt Elements of Literature
(page #)
McDougal Interactive Reader
(IR)
Language Network (LN)
Mastering Ideas (MI)
Mastering the Artistic Writing
Voice (MAWV)
Mastering Sentence Craft (MSC)
Write Starts (WS)
Writing with Pattern Artistry
(WWPA)
Language
Punctuation (LN 249-273)
Sentence Clarity (LN 208-216, WS #37)
Speaking and Listening
Research/Speaking: A Lincoln Celebration
(353 #5)
History: A Life on the Line (353 #3)
History: Finding More Facts (432 #3)
Music: Spiritual Sing-Along (432 #4)
COMMON CORE
L. 9-10.1 L. 9-10.2 L. 9-10.3
L. 9-10.4 SL. 9-10.1 SL. 9-10.2
SL. 9-10.3 SL. 9-10.4 SL. 9-10.5
Online Links
“World Book Web”
www.worldbookonline.com
“Florida Electronic Library
(FEL)”
www.flelibrary.org
“Library of Congress”
www.loc.gov
“Music”
www.pandora.com
Page 32
9th Grade Novel Unit
Reading Selection
Related Readings
More Challenging
Famous American Trials: “The
Scottsboro Boys” Trials (193137) (University of MissouriKansas School of Law)
Literary Terms
Antagonist
Characterization
Major Character
Minor Character
To Kill a
Harper
Lee's
To
Kill
a
Conflict
Mockingbird
Mockingbird: Profiles in
Extended Metaphor
Courage (National Endowment Parallel Plots
for the Humanities)
Symbolism
Protagonist
Focus on the literary form
To
Kill
a
Mockingbird
and
the
Reliable Narrator (232)
and the theme of “Honor”
Scottsboro Boys Trial: Profiles Unreliable Narrator (232)
in Courage (National
Setting
Endowment for the Humanities) Theme
COMMON CORE
RL. 9-10.1 RL. 9-10.2 COMMON CORE
COMMON CORE
RL. 9-10.3 RL. 9-10.4 RI. 9-10.7
L. 9-10.5
RL. 9-10.7 RL. 9-10.10 RI. 9-10.8
6 Traits
Reading Strategies/CRISS
6 Traits
Ideas
Word Choice
Organization
Voice
Sentence Fluency
Conventions
Reading Strategies/CRISS
Author's Craft
Principles & Philosophy
Discussion Strategies
Essay Writing/Research
To Kill a Mockingbird has been called a story of growing up. In a well-developed essay, describe three important learning
experiences that Scout and Jem have during the course of the novel. What do they learn from each experience?
Select a quotation from one of the characters in To Kill a Mockingbird and write an argument that explains what the
quotation reveals about the theme of honor in the book. State your thesis clearly and include at least three pieces of
evidence to support your thesis.
Write an essay that compares primary source accounts of the “Scottsboro Boys” trial with Scout's account of the trial in To
Kill a Mockingbird. Discuss how novels can reveal dimensions of history even though they are fictional. State your thesis
clearly and include at least three pieces of evidence to support your thesis.
Select a documentary photograph from the Library of Congress's website of Farm Security Administration-Office of War
Information Collection (FSA-OWI) or an excerpt from the primary or secondary source account that helps illuminate your
understanding of life during the depression in the American South. State your thesis clearly and include at least three
pieces of evidence to support your thesis.
Speaking and Listening
Select a one-minute descriptive passage from To Kill a Mockingbird and recite it from memory. Include an introduction
that states: a. What the excerpt is b. Why the book is significant and c. How the passage exemplifies one of the book's
themes.
Describe where the 1962 film version of To Kill a Mockingbird is faithful to the novel. Cite evidence for why or why not.
Explain why you think the film's director chose to omit or emphasize certain events. State your thesis clearly, and include
at least three pieces of evidence to support your thesis.
Present several photographs of small southern towns during the depression from Dorothea Lange's or The Library of
Congress's collections and compare them to the descriptions of Maycomb in To Kill a Mockingbird. Include which
rendering is more vivid to you and explain why.
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Page 33
9th Grade Novel Unit
Writing
Language
Quick Writes
Elaboration (LN 351-361)
Argumentation (WWPA 7)
Description (WWPA 30)
Prewriting Activity (WWPA 53-54)
Specificity Through Questioning
(MAWV 42-43)
Sentence Combining
(MSC 57, 59, 60)
Time Frame
Three-weeks to teach
One-week to reteach, reassess, and
reevaluate
Quality Indicators
Punctuation (MSC 61-62)
Frequent formative assessment
Text-based writing
Review Sentence Types
Examples and models
What connection might there be between
(MSC 101)
Writing process
what is required of Atticus to shoot the mad
Rubrics
dog and what is required of him to defend
Sentence Expansion
Close reading of complex text
Tom Robinson?
(MSC 107-109)
Text-to-text connections
Analysis of complex text elements
What strategies does the author use to make Review Prepositional Phrases Text-dependent questions
sure readers will feel some sympathy for
(MSC 9-11)
Academic vocabulary
Mayella Ewell?
Incorporation of research
Review Noun Functions
Citing of evidence
Is Boo Radley an honorable man? Begin by (MSC 29-30)
Presentation/publication
answering “What is Honor?”.
Study and apply grammar
Graphic organizers
Is Atticus Finch a hero, or was he just doing
Technology and media resources
his job?
Various approaches/learning styles
Use of Multiple Intelligences
Is Scout a reliable narrator? Why or why not?
B.E.S.T. practices
Which minor character did you most like?
Why?
Resource Materials Key
Consider Mrs. Dubose's camellias and how
they grew back after Jem mutilated them.
Using contextual support, what might the
camellias symbolize in this novel?
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
(Robert Mulligan, director)
To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
Dorothea Lange, selected photographs
taken for the Farm Security Administration
during the Great Depression
Using evidence from the text, explain the
significance of the title.
Online Links
“America from the Great Depress to World
War II: Photographs from the FSA-OWL,
1935-1945” (Library of Congress)
commoncore.org/maps/index.php/maps/gra
de_9_unit_2/
COMMON CORE
W. 9-10.1 W. 9-10.2
W. 9-10.5 W. 9-10.6
W. 9-10.8 W. 9-10.9
W. 9-10.4
W. 9-10.7
W. 9-10.10
COMMON CORE
L. 9-10.1 L. 9-10.2
L. 9-10.3 L. 9-10. 4
SL. 9-10.1 SL. 9-10.3
SL. 9-10.4 SL. 9-10.5
SL. 9-10.6
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
www.resources.mhs.vic.edu.au/mockingbir
d
hardin.k12.ky.us/nhhs/teachers/linder/To_k
ill_a_mockingbird_web_quest.htm
tvhs.k12.vt.us/WMHS/Faculty/Kurucz/htm
l/eng9/TKAM/Bird1.htm
Page 34
10th Grade Short Story Unit
Reading Selection
Related Readings
Uncomplicated
“What’s in a Name?” (IR 17)
“African-American Quilting” (IR 20)
“Everyday Use”
(70) (IR 4)
COMMON CORE
RL 9-10.1 RL. 9-10.2
RL. 9-10.3 RL. 9-10.4
Literary Terms
Plot
Conflict
Setting
“Sewn in Love—and Sweat” (IR 17)
Metaphor
“The Smithsonian’s Quilt Controversy” Simile
(IR 19)
Onomatopoeia
Personification
“In Georgia’s Swept Yards” (77)
Hyperbole
COMMON CORE
RI. 9-10.1 RI. 9-10.2
COMMON CORE
RI. 9-10.3 RI. 9-10.4
L. 9-10.5
6 Traits
Reading Strategies / CRISS
6 Traits
Organization
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Concepts Maps
Venn Diagram
More Challenging
“The Possibility of Evil”
(IR 53)
“The Bet”(209)
“Are You a Gossip?”
(IR 66)
OR
“Dissecting Handwriting”
(IR 66)
6 Traits
Characterization
Detail
Symbolism
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Think Pair Share
Two-Column Notes
COMMON CORE
RL: 9-10.1 RL. 9-10.2
RL. 9-10.3 RL.9-10.4
COMMON CORE
RI. 9-10.1 RI. 9-10.2
RI. 9-10.3 RI. 9-10.4
COMMON CORE
L. 9-10.5
More Challenging
“An Earth Without People” (IR 89)
Point of View
6 Traits
Foreshadowing
Word Choice
Allusion
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Naïve Narrator
Concept Mapping
OR
“By the Waters of
Babylon”
(265) (IR 72)
COMMON CORE
RL. 9-10.1 RL. 9-10.2
RL. 9-10.3 RL. 9-10.4
“5 Minutes to Midnight”
(IR 89)
“Doomsday Clock Timeline”
(IR 92-96)
COMMON CORE
RI. 9-10.1 RI. 9-10.2
RI. 9-10.3 RI. 9-10.4
Complex
“A Very Old Man with
Enormous Wings”(223)
OR
“Swimming Pool a Rare Oasis for
Baghdad’s Diverse Elite” (IR 112)
RAFT
COMMON CORE
L. 9-10.5
Theme
6 Traits
Irony
Voice
Dialogue
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Magical Realism
Think-Pair-Share
OR
“Two Friends”(IR 101)
“Christmas in the Trenches, 1914”
(IR 112)
COMMON CORE
RL. 9-10.1 RL. 9-10.2
RL. 9-10.3 RL.9-10.4
COMMON CORE
RI. 9-10.1 RI. 9-10.2
RI. 9-10.3 RI. 9-10.4
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
COMMON CORE Story Plan
L. 9-10.5
Learning Log Entries
L. 9-10.6
Page 35
10th Grade Short Story Unit
Writing
Research
Language
Speaking and Listening
Quick Writes
Contrast (WWPA 23)
Descriptive Phrases/Setting (MAWV 20)
Onomatopoeia (MAWV 9)
Symbol (MAWV 60)
Summary (IR 15)
Language
Review Parts of Speech
Prepositions (LN 23)
Phrases (LN 66-68, MSC 1-3)
Adjectives (LN 17, MSC 69)
Adverbs (LN 20, MSC 82-86)
Essay Writing
Autobiographical Incident (LN 404)
COMMON CORE
L. 9-10.1
COMMON CORE
W. 9-10.3 W. 9-10.4 W. 9-10.5 W. 9-10.10 L. 9-10.4
Quick Writes
Sensory Detail (WWPA 44)
Cause & Effect (WWPA 10, 11)
Character Description (MAWV 26)
Symbol (MAWV 60)
Language
Review Parts of Speech
Nouns (LN 5)
Nouns Functions (MSC 26-32)
Verbs (LN 14, MSC 14-18)
Essay Writing
Can I Quote You? (MI 25)
Model a Master (MI 33)
Focused Description (LN 412)
Characterization (IR 64)
Speaking and Listening
Round Table Discussion (220 #4)
COMMON CORE
W. 9-10.2 W. 9-10.4 W. 9-10.5 W.9-10.10
Quick Writes
Allusion (MAWV 82)
Foreshadowing (MAWV 73)
Hooks/Conc. (MAWV 122-123, 127-129)
Argumentation (WWPA 7-9)
Essay Writing
Persuasive Essay (LN 436)
Research
Present an Oral Report (274 #4)
COMMON CORE
W. 9-10. 1 W. 9-10.4 W.9-10.5 W.9-10.10
Quick Writes
Dialogue (MAWV 80-81)
Chronological order (WWPA 14)
Comparison/Contrast (WWPA 18)
Essay Writing
Personal Narrative (IR 117, MI 10-11, 23)
COMMON CORE
L. 9-10.1 L. 9-10.4
SL. 9-10.1
Seven-weeks to teach
One-week to reteach, reassess,
and reevaluate
Quality Indicators
Frequent formative assessment
Text-based writing
Examples and models
Writing process
Rubrics
Close reading of complex text
Text-to-text connections
Analysis of complex text elements
Text-dependent questions
Academic vocabulary
Incorporation of research
Citing of evidence
Presentation/publication
Study and apply grammar
Graphic organizers
Technology and media resources
Various approaches/learning
styles
Use of Multiple Intelligences
B.E.S.T. practices
Language
Review Parts of Speech
Pronouns (LN 9,11)
Pronoun Functions (MSC 39-44)
Conjunctions
(LN 26, MSC 53- 58, 59-61, 62, 63)
Resource Materials Key
Speaking and Listening
Present an Oral Report (274)
Language Network (LN)
COMMON CORE
L. 9-10.1 L. 9-10.4
SL. 9-10.4
Mastering Sentence Craft (MSC)
Holt Elements of Literature (page
#)
McDougal Interactive Reader
(IR)
Mastering Ideas (MI)
Mastering the Artistic Writing
Voice (MAWV)
Language
Clauses (LN 92)
Noun Clauses (MSC 32) Adjective
Clauses (MSC 45-48, 78-80)
Adverb Clauses (MSC 91-96)
Speaking and Listening
Create and present additional
dialogue between two characters.
COMMON CORE
COMMON CORE
W. 9-10.3 W. 9-10.4 W. 9-10.5 W. 9-10.10 L. 9-10.1 L. 9-10.4
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Time Frame
Writing with Pattern Artistry
(WWPA)
Online Links
www.owl.English.purdue.edu
www.notablebiographies.com
SL. 9-10.6
Page 36
10th Grade Poetry Unit
Reading Selection
Related Readings
Uncomplicated
“Do Animals Love Each Other?”
(IR 208)
“George Gray” (522)
“Miss Rosie” (535)
“Hanging Fire” (574)
OR
“The Fish” (IR 198)
“The Sloth” (IR 202)
“The Christmas Sparrow” (IR 203)
COMMON CORE
RL. 9-10.1 RL. 9-10.2
RL. 9-10.3
Literary Terms
“Studying Animal Personality”
(IR 213)
Simile
Metaphor
Personification
Hyperbole
Symbolism
Idiom
Free Verse
Speaker/Narrator
COMMON CORE
RI. 9-10.1 RI. 9-10.4
COMMON CORE
L. 9-10.5
“The Moose Babysitter”
(IR 212)
OR
“The Animal Self” (IR 208)
6 Traits
Reading Strategies / CRISS
6 Traits
Sensory Detail
Word Choice
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Selective Highlighting
More Challenging
“We Real Cool” (599)
“The Legend” (530)
“I Am Offering This Poem” (551)
OR
“There Will Come Soft Rains”
(IR 185)
“Meeting at Night” (IR 186)
“The Sound of Night” (IR 187)
“Bird Language” (IR 91)
OR
“Earth Charter” (IR 91)
COMMON CORE
RI.9-10.1
COMMON CORE
RL. 9-10.1 RL. 9-10.2 RL. 9-10.4 RI. 9-10.6
Sound Devices
Rhyme Scheme
Alliteration
Consonance
Repetition
Assonance
Tone
Irony
Word Choice
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Content Frames
6 Traits
“Sonnet for Heaven Below” (231)
“It Can't Be Helped”
(355)
“A Voice” (603)
COMMON CORE
RL: 9-10.1 RL. 9-10.2
RL. 9-10.4
Voice
COMMON CORE Think-Pair-Share
L. 9-10.5
More Challenging
“Sea Fever” (591)
6 Traits
COMMON CORE
RI. 9-10.1
RI. 9-10.7
Sonnet
Allusion
Rhyming Couplet
Metaphor
Tone
Repetition
Ideas
Word Choice
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Vocabulary Maps
COMMON CORE
L. 9-10.5
Pattern Puzzle
Complex
6 Traits
“Courage” (513)
Symbol
Ideas
Personification
Voice
“Mending Wall” (526)
Speaker/Narrator
Reading Strategies / CRISS
“Mending Test” (528)
Parody
Opinion-Proof
“Stopping By Woods on a Snowy
Evening” (516)
COMMON CORE
RL. 9-10.1 RL. 9-10.2
RL. 9-10.4
“Symbols”
(515)
COMMON CORE
RI. 9-10.1
RI. 9-10.5
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
T-Chart
COMMON CORE One-Sentence Summary
L. 9-10.5
Page 37
10th Grade Poetry Unit
Writing
Research
Language
Speaking and Listening
Quick Writes
Simile (MAWV 45-46)
Metaphor (MAWV 47-48)
Personification (MAWV 56)
Epizeuxis (MAWV 119)
Imagery Poetry (MAWV 34)
Imagery (IR 206)
Language
Prepositional Phrases (LN 66,
MSC 11)
Essay Writing
“Stepping into a Painting” (MI 36)
COMMON CORE
W. 9-10.1 W. 9-10.4
W. 9-10.5 W. 9-10.10
Quick Writes
Figures of Speech (537 #1)
Tone (537 #2)
Onomatopoeia (MAWV 11)
Alliteration (MAWV 110)
Alliteration (IR 189)
Essay Writing
Let’s Read, View, and Listen! (MI 34)
COMMON CORE
W. 9-10. 1 W. 9-10.4
W. 9-10.5 W. 9-10.10
Quick Writes
Imagery Poetry (MAWV 35)
Allusion (MAWV 84)
Anaphora (MAWV 112)
Be a Magic Realist (233 #4)
Essay Writing
Poetry (LN 455)
One-week to reteach, reassess,
and reevaluate
Quality Indicators
Speaking and Listening
Read Aloud Student-Created Poetry
(LN 455)
McDougal Interactive Reader
(IR)
Frequent formative assessment
Text-based writing
Examples and models
Writing process
Rubrics
Close reading of complex text
COMMON CORE
Text-to-text connections
L. 9-10.1 L. 9-10. 4
Analysis of complex text elements
L. 9-10.5 SL. 9-10.1
Text-dependent questions
Language
Academic vocabulary
Review Verbal Phrases & Functions:
Incorporation of research
Participle Phrases (LN 71, MSC 76)
Citing of evidence
Gerund Phrases (LN 72, MSC 29)
Presentation/publication
Study and apply grammar
Speaking and Listening
Share Writing “Let’s Read, View, and Graphic organizers
Technology and media resources
Listen”(MI 34)
Various approaches/learning
styles
COMMON CORE
Use of Multiple Intelligences
L. 9-10.1 L. 9-10.4 L. 9-10.5
B.E.S.T. practices
SL 9-10.2 SL. 9-10.5
Resource Materials Key
Language
Holt Elements of Literature
Word Choice (LN 392)
(page #)
Denotation/Connotation (LN 393)
Language Network (LN)
Mastering Ideas (MI)
SL. 9-10.4
Language
Mastering the Artistic Writing
Voice (MAWV)
Mastering Sentence Craft (MSC)
Symbol (MAWV 6)
Essay Writing
Speaking and Listening
Write to explain the advantages or
disadvantages of living in a gated community. Present “Making a Case for Art”
(MI 37)
Research
“CNN Heroes” Identify acts of modern
heroism. Share with the class.
COMMON CORE
L. 9-10.4 L. 9-10.5
COMMON CORE
W. 9-10.1 W. 9-10.4 W. 9-10.5 W. 9-10.10 SL. 9-10.4 SL. 9-10.6
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Three-weeks to teach
Speaking and Listening
Group discussion of figurative
language in poems or discussion of
“Stepping into a Painting.” (MI 36)
COMMON CORE
COMMON CORE
W. 9-10. 1 W. 9-10.4 W. 9-10.5 W. 9-10.10 L. 9-10.4 L. 9-10.5
Quick Writes
Parody (LN 529 #3)
“Making a Case for Art” (MI 37)
Time Frame
Online Links
http://ettcweb.lr.k12.nj.us/forms/n
ewpoem.html
www.cnn.com
Page 38
10th Grade Drama Unit
Reading Selection
Related Readings
Literary Terms
6 Traits
Reading Strategies / CRISS
More Challenging
Plot
Conflict
Theme
“Greek Drama: Out of Ritual” (685)
Tragic Hero
Tragic Flaw Tragedy
“The Myth of Oedipus” (688)
Comedy
Satyr Play
“Ancient Greek Burial Practices” (696) Myth
Dramatic Irony
“What is a Tragic Hero?” (739)
Tone
Allusion
“Russia’s Antigone”
Prologue
Two Poems (740)
Parodos
Ode
Civics Connection:
Strophe
from “Letter from Birmingham Jail”
Antistrophe
(744)
Exodos
Choragos
Chorus
“Meet the Writer” (738)
Antigone
(685)
6 Traits
Voice
Ideas
Conventions
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Back to Your Roots (MESH)
QAR's
Content Frames
Discussion Strategies
Opinion-Proof
COMMON CORE
RL: 9-10.1 RL. 9-10.2
RL. 9-10.3 RL. 9-10.4
RL. 9-10.5 RL. 9-10.10
COMMON CORE
RI. 9-10.1 RI. 9-10.2
RI. 9-10.3 RI. 9-10.9
RI. 9-10.10 SS.912.C.2.6
COMMON CORE
Journals
L. 9-10.5
L. 9-10.6
Online Links
Web Quest: “All Roads Lead to Athens: Antigone, Sophocles, and Socrates”
www.osage.k12.ia.us/High_School/English/AntigoneWebQuest.htm#Synopsis
Web Quest: “The Trial of Creon”:
www.yorkville.k12.il.us/webquests/webqmadding/webqsmadding.html#task
Web Quest: Antigone: Morality vs. Law
usiweb.usi.edu/students/2003/a_b_c/bufkin_j/introduction.html
Antigone Unit: www.curriki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Coll_slorntson/AntigoneUnit
Sophocles Lesson Plans www.webenglishteacher.com/sophocles.html
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Page 39
10th Grade Drama Unit
Writing
Research
Language
Speaking and Listening
Quick Writes
Summary (743)
Supporting Opinion (742 #2)
Language
Latin and Greek Roots (715, 743)
Transitions (757)
Sentences and Its Parts (LN 36)
Sentence Types & The Big Language
Picture (MSC 101-102)
Essay Writing
Cause and Effect Essay (752, LN 428)
Learning for Life (759)
Research
* Research a Greek god or myth.
* Complete a multi-modal assignment to
act out the myth, write a poem, sing a
song, create a picture or write a report.
Use technology to present your
findings.
* Research the stoning of women today.
Time Frame
Three-weeks to teach
One-week to reteach, reassess,
and reevaluate
Quality Indicators
Frequent formative assessment
Text-based writing
Speaking and Listening
Examples and models
“Opinion” (742 #2)
Writing process
“Debating” (743 #4)
Rubrics
“Dramatize a Myth” (743 #6)
Close reading of complex text
“Oral Interpretation/Choral Reading”
Text-to-text connections
(750)
Analysis of complex text elements
Present a scene.
Text-dependent questions
View selections of the film Antigone or Academic vocabulary
The Stoning of Soraya M.
Incorporation of research
Citing of evidence
Presentation/publication
Study and apply grammar
Graphic organizers
Technology and media resources
Various approaches/learning
styles
Use of Multiple Intelligences
B.E.S.T. practices
Resource Materials Key
COMMON CORE
W. 9-10.2 W. 9-10.4
W. 9-10.5 W. 9-10.7
W. 9-10.8 W. 9-10.9
COMMON CORE
L. 9-10.1 L. 9-10.4
SL. 9-10.1 SL. 9-10.2
SL. 9-10.4 SL. 9-10.5
SL. 9-10.6
Holt Elements of Literature
(page #)
McDougal Interactive Reader
(IR)
Language Network (LN)
Mastering Sentence Craft (MSC)
Writing Prompt: Expository
In theory, school rules are passed to promote the greatest good for the greatest number. However, sometimes students think
that a particular school rule is unjust or discriminatory. Think about a school rule that you feel is unjust or discriminatory.
Now write to explain why you believe the rule is unjust or discriminatory.
Analyze the use of irony in the final scenes of Antigone:
Scene 4.51-52; 4.57; 4.58
Scene 5.5;5.6;5.52-53;.5.68
Exodos 66-90.
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Page 40
10th Grade Nonfiction Unit
Reading Selection
Related Readings
Literary Terms
“The Making of a Smoke Jumper”
(IR 134)
Tone
“Staying Safe in a Fire Shelter” (IR 137)
Diction
OR
Detail
“Record-Setting smoke Jumper Thrives
on Diving In” (IR 134)
Imagery
6 Traits
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Uncomplicated
“Into Thin Air” (418)
OR
“Blowup: What Went Wrong at
Storm King Mountain” (IR 121)
6 Traits
Organization
Reading Strategies / CRISS
RAFT
“The Paradox of Wildland Fire” (IR 137)
COMMON CORE
RI. 9-10.1 RI. 9-10.2
RI. 9-10.3 RI. 9-10.4
RI. 9-10.6
More Challenging
“Doing Nothing is Something”
(IR 145)
OR
“Now You Take ‘Bambi’ or
‘Snow White’ – That’s Scary”
(479)
“I Acknowledge Mine” (IR 163)
OR
“A Presentation of Whales”
(434)
COMMON CORE
RI. 9-10.1 RI. 9-10.2
RI. 9-10.3 RI. 9-10.4
RI. 9-10.6 RI. 9-10.8
COMMON CORE
RI. 9-10.1 RI. 9-10.2
COMMON CORE
L. 9-10.5
“An Overview of Stress – Its Causes and
Effects” (IR 151)
Claim
“Meditation Exercises” (IR 154)
OR
“Kids Really Aren’t Overscheduled”
(IR 151)
Support
“After School Matters” (IR 154)
OR
“Children and TV Violence” (483)
Fact
“Animal Experiments” (IR 174)
Credibility or Reliability Reading Strategies / CRISS
of Information
Concept Mapping
Ethical Appeal
“Winning the Case Against Cruelty”
(IR 177)
OR
“Animal Rights Movement is Cruelty to
Humans” (IR 174)
Appeals Argument
RI. 9-10.6
Word Choice
Counter Argument
Opinion
Ideas
Organization (Patterns)
Logical Appeals
Opinion-Proof
Emotional Appeals
Discussion Strategies –
Analysis
“The Benefits Argument” (IR 176 )
COMMON CORE
RI . 9-10.4 RI. 9-10.5
6 Traits
COMMON CORE
L. 9-10.5
Complex
“The Cold Equation” (fiction 8)
“R.M.S. Titanic” (390)
OR
“The Race to Save Apollo 13”
(IR 24)
COMMON CORE
RI. 9-10.1 RI. 9-10.2
RI. 9-10.3 RI. 9-10.4
“Lunar Legacy” (28)
OR
“The Impact of Meteors” (IR 41)
6 Traits
Mood Shifts
Voice
“The Space Lifestyle” (IR 45)
Suspense
OR
“Why American Needs to Explore Space”
Details
“We Must Never Fail” (IR 45)
Content Frame (Research)
COMMON CORE
RI. 9-10.6 RI. 9-10.7
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Reading Strategies / CRISS
COMMON CORE
L. 9-10.5
Page 41
10th Grade Nonfiction Unit
Writing
Research
Language
Speaking and Listening
Quick Writes
Author’s Perspective (IR 132)
Cause-and-effect (WWPA 10)
Chronological (WWPA 14)
Spatial (WWPA 45)
Transitions (WWPA 47)
Language
Using Pronouns (LN 176,
MSC 39-51)
“Developing Style” ((LN 387)
“Sentence and Its Parts” (LN 36)
12 Parts of a Sentence
(MSC 102)
Sentence Models Level 1
(MSC 108)
Essay Writing
Cause and Effect Paper (MI 16)
2004 Expository Essay (MER 24,40)
What job would you not like to have?
Research
Research the Seven Summits or U.S. wildfires and present
findings to the class. (see online links)
COMMON CORE
W. 9-10.1 W. 9-10.2
W. 9-10.6 W. 9-10.7
W. 9-10.4
W. 9-10.8
W. 9-10.5
W. 9-10.10
Quick Writes
Argument (IR 149), Cause (WWPA 12), Effect (WWPA 33)
Illustration (WWPA 37), Example (WWPA 35),
Persuasive Techniques (IR 172)
Essay Writing
2005 Persuasive Prompt (MER 27, 41)
* Should a study hall be part of your class schedule each
day? Write to convince the school board to accept your
opinion.
* Do you believe that violent video games influence children
negatively? Write to convince the reader of your opinion.
* Write a persuasive essay about your position on the issue
of animal testing.
Research
* Teenage stress or effects of violent video games on
children? (see online links)
* Animal testing or whaling. (see online links)
COMMON CORE
W. 9-10.1 W. 9-10.4
W. 9-10.6 W. 9-10.7
W. 9-10.5
W. 9-10.8
W. 9-10.10
Quick Writes
Creating Suspense (IR 39)
Suspense (MAWV 90, 63)
Cause/Effect (WWPA 7)
Essay Writing
Write a narrative about a suspenseful event that happened to
you.
Research
* Research problematic Space Missions or peaceful maritime
disasters and present your findings to the class.
(see online links)
COMMON CORE
W. 9-10.3 W. 9-10.6
W. 9-10.7 W. 9-10.8
W. 9-10.10
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Speaking and Listening
Present research to the class.
COMMON CORE
L. 9-10.1 L. 9-10.3
L. 9-10.4 SL. 9-10.4
Language
Capitalization (LN 226)
Punctuation (LN 246)
Time Frame
Seven-weeks to teach
One-week to reteach, reassess, and
reevaluate
Quality Indicators
Frequent formative assessment
Text-based writing
Examples and models
Writing process
Rubrics
Close reading of complex text
Text-to-text connections
Analysis of complex text elements
Text-dependent questions
Academic vocabulary
Incorporation of research
Citing of evidence
Presentation/publication
Study and apply grammar
Graphic organizers
Technology and media resources
Various approaches/learning styles
Use of Multiple Intelligences
B.E.S.T. practices
Speaking and Listening
Resource Materials Key
Evaluating the Media (487 #4)
Holt Elements of Literature (page #)
McDougal Interactive Reader (IR)
Language Network (LN)
Mastering Editing & Revising (MER)
Mastering Ideas (MI)
Mastering the Artistic Writing Voice
(MAWV)
Mastering Sentence Craft (MSC)
Writing with Pattern Artistry
(WWPA)
Analyze research article for
ethos, logos, pathos and present
to class.
COMMON CORE
L. 9-10.2
SL. 9-10.1
SL. 9-10.3
Language
Revising Sentences (LN 369)
Stretch & Write (Sentence
Elaboration)(MI 47-48)
Sentence Expansion Imitation
Level II (MSC 111)
Speaking and Listening
Present research to class.
Online Links
“7 Summits” 7summits.com
“U.S. Wildfires” www.cbsnews.com
“Teenage Stress.” www.byestress.com
“Impact of Video Game.”
www.pamf.org
“Animals for Testing.”
www.aboutanimaltesting.co.uk
“Whaling.” www.idebate.org
“Apollo 13 et al.”
www.geektown.co.uk
COMMON CORE
L. 9-10.1
L. 9-10.2
SL. 9-10.4
“Deadly Maritime Disasters.”
www.nytimes.com
Page 42
10th Grade Novel Unit
Reading Selection
Related Readings
Literary Terms
6 Traits
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Plot
6 Traits
Conflict
Ideas
More Challenging
“Biography of William Golding”
www.biography.com
Theme
Lord of the Flies
Civics Connection:
Read The Bill of Rights: Amendments Characterization
1-9 and discuss their use and abuse in
Foreshadowing
the novel.
www.ushistory.org
Irony
Symbolism
Allegory
COMMON CORE
RL. 9-10.1 RL. 9-10.2
RL. 9-10.3 RL. 9-10.4
RL. 9-10.5 RL. 9-10.6
RL. 9-10.7 RL. 9-10.9
COMMON CORE
RI. 9-10.1
RI. 9-10.2
RI. 9-10.3
RI. 9.10.9
SS. 912.C.2.6
Organization
Conventions
Sentence Fluency
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Opinion-Proof
Content Frames
Selective Highlighting
Discussion Strategies
Two-Column Notes
COMMON CORE
L. 9-10.5
Teacher Resources
Lord of the Flies – Chapter activities on power, control, violence and respect, with a mock trial
www.lessonsfromliterature.org/docs/manual/Lord_of_the_Flies.pdf
Lord of the Flies Lesson Plans: www.webenglishteacher.com/golding.html
Research Guide for Lord of the Flies: (multiple useful links) www.aresearchguide.com/lord.html#study
Web Quest: Lord of the Flies resources.mhs.vic.edu.au/lordflies/instructions.htm
“From King to Constitution”: www.icivics.org/sites/default/files/Off-Our-Backs-Complete.pdf
Essay Writing
Opinion/proof paper: Which boy would you vote as leader? Explain your reasons. (MI 17)
Character Analysis: Cite evidence to describe one character’s feelings about another. Use quotations from the text.
(164-168)
Compare/contrast two characters in the novel, citing evidence to support your claim. (MI 15, 25)
Character description: Cite evidence, describing the physical, intellectual, and social characteristics of the boys, using a
content frame. (MI 25)
Explain the meaning of a symbol in the novel, citing evidence to support your interpretation, using a content frame.
(MAWV 60-61)
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Page 43
10th Grade Novel Unit
Writing
Research
Language
Speaking and Listening
Quick Writes:
Language
Narrative (MI 44)
Sentence Elaboration (MI 47)
Elaboration (MI 49)
Character Sketch (MI 27)
Symbolism (MAWV 44)
Research
*Writing/Links below
-The atomic bomb and its effect on
Nagasaki and Hiroshima.
-Bullying and its causes and effects.
-Anarchy vs. the role of government
-Different initiation rites throughout the
world.
-The causes and effects of fear.
COMMON CORE
W. 9-10.2 W. 9-10.4
W. 9-10.5 W. 9-10.7
W. 9-10.8 W. 9-10.9
W. 9-10.10
Time Frame
Three-weeks to teach
One-week to reteach, reassess,
and reevaluate
Quality Indicators
Model Sentence for Imitation of Layering
Frequent formative assessment
(MSC 114)
Text-based writing
Examples and models
Speaking and Listening
Writing process
Rubrics
Present writings related to the
Close reading of complex text
documentaries, film, music, and art.
Text-to-text connections
Analysis of complex text
*Writings/Links Below
elements
Text-dependent questions
Academic vocabulary
Incorporation of research
Citing of evidence
Presentation/publication
Study and apply grammar
Graphic organizers
Technology and media resources
Various approaches/learning
styles
Use of Multiple Intelligences
B.E.S.T. practices
COMMON CORE
L. 9-10.1 L. 9-10.2
Resource Materials Key
L. 9-10.3 L. 9-10.4
Mastering Ideas (MI)
L. 9-10.5 L. 9-10.6
Mastering the Artistic Writing
SL. 9-10.1 SL. 9-10.2
Voice (MAWV)
SL. 9-10.3 SL. 9-10.4
Mastering Sentence Craft
SL. 9-10.5 SL. 9-10.6
(MSC)
Speaking and Listening/Research
Analyze the impact of the atomic bomb on its victims in the documentary White Light, Black Rain or Hiroshima: BBC History of WW
II or the film Rhapsody in August (Kurosawa) www.imdb.com
Analyze the effects of bullying on its victims in the documentary The Bully Project: www.thebullyproject.com
Explain how the lyrics in the song relate to the novel in "Shadows and Tall Trees" U2 Boy or "Lord of the Flies" Iron Maiden
www.lyricsdepot.com (MI 34)
Explain the significance of the design of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki Peace Memorial: www.hiro-tsuitokinenkan.
go.jp/english/index.php and www.peace-nagasaki.go.jp/english/recruitment/index.html
Bullying and its causes and effects. “The Long Term Effects of Bullying”: www.mentalhelp.net and “Leading the Fight Against Gangs”:
www.hopefs.org
Initiation rites throughout the world. “Rites of Passage(Social Science)”: what-when-how.com/social-sciences
The causes and effects of fear. “Sensitivity and the Effects of Fear”: discover-your-mind.co.uk/7b-sensitivity.htm and
“Fears and Phobias”: kidshealth.org/teen
The atomic bomb and its effects. “The Atomic Bomb”: afe.easia.columbia.edu/japan/ japanworkbook /modernhist/atomicbomb.html and
“Making and Using the Atomic Bomb”: Bothell High School www.nsd.org/education
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Page 44
11th Grade Short Story Unit
Reading Selection
Related Readings
Literary Terms
6 Traits
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Author's Purpose
6 Traits
Foreshadowing
Ideas
Flashback
Word Choice
Hyperbole
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Understatement
Two-Column Notes
Uncomplicated
from “Nature” (219)
“To Build a Fire”
(496)
from “Walden” (233)
“The Soul Selects Her Own Society”
“The Notorious Jumping Frog (378)
of Calaveras County”
“The Lazy Person’s Guide to Internet Hoaxes
(IR 117)
Myths and Legends”
(IR 126)
COMMON CORE
RL. 11-12.1
RL. 11-12.3
RL. 11-12.5
COMMON CORE
RI. 11-12.1 RI. 11-12.2
RI. 11-12.3 RI. 11-12.4
Think-Pair-Share
COMMON CORE
L. 11-12.5
More Challenging
“Willa Cather” (538)
6 Traits
Simile
“A Wagner Matinee”
(539) (IR 135)
Word Choice
“The Rural Life” (IR 147)
Metaphor
Conventions
“Rose R.” (IR 183)
Personification
“The Jilting of Granny
Weatherall”
(703) (IR 171 )
Organization
“Fall” (691)
Mood
Sentence Fluency
“Mrs. George Reece” (695)
Symbolism
“Because I Could Not Stop for Death” (391)
“A Rose for Emily”
(715)
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Imagery
“Richard Cory” (645)
“Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech” (723)
Journals
Stream of
Consciousness
One-Sentence Summaries
Story Plans
COMMON CORE
RL. 11-12.1 RL. 11-12.2
RL. 11-12.3 RL. 11-12.4
RL. 11-12.6 RL. 11-12.9
COMMON CORE
RI. 11-12.1 RI. 11-12.5
RI. 11-12.6 RI. 11-12.7
Pattern Puzzle
COMMON CORE
L. 11-12.5
Complex
“The Life You Save May Be
Your Own” (673)
“The Masque of the Red
Death” (IR 53)
COMMON CORE
RL. 11-12.1
RL. 11-12.9
“The Adventures of Mr. Shiftlet”
(682)
“Climate Change Could Spread Plague”
(IR 63)
COMMON CORE
RI. 11-12.1
RI. 11-12.5
RI. 11-12.6
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Tone
6 Traits
Irony (683)
Voice
Allegory
Conventions
Biblical Allusions
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Connotation
Spool Paper
Story Plans
COMMON CORE
L. 11-12.5
Page 45
11th Grade Short Story Unit
Writing
Research
Language
Speaking and Listening
Quick Writes
Research: Collecting Ideas (510 #1)
Cause and Effect (WWPA 10)
Descriptive Phrases: Setting (MAWV 20)
Foreshadowing (MAWV 86)
Flashback (MAWV 88)
Language
One-week to reteach, reassess,
and reevaluate
Speaking and Listening
Quality Indicators
Speaking and Listening
Frequent formative assessment
Text-based writing
Examples and models
Writing process
Rubrics
Close reading of complex text
Text-to-text connections
Analysis of complex text
elements
Text-dependent questions
Academic vocabulary
Incorporation of research
Citing of evidence
Presentation/publication
Study and apply grammar
Graphic organizers
Technology and media resources
Various approaches/learning
styles
Use of Multiple Intelligences
B.E.S.T. practices
Music (547 #1)
Resource Materials Key
Debate (725 #4b, 4c)
Holt Elements of Literature
(page #)
Essay Writing
Analysis Essay (510 #2)
Research
“Fire It Up” (TE 500)
W. 11-12.4
W. 11-12.10
COMMON CORE
L. 11-12.1 L. 11-12.5
SL. 11-12.1 SL. 11-12.4
Quick Writes
Spatial (WWPA 45)
Chronological Order (WWPA 14)
Character Description (MAWV 14)
Simile (MAWV 45)
Metaphor (MAWV 49)
Personification (MAWV 54)
Compare and Contrast (WWPA 18)
Imagery: Character Description (MAWV 26)
Symbol (MAWV 61)
Sensory Detail (WWPA 43)
Language
Essay Writing
Personal Narrative Essay (MI 10)
Character Sketch (MI 33)
Research
“Heath” (TE708)
“History” (TE 720)
COMMON CORE
W. 11-12.1 W. 11-12.3
W. 11-12.4 W. 11-12.7
Seven-weeks to teach
Parts of Speech Review (LN 4 – 23 )
Role-Playing (510 #3)
COMMON CORE
W. 11-12.2 W. 11-12.3
W. 11-12.8 W. 11-12.9
Time Frame
Parts of Speech Review
(LN 4 – 23 continued)
Parts of the Sentence Review
(LN 24 – 47, MSC 101-102)
McDougal Interactive Reader
(IR)
Language Network (LN)
W. 11-12.10
COMMON CORE
L. 11-12.1 L. 11-12.2
L. 11-12.3 L. 11-12.5
SL. 11-12.1 SL. 11-12.2
SL. 11-12.5
Quick Writes
Language
Narration (WWPA 39)
Parts of the Sentence Review
(LN 24-47, MSC 53-64)
Allusion (MAWV 82)
Mastering Ideas (MI)
Mastering the Artistic Writing
Voice (MAWV)
Mastering Sentence Craft (MSC)
Writing with Pattern Artistry
(WWPA)
Online Links
Conjunctions (689)
www.owl.english.purdue.edu
Speaking and Listening
www.notablebiographies.com
Suspense (MAWV 90)
Analyzing a Story (684 #2)
Whole Class Discussion (684 #3)
Essay Writing
Narrative: Paragraph or Essay (MI 40)
COMMON CORE
W. 11-12.3 W. 11-12.4
W. 11-12.10
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
COMMON CORE
L 11-12.2 L. 11-12.3
L. 11-12.5 SL. 11-12.1
SL. 11-12.4
Page 46
11th Grade Poetry Unit
Reading Selection
Related Readings
Literary Terms
6 Traits, Reading
Strategies / CRISS
“Birth of the Blues”
(763)
Tone (764)
6 Traits
Rhythm
Word Choice
Refrain
Reading Strategies /
CRISS
Speaker
Think-Pair-Share
Repetition
RAFT
Uncomplicated
“Harlem” (764) (IR 155)
“The Negro Speaks of Rivers”
(IR 156)
“of DeWitt Williams on his way to
Lincoln Cemetery” (741)
“I, Too” (IR 157)
“The Weary Blues” ( 761) (IR 158)
“The Raven” (282)
COMMON CORE
RL. 11-12.1 RL. 11-12.2
RL. 11-12.4
“Heyday in Harlem”
(741)
“The Word/The Blues: A
Mediation”
(IR 163)
COMMON CORE
RI. 11-12.1
RI. 11-12.2
COMMON CORE
L. 11-12.5
One-Sentence
Summary
More Challenging
“I Hear America Singing” (351) (IR 71)
“Song of Myself” (347) (IR 72)
“A Noiseless Patient Spider” (IR 76)
“Beat! Beat! Drums!” (IR 77)
“Chicago” (792)
“Because I could not stop for Death”
(391) (IR 78)
“Success is counted sweetest”
(388) (IR 80)
“The Soul selects her own Society”
(378) (IR 83)
“I heard a Fly buzz when I died”
(392) (IR 84)
“Birches” (567)
COMMON CORE
RL. 11-12.1 RL. 11-12.2
RL. 11-12.4
“Who Understands Me But Me”
(360)
Cataloging (351)
Free Verse (355)
Personification
Repetition
“Emily Dickinson’s Homestead” Epithets
(389)
Quatrain
Analogy
“I sing...because I'm Afraid”
Alliteration
(394)
Slant Rhyme (380)
Symbol
“The Cruelest (and Coolest)
Blank Verse
Month”
(IR 89)
“Specimen Days”
(363)
COMMON CORE
RI. 11-12.3
COMMON CORE
RL. 11-12.1 RL. 11-12.2
RL. 11-12.4
Word Choice
Reading Strategies /
CRISS
Think-Pair-Share
RAFT
One-Sentence
Summary
COMMON CORE
L. 11-12.5
Extended Metaphor
(188)
6 Traits
“Mr. Eliot, I Presume”
(668)
Apostrophe (188)
Word Choice
“Miracles Are To Come”
(797)
Metaphor
Reading Strategies /
CRISS
Sonnet
Two-Column Notes
Irony
RAFT
Complex
“Thanatopsis” (171)
“The Chambered Nautilus” (189)
“Apparently with no surprise” (385)
“Design” (560)
“The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”
(663)
“what if a much of a which of a wind”
(797)
“somewhere i have never traveled, gladly
beyond” (798)
6 Traits
COMMON CORE
RI. 11-12.4
RI. 11-12.5
RI. 11-12.6
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Allusion
Dramatic Monologue One-Sentence
Summary
Paradox
COMMON CORE Discussion Strategies
L. 11-12.5
Page 47
11th Grade Poetry Unit
Writing
Research
Language
Speaking and Listening
Time Frame
Quick Writes
Comparison (WWPA 21)
Simile (MAWV 45)
Alliteration (MAWV 110)
Language
Modifiers (LN. 180-193)
Verbs (LN. 104-123)
Verbals (LN. 56-63)
One-week to reteach, reassess, and
reevaluate
Essay Writing
Social Issues Essay (MI 22)
Speaking and Listening
Music/Performance (768 #5)
Research
Researching Word Origins (TE 767)
COMMON CORE
W. 11-12.3 W. 11-12.4
W. 11-12.10
Quick Writes
Compare and Contrast (WWPA 18)
Metaphor (MAWV 47)
Personification (MAWV 56)
Symbol (MAWV 60)
Epizeuxis (MAWV 119)
COMMON CORE
L. 11-12.3 L. 11-12.4
L. 11-12.5 SL. 11-12.1
SL. 11-12.4
Language
Verbals (LN 56-63)
Verbs (LN 104-123)
Modifiers (LN 180-193)
Essay Writing
Compare and Contrast Essay (401, IR 93)
Research
Social Studies (352)
Speaking and Listening
Three-weeks to teach
Quality Indicators
Frequent formative assessment
Text-based writing
Examples and models
Writing process
Rubrics
Close reading of complex text
Text-to-text connections
Analysis of complex text elements
Text-dependent questions
Academic vocabulary
Incorporation of research
Citing of evidence
Presentation/publication
Study and apply grammar
Graphic organizers
Technology and media resources
Various approaches/learning styles
Use of Multiple Intelligences
B.E.S.T. practices
Reading Aloud (355)
Resource Materials Key
Performance/Research (396 # 4)
Holt Elements of Literature (page
#)
McDougal Interactive Reader (IR)
COMMON CORE
W. 11-12.3 W. 11-12.4
W. 11-12.10
Quick Writes
Reading Skills (170)
Comparison-Contrast (396 #1)
Collecting Ideas (799 #1)
Compare and Contrast (WWPA 18)
Extended Metaphor (MAWV 51)
COMMON CORE
L. 11-12.3 L. 11-12.4
L. 11-12.5
SL. 11-12.1
SL. 11-12.5
Language
Verbals (LN 56-63)
Verbs (LN 104-123)
Modifiers (LN 180-193)
Speaking and Listening
Music/Performance (799 #4)
Essay Writing
Analyzing Character at Three Levels (MI 15)
Language Network (LN)
Mastering Ideas (MI)
Mastering the Artistic Writing Voice
(MAWV)
Writing with Pattern Artistry
(WWPA)
Online Links
http://ettcweb.ir.k12.nj.us/forms/ne
wpoem
poets.org
poetry.com
loc.gov/poetry/180/
COMMON CORE
W. 11-12.3 W. 11-12.4
W. 11-12.10
COMMON CORE
L. 11-12.3 L. 11-12.4
L. 11-12.5 SL. 11-12.6
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Page 48
11th Grade Drama Unit
Reading Selection
Related Readings
More Challenging
“Why I Wrote The
Crucible”
(827)
The Crucible
(829)
Civics Connection:
The Bill of Rights
billofrights.org/
COMMON CORE
RL. 11-12.1 RL. 11-12.2 COMMON CORE
RL. 11-12.3 RL. 11-12.5 RI. 11-12.1 RI. 11-12.4
RL. 11-12.6 RL. 11-12.7 RI. 11-12.8 SS. 912.C.2.6
Literary Terms
Character Motivation (828)
Protagonist/Antagonist (862 #6)
Comic Relief (877 #3)
Author’s Purpose (877 #4)
Static/Dynamic Characters
(849 #9)
External Conflict
Internal Conflict
Metaphor
Tone
Inference
Irony
Symbol
COMMON CORE
L. 11-12.5
6 Traits
Reading Strategies / CRISS
6 Traits
Word Choice
Voice
Conventions
Reading Strategies/CRISS
Interpreting a Text (828)
Making Predictions
Opinion-Proof
Sticky Note Discussion
RAFT
Journals
Research/Civics Connection:
1. Research The Bill of Rights and the Salem Witchcraft
Trials.
Compare and contrast the basic rights found in this
document with the rights supported or violated by the town
officials in Salem during the Witchcraft Trials.
2. Research McCarthyism.
According to Arthur Miller, The Crucible was written as an
indictment of McCarthyism. As you read, note the actions in
the play that correspond to the actual historical events of the
1950s.
The Bill of Rights
www.billofrights.org/
Arthur Miller - McCarthyism
www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/episodes/arthurmiller/mccarthyism/484/
Salem Witchcraft Trials
www.law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/SALEM.
HTM
www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/salem.htm
COMMON CORE
SS. 912.C.2.6
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
COMMON CORE
SS. 912.C.4.3
Page 49
11th Grade Drama Unit
Writing
Research
Language
Speaking and Listening
Quick Writes
Language
Collecting Ideas (889 #1)
Transitions (889)
One-week to reteach, reassess,
and reevaluate
Essay Writing
Euphemisms (892)
Quality Indicators
Interpreting Theme Essay (889 #2)
Speaking and Listening
Analyzing Character Essay (889 #3)
Persuasive Essay: Problem-Solution Essay
(895)
Research
Locating Reference Materials (TE 854)
Comparing Text and History (889 #4)
Researching Historical Context (889 #5)
Time Frame
Three-weeks to teach
Frequent formative assessment
Text-based writing
Examples and models
Debate (TE Verbal Learners 877)
Writing process
Rubrics
View (portions of) a movie version of Close reading of complex text
The Crucible.
Text-to-text connections
Analysis of complex text elements
Text-dependent questions
Academic vocabulary
Incorporation of research
Citing of evidence
Presentation/publication
Study and apply grammar
Graphic organizers
Technology and media resources
Various approaches/learning
styles
Use of Multiple Intelligences
B.E.S.T. practices
Resource Materials Key
Holt Elements of Literature
(page #)
COMMON CORE
W. 11-12.1 W. 11-12.2
W. 11-12.4 W. 11-12.5
W. 11-12.6 W. 11-12.7
W. 11-12.9 W. 11-12.10
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
COMMON CORE
L. 11-12.1 L. 11-12.3
L. 11-12.6 SL. 11-12.1
SL. 11-12.2 SL. 11-12.4
Page 50
11th Grade Nonfiction Unit
Reading Selection
Related Readings
Literary Terms
6 Traits
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Uncomplicated
“The Lure and Lore of the Mississippi”
(458)
from “Life on the Mississippi” (452) “Mark Twain’s Humor” (465)
from “La Relacion” (IR 5)
COMMON CORE
RI. 11-12.1 RI. 11-12.3
RI. 11-12.5 RI. 11-12.6
“New Book, Article Accuse Scientists of
Disrupting Yanomami Tribes”
(IR 13)
COMMON CORE
RI. 11-12.1
RI. 11-12.4
RI. 11-12.5
More Challenging
Civics Connection:
from “Letter from Birmingham Jail” from “Resistance to Civil Government”
(256) (see online links)
(249)
from “Letter from Birmingham
Jail” (IR 191)
(see online links)
Civics Connection:
“Nonviolence”
(IR 205)
6 Traits
Extended Metaphor
Hyperbole
Metaphor
Understatement
Author’s Purpose
Point of View
Audience
COMMON CORE
RI. 11-12.1
RI. 11-12.6
SS.912.C.2.6
Complex
“Sinners in the Hands of an Angry
God”
(79) (IR 21)
COMMON CORE
RI. 11-12.1
RI. 11-12.4
RI. 11-12.6
Complex
from “Nature”
(219) (IR 38)
from “Self-Reliance”
(224) (IR 35)
COMMON CORE
RI. 11-12.1
RI. 11-12.5
RI. 11-12.6
“Can Kids Be Scared Straight?”
(IR 28)
“Two Journals”
(82)
COMMON CORE
RI. 11-12.1
RI. 11-12.2
Sentence Fluency
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Concept Mapping
KWL
COMMON CORE
L. 11-12.5
Journals
Rhetorical Appeals
Logos (logic)
Ethos (credibility)
Pathos (emotion)
6 Traits
Argument
Sentence Fluency
Claim
Conventions
Counter Argument
Evidence
COMMON CORE
RI. 11-12.1 RI. 11-12.5
RI. 11-12.6 RI. 11-12.8
RI. 11-12.9
Ideas
Allusion
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Two-Column Notes
One-Sentence Summaries
COMMON CORE
L. 11-12.5
Emotional Appeals
(Pathos)
Loaded Language
Tone
Imagery
Figurative Language
Simile
Metaphor
Analogies
Allusions
6 Traits
Sentence Fluency
Ideas
Reading Strategies / CRISS
One-Sentence Summaries
COMMON CORE
L. 11-12.5
“Hawthorne Talks About Emerson” (223)
“Onward to Utopia” (226)
Paradox
6 Traits
“Imagination” (227)
Aphorism (222)
Voice
“Commencement Address” (IR 43)
Figures of Speech
“Speech to the Virginia Convention” (102)
COMMON CORE
RI. 11-12.1 RI. 11-12.2 RI. 11-12.4
RI. 11-12.8 RI. 11-12.10
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Word Choice
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Discussion Strategies
COMMON CORE
L. 11-12.5
Page 51
11th Grade Nonfiction Unit
Writing
Research
Language
Speaking and Listening
Quick Writes
Chronological Order (WWPA 14)
Sensory Details (WWPA 43)
Language
Essay Writing
Personal Experience Essay (IR 17)
Conventions of Standard English Review
(LN 200-261)
Speaking and Listening
Research
Collecting Ideas (464 #1)
Big Muddy (464 #5)
Oral Reading (464 #4)
COMMON CORE
W. 11-12.2 W. 11-12.3 W. 11-12.4 W. 11-12.5
W. 11-12.7 W. 11-12.8 W. 11-12.10
COMMON CORE
L. 11-12.1 L. 11-12.2
SL. 11-12.2
Quick Writes
Connecting “Letter…” with “Resistance…”
(TE 256)
Writing About a Controversial Issue (258 #1)
Argumentation (WWPA 7)
Language
Essay Writing
Analytical Essay (IR 209)
Writing an Opinion Paper (argument) (MI 17)
Auditory Learners (TE 251)
Stylistic Choices (LN 365-377)
Speaking and Listening
Research
Resisters All (258 #5)
COMMON CORE
W. 11-12.2 W. 11-12.3
W. 11-12.4 W. 11-12.9
W. 11-12.10
COMMON CORE
L. 11-12.3 L. 11-12.4
L. 11-12.5 SL. 11-12.3
SL. 11-12.6
Time Frame
Seven-weeks to teach
One-week to reteach, reassess,
and reevaluate
Quality Indicators
Frequent formative assessment
Text-based writing
Examples and models
Writing process
Rubrics
Close reading of complex text
Text-to-text connections
Analysis of complex text
elements
Text-dependent questions
Academic vocabulary
Incorporation of research
Citing of evidence
Presentation/publication
Study and apply grammar
Graphic organizers
Technology and media
resources
Various approaches/learning
styles
Use of Multiple Intelligences
B.E.S.T. practices
Resource Materials Key
Holt Elements of Literature
(page #)
Quick Writes
Autobiographical Incident (83 #1)
Allusion (MAWV 82)
Imagery: Action (MAWV 28)
Imagery: Setting (MAWV 30)
Language
Essay Writing
Persuasive Essay (IR 31)
“Fire and Fervor” (83 #3)
COMMON CORE
W. 11-12.4
W. 11-12.10
COMMON CORE
L. 11-12.1 L. 11-12.2
SL. 11-12.4
Quick Writes
Writing About a Controversial Issue (229 #1)
Analyzing Paradoxes (229 #3)
A Personal Definition (229 #4)
Speaking and Listening
Writing with Pattern Artistry
(WWPA)
Identifying Aphorisms (229 #5)
Online Links
Ethical Analysis (TE 103)
Full text available online
www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles..
./Letter_Birmingham.html
Elaboration (LN 333-341)
McDougal Interactive Reader
(IR)
Speaking and Listening
Language Network (LN)
Mastering the Artistic Writing
Voice (MAWV)
Essay Writing
Character Description Essay (IR 49)
COMMON CORE
W. 11-12.1 W. 11-12.2
W. 11-12.3 W. 11-12.10
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Mastering Ideas (MI)
Mastering Sentence Craft
(MSC)
chompchomp.com
COMMON CORE
L. 11-12.3 L. 11-12.5
SL. 11-12.3 SL. 11-12.6
Page 52
11th Grade Novel Unit
Reading Selection
Related Readings
More Challenging
“F. Scott Fitzgerald” (584)
“A Letter to His Daughter” (603)
Literary Terms
6 Traits, Reading Strategies /
CRISS
6 Traits
The Great Gatsby
Civics Connection:
The Eighteenth Amendment
(Prohibition)
gpoaccess.gov/constitution/html/amdt
18.html
The Jazz Age
COMMON CORE
RL.11-12.1 RL.11-12.2
RL.11-12.3 RL.11-12.4
RL. 11-12.5 RL. 11-12.6
RL. 11-12.7 RL. 11-12.9
RL. 11-12.10
www.historylearningsite.co.uk/1
920s_America.htm)
COMMON CORE
RI. 11-12.1 RI. 11-12.2
RI. 11-12.4 RI. 11-12.6
RI. 11-12.7 RI. 11-12.8
RI. 11-12.9 SS. 912.C.2.6
Protagonist/
Antagonist
Characterization
Conflict
Setting
Theme
Extended Metaphor
Motif
Parallel Plots
Reliable Narrator
Unreliable Narrator
Sentence Fluency
Word Choice
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Think-Pair-Share
Concept Mapping
KWL
Two-Column Notes
COMMON CORE
L. 11-12.5
Listening and Speaking Activities
1. In groups of three to five, students select a passage several pages long that contains dialogue between characters and
dramatize the passage. For example, Gatsby’s party, the dinner party, the rendezvous between Daisy and Gatsby at his
mansion, and the hotel scene (among others) would work well.
Discuss how the characters’ words exemplify their characters, values, or motivations.
2. Discuss what the following symbols represent in the novel:
a) the valley of ashes
b) the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleberg
c) the green light at the end of Daisy's dock
d) the mantle clock
e) Daisy's voice "full of money"
3. Listen to clips of the music of the 1920s at the following web site. Discuss how the music reflects the culture of this
time period.
www.besmark.com/danc3c.html#20-2
Close Reading Activity
Reread the first part of chapter 6 (beginning with “James Gatz - . . .” and ending with “ . . . Jay Gatsby had filled out to the
substantiality of a man.”). Identify the major events, places, and people mentioned, and create a timeline depicting this
portion of Gatsby’s life.
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Page 53
11th Grade Novel Unit
Writing
Research
Language
Speaking and Listening
Quick Writes
Language
Is Nick a reliable narrator? Why or Model sentences from the text.
why not?
Sentence Combining
(MSC 11, 33, 36, 48, 55, 56, 57, 60, 62, 63, 64,
Essay Writing
80, 94)
Comparison/Contrast Essay:
Sentence Expansion (MSC 3,4, 45, 91, 112)
Compare and contrast the
characters of Tom and Gatsby. (LN
Parallel Structure (MSC 30, 31)
406-410)
Expository Essay: Explain how
The Great Gatsby reflects the Jazz
Age.
Research
Research a characteristic of The
Jazz Age to write a paper. Use
correct citation for your topic to
present to the class. Include at least
one non-print source.
Speaking and Listening
Dramatize a passage.
Groups discuss symbols.
Listen to clips of music from the 1920s
www.besmark.com/danc3c.html#20-2
Present findings of a Jazz Age characteristic
using a media format.
Time Frame
Three-weeks to teach
One-week to reteach, reassess,
and reevaluate
Quality Indicators
Frequent formative assessment
Text-based writing
Examples and models
Writing process
Rubrics
Close reading of complex text
Text-to-text connections
Analysis of complex text
elements
Text-dependent questions
Academic vocabulary
Incorporation of research
Citing of evidence
Presentation/publication
Study and apply grammar
Graphic organizers
Technology and media resources
Various approaches/learning
styles
Use of Multiple Intelligences
B.E.S.T. practices
Resource Materials Key
Holt Elements of Literature
(page #)
McDougal Interactive Reader
(IR)
Language Network (LN)
Mastering Ideas (MI)
COMMON CORE
W. 11-12.1 W. 11-12.2
W. 11-12.4 W. 11-12.5
W. 11-12.6 W. 11-12.7
W. 11-12.8 W. 11-12.10
COMMON CORE
L. 11-12.1 L. 11-12.2
L. 11-12.3 L. 11-12.6
SL. 11-12.1 SL. 11-12.2
SL. 11-12.3 SL. 11-12.5
SL. 11-12.6
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Mastering the Artistic Writing
Voice (MAWV)
Mastering Sentence Craft
(MSC)
Writing with Pattern Artistry
(WWPA)
Page 54
12th Grade Short Story Unit
Reading Selection
Related Readings
Literary Terms
6 Traits
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Uncomplicated
“The Second Coming” (923)
“Federigo's Falcon”
(153)
“Wife of Bath's Tale” (138)
“Gift of the Magi” (see online link)
6 Traits
Irony
Ideas
Characterization
Word Choice
Reading Strategies / CRISS
COMMON CORE
RL. 11-12.1
RL. 11-12.3
COMMON CORE
RI. 11-12.1
RI. 11-12.2
COMMON CORE
L. 11-12.4
L. 11-12.5
Think-Pair-Share
“Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good
Night” (1038)
6 Traits
“Irony: Things Are Not As They
Seem” (991)
Connotation
Denotation
Point of View
Diction
Epiphany
Irony
Allusion
COMMON CORE
RI. 11-12.3
RI. 11-12.4
COMMON CORE
L. 11-12.4
L. 11-12.5
Venn Diagram
More Challenging
“Araby”
(985)
COMMON CORE
RL. 11-12.1
RL. 11-12.2
“The Invention of Childhood”
(1046-1047)
More Challenging
“The Rocking Horse
Winner”
(996) (IR 232)
COMMON CORE
RL. 11-12.1
RL. 11-12.2
RL. 11-12.3
Ideas
Organization
Sentence Fluency
Reading Strategies / CRISS
T-Chart
Inference
“DH Lawrence on Money” (1006)
“Money Can't Buy Happiness.
Er, Can it?” (IR 253-255)
COMMON CORE
RI. 11-12.4
RI. 11-12.5
Complex
“The Demon Lover”
“The Demon Lover” (1018) (ballad 1024-1025)
Symbol
Irony
Omniscient Point
of View
6 Traits
Ideas
Organization
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Tone
Opinion-Proof Notes
COMMON CORE
L. 11-12.4
L. 11-12.5
Venn Diagram
Foreshadow
6 Traits
Flashback
Organization
Inference
Word Choice
Setting
Mood
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Selective Highlighting
T-Chart
COMMON CORE
RL. 11-12.1
RL. 11-12.6
COMMON CORE
RI. 11-12.4
RI. 11-12.6
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
COMMON CORE
L. 11-12.4
L. 11-12.5
Think-Pair-Share
Page 55
12th Grade Short Story Unit
Writing
Research
Language
Speaking and Listening
Quick Writes
Chronological Order (WWPA 14)
Writing an Interior Monologue (TE 155)
Language
Essay Writing
College Application Essay (MI 8)
Personal Narrative Essay (MI 10)
SAT/ACT Practice Prompt (Appendix)
(MSC 1, 14, 25, 38, 53)
COMMON CORE
W. 11-12.2 W. 11-12.4
W. 11-12.10
Parts of Speech Review (LN 6-23)
COMMON CORE
L. 11-12.1
L. 11-12.5
SL. 11-12.1
Quick Writes
Language
Specificity with Dialogue (MAWV 40)
Narration (WWPA 39)
Review Parts of Speech (LN 6-23)
Sensory Imagery/Characterization (986, MI 27)
Sentence Elaboration (MI 47)
(MSC 53, 66, 82, 99)
Essay Writing
Comparing and Contrasting Essay (MI 9)
COMMON CORE
W. 11-12.3
W. 11-12.4
W. 11-12.10
COMMON CORE
L. 11-12.1
SL. 11-12.4
Quick Writes
Symbol (MAWV 60)
Tone (MI 64)
Contrast Appearance and Reality (WWPA 23)
Create Questions (TE 999)
Specificity with Dialogue (MAWV 40)
Essay Writing
Cause and Effect (WWPA 10)
COMMON CORE
W. 11-12.2 W. 11-12.4
Role Playing (987)
W. 11-12.10
Language
Essay Writing
Essay Analyzing Character at 3 Levels (MI 15)
Quality Indicators
Frequent formative assessment
Text-based writing
Examples and models
Writing process
Rubrics
Close reading of complex text
Text-to-text connections
Analysis of complex text
elements
Text-dependent questions
Academic vocabulary
Incorporation of research
Citing of evidence
Presentation/publication
Study and apply grammar
Graphic organizers
Technology and media resources
Various approaches/learning
styles
Use of Multiple Intelligences
B.E.S.T. practices
Online Links
collegeboard.com/practice/sat/q
uestion-of-the-day
readingquest.org/strat/
Research
Research psychological effects of war on a
soldier. (see online link)
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Seven-weeks to teach
One-week to reteach, reassess,
and reevaluate
Resource Materials Key
Sentences Types Review (LN 86-87) Holt Elements of Literature
(page #)
(MSC 101)
McDougal Interactive Reader
(IR)
Language Network (LN)
Mastering Ideas (MI)
COMMON CORE
Mastering Sentence Craft
L. 11-12.1
(MSC)
L. 11-12.5
Mastering the Artistic Writing
SL. 11-12.3
Voice (MAWV)
Writing with Pattern Artistry
Language
(WWPA)
Quick Writes
Suspense (MAWV 63), Cause and Effect
(WWPA 10), Dialogue: Creating Voice (MAWV Sentence Structure Variety
15), Informative Report (1053)
(LN 96-98)
COMMON CORE
W. 11-12.4 W. 11-12.10
Time Frame
owl.english.purdue.edu
COMMON CORE
L. 11-12.2 L. 11-12.3
L. 11-12.5 SL. 11-12.2
learning.blogs.nytimes.com/cate
gory/lessonplans/
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/
pmh0001923
Page 56
12th Grade Poetry Unit
Reading Selection
Related Readings
Literary Terms
Uncomplicated
6 Traits
Reading Strategies / CRISS
6 Traits
“Beowulf”
(20) (IR 4)
“A Monster Fit for Any Medium” (IR 35) Hero
Kenning
“Life in 999: A Grim Struggle” (47)
Epic
Caesura
COMMON CORE
RL. 11-12.1 RL. 11-12.2
RL. 11-12.4
COMMON CORE
RI. 11-12.1
RI. 11-12.4
Ideas
Word Choice
Reading Strategies / CRISS
COMMON CORE Sticky Note Discussion
L. 11-12.5
Think-Pair-Share
L. 11-12.6
Uncomplicated
“Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd”
(IR 71)
“Spain's Caravans of Love Bring
Lyric
Romance and a Future to a Man's World” Imagery
(IR 76)
Form
Style
“Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread”
Speaker
(260)
Pastoral
COMMON CORE
RL. 11-12.1 RL. 11-12.7
COMMON CORE
RI. 11-12.1 RI. 11-12.5
“Passionate Shepherd to His Love”
(231)
6 Traits
Ideas
Word Choice
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Venn Diagram
COMMON CORE One-Sentence Summary
L. 11-12.5
More Challenging
“All You Need is Love” (IR 92)
Shakespearean Sonnets
(224: 29, 73, 116, 130)
(IR 85-91)
COMMON CORE
RL. 11-12.1 RL. 11-12.4
RL. 11-12.6
“Tilbury Speech” (412)
Sonnet
Meter
Structure
Rhyme Scheme
Turn
6 Traits
Ideas
Word Choice
Reading Strategies / CRISS
COMMON CORE
RI. 11-12.1
RI. 11-12.8
Pattern Puzzle
COMMON CORE KWL
L. 11-12.5
Use search engine to locate
anthropological and archaeological
articles
6 Traits
Free Verse
Ideas
Metaphor
Extended-Metaphor Word Choice
Symbolism
Reading Strategies / CRISS
More Challenging
“Digging”
(1118)
“The Grauballe Man”
(1119)
COMMON CORE
RL. 11-12.4 RL. 11-12.10
COMMON CORE
RI. 11-12.6
RI. 11-12.7
COMMON CORE
L. 11-12.5
One-Sentence Summary
Problem Solution Notes
Complex
“The Lady of Shalott” (808) (IR 181)
“Ulysses” (822) (IR 188)
“In Memoriam” (815) (IR 191)
“Crossing the Bar” (824) (IR 194)
“Tears, Idle Tears” (804)
“The Eagle” (805)
“Flower in the Crannied Wall” (806)
“The Enduring Arthurian Legend”
(826)
COMMON CORE
RL. 11-12.2 RL. 11-12.4
RL.11-12.5
COMMON CORE
RI. 11-12.1
RI. 11-12.5
“In Memoriam”
(IR 198-199)
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Elegy
Dramatic
Monologue
Mood
Parallelism
Paradox
6 Traits
Ideas
Word Choice
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Content Frame
Selective Highlighting
COMMON CORE
L. 11-12.5
Page 57
12th Grade Poetry Unit
Writing
Research
Language
Speaking and Listening
Quick Writes
Supporting Details (IR 33)
Characterization (MI 33)
Language
Connotative Adjectives (MSC 74-77)
Using Phrases (LN 48-63)
W. 11-12.10
Quick Writes
Opinion Strategies (MI 38)
Silent No More (243 #5)
Seize the Song (243 #6)
COMMON CORE
W. 11-12.1 W. 11-12.2
COMMON CORE
L. 11-12.1
SL. 11-12.1
Language
Literary Present Tense (279)
Verb Tense (MSC 17-21)
Using Verbs (LN 102-127)
Essay Writing
Personal Essay (IR 81, WWPA 39)
W. 11-12.10
Quick Writes
Connotation (MSC 27, 69-71, 83)
Character Description (IR 97)
Three-weeks to teach
One-week to reteach, reassess,
and reevaluate
Quality Indicators
Essay Writing
Elaboration (LN 320, MI 42-47)
COMMON CORE
W. 11-12.1 W. 11-12.2
Time Frame
COMMON CORE
L. 11-12.1
L. 11-12.2
SL. 11-12.4
Language
The Right Words (LN 353-368)
Essay Writing
Compare and Contrast (WWPA 18)
“What Makes Tone?”(230 #2) OR “Love's the
Same?” (230 #3)
Frequent formative assessment
Text-based writing
Examples and models
Writing process
Rubrics
Close reading of complex text
Text-to-text connections
Analysis of complex text
elements
Text-dependent questions
Academic vocabulary
Incorporation of research
Citing of evidence
Presentation/publication
Study and apply grammar
Graphic organizers
Technology and media resources
Various approaches/learning
styles
Use of Multiple Intelligences
B.E.S.T. practices
Resource Materials Key
COMMON CORE
W. 11-12.1 W. 11-12.3 W. 11-12.9 W. 11-12.10
COMMON CORE
L. 11-12.1
SL. 11-12.1
Quick Writes
Supporting Details, Paraphrase, Elaboration (MI 47)
Write an original poem.
Language
Drawing Conclusions (1119)
Prepositional Phrases (MSC 1-12)
Essay Writing
Problem Solution Essay (MI 7)
Speaking and Listening
Making Inferences (TE 1118)
Mastering Ideas (MI)
Writing with Pattern Artistry
(WWPA)
COMMON CORE
W. 11-12.6 W. 11-12.7
COMMON CORE
L. 11-12
SL. 11-12.3
SL. 11-12.4
W. 11-12.10
Quick Writes
Language
Holt Elements of Literature
(page #)
McDougal Interactive Reader
(IR)
Language Network (LN)
Mastering Sentence Craft (MSC)
Online Links
http://ettcweb.Ir.k12.nj.us/forms/n
ewpoem.htm
Developing Characters Through Quotations; use with Conjunctions (MSC 53-64)
poem or short story (MI 25)
Parallelism (LN 372, 369)
Essay Writing
poetry.org
Compare and Contrast (IR 201)
poetryfoundation.org
COMMON CORE
W. 11-12.1 W. 11-12.4
W. 11-12.10
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
webenglishteacher.com/poetrygen
eral.html
COMMON CORE
L. 11-12.1
L. 11-12.3
SL. 11-12.2
Page 58
12th Grade Drama Unit
Reading Selection
Related Readings
Complex
“On Knocking at the Gate in
Macbeth” (330)
Macbeth
(300)
COMMON CORE
RL. 11-12.1 RL. 11-12.3
RL. 11-12.4 RL. 11-12.7
“The Mystery of Evil” (384-385)
Macbeth movie version (Roman
Polanski, Director; Rupert Goold,
Director)
COMMON CORE
RI. 11-12.3
RI. 11-12.4
Literary Terms
Tragedy
Tragic Hero
Tragic Flaw
Catastrophe
Blank Verse
Soliloquy
Aside
Foreshadowing
Dramatic Irony
Elision
Comic Relief
Paradox
Synecdoche
Personification
Imagery
6 Traits
Reading Strategies / CRISS
6 Traits
Word Choice
Voice
Conventions
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Concept Mapping
Two-Column Notes
Sticky Note Discussion
Vocabulary:
Concept of Definition Map
Read and Say Something
GOAR 26-30
Drama Resources
folger.edu
pbs.org/wnet/gperf/episodes/Macbeth/educators-guide/1023
Shakespearehelp.com/Macbeth.htm
dramaresource.com
webenglishteacher.com/macbeth.html
Research and Technology
Research various views of witchcraft in the 17th century. Present your findings to the class using technology.
Research information about The Globe Theatre and/or acting during the 17th century.
Prompts:
After a period of indecision, Macbeth confirms his intent to carry out the murder of Duncan. Write a paragraph describing
his thoughts as he makes his decision. What are the reasons for his hesitation? How does he rationalize his choice?
Write a paragraph describing how Macbeth changes from the beginning of the play to Act IV. Is he more good than evil in
Act IV? More evil than good? Rate Macbeth’s moral character on a scale of ten, with 1 being absolute good and 10 being
absolute evil. Provide at least two examples of Macbeth’s words or deeds to support your answer.
In a tragedy, the main character is usually dignified, courageous, and high-ranking. The character’s downfall may be
caused by a tragic flaw—an error in judgment or character weakness—or the downfall may result from forces beyond his
or her control. Macbeth’s character is not purely evil, but in Act II he overcomes his reservations long enough to kill King
Duncan and two of the king’s grooms. Afterward, Macbeth reveals his inner state. Re-read the text to find quotations that
disclose Macbeth’s feelings about the murders. Write the quote and explain its meaning in your own words.
COMMON CORE
W. 11-12.6 W. 11-12.9
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Page 59
12th Grade Drama Unit
Writing
Research
Language
Speaking and Listening
Quick Writes
Language
Shaping Interpretations (351)
Sentence Structure (LN 86-87, 100)
One-week to reteach, reassess,
and reevaluate
Paraphrase a soliloquy
Inverted Sentences (LN 32, 374-375)
Quality Indicators
Contrast Characters (MI 15 )
*How has Macbeth changed from Acts I to
Act III?
*How is Banquo different from Macbeth?
*How has Lady Macbeth changed? Why?
*Contrast Macbeth’s confidence with
Malcom’s confidence.
Paraphrase (LN 454, 661)
Cause/Effect
*List effects that resulted from Duncan’s
murder
*Macbeth witnesses apparitions
*Malcom tests Macduff
Hot Seat (TE 345)
Essay Writing
Kinesthetic Learners (TE 352)
Cause/Effect (MI 16)
Say the Soliloquy (TE 390)
Vocabulary (391)
Pronouns (LN 9-12, 150-175)
Speaking and Listening
Auditory/Musical Learners (TE 348)
Interpersonal Learners (TE 348)
Problem and Solution
(1179-1184, LN 309, MI 7)
Time Frame
Three-weeks to teach
Frequent formative assessment
Text-based writing
Examples and models
Writing process
Rubrics
Close reading of complex text
Text-to-text connections
Analysis of complex text elements
Text-dependent questions
Academic vocabulary
Incorporation of research
Citing of evidence
Presentation/publication
Study and apply grammar
Graphic organizers
Technology and media resources
Various approaches/learning
styles
Use of Multiple Intelligences
B.E.S.T. practices
Resource Materials Key
Compare/Contrast (WWPA 18)
*Lady Macbeth with Lady Macduff.
*Prophecies in Act I with the prophecies in
Act IV.
Holt Elements of Literature
(page #)
McDougal Interactive Reader
(IR)
Language Network (LN)
Mastering Ideas (MI)
Mastering the Artistic Writing
Voice (MAWV)
Mastering Sentence Craft (MSC)
Mastering Writing Skills (MWS)
COMMON CORE
W. 11-12.1 W. 11-12.2
W. 11-12.4 W. 11-12.10
COMMMON CORE
L. 11-12.3 L. 11-12.4
SL. 11-12.1 SL. 11-12.4
SL. 11-12.5 SL. 11-12.6
Writing with Pattern Artistry
(WWPA)
Online Links
www.folger.edu
readingquest.org/strat/
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Page 60
12th Grade Nonfiction Unit
Reading Selection
Related Readings
Literary Terms
6 Traits
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Uncomplicated
6 Traits
Irony
“Shooting an Elephant”
(1139)
“A Hanging” by George Orwell
(available online)
Symbol
Memoir
COMMON CORE
RI. 11-12.1
COMMON CORE
RI. 11-12.1
RI. 11-12.2
Sentence Fluency
Ideas
Organization
Word Choice
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Problem-Solution
RAFT
Opinion-Proof
COMMON CORE
L. 11-12.5
More Challenging
“A Vindication of the Rights of Women”
(IR 119-127)
“Shakespeare’s Sister”
(1123-1127)
“Votes for Women!”
(1128-1129)
Tone
6 Traits
Diction
Sentence Fluency
Ideas
Organization
Word Choice
Logos
“Everyday Equality”
(IR 131-133)
Ethos
Pathos
COMMON CORE
RI. 11-12.1
COMMON CORE
RI. 11-12.1
RI. 11-12.3
COMMON CORE
L. 11-12.5
More Challenging
“On Keeping a Notebook”
(552-553)
from “The Life of Samuel
Johnson”
(583-588)
“Mad for Science”
(546-547)
Inference
Imagery
Biography
Characterization
COMMON CORE
RI. 11-12.3
RI. 11-12.4
COMMON CORE
L. 11-12.5
Complex
“A Modest Proposal”
(502-508) (IR 101)
Sentence Fluency
Ideas
Organization
Word Choice
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Vocabulary Map
Concept Mapping
Selective Highlighting
Learning Log Entry
6 Traits
“Satire: Bitter Laughter”
(500-501)
“Top of the Food Chain”
(509-512)
COMMON CORE
RI. 11-12.1
Think-Pair-Share
Opinion-Proof
Sticky Note Discussion
QAR's
6 Traits
from “The Diary of Samuel
Pepys”
(543-554)
COMMON CORE
RI. 11-12.1
Reading Strategies / CRISS
COMMON CORE
RI. 11-12.3
RI 11-12.4
RI 11-12.6
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Satire
Diction
Hyperbole
Understatement Irony
Sarcasm Connotation
Ethos
Logos
Pathos
COMMON CORE
L. 11-12.5
Sentence Fluency
Ideas
Organization
Word Choice
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Vocabulary Map
One-Sentence Summary
Selective Highlighting
Opinion-Proof
Page 61
12th Grade Nonfiction Unit
Writing
Language/Speaking and Listening
Research
Quick Writes
Brainstorm situations in which a person is
pressured by a group.
Compare and contrast Orwell’s experience
with modern police officers or a soldier in
a peacekeeping mission.
Creative Writing (1144 #4)
Language
Conventions of Standard English Review (MWS 6-10)
Compound and Complex Sentences (LN 86-97,
MSC 101)
Research
Essay Writing
Problem/Solution Essay (MI 7)
A Significant Passage (1144 #2)
COMMON CORE
W. 11-12.1 W. 11-12.2
W. 11-12.3 W. 11-12.4
W. 11-12.10
Potential Topics: Burma and/or Indian elephants
COMMON CORE
L. 11-12.1 L. 11-12.2
L. 11-12.5 SL. 11-12.1
Quick Writes
Word Choice (MI 51)
Elaboration (MI 45)
Alliteration (MAWV 110)
Hooks (MAWV 122-123)
Language
Essay Writing
Problem/Solution Essay (1179-1184)
Write a Proposal (LN 428-437)
Group Discussion (LN 512-513)
COMMON CORE
W. 11-12.1 W. 11-12.2
W. 11-12.4 W. 11-12.5
COMMON CORE
L. 11-12.1 L. 11-12.2
L. 11-12.5 SL. 11-12.1
Conventions of Standard English Review (MWS 6-10)
Sentence Expansion (MSC 108-113)
W. 11-12.3
W. 11-12.10
Time Frame
Seven-weeks to teach
One-week to reteach, reassess,
and reevaluate
Quality Indicators
Frequent formative assessment
Text-based writing
Examples and models
Writing process
Rubrics
Close reading of complex text
Text-to-text connections
Analysis of complex text
elements
Text-dependent questions
Academic vocabulary
Incorporation of research
Citing of evidence
Presentation/publication
Study and apply grammar
Graphic organizers
Technology and media
resources
Various approaches/learning
styles
Use of Multiple Intelligences
B.E.S.T. practices
Resource Materials Key
Holt Elements of Literature
(page #)
Quick Writes
Dear Diary (555)
Becoming a Boswell (589)
Anaphora (MAWV 112-114)
Anadiplosis (MAWV 115-116)
Language
Conventions of Standard English Review (MWS 6-10)
Essay Writing
Persuasive Essay (612-616)
Research
Appositives/Appositive Phrases (MSC 102, 106, 109,
116, LN 53, 164, 223)
Johnson and his Cronies (589 #4)
McDougal Interactive Reader
(IR)
Language Network (LN)
Mastering Ideas (MI)
Mastering the Artistic Writing
Voice (MAWV)
Mastering Sentence Craft
(MSC)
COMMON CORE
W. 11-12.1 W. 11-12.3
W. 11-12.4
Quick Writes
A New Modest Proposal (514 #5)
Two Satirists (514)
Opinion Paper (MI 17)
Can I Quote You? (MI 25)
Essay Writing
Persuasive Essay (MI 22)
COMMON CORE
W. 11-12.1 W. 11-12.2
W. 11-12.4 W. 11-12.10
COMMON CORE
L. 11-12.1 L. 11-12.5
SL. 11-12.2
Language
Conventions of Standard English Review (MWS 6-10)
Mastering Writing Skills
(MWS)
Online Links
Pronoun Antecedents (LN 160-163)
www.georgeorwell.org/A_Hanging/0.html
Research
readingquest.org/strat/
Find information about Jonathan Swift and conditions
in Ireland in the 18th century. Share with the class.
sat.collegeboard.com/practice/s
at-question-of-the-day
COMMON CORE
L. 11-12.1 L. 11-12.2
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
owl.english.purdue.edu
L. 11-12.5 SL. 11-12.4
Page 62
12th Grade Novel Unit
Reading Selection
Related Readings
Literary Terms
6 Traits
Reading Strategies / CRISS
More Challenging
6 Traits
“Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt
Vonnegut (available online)
“No One Died in Tiananmen Square”
by William Lutz (available online)
1984
Setting
Ideas
Irony
Organization
Paradox
Plot
“Thumbprint” by Eve Merriam
(available online)
Civics Connection:
US Constitution— Amendment 1
Voice
Reading Strategies / CRISS
Think-Pair-Share
Theme
Selective Underlining
Point of View
Sticky Note Discussion
Satire
Two-Column Notes
Opinion-Proof Notes
COMMON CORE
RL. 11-12.1 RL. 11-12.2
RL. 11-12.3 RL. 11-12.4
RL. 11-12.5 RL. 11-12.6
RL. 11-12.10
RAFT
COMMON CORE
RL. 11-12.1 RI. 11-12.4
RI. 11-12.6 RI. 11-12.8
RI. 11-12.10 SS. 912.C.2.7
COMMON CORE One Sentence Summary
L. 11.12.4
Story Plan
L. 11-12.5
Speaking and Listening/Research
Debate: The world of 1984 has become a reality in the 21st century.
In a 2-3 minute speech, incorporating a clear thesis statement and using relevant contextual support, respond to the
following question: Was Orwell's novel 1984 prophetic?
Recite a 1-2 minute passage from the novel, then, referring to particular points in the passage, discuss the following:
•
How the passage deals with a particular theme in the novel
•
How the passage comments directly or indirectly on historical events
COMMON CORE
SL. 11-12.1 SL. 11-12.4
SL. 11-12.6
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Page 63
12th Grade Novel Unit
Writing
Language, Speaking and
Listening, Research
Anticipation Guide:
Journal: Have students keep a diary for a day,
recording every minute detail. Reflect on the
advantages and disadvantages of keeping a
journal.
Language
Analyze Setting: Re-read opening pages noting
how the setting is described and its significance.
Analyze Character: Direct students to choose a
character to track while reading the novel,
specifically noting the characterization method
(direct or indirect) used.
Essay Writing
Consider the characters in 1984. How are male
and female characters portrayed? How does the
novel portray their roles in society? How does
gender influence the choices available to the
characters and the decisions that they make?
Write an essay that explores how gender affects
the plot and character development in the novel.
Consider the relationship between Winston and
Julia. Think about the way each is described;
consider their characteristics, the conflicts they
face, the actions they take, and their emotional
reactions. Compare these qualities to the setting.
Explain how the setting of the novel is
representative (or not) of the characters.
Time Frame
Three-weeks to teach
Model Sentences (MSC 108-112)
One-week to reteach, reassess,
and reevaluate
Elaboration (MI 45- 49)
Quality Indicators
Frequent formative assessment
Text-based writing
Examples and models
Research ways in which the US Writing process
government has used propaganda Rubrics
to promote various policies.
Close reading of complex text
Text-to-text connections
Research how communist
Analysis of complex text elements
governments have used
Text-dependent questions
propaganda (e.g. China during
Academic vocabulary
the 2008 Olympics) to display a Incorporation of research
particular view of their
Citing of evidence
government.
Presentation/publication
Study and apply grammar
Research contemporary political Graphic organizers
regimes and their humane/
Technology and media resources
inhumane platforms as they
Various approaches/learning
affect social, cultural, religious,
styles
and ethical standards.
Use of Multiple Intelligences
Present findings to the class.
B.E.S.T. practices
Research
Resource Materials Key
Mastering Ideas (MI)
Mastering Sentence Craft (MSC)
Online Links
Compare and contrast Julia and Winston. How
does each rebel against the Party, and decide if
these rebellions are at all effective?
us.penguingroup.com/static/pdf/te
achersguides/1984.pdf
commoncore.org/maps/index.php/
maps/grade_12_unit_6/
Discuss the role of technology in
Oceania. In what areas is technology
highly advanced, and in what areas
has its progress stalled? Why?
learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/
10/21/big-brother-vs-littlebrother-updating-orwells-1984/
What social values are discarded in the dystopian
work 1984? Write an essay using specific textual
evidence that supports an original, concise thesis
statement.
COMMON CORE
W. 11-12.1 W. 11-12. 2
W. 11-12.3 W. 11-12.4
W. 11-12.5 W. 11-12.7 W. 11-12.10
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
readwritethink.org
webenglishteacher.com
COMMON CORE
L. 11-12.1 L. 11-12.2
L. 11-12.3 SL.11-12.1
SL.11-12.4
eric.ed.gov
readingquest.org/strat
Page 64
Readin
Reading
The graphic shown here and on other reading pages was taken from the following presentation:
https://e2ela.wikispaces.com/file/view/CCRC+Text+Complexity.ppt
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Page 65
ELA Reading Literature Strand
Key Ideas and Details
1. Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite
specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.
2. Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key
supporting details and ideas.
3. Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.
Craft and Structure
4. Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative,
and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.
5. Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of
the text (e.g., a section, chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to each other and the whole.
6. Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
7. Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and
quantitatively, as well as in words.
8. Not applicable to literature.
9. Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to
compare the approaches the authors take.
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
10. Read and comprehend complex literature and informational texts independently and proficiently.
The Range and Content of Student Reading
To become college and career ready, students must grapple with works of exceptional craft
and thought whose range extends across genres, cultures, and centuries.Such works offer profound
insights into the human condition and serve as models for students’ own thinking and writing.
Along with high-quality contemporary works, these texts should be chosen from among seminal U.S.
Documents, the classics of American literature, and the timeless dramas of Shakespeare.
Through wide and deep reading of literature and literary nonfiction of steadily increasing
sophistication, students gain a reservoir of literary and cultural knowledge, references, and images; the
ability to evaluate intricate arguments; and the capacity to surmount the challenges posed by complex
texts.
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Page 66
ELA Reading Information Strand
Key Ideas and Details
1. Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite
specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.
2. Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key
supporting details and ideas.
3. Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.
Craft and Structure
4. Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative,
and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.
5. Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of
the text (e.g., a section, chapter, scene or stanza) relate to each other and the whole.
6. Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
7. Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and
quantitatively, as well as in words.
8. Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the
reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.
9. Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to
compare the approaches the authors take.
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
10. Read and comprehend complex literature and informational texts independently and proficiently.
The Range and Content of Student Reading
To become college and career ready, students must grapple with works of exceptional craft and
thought whose range extends across genres, cultures, and centuries. Such works offer profound
insights into the human condition and serve as models for students’ own thinking and writing. Along
with high-quality contemporary works, these texts should be chosen from among seminal U.S.
documents, the classics of American literature, and the timeless dramas of Shakespeare.
Through wide and deep reading of literature and literary nonfiction of steadily increasing
sophistication, students gain a reservoir of literary and cultural knowledge, references, and images; the
ability to evaluate intricate arguments; and the capacity to surmount the challenges posed by complex
texts.
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Page 67
Determining Text Complexity
In order to select an appropriate text for a student
or group of students, consider the following criteria:
1. Quantitative measures – readability and other scores of text complexity often best measured by
computer software.
2. Qualitative measures – levels of meaning, structure, language conventionality and clarity, and
knowledge demands often best measured by an attentive human reader.
3. Reader and Task considerations – background knowledge of reader, motivation, interests, and
complexity generated by tasks assigned often best made by educators employing their professional
judgment.
Determining Text Complexity: A Four
Four-Step Process
1.
2.
3.
4.
Determine the quantitative measures of the text.
Analyze the qualitative measures of the text.
Reflect upon the reader and task considerations.
Recommend placement in the appropriate text complexity band.
Step 1
Assess Quantitative Measures
Step 2
Assess Qualitative Measures
Determined by:
Readability
Word length
Word frequency
Word difficulty
Sentence length
Text length
Text cohesion
Determined by:
Levels of meaning
Levels of purpose
Structure
Organization
Language conventionality
Language clarity
Prior knowledge demands
Step 3
Assess the Reader and Task
Step 4
Recommended Placement
Determined by:
Motivation
Knowledge and experience
Purpose for reading
Complexity of task assigned, regarding text
Complexity of questions asked, regarding
text
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
After reflecting upon all three legs of the text
complexity model, we can make a final
recommendation of placement within a text and
begin to document our thinking for future
reference.
Page 68
Ways to Think About Text
1. Consider the text itself, the basic information, format, purpose, and external visual appearance.
2. Move from obvious, surface generalities and plot to think about what is between the lines, the
inferences, tone, impact, conclusions, and how the intended effect is achieved.
3. Think beyond the text to the author's craft in writing the text.
• What organizational, syntactical, and stylistic devices were used to convey the ideas?
• What imagery stays in your mind and why?
• What levels of meaning resonate or make an emotional impact?
• How does this inspire you to become a better writer?
wisdom
connectedness
knowledge
information
understanding
principles and
themes
understanding
patterns
understanding
relationships
understanding
text
8 Reading Strategies
Previewing
Contextualizing
Questioning
Reflecting on challenges
Outlining and summarizing
Evaluating the logic and credibility
Evaluating emotional impact
Comparing and contrasting
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
8 Productive Independent Reading Strategies
Annotating directly on the page
Underlying key words, phrases, or sentences
Writing comments or questions in the margins
Bracketing important sections of the text
Constructing ideas with lines or arrows
Numbering relevant points in sequence
Noting questionable items
Transcribing notes into a computer document
Page 69
Text Complexity Rubric for Informational Text
Place a check in the appropriate bubbles when considering choice of text.
More Challenging
Uncomplicated
single level of meaning
explicitly stated purpose
Organization of Main Ideas and
Details
clearly stated and sequential
Text Features (if used)
help the reader navigate the
content but are not essential
Use of Graphics
simple graphics, unnecessary to
understand the text
explicit, literal meaning,
straight-forward, easy to
understand
contemporary, familiar,
conversational
straightforward sentence
structure
Subject Matter Knowledge
requires only everyday, practical
knowledge
Intertextuality (low)
few if any references/allusions to
other texts
Levels of Meaning and Purpose
more challenging levels of
meaning
implied purpose, but easy to
identify
Structure
Organization of Main Ideas and
Details
may be complex, but clearly
stated and generally sequential
Complex
multiple levels of complex
meaning
subtle, implied purpose , may be
difficult to determine
Organization of Main Ideas and
Details
highly complex, not explicit, must
be inferred by the reader
Text Features (if used)
enhance the reader’s
understanding of content
Use of Graphics
largely simple, supplementary to
understanding the text.
Text Features (if used)
essential in understanding the
content
Use of Graphics
sophisticated graphics essential to
understanding the text or adding
more info to the text.
Language, Conventionality, and Clarity
largely explicit and easy to
dense and complex; may be
abstract, ironic, or figurative
understand with some occasions
of complex meaning and/or may
be abstract, ironic, or figurative
occasionally unfamiliar, archaic,
subject-specific, or overly
academic
some complex and varied
sentence structure
Knowledge Demands
Subject Matter Knowledge
largely everyday, requires some
subject-specific knowledge
Intertextuality (moderate)
some references/allusions to
other texts
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
unfamiliar, archaic, subjectsubject
specific, or overly academic
complex and varied sentence
structure
Subject Matter Knowledge
requires moderate to extensive
levels of subject-specific
subject
knowledge, some theoretical
subject-specific
specific knowledge
Intertextuality (high)
many references/allusions to other
texts
Page 70
Text Complexity Rubric for Informational Text
Place a check in the appropriate bubbles when considering choice of text.
Uncomplicated
single level of meaning
explicitly stated purpose
Organization of Main Ideas
and Details
clearly stated and sequential
Text Features (if used)
help the reader navigate the
content but are not essential
Use of Graphics
simple graphics, unnecessary
to understand the text
explicit, literal meaning,
straight-forward, easy to
understand
contemporary, familiar,
conversational
straightforward sentence
structure
Subject Matter Knowledge
requires only everyday,
practical knowledge
Intertextuality (low)
few if any
references/allusions to other
texts
More Challenging
Levels of Meaning and Purpose
more challenging levels of
meaning
implied purpose, but easy to
identify
Structure
Organization of Main Ideas
and Details
may be complex, but clearly
stated and generally sequential
Complex
multiple levels of complex
meaning
subtle, implied purpose , may
be difficult to determine
Organization of Main Ideas and
Details
highly complex, not explicit,
must be inferred by the reader
Text Features (if used)
enhance the reader’s
understanding of content
Use of Graphics
largely simple, supplementary
to understanding the text.
Text Features (if used)
essential in understanding the
content
Use of Graphics
sophisticated graphics essential
to understanding the text or
adding more info to the text.
Language, Conventionality, and Clarity
largely explicit and easy to
dense and complex; may be
understand with some
abstract, ironic, or figurative
occasions of complex meaning
and/or may be abstract, ironic,
or figurative
occasionally unfamiliar,
archaic, subject-specific, or
overly academic
some complex and varied
sentence structure
Knowledge Demands
Subject Matter Knowledge
largely everyday, requires
some subject-specific
knowledge
Intertextuality (moderate)
some references/allusions to
other texts
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
unfamiliar, archaic, subjectsubject
specific, or overly academic
complex and varied sentence
structure
Subject Matter Knowledge
requires moderate to extensive
levels of subject-specific
subject
knowledge, some theoretical
subject-specific
specific knowledge
Intertextuality (high)
many references/allusions to
other texts
Page 71
Common Core Standards
Qualitative Features of Text Complexity Explained
(To be consulted in filling out the rubric and in conjunction with anchor texts)
Structure (could be story structure and/or form of piece)
• Simple Complex
• Explicit Implicit
• Conventional Unconventional
• Events related in chronological order Events related out of chronological order (chiefly literary texts)
• Traits of a common genre or subgenre Traits specific to a particular discipline (chiefly informational
texts)
• Simple graphics sophisticated graphics
• Graphics unnecessary or merely supplemental to understanding the text Graphics essential to
understanding the text and may provide information not elsewhere provided
Language Demands: Conventionality and Clarity
• Literal Figurative or ironic
• Clear Ambiguous or purposefully misleading
• Contemporary, familiar Archaic or otherwise unfamiliar
• Conversational General Academic and domain specific
• Light vocabulary load1: few unfamiliar or academic words Many words unfamiliar and high academic
vocabulary present
• Sentence structure 2straightforward Complex and varied sentence structures
Knowledge Demands: Life Experience (literary texts)
• Simple theme Complex or sophisticated themes
• Single theme Multiple themes
• Common everyday experiences or clearly fantastical situations Experiences distinctly different from
one’s own
• Single perspective Multiple perspectives
• Perspective(s) like one’s own Perspective(s) unlike or in opposition to one’s own
Knowledge Demands: Cultural/Literary Knowledge (chiefly literary texts)
• Everyday knowledge and familiarity with genre conventions required Cultural and literary knowledge
useful
• Low intertextuality (few if any references/allusions to other texts) High intertextuality (many
references/allusions to other texts
Knowledge Demands: Content/Discipline Knowledge (chiefly informational texts)
• Everyday knowledge and familiarity with genre conventions required Extensive, perhaps specialized
discipline-specific content knowledge required
• Low intertextuality (few if any references to/citations of other texts) High intertextuality (many
references to/citations of other texts
Levels of Meaning (chiefly literary texts) or Purpose (chiefly informational texts)
• Single level of meaning Multiple levels of meaning
• Explicitly stated purpose Implicit purpose, may be hidden or obscure
Adapted from CCS ELA Appendix A (p. 6)
1
2
Though vocabulary can be measured by quantifiable means, it is still a feature for careful consideration when selecting texts
Though sentence length is measured by quantifiable means, sentence complexity is still a feature for careful consideration when selecting texts
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Page 72
Reader and Task Questions
Ask yourself these questions before assigning texts to students.
Cognitive Capabilities
•
•
•
•
Does the reader possess the necessary attention to read and comprehend this specific text?
Will the reader be able to remember and make connections among the various details
presented in this specific text?
Does the reader possess the necessary critical/analytic thinking skills to understand the
relationships between the main idea, purpose, and/or theme of the text and the various details
used to support these entities?
Will this specific text help to develop the attention, memory, and critical/analytic thinking
skills necessary for future reading endeavors?
Reading Skills
•
•
•
•
•
Does the reader possess the necessary inferencing skills to read between the lines and make
connections among elements that may not be explicit in this specific text?
Does the reader possess the necessary visualizing skills to imagine what is occurring or what is
being described in this specific text?
Does the reader possess the necessary questioning skills to challenge the ideas presented in this
text and consider those ideas from multiple points of view?
Does the reader possess the necessary comprehension strategies to manage the material in this
specific text?
Will this specific text help to develop the inferencing
nferencing skills, visualization skills, questioning
skills, and comprehension strategies necessary for future reading endeavors.
Motivation and Engagement with Task and Text
•
•
Will the reader understand the purpose
purpose-which
which might shift over the course of the
th reading
experience-for
for reading this specific text (i.e., skimming, studying to retain content, close
reading for analyses, etc.)?
Will the reader be interested in the content of this specific text?
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Page 73
Close Reading/
Reading/Critical
Critical Thinking About Reading
Teach students to make inferences as they read.
Teach students how to turn lengthy sentences into shorter ones as they read.
Teach students how to figure out vocabulary in context.
Teach students how to recognize figurative vs. literal meaning.
Teach stude
students how to form open-ended questions.
Teach students to put their confusion over complex passages into question form.
Pull model sentences, then longer ppassages
assages and put them on the document camera or
screen and analyze them aloud with first teacher, then student modeling.
Model, then give student practice in composing statements of opinion, then citing
textual evidence from multiple places as support.
Model for students your own confusion and process at arriving at a conclusion when
confronted with ambiguous passages.
Teach students to underline significant words and phases and question their impact on the whole piece.
Teach students to question motives of the writer, characters, etc.
Analyze organizational impact on the passage, e.g. cause and effect, comparison,
spatial, and see if confusion is because of the way the passage is organized.
If so, teach students to reorganize, rearrange, or add or delete to provide clarity.
Teach students to make charts of characters and their roles or relationships
relation
when there are
lots of them or maps or pictures of locations when spatial detail is difficult.
Teach students to connect what they’re reading with other contexts or provide pictures,
titles, charts, or personal experience, etc.
Teach students that no
nott all reading problems are their fault. Sometimes authors leave out
vital pieces of information and count on the reader to supply the vacancies.
Show them a piece you create as an example.
Help students see themes by helping them understand human needs, faults,
reformation, reconciliation, and redemption.
Provide background when allusions are important to understanding the text.
Teach students to summarize a passage, then share with a partner for revision purposes.
Teach students to differentiate between complex passages to determine why each is
difficult. If they know the reason why, they can apply the strategy to comprehend it.
Teach students to identify techniques of style, syntax, structure, and tone.
Teach students to identify the positive an
and
d negative connotations, viewpoints, opinions,
interests, and agendas in the text.
Teach students to identify the biases, contradictions, and inconsistencies in a passage.
Teach students to articulate what they anticipate will occur, not just as prereading but
throughout the text.
Make explicit for struggling readers what may be implicit for accomplished readers.
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Page 74
Reading Strategies for Drama Instruction
Reading drama differs from reading other texts because drama is much sparer.
Readers
learn about characters and information about the characters in the stage direction.
make inferences about characters from dialogue and actions.
understand the plot through the interactions of the characters.
look for character motivation by asking what the character wants that motivates his or her actions and
words.
ask what is the essential quality that defines each main character .
determine the history of the characters and what their past tells the reader about how they will now
respond to present events.
ask what is a character’s ruling passion.
ask how each of the characters relate to each of the other characters.
ask what complication sets the play in motion, which people oppose each other, and what conflicts exist
between which characters.
determine the sudden turns in a play that signify a change in direction.
determine the sudden illumination, insight, or recognition that provides a crisis in the play.
determine what ideas and concerns repeatedly occur.
identify and interpret the figurative language, puns, soliloquies, and imagery that inform the reader about
character, plot, and theme.
identify important lines and quotations in the play.
make connections in the play to real life situations.
grasp the explicit and implicit themes and external and internal changes that take place with characters.
determine the resolution of a play and make judgments about the resolution’s appropriateness.
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Page 75
Project CRISS (CReating Independence Through Student Owned
Strategies) Strategies
For further elaboration attend Level 1 Training and/or see Project CRISS manual
One Sentence
Summary
Students summarize main ideas from reading selections, lectures or
videos using one sentence.
Selective
Underlining
Students select key words and phrases to highlight or underline to create
meaning from the text
Think-Pair –Share
On their own, students think and take notes on a given topic (think). With a
partner, each student shares his/her initial ideas (pair). As a whole class,
students share what they have thought about and discussed with their partner
(share).
Two-column notes
Students divide their paper in two. Each column contains particular information.
For example: Main idea in one column and detail in the other. Other uses for
two-column notes include conclusion/support or problem/solution,
opinion/proof.
RAFT
Use RAFT to vary writer’s purpose in assignments.
R=Role of the Writer
A=Audience
F=Format
T=Topic
Discussion
Strategies
Sticky-note discussion: direct students to mark and annotate texts that will
prompt good discussion for the class
Use frames to develop higher level thinking questions:
Recall-who/what
Analysis-summarize
Comparison-Differences
Inference-predict, conclude
Evaluation-judge, defend
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Page 76
Questioning for Critical Thinking
Knowing how to ask questions and which questions to ask is a skill that both teachers
and students need. Teachers must encourage students to create and ask questions about
text on their own. Realizing key points and shedding light on complicated issues is a
circuitous route arrived at through a process of ever increasing insightful questioning.
Teach students how to do this through modeling.
Good questions require creative thinking and curiosity.
•
It takes time to form a “good” question. Allow time for rereading a text and for question
formulation.
•
One good question initiates more insightful questions.
•
Questioning is the basis of research.
•
When text is difficult, don’t look for answers, think about what questions to ask.
•
Asking questions is about learning and exploring until you find the right answer.
•
Asking good questions requires thinking, rethinking, and reforming the questions.
•
Answer a question by sharpening the question for clarity to get to the most profound answer.
•
To form more questions, look for answers behind the answers.
•
Poor questions seemed designed to reach the predetermined outcome of the asker.
•
Poor questions may be worded negatively to reflect roadblocks rather than solutions.
•
Understanding comes not from the answers but knowing which questions to ask.
•
Teachers and students might have to ask some bad questions before becoming proficient at
asking good questions. It takes practice.
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Page 77
Questioning for Quality Thinking
Knowledge- Identification and recall of information
Who, what, when, where, how _____________? Describe_______________.
Comprehension- Organization and selection of facts
Retell_________________________________________in your own words.
What is the main idea of_______________________________________?
Application- Use of facts, rules, principles
How is _______________an example of _________________________?
How is _______________ related to _____________________________?
Why is ________________ significant?
Analysis- Separation of a whole into component parts
What are the parts or features of _______________________________?
Classify ______________ according to __________________________.
Outline/diagram/web _________________________________________.
What are the negative and positive aspects of _____________________?
How does __________ compare/contrast with ____________________?
What evidence can you list for _________________________________?
Synthesis- Combination of ideas to form a new whole
What would you predict/infer from_______________________________?
What ideas can you add to _____________________________________?
How would you create/design a new _____________________________?
What might happen if you combined _________________ with ______________?
Which solutions would you suggest for __________________________________?
Evaluation- Development of opinions, judgments, or decisions
Do you agree ________________________________________________?
What do you think about _______________________________________?
What is the most important _____________________________________?
How would you prioritize ______________________________________?
How would you decide about____________________________________?
What criteria would you use to assess _____________________________?
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Page 78
BLOOM’S REVISED TAXONOMY
Creating
Generating new ideas, products, or ways of viewing things.
Designing, constructing, planning, producing, inventing
Evaluating
Justifying a decision or course of action.
Checking, hypothesizing, critiquing, experimenting, judging
Analyzing
Breaking information into parts to explore understandings and relationships.
Comparing, organizing, deconstructing, interrogating, finding
Understanding
Explaining ideas or concepts.
Interpreting, summarizing, paraphrasing, classifying, explaining
Remembering
Recalling information.
Recognizing, listing, describing, retrieving, naming, finding
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Page 79
Writing
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Page 80
ELA Writing Strand
Text Types and Purposes
1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid
reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly
and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences of events using effective technique, wellchosen details, and well-structured event sequences.
Production and Distribution of Writing
4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are
appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
5. Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revisiting, editing, rewriting, or trying a
new approach.
6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and
collaborate with others.
Research to Build and Present Knowledge
7. Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions,
demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
8. Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and
accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism.
9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
Range of Writing
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.
The Range and Content of Student Reading
For students, writing is a key means of asserting and defending claims, showing what they
know about a subject, and conveying what they have experienced, imagined, thought, and felt. To be
college and career-ready writers, students must take task, purpose, and audience into careful
consideration, choosing words, information, structures, and formats deliberately.
Students need to know how to combine elements of different kinds of writing—for example, to
use narrative strategies within argument and explanation within narrative— to produce complex and
nuanced writing. They need to be able to use technology strategically when creating, refining, and
collaborating on writing. They have to become adept at gathering information, evaluating sources, and
citing material accurately, reporting findings from their research and analysis of sources in a clear and
cogent manner. They must have the flexibility, concentration, and fluency to produce high-quality
first-draft text under a tight deadline as well as the capacity to revisit and make improvements to a
piece of writing over multiple drafts when circumstances encourage or require it.
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Page 81
Writing Process
Prewrite
Think
Select a manageable topic.
Determine audience and purpose.
Brainstorm ideas about the subject.
Gather information from multiple sources.
Research and record information.
Revise
Draft
Write
Put the information you researched into your own words.
Write sentences and paragraphs even if they are not perfect.
Read what you have written, and judge if it says what you mean.
Show it to others and ask for suggestions.
Rework
Read what you have written again.
Think about what others said about it.
Rearrange words or sentences.
Take out or add parts.
Replace overused or unclear words.
Read writing aloud to be sure it flows smoothly.
Add imagery or figurative language where appropriate.
Edit
Correct
Be sure all sentences are complete.
Correct spelling, capitalization, mechanics, and
punctuation.
Change words that are not used correctly.
Have someone check your work.
Eliminate redundancy in word choices or ideas.
Publish
Share the Finished Product
Read your writing aloud to a group.
Create a book of your work.
Send a copy to a friend or relative.
Put your writing on display.
Illustrate, perform, or set your creation to music.
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Page 82
Six Traits
Ideas
the heart of the message • the content of the piece • interesting, informative details
• original, the writer’s own • rich and developed • layered, extended
• strong ideas = clear message • unusual, extraordinary, and unpredictable
Organization
• internal structure • the pattern fits the central idea• events proceed logically • information is given in right doses
connections are strong • satisfying closure leaves reader thinking• strong organization
reader’s anticipation of purpose fulfillment
Voice
• writer coming through the words • like the writer’s fingerprints specific to one person
• heart and soul of the writing • the magic, wit, feeling, life, and breath
• writer is personally engaged with the topic
Word Choice
• rich, colorful precise language • moves and enlightens the reader
• clarifies and expands ideas • moves reader to envision
• uses every day words well • vocabulary not used just to impress
Sentence Fluency
• rhythm and flow of the language • sound of word patterns • writing plays to the ear
• sounds good when read aloud • sentence variety • free of awkward word patterns
• crafted for ease of reading experience • has cadence, power, rhythm, and movement
Conventions
• mechanical correctness • spelling, grammar, usage • punctuation and capitalization
• proofread and edited with care • ready for publication
FCAT Writing
The FCAT Writing assessment is scored by a holistic method. Trained scorers consider four elements but arrive at a score by
considering the whole work.
FOCUS refers to how clearly the paper presents and maintains a main idea, theme, or unifying point.
• Papers receiving high scores demonstrate a consistent awareness of the topic and avoid loosely related or extraneous
information. Papers receiving low scores may contain information that is loosely related, extraneous, or both.
ORGANIZATION refers to the structure or plan of development (beginning, middle, and end) and the relationship of one
point to another. Organization refers to the use of transitional devices to signal both the relationship of the supporting ideas
to the main idea, theme, or unifying point, and the connections between and among them.
• Papers receiving high scores contain an effective organizational plan.
• Papers receiving low scores may lack or misuse an organizational plan or transitional devices.
SUPPORT refers to the quality of details used to explain, clarify, or define. The quality of the support depends on word
choice, specificity, depth, relevance, and thoroughness.
• Papers receiving high scores generally provide elaborated examples and fully developed illustrations. The relationship
between the supporting ideas and the topic is clear.
• Papers receiving low scores may contain support that is a bare list of event or reasons, support that is extended by a detail,
or both.
CONVENTIONS refer to the punctuation, capitalization, spelling, usage, and sentence structure. These conventions are
basic writing skills included in Florida’s Sunshine State Standards.
• Papers receiving high scores generally follow the basic conventions of punctuation, capitalization, and spelling, using a
variety of sentence structures to present ideas.
• Papers receiving low scores often contain errors in punctuation, capitalization, spelling, and sentence structure. They may
have little variation in sentence structure.
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Page 83
FCAT Writing Rubric
6
Focus
Organization
Support
Conventions
focused and
purposeful
reflects
insight into
the writing
situation
adheres to main idea
organizational pattern
provides for a logical
progression of ideas
effective use of
transitional devices
conveys a sense of
completeness and
wholeness
few, if any, convention errors
in mechanics, usage,
punctuation, and spelling
focused on
the topic
organizational pattern
provides a logical
progression of ideas
(some lapses may occur)
conveys sense of
completeness or wholeness
effective use of transitions
substantial, specific, relevant,
concrete and/or illustrative shows
commitment to and involvement with
the subject clarity in presentation of
ideas may use creative writing
strategies mature command of
language (word choice) with
freshness of expression sentence
structure is varied and complete,
except where fragments are
purposeful
ample support mature command of
language, including precision in word
choice variation in sentence
structure, and, with rare exceptions,
sentences are complete, except
where fragments are purposeful
focused on
the topic may
include some
extraneous or
loosely related
material
organizational pattern is
apparent, although some
lapses may occur
use of transitional devices
exhibits some sense of
completeness
support, including word choice, is
adequate; development may be
uneven word choice may lack
specificity little variation in sentence
structure, but most sentences are
complete
generally follows the
conventions of mechanics,
usage, and spelling.
generally focused
but may contain
extraneous or
loosely related
material
an organizational pattern
has been attempted but
may lack a sense of
completeness or
wholeness may lack a
logical progression of ideas
some support included, but
development is erratic word choice
is adequate but may be limited,
predictable, or occasionally vague.
little, if any variation in sentence
structure
knowledge of the conventions
of mechanics and usage is
usually demonstrated
commonly used words are
usually spelled correctly
related to
the topic but
includes
extraneous or
loosely related
material
little evidence of an
organizational pattern
may lack a sense of
completeness or wholeness
development is inadequate or
illogical word choice is limited,
inappropriate, or vague. little, if any
variation in sentence structure gross
errors in sentence structure may
appear
errors in basic conventions of
mechanics and usage may
occur, and commonly used
words may be misspelled
may only
minimally
address the topic
response is a fragmentary
or incoherent listing of
related ideas or sentences
or both
little, if any, development of support
or a pattern or both is apparent
limited/inappropriate word choice
may obscure meaning gross errors in
sentence structure and usage may
impede communication
frequent and blatant errors
may occur in the basic
conventions of mechanics and
usage commonly used words
may be misspelled
5
4
3
2
1
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
generally follows the
conventions of mechanics,
usage, and spelling
Page 84
Holistic Scoring for FCAT Writes
6 Points
• focused and adheres to main idea (stays on the topic)
• purposeful (I understand why I’m writing this)
• reflects insight into the writing situation (goes deep, beyond
the shallow, predictable essay)
• sense of completeness and wholeness (great lead,
• elaborated middle, powerful conclusion)
• organizational pattern provides for a logical progression of
ideas
• support is substantial (throughout the paper), specific,
relevant, concrete (elaboration with vivid pictures)
• demonstrates a commitment to and an involvement with the
subject (I’m passionate about my ideas)
• clarity in presentation of details (no “muddy” areas)
• creative writing strategies (similes, metaphors,
• onomatopoeia)
• mature command of language (variety and strength in word
choices)
• precision in word choice (the right word-little repetition of
words or linking verbs)
• sentence variety (some complex, come compound, and
different openings)
• freshness of expression (original, doesn’t sound like
everyone else’s paper)
• sentences are complete unless fragments are purposefully
used
• Few if any convention errors in mechanics like spelling,
usage (like verb tense), or punctuation
5 Points
• focused on the topic
• organizational pattern provides for a progression of ideas,
although some transitions might not be there
sense of completeness or wholeness
support is ample
mature command of language
precision in word choice
sentence variety
sentences are complete unless fragments are purposefully
used
• generally follows proper spelling, punctuation, and
grammar usage
•
•
•
•
•
•
4 Points
• generally focused on the topic
• may include some off-topic material (like filler sentences)
• organizational pattern is apparent, but some lapses may
occur
• sense of completeness or wholeness
• support and word choice are adequate
• little sentence variety
• development is uneven (not every paragraph has
elaboration)
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
• most sentences are complete
• generally follows correct spelling, grammar, and
punctuation rules
3 Points
• generally focused on the topic
• may include some off-topic material
• an organizational pattern has been attempted
• paper may lack a sense of completeness or wholeness
(hasn’t thoroughly addressed the topic and may lack a
strong introduction or conclusion)
• support is included but not enough to adequately show the
reader insight into the topic (often “listy”)
• word choice is adequate but may be limited, predictable,
or vague
• little sentence variety
• commonly used words are spelled correctly (like to & too,
their, they’re, there etc.)
• knowledge of grammar and punctuation usually
demonstrated with some lapses
2 Points
related to topic but includes off-topic material
little evidence of organizational pattern
lacks a sense of completeness or wholeness
support is inadequate or illogical (doesn’t make sense)
word choice is limited, inappropriate, or vague
little, if any, sentence variety
gross errors in sentence structure
errors in basic spelling, punctuation, and grammar usage
commonly used words misspelled
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
1 Point
writing barely addresses the topic
contains a listing of unrelated ideas or sentences
little support or organizational pattern is apparent
limited or inappropriate word choices
unclear meaning
gross errors in sentence structure or grammar
frequent errors in basic punctuation
commonly used words misspelled
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Unscorable
response unrelated to the prompt
response is simply rewording of the prompt
the student refused to write
the response is illegible
the response contains an insufficient amount of writing to
determine if the student was attempting to address the
prompt
• the response is unable to be understood or is written in a
foreign language
•
•
•
•
•
Page 85
Transitional Words and Phrases for Organizational Patterns
Organizational
Pattern
Purpose of Pattern
Transitions Used with Pattern
Addition
To add information
Argumentation
To convince the reader of
a point and to incite the
reader to action
Cause
Comparison
To explain to the reader
why something takes
place
To explain or give an
account in time order
To place things or ideas
into categories according
to similar characteristics
To present similarities
put another way, not only this, but, in addition to
that, even more, as a matter of fact, let’s face it, also,
what is more, actually, besides this, not only this but
also, equally important, another important benefit
the fact remains, to be sure, most assuredly, nobody
denies, unquestionably, never forget, no doubt,
clearly, if you examine, it is indeed unlikely, think
intently, I leave you to ponder the thought, if given
the choice, I find it hard to agree/disagree
due to, because, one reason why, in view of, focus
on this reason
Contrast
To present differences
Degree of
Importance
To present ideas, people,
places, or events of
unequal importance
To describe a scene,
character, or object for the
reader
To define the meaning of
a word or concept for the
reader
To provide the effects or
results
To provide an example of
a concept
Chronological
Classification
Description
Definition
Effect
Example/Illustration
Narration
To provide an anecdote or
story
Process
To describe how
something is done
To present details in a way
that reflects their positions
in space from right to left,
near to far, or top to
bottom
Spatial
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
first, after that, one night eventually, ever after, for a
long time, during, meanwhile
this type of, in this group are, to classify, to identify,
these traits belong, categories, elements, features,
aspects
just like, also, just as, to compare, by the same
token, likewise
in contrast to, unlike, the opposite, nevertheless, but,
on the other hand, let’s look at it a different way, to
put it differently
most important, second, least, important, best,
worst, to a lesser degree, undoubtedly
picture this, look at it this way, let me provide a
picture for you, to describe
this means, to define, one definition, according to
Webster, this really means, in other words, simply
stated, put another way
as a result, because of this, therefore, since, this
effects, one effect
for example, for instance, to illustrate, to show you
what I mean, to provide a picture for you, imagine
this, looking at the big picture, to further illustrate
my point, imagine this, to enlighten your perspective
one time, I remember an incident, this happened
when, it reminds me of a time, it is like an
experience I had
first, then, next, in addition, after that, finally
at the left, along the edge, by my side, at the end,
surrounding, opposite, next to, nearby, in the
background, at the bottom, further away, behind me,
just beyond the hill, toward the east
Page 86
Text-Based Questions for Writing or Discussion
7TH GRADE
SHORT STORY
• In “The War of the Wall,” Mama’s reaction to the painter changes over the course of the story. Explain how and why her
opinion changes. Support your ideas with examples from the text.
• In what ways does the boys’ friendship in “Amigo Brothers” both help and hurt them during the fight? Is it more
difficult to compete against a friend than a stranger? Use information from the text and a second reliable source
(personal experience, observation, history, etc.) to support your position.
POETRY
• The poem “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” has a far deeper meaning than just the literal meaning. Contrast
the literal meaning with the complex, deeper meaning of the poem. Provide support and make a connection to another
poem or provide personal examples.
• Compare and contrast the war images and feelings presented in “The Charge of the Light Brigade” and “St. Crispian’s
Day Speech. Summarize the poets’ messages to the reader.
NONFICTION
• In “The Noble Experiment,” Jackie Robinson paved the way for racial equality in sports. Explain how he did this and
what character strengths he possessed to achieve success in a segregated world. Mention the personal sacrifices he made
in the face of adversity.
• In “Exploring the Titanic,” analyze the behavior of the captain and crew before and after the disaster. Use details and
facts from the article to show how their actions hurt or helped the rescue effort.
DRAMA A Christmas Carol
• Explain what the changes in Scrooge teach about life. Make a connection to another piece of literature or a movie.
• Identify symbols and recurring images in the play and explain their significance.
8th GRADE
SHORT STORY
• After reading “Raymond’s Run,” explain the unique relationship between Squeaky and Raymond. Be sure to include
what they learn from each other’s words and actions and what others learn from them. Support your ideas with details
from the story.
• Charlie Gordon in “Flowers for Algernon” and Raymond in “Raymond’s Run” face challenges because they are different
from the people around them. Compare and contrast their similarities and differences, and explain how they each face
adversity.
POETRY
• As you read “Paul Revere’s Ride,” make a list of the historical events in which he plays a significant role. Use these
points to develop an essay or oral report on the poem. Include the dangers he faces, the heroism he exhibits, and the role
he plays in our nation’s independence. Be sure to also explain how Longfellow captures the excitement of the events
through sensory imagery and word choice.
• Compare and contrast “The Wreck of the Hesperus” and “The Centaur.” Discuss the similarities and differences in the
poems’ subject, mood, tone, and sensory imagery. Elaborate with examples and supporting details from the poems.
NONFICTION
• “Hokusai: The Old Man Mad About Drawing” and “Not to Go with the Others” are biographical narratives. Compare
and contrast how both subjects embody the characteristics of creativity and courage. Decide which character you admire
most and defend your choice with details from the text(s).
• Both the literary selections “Sharing in the American Dream” by Colin Powell and “The American Dream” by Martin
Luther King, Jr. are inspirational speeches designed to elicit an emotional response in the listeners. Compare and contrast
the use of language and sensory imagery as well as the speakers’ messages. Explain which speech appeals to you the
most and support your position with details from the text(s).
DRAMA The Diary of Anne Frank
• Compare and contrast the changes in Anne throughout the play. Explain the internal and external conflicts she
experiences and explain how she handles the stress of her living situation. Provide examples of her words and actions
and how others react to her. What advice do you think Anne would give young people today?
• Compare and contrast the historical events that occur between Acts I and II. Mention the political forces and cultural
attitudes of the people during this time period. Explain Anne’s reactions to these forces and attitudes.
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Page 87
9th GRADE
SHORT STORY
• Cite several examples of envy in “The Necklace” using the character Mathilde Loisel. Did her envy produce more
positive or more negative results? What theme regarding envy is emerging? Support your response with evidence from
the text.
• In “Blues Ain't No Mockingbird,” in what ways is Cathy more like an adult than a child? Support your answer using
evidence from the text.
POETRY
• Choose one poem from our readings and analyze the poet’s use of figurative language (imagery, simile, metaphor, etc.)
and its effect(s) on the poem’s overall meaning.
• The theme of “love” is portrayed in the poems “My Papa’s Waltz,” “The Gift,” and “Combing.” Discuss which poem
creates the clearest “vision” of love. Support your opinion with specific references to the poems.
NONFICTION
• In “Not Much of Me,” Lincoln makes a personal impression on readers not just through the facts he provides, but also
through his choice of words. Choose at least four words or word phrases and infer what they suggest about Lincoln's
personality.
• What persuasive techniques, such as logical and emotional appeals, did the writer use in An Indian's Views of Indian
Affairs? What did the appeal(s) reveal about the writer's opinions concerning the subject of the selection?
DRAMA Romeo and Juliet
• Based on his actions and words in Act 1, is Romeo characterized positively or negatively? Be sure to use evidence from
the text to support your answer.
• Is Romeo and Juliet’s relationship destroyed by fate, human error, or a combination of the two? Use evidence from the
text to support your answer.
10th GRADE
SHORT STORY
• In “Everyday Use,” Maggie and Dee have different ways of embracing their heritage. Compare and contrast how the
two sisters value their heritage and decide which one you believe values her heritage more. Support your ideas with
evidence from the text.
• In “By the Waters of Babylon,” John’s father believes that truth can be dangerous and should be brought out little by
little. As John goes on his journey, he discovers many things that he has previously been taught are untrue. Discuss the
effects on John as he discovers the truth. Support your ideas with evidence from the text.
POETRY
• The mother in the poem “A Voice” displays a quiet determined type of courage that enables her children to fulfill their
dreams of a better life. Explain and cite examples of the mother’s quiet courage in the poem.
• Courage comes in all shapes and sizes. After reading the poem “Courage,” cite and explain the varied examples of
courage mentioned in the poem and discuss whether or not you agree with the author’s view. Make sure you explain the
metaphors and similes she uses to make her point.
NONFICTION
• “Into Thin Air” describes a number of decisions and actions on the part of the mountain climbers which resulted in
serious consequences. Cite and explain several examples of the climbers’ decisions and actions and their negative
impacts on the men.
• In the essay “I Acknowledge Mine,” Jane Goodall writes about her experience visiting research laboratories that use
chimpanzees, and she argues for more humane and ethical treatment of animals. Cite and discuss how she uses the
rhetorical appeals of ethos, logos, and pathos to develop her essay, and determine which one she uses most effectively.
Support your ideas with details from the text.
DRAMA Antigone
• As you read, identify the figurative language describing Antigone, Ismene, and King Creon and explain what it says
about them.
• Antigone, Ismene, and King Creon each resolve an internal conflict. Explain the conflict of each and discuss whether or
not you agree or disagree with how the character resolves his or her dilemma.
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
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11th GRADE
SHORT STORY
• In “A Wagner Matinee,” Georgiana has lost many pleasures. Which loss was the greatest? Explain your answer with
evidence from the story.
• After you have read “The Life You Save May Be Your Own,” describe how you think the title applies to the character of
Shiftlet. Support your ideas with evidence from the text.
POETRY
• Find two poems that depict usually benign and harmless facets of nature as predatory and dangerous. (“Apparently with
no surprise” and “Design” would work well.) Analyze the word choice each poet uses to develop the poems’ tones and
images. Be sure to cite with textual evidence.
• Choose two or three poems that express admiration for human beings and the human spirit. Write an essay explaining
what the speakers admire about people and how they express their optimism. Support your ideas with evidence from the
texts.
DRAMA The Crucible
• The stature or reputation of several characters rises or falls from Act One to Act Two. For example, in Act One, Mary
Warren is John and Elizabeth Proctor’s maid. In Act Two, she is an official of the court. Generate a list of characters
whose stature has risen or fallen between Act One and Act Two. Choose one of the characters whose stature has risen,
and explain how it has risen. Do the same for a character whose stature has fallen. Use textual evidence to support your
answer.
• The actions of certain characters during the climactic ending of the play reveal much about their personalities, thoughts,
feelings, and values. For example, when Abigail’s accusations bring the threat of an uprising from the community, she
leaves town. This reveals that she lacks courage and is more concerned about saving herself than in doing what is right.
Choose one character from the play, and elaborate on what you have learned about him or her by the play’s end. Support
your opinion with evidence from the play.
NONFICTION
• As you read King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” note where he uses appeals to logic, emotion, and his own credibility.
Then either write or discuss the reasons why he moves from one rhetorical appeal to another and what effect this has on
his credibility and his audience. Support your ideas with direct references to the letter.
• Determine Jonathan Edwards’ purpose for his sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” Write an essay in which
you analyze how the images and figures of speech he uses contribute to and develop his purpose.
12th GRADE
SHORT STORY
• Consider the role of dreams and reality in “Araby.” What is the overall message about each at the end of the story? Use
textual evidence to support your answer.
• How does the author create a suspenseful tone in “The Demon Lover?” Cite specific lines and passages to support your
answer.
POETRY
• Choose a poem and note any shifts (in tone, punctuation, narration, etc.). Explain the effect the shifts have on the overall
meaning of the poem.
• Choose a poem and select an image you find most convincing and least convincing. Explain why.
NONFICTION
• What is Virginia Woolf's overall view of women in her essay “Shakespeare's Sister?” Cite specific lines and passages
that support your opinion.
• How do you define “enemy?” Consider how different people were considered “enemies” in “Shooting an Elephant.”
Does the story's interpretation of being one's enemy match your own? Write a paragraph to discuss your response.
DRAMA Macbeth
• In Act 2, Macbeth overcomes his reservations long enough to kill King Duncan and two of the king's grooms. Search Act
2 for quotations that disclose Macbeth's feelings about the murders. What does this reveal about what is going on inside
Macbeth?
• Compare the previous prophecies of the witches with the events in Act 5. Summarize each prediction and explain how
each comes true. Do you believe the witches have the ability to predict the future or do their prophecies merely plant the
ideas in Macbeth's head and he then, in turn, sets the events in motion? Support your opinion with textual evidence.
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Page 89
General Text-Based Questions for Writing or Discussion
For Biographies and Autobiographies
• Is the information the selection provides subjective, objective, or both? Explain your response using evidence
from the text.
• What is the overall tone of the selection? Support your answer with details from the text.
Novel and Short Story
• How does the excerpt show the attitudes and emotions of the central character(s)?
• In what ways does the use of language reveal underlying tensions?
• How is the significance of the setting of the work revealed in the excerpt?
• How are the central ideas of the work conveyed through the excerpt?
• In what ways does the excerpt foreshadow subsequent developments in the work?
• How is the excerpt pivotal to the structure of the plot?
Nonfiction
• How does the point of view influence our attitude to the ideas being conveyed?
• How is diction used to influence the reader?
• Discuss the writer's attitude towards the subject matter. How is this revealed?
• Identify features of the writer's technique that you find particularly effective. Explain their effectiveness.
Poetry
• What use has the writer made of repetition to convey meaning and/or emotional effects?
• How does the use of a persona contribute to the dramatic force of the poem?
• How is symbolism used to convey meaning?
• In what ways does the final line/stanza change your understanding of the poem as a whole?
• How is rhythm used to complement the thought and feeling of the poem?
Drama
• How are gesture and action used to convey the state of mind of the character(s)?
• How is language used to show contrasts between/among characters?
• In what ways does the excerpt show or hint at developing conflict in the play?
• How does the excerpt reveal the time and place of the action in the play?
• In what ways is the excerpt significant in revealing a key idea of the play?
• How well do you think the writer manages to use the stage to establish a strong sense of setting?
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
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Tips for Writing Literary Analysis Papers
Examine the text closely.
Read with your intellect, imagination, and feelings, fully engaged, paying attentions to every word,
sentence image, figure of speech, and literary technique.
Narrow your scope.
Limit yourself to one or two elements or one section of the story. Don't try to cover too much.
Provide ample illustrations.
Back your analysis with specific examples (including quotations). This grounds and substantiates your conclusions.
Avoid summary.
Retelling what happens is not literary analysis. Your emphasis needs to be on clarification
and explanation of how and why the writing works, and your ideas must be supported by evidence
from the text that a reasonable reader finds plausible.
Questions for a Literary Analysis
PLOT: the relationships and patterns of events (Even a poem can have a plot.)
• What actions happen?
• What conflicts occur?
• How do the events connect to each other and to the whole?
CHARACTERS: the people the author creates (including the narrator of a story or the speaker of a poem)
• Who are the principle people in the work?
• How do they interact?
• What do their actions, words, and thoughts reveal about their personalities and the personalities of
others?
• Do the characters stay the same, or do they change? Why?
POINT OF VIEW: the perspective or attitude of the speaker in a poem or the voice who tells a story. The
point of view may be first person (a participant using “I”) or third person (an outsider, using “he”, “she”,
“it”, or “they.”) A first-person narrator may be a major or a minor character in the narrative and may be
reliable or unreliable (unable to report events accurately). A third-person narrator may be omniscient
(knows what goes on in all characters' minds), limited (knows what goes on in the mind of only one
character), or objective (knows what is external to the characters).
• Who is the narrator (or speaker of a poem)?
• How does the narrator's point of view affect the narrative?
TONE: the narrator's or speaker's attitude, perceived through his/her words (for instance, joyful, bitter, or
confident).
• What tone (or tones) do you hear?
• If there is a change, how do you account for it?
• Is there an ironic contrast between the narrator's tone (for instance, confidence) and what you take to be
the author's attitude (for instance, pity for human overconfidence)?
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
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IMAGERY: word pictures or visual details involving the senses (sight, sound, touch, smell, taste)
• What images does the writer use?
• What senses do they draw on?
• What patterns are evident in the images (for instance, religious or commercial images)?
• What is the significance of the imagery?
SYMBOLS: concrete things standing for larger and more abstract ideas (for instance, the American flag
may symbolize freedom, a tweeting bird may symbolize happiness, or a dead flower may symbolize
mortality)
• What symbols does the author use?
• What do they seem to signify?
• How does the symbolism relate to the other elements of the work, such as character or theme?
SETTING: the place where the action happens
• What does the locale contribute to the story?
• Are scene shifts significant?
FORM: the shape or structure of the work
• What is the form? (For example, a story might divide in the middle, moving from happiness to sorrow.)
• What parts of the work does the form emphasize, and why?
THEME: the main idea, the gist of what the work adds up to
• How might the theme be stated?
• How do the parts of the work develop the theme?
APPEAL: the degree to which the story pleases you
• What do you especially like or dislike about the work? Why?
• Do you think your responses are unique or common to most readers? Why?
Guidelines for Using Quotations in Literary Analysis
•
•
•
•
Use quotations to support your assertions, not to pad the paper. Quote at length only when necessary to
your argument.
When you use a quotation, specify how it relates to your idea. Introduce the quotation. Sometimes
comment after the quotation.
Reproduce spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and all other features exactly as they appear in the
source.
Document your sources.
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
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Checklist for Revising a Literary Analysis
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Does the title of the essay consist of more than the title of the work? Your title should give the reader an
idea of your topic.
Does the introductory paragraph avoid openings such as "In this story. . . ."? Name the author and the
title so that the reader knows exactly what work you are discussing. Develop your thesis a bit so the
readers know where they will be going.
Is the organization effective? The essay should not dwindle or become anticlimactic; rather, it should
build up.
Do quotations provide evidence and let the reader hear the author's voice?
Is the essay chiefly devoted to analysis, not summary? Do not summarize the plot in great detail. A
couple of sentences may be helpful if your readers are not familiar with the work, but a summary is not
an essay.
Have you used present tense of verbs to describe both the author's work and the action in the work (for
example, Chopin shows or Mrs. Mallard dies)?
If you have used the first-person “I” (for instance, I find the ending plausible), have you avoided using it
so often that you sound egotistical? [It is best to avoid first person altogether.]
Is your evaluation of the work evident? It may be understood, or it may be explicit. In either case, give
the reasons for judging the work to be effective or not, worth reading or not. Remember that it is not
enough to express your likes and dislikes; readers will be interested in an evaluation only if you support
it with evidence.
Did you document your sources?
Questions for Analyzing Fiction
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
What happens in the story? Give a SHORT summary of the plot (the gist of the happenings). Think about
what your summary leaves out.
Is the story told in chronological order, or are there flashbacks or flashforwards? On rereading, what
foreshadowing (hints of what is to come) do you detect?
What conflicts does the work include?
How does the writer reveal character--for instance, by explicit comment or by letting us see the character
in action? With which character(s) do you sympathize? Are the characters plausible? What motivates
them? What do minor characters contribute to the work?
Who tells the story? Is the narrator a character, or does the narrator stand entirely outside the characters'
world?
What is the setting, the time and place of the action? What does the setting contribute to the work?
Do certain characters or settings seem to you to stand for something in addition to themselves?
What is the theme--that is, what does the work add up to? Does the theme reinforce values that you hold,
or does it challenge them?
Is the title informative? Did the meaning change for you after you read the work?
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Page 93
Questions for Analyzing Poetry
•
•
•
•
•
What parts interest or puzzle you?
How would you describe the poem's speaker (sometimes called the persona or the voice)? (The speaker
may be different from the author.) What tone or emotion do you detect--for instance, anger, affection,
sarcasm? Does the tone change during the poem?
What is the structure of the poem? Are there stanzas (groups of lines separated by space)? If so, how is
the thought related to the stanzas?
What is the theme of the poem: what is it about? Is the theme stated or implied?
What images do you find--evocations of sight, sound, taste, touch, or smell? Is there a surprising pattern
of images--say, images of business in a poem about love? What does the poem suggest symbolically as
well as literally? (Trust your responses. If you don't sense a symbolic overtone, move on. Don't hunt for
symbols.)
Questions for Analyzing Drama
•
•
•
•
•
•
Does the plot (the sequence of happenings) seem plausible? If not, is the implausibility a fault? If there is
more than one plot, are the plots parallel, or are they related by way of contrast?
What kinds of conflict are in the play? How are the conflicts resolved? Is the resolution satisfying to
you?
How trustworthy are the characters when they describe themselves or others? Do some characters serve
as foils, or contrasts, for other characters, thus helping to define the other characters? Do the characters
change as the play proceeds? Are the characters' motivations convincing?
What do you make of the setting, or location? Does it help to reveal character or theme?
Do certain costumes (dark suits, shawls, stiff collars) or properties (books, pictures, candlesticks) strike
you as symbolic?
If a film has been made of the play, what has been added? What has been omitted?
SOURCE: Fowler, H. Ramsey, and Jane E. Aaron, eds. The Little, Brown Handbook. 7th ed. New York:
Longman, 1998.
Adapted from “Fung ENG4U”
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Page 94
Research Resources
Research Strategies
Select and narrow your topic; plan and begin to research.
Choose credible, recent sources; include resources from the school media center.
Include primary, secondary, and online resources.
Synthesize and evaluate sources.
Take notes and organize the format for the paper or presentation.
Paraphrase, summarize, and verify all information.
Avoid plagiarism by properly quoting and crediting sources.
Develop the final product: research paper, presentation, or PowerPoint.
Include a Works Cited page.
Format Styles
MLA Modern Language Association
http://www2.liu.edu/cwis/cwp/library/workshop/citmla.htm
APA American Psychological Association
http://www2.liu.edu/cwis/cwp/library/workshop/citapa.htm
AMA American Medical Association
http://www2.liu.edu/cwis/cwp/library/workshop/citama.htm
Writing a Research Paper Websites
Seven Steps of Research: http://olinuris.library.cornell.edu/ref/research/skill1.htm
Writing a Research Paper: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/658/01
Writing a Research Paper: http://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/PlanResearchPaper.html
Plagiarism
http://plagiarism.org
How to Avoid Plagiarism:
http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/plagiarism.shtml
http://www.collegeboard.com/student/plan/college-success/10314.html
http://tlt.its.psu.edu/plagiarism/tutorial/cutpaste
How to check for Plagiarism:
http://www.turnitin.com
Poetry
http://www.poets.org
http:// www.poetry.org
Evaluating Internet Sources
http://gemini.lib.purdue.edu/core/files/evaluating4.html
http://library.ucf.edu/Reference/guides/InternetEvaluation.asp
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Page 95
Copyright Guidelines
http://www.ncwiseowl.org/zones/copyright/Student_Guidelines.html
Writers are restricted to the following:
Text
10% or 1,000 words
Poems
250 words
No more than 3 poems by the same poet
No more than 5 poems from a collection
Illustrations and Photos
5 images by the same artist or photographer
15 images of photographs or illustrations from a collective work
Images may not be changed.
Numerical Data
10% or 2,500 fields, whichever is less, from a database or data table
Video
10% or 3 minutes, whichever is less
The video clip may not be changed in any way.
Music
10% or 30 seconds of sheet music
10% or 30 seconds of a recording
The music may not be changed in any way.
School Research Resources
Gale Power Search links you to many electronic databases and electronic books published online by
Thomson Gale.
Marshall Cavendish Digital is a subject database. Students have access to articles, diagrams,
illustrations, and research tools.
World Book Online links to more than 1.3 million pages of primary source documents-books,
documents, selections-fully integrated with encyclopedia content. Research and teaching tools
include time-lines, citation builder, and saved research. http://worldbookonline.com
Florida Electronic Library is a gateway to select Internet resources that offer access to
comprehensive, accurate and reliable information. Electronic magazines, almanacs, books,
encyclopedias provide a wealth of information on business, technology, health, global issues, and
current events. http://www.flelibrary.org
Graphics
Open Clip Art Library http://openclipart.org
Pics4 Learning http://pics4learning.com
Open Photo http://openphoto.net
http://allfreeclipart.com
Sound
http://dig.ccmixter.org
http://www.classiccat.net
http://www.freeplaymusic.com
http://www.musopen.com
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Page 96
Additional Resources
Library of Congress http://www.loc.gov
Map Quest http://www.mapquest.com
Encyclopedia Mythica http://www.pantheon.org
Brevard County Libraries http://www.brev.org
The Open Library http://openlibrary.org
Smithsonian Photography Initiative http://photography.si.edu
Reference Material
http://www.ipl.org/div/subject
Search engine for students http://www.sweetsearch.com
Fact checker for the Internet http://www.refdesk.com
National Geographic http://www.nationalgeographic.com
Project Gutenberg offers over 36,000 free ebooks http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page
The Online Books Page 1 million free books on the web http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu
To access online resources and databases, you will need a Brevard County library card.
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Page 97
Language
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Page 98
ELA Language Strand
Conventions of Standard English
1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or
speaking.
2. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and
spelling when writing.
Knowledge of Language
3. Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make
effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening.
Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
4. Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple–meaning words and phrases by using
context clues, analyzing meaningful word parts, and consulting general and specialized reference
materials, as appropriate.
5. Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word
meanings.
6. Acquire and use accurately a range of 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 encountering an unknown term
important to comprehension or expression.
The Range and Content of Student Reading
To be college and career ready in language, students must have firm control over the
conventions of standard English. At the same time, they must come to appreciate that language is as at
least as much a matter of craft as of rules and be able to choose words, syntax, and punctuation to
express themselves and achieve particular functions and rhetorical effects.
They must also have extensive vocabularies, built through reading and study, enabling them to
comprehend complex texts and engage in purposeful writing about and conversations around content.
They need to become skilled in determining or clarifying the meaning of words and phrases they
encounter, choosing flexibly from an array of strategies to aid them. They must learn to see an
individual word as part of a network of other words—words, for example, that have similar
denotations but different connotations.
The inclusion of Language standards in their own strand should not be taken as an indication
that skills related to conventions, effective language use, and vocabulary are unimportant to reading,
writing, speaking, and listening; indeed, they are inseparable from such contexts.
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Page 99
The standards spiral up. The following is an example from the Language strand:
Grade-Specific Standards for Standard 1 - Language
The example below illustrates how skills and concepts for end-of-year, grade-specific expectations for a
given standard are both reinforced and expanded as students advance through the grades. The result is a
“spiral effect” where students repeatedly practice mastered competencies from the year prior in the
context of new competencies being “added” each year as the standard increases in complexity and
sophistication. New skills and concepts “added” to each grade level from the year prior are noted in bold.
L.CCR.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage
when writing or speaking
L.11-12.1
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English
grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
Grade 11a. Apply the understanding that usage is a matter of convention, can
12 students: change over time, and is sometimes contested.
b. Resolve issues of complex or contested usage, consulting references
(e.g., Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage, Garner’s
Modern American Usage) as needed.
L.9-10.1
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English
grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
Grade 9-10 a. Use parallel structure.
students:
b. 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.
L.8.1
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English
grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
Grade 8
a. Explain the function of verbals (gerunds, participles, infinitives) in
students:
general and their function in particular sentences.
b. Form and use verbs in the active and passive voice. c. Form and use
verbs in the indicative, imperative, interrogative, conditional, and
subjunctive mood.
d. Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verb voice and mood.
L.7.1
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English
grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
Grade 7
a. Explain the function of phrases and clauses in general and their
students:
function in specific sentences.
b. Choose among simple, compound, complex, and compoundcomplex sentences to signal differing relationships among ideas.
c. Place phrases and clauses within a sentence, recognizing and
correcting misplaced and dangling modifiers.
L.6.1
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English
grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
Grade 6
a. Ensure that pronouns are in the proper case (subjective, objective,
students:
possessive).
b. Use intensive pronouns (e.g., myself, ourselves).
c. Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in pronoun number and
person.
d. Recognize and correct vague pronouns (i.e., ones with unclear or
ambiguous antecedents).
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Page 100
L.5.1
Grade 5
students:
L.4.1
Grade 4
students:
L.3.1
Grade 3
students:
L.2.1
Grade 2
students:
e. Recognize variations from standard English in their own and others’
writing and speaking, and identify and use strategies to improve
expression in conventional language.
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English
grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
a. Explain the function of conjunctions, prepositions, and interjections
in general and their function in particular sentences.
b. Form and use the perfect (e.g., I had walked; I have walked; I will
have walked) verb tenses. c. Use verb tense to convey various times,
sequences, states, and conditions.
d. Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verb tense.
e. Use correlative conjunctions (e.g., either/or, neither/nor).
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English
grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
a. Use relative pronouns (who, whose, whom, which, that) and relative
adverbs (where, when, why).
b. Form and use the progressive (e.g., I was walking; I am walking; I
will be walking) verb tenses.
c. Use modal auxiliaries (e.g., can, may, must) to convey various
conditions.
d. Order adjectives within sentences according to conventional
patterns (e.g., a small red bag rather than a red small bag).
e. Form and use prepositional phrases.
f. Produce complete sentences, recognizing and correcting
inappropriate fragments and run-ons.
g. Correctly use frequently confused words (e.g., to, too, two; there,
their).
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English
grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
a. Explain the function of nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and
adverbs in general and their functions in particular sentences.
b. Form and use regular and irregular plural nouns.
c. Use abstract nouns (e.g., childhood).
d. Form and use regular and irregular verbs.
e. Form and use the simple (e.g., I walked; I walk; I will walk) verb
tenses.
f. Ensure subject-verb and pronoun-antecedent agreement.
g. Form and use comparative and superlative adjectives and adverbs,
and choose between them depending on what is to be modified.
h. Use coordinating and subordinating conjunctions.
I. Produce simple, compound, and complex sentences.
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English
grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
a. Use collective nouns (e.g., group).
b. Form and use frequently occurring irregular plural nouns (e.g., feet,
children, teeth, mice, fish).
c. Use reflexive pronouns (e.g., myself, ourselves).
d. Form and use the past tense of frequently occurring irregular verbs
(e.g., sat, hid, told).
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Page 101
L.1.1
Grade 1
students:
L.K.1
Kindergarte
n students:
e. Use adjectives and adverbs, and choose between them depending on
what is to be modified.
f. Produce, expand, and rearrange complete simple and compound
sentences (e.g., The boy watched the action movie; The little boy
watched the movie; The action movie was watched by the little boy).
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English
grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
a. Print all upper- and lowercase letters.
b. Use common, proper, and possessive nouns.
c. Use singular and plural nouns with matching verbs in basic
sentences (e.g., Tom hops; The boys hop.).
d. Use personal, possessive, and indefinite pronouns (e.g., I, me, my;
they, them, their; anyone, everything).
e. Use verbs to convey a sense of past, present, and future (e.g.,
Yesterday I walked home; Today I walk home; Tomorrow I will walk
home).
f. Use frequently occurring adjectives.
g. Use frequently occurring conjunctions (e.g., and, but, or, so,
because).
h. Use determiners (e.g., articles, demonstratives).
i. Use frequently occurring prepositions (e.g., during, beyond, toward).
j. Produce and expand complete simple and compound declarative,
interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory sentences in response to
prompts.
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English
grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
a. Print many upper- and lowercase letters.
b. Use frequently occurring nouns and verbs.
c. Form regular plural nouns orally by adding /s/ or /es/ (e.g., dog,
dogs; wish, wishes).
d. Understand and use question words (interrogatives) (e.g., who,
what, where, when, why, how).
e. Use the most frequently occurring prepositions (e.g., to, from, in,
out, on, off, for, of, by, with).
f. Produce and expand complete sentences in shared language
activities.
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Page 102
Grammar Mastery Checklist
7th Grade
8th Grade
9th Grade
Parts of Speech
Nouns
abstract/concrete
singular/possessive
general/specific
common/proper
singular/plural
collective
Verbs
action
linking (to be)
helping
Adjectives
define/identify
Adverbs
define/identify
Prepositions
define/phrases
Pronouns
personal/possessive
Conjunctions
coordinating
Interjections
define/identify
Nouns: Functions
subject
direct object
indirect object
object of preposition
predicate nominative
appositive
Verbs
action
linking (to be)
helping
Pronouns
personal
nominative case
objective case
Capitalization
proper nouns
1st word of sentence
I (personal pronoun )
Punctuation
end
commas in a series,
lists, dates, states
apostrophes
contractions
Capitalization
proper adjective
titles/course titles
direct address
historical events
directions/ location
Punctuation
commas:
appositives
conjunctions
semicolons
dialogue punctuation
Types of Sentences
declarative
imperative
interrogative
exclamatory
Structure
subject/verb agreement
sentence clarity
sentence expansion
sentence combining
Parts of a Sentence
subject/predicate
compound subj./pred.
dir. obj./indirect obj.
obj. of a preposition
pred. nominative/adj.
appositive
Structure:
simple/compound
sentence clarity
sentence expansion
sentence combining
Verbs
principal parts
tense
voice (active/passive)
Pronouns
demonstrative,
indefinite
intensive
interrogative
relative
reflexive
pronoun agreement
Adjectives/ Adverbs
degrees of irregular:
positive comparative
superlative
clauses
Conjunctions
correlative
subordinating
10th Grade
Nouns
obj. complement
noun clauses
Verbs
forms
progressive
emphatic
mood
indicative
imperative
subjunctive
Pronouns
pronoun/antecedent
nominative/objective case
pronouns
(stated and elliptical)
Verbals
participles
gerunds
infinitives
misplaced phrases
dangling modifiers
Capitalization and Punctuation
Punctuation
essential
non-essential adj.
clauses
adverb clauses
compound sentences
appositives
conjunctive adverbs
Punctuation
semicolons
parentheses
hyphens
colons
ellipses
apostrophes
dashes
slashes
italics (underlining)
quotation marks
Sentence Structure
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Sentence Patterns
S/V
S/V/DO
S/V/IO/DO
S/LV/PN
S/LV/PA
S/V/DO/OC
Structure:
simple/compound/
complex
sentence clarity,
expansion,
and combining
Subject/Verb Agreement
number
intervening phrases or clauses
compound subject
indefinite pronouns
collective nouns
expletives
inverted sentences
Structure:
compound/complex
sentence clarity, expansion,
combining
Page 103
Writing Reference Sheet
Parts of Speech
noun
pronoun
verb
adverb
adjective
preposition
conjunction
interjection
Linking Verbs
am
are
be
being
been
is
was
were
Parts of a Sentence
subject
predicate
direct object
indirect object
predicate nominative
prepositional phrase
appositive
dependent clauses
verbals
Action/Linking
appear
seem
become
smell
feel
sound
grow
stay
look
taste
remain
turn
Functions of a Noun
subject
direct object
indirect object
predicate nominative
object of preposition
appositive
objective complement
am
are
is
was
were
be
being
been
Helping Verbs
had
can
has
could
have
may
did
might
do
must
does
shall
should
will
would
Complements
direct object- answers who or what -follows action verb
indirect object-answers to or for whom or what- between action verb and direct object
predicate nominative- interchangeable with the subject- follows linking verb
predicate adjective- describes the subject- follows linking verb
Personal Pronouns
Nominative Case
Subject/Predicate Nominative
Objective Case
Direct Object/Indirect Object/Object of Preposition
I, he, she, we, they, who, you, it
me, him, her, us, them, whom, you, it
Verbals
Clauses
gerund- verb acting as noun
infinitive- to + verb
participle- verb acting as adjective
(set off nonessential with commas)
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
noun- one of six noun functions
adjective- set off nonessential with commas
adverb- beginning use commas, middle use commas, at
end use no commas
Page 104
AdjectivesAdverbs
Adverbs
Modify Nouns
good
real
sure
bad
Modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs
well
really
surely
badly
Prepositions
aboard
about
above
across
after
against
along
amid
among
around
at
before
behind
below
beneath
beside
besides
between
beyond
but (except)
by
concerning
down
during
except
for
from
in
inside
into
like
near
of
off
on
onto
out
outside
over
past
since
through
throughout
till
to
toward
under
underneath
until
unto
up
upon
with
within
without
Indefinite Pronouns
Singular
another
anybody
anyone
anything
each
other
everybody
everyone
everything
neither
nobody
no one
nothing
other
one
somebody
someone
something
Plural
Either
both
few
many
ones
others
several
all
any
most
some
none
Subordinating Conjunctions
after
although
as if
as long as
as much as
as soon as
because
before
even if
even though
in order that
provided that
since
so that
that
though
unless
until
when
whenever
where
wherever
while
Writing Rubric
Strong beginning, middle, end
Clear (no muddy areas)
Focused on topic
New idea = new paragraph
Strong verbs
Mature word choices
Specific support
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Active verbs
Sentence variety
Original, creative (not predictable)
Few if any convention errors
Awareness of audience
Purpose is fulfilled
Tone is appropriate
Page 105
Greek and Latin Roots
Root
acer,acid, acri
acu
am, amor
anni, annu, enni
anthrop
arch
aster, astr
aud, auc
aug, auc
belli
bibl
capit, capt
carn
ced, ceed, cede,
cess
chron
cide, cise,
clam, claim
cogn, gnosi
cord, cor, cardi
corp
cosm
crat, cracy
cred
cur, curs
dem
derm
dict
doc, dog
domin
dox
fall, fals
fid, fide, feder
fila, fili
gam
gen
gloss, glot
grat
greg
hetero
homo
hydr, hydra, hydro
ignis
leg
levi
Meaning
bitter, sour, sharp
sharp
love, like
year
man
chief, first, rule
star
hear, listen
self
war
book
head
flesh
move, yield, go,
surrender
time
cut down, kill
cry out
know
heart
body
universe, world
rule
believe
run
people
skin
say, speak
teach
master
opinion, praise
deceive
faith, trust
thread
marriage
birth, race, produce
tongue
pleasing
herd
different
same
water
fire
law
light
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Examples
acerbic, acidity, acrid, acrimony
acute, acupuncture, accurate
amorous, amiable, enamoured
anniversary, annually, centennial
anthropology, misanthrope, philanthropy
archangel, archaic, monarchy
aster, asterisk, asteroid, astronomy
audiology, auditorium, audio, audition
automobile, autograph, automatic
rebellion, belligerent, bellicose
Bible, bibliography, bibliomania
decapitate, capital, captain, caption
carnal, carnivorous, incarnate, reincarnation
procedure, concede, recede, proceed
chronology, chronometer, synchronize
homicide, exorcise, incision
exclamation, claimant, clamor, acclaim
recognize, prognosis, agnostic, incognito
cordial, concord, discord, courage, cardiac
corporation, corporal, corpulent, corpse
cosmos, microcosm, cosmopolitan
autocrat, aristocrat, theocracy
creed, credence, credible, credulous
current, concur, incur, recur, occur, cursive
democracy, demography, epidemic
hypodermic, dermatology, epidermis
dictation, dictionary, edict, predict, verdict
doctrine, dogma, indoctrinate, dogmatic
dominate, dominion, predominant
orthodox, paradox, doxology
fallacy, falsify, fallacious
confidante, fidelity, confident, infidel
filigree, filament, filter, filibuster
monogamy, bigamy, polygamy,
genesis, genetics, eugenics, genealogy
glossary, polyglot, epiglotis
congratulate, gratuity, gratitude
gregarious, congregate, gregarian
heterogeneous, heterosexual, heterodox
homogeneous, homonym, homogenize
dehydrate, hydrant, hydraulic, hydrogen
ignite, igneous, ignition
legislate, legitimize, legal
alleviate, levitate, levity
Page 106
liber, liver
liter
loqu, locut
luc, lum, lus, lun
magn
man
mania
matri
medi
mega
mem
micro
migra
mit, miss
mon
mor, mort
morph
nat, nasc
neo
neur
nomen
nov
omni
ortho
pac
paleo
pater, patr
path, pathy
ped, pod
pend, pens, pond
phil
phobia
phon
poli
prehendere
reg, recti
re, ridi, risi
rupt
sacr, sanc, secr
sat, satis
scrib, script
sen
sent, sens
sequ, secu, sue
simil, simul
solus
spec
free
letters
talk, speak
light
great
hand
madness
mother
half, middle, between
great
remember
small
wander
send
warn, remind
mortal, death
form
to be from, to spring
forth
new
nerve
name
new
all, every
straight, correct
peace
old
father
feeling, suffering
foot
hang, weigh
love
fear
sound
city
seize, grasp
straighten
laughter
break
sacred
enough
write
to grow old
feel
follow
like resembling
alone
look
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
liberty, liberal, deliverance, liberation
literary, alliteration, obliterate, literal
eloquent, loquacious, colloquial, locution
lunar, translucent, luminary, luster
magnify, magnanimous, magnate, magnitude
manacle, maneuver, maneuver
maniac, kleptomania, pyromania
matrimony, matron, maternal
mediate, medieval, mediocre, medium
megaphone, megalopolis, megaton
memo, commemorate, memento, memoir
microscope, microfilm, micrometer
migrate, emigrant, immigrate
emit, remit, permit, transmit, intermittent
admonition, monitor, premonition
mortal, immortal, mortician, mortuary
amorphous, dimorphic, metamorphosis
innate, natal, native, renaissance
neolithic, nuveau riche, neologism, neophyte
neuritis, neurotic, neurologist
nomenclature, nominate, ignominious
novel, renovate, novice, innovate
omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent
orthodox, orthodontist, unorthodox
pacifist, pacify
Paleoplithic, Paleozoic, paleomagnetism
paternity, patriarch, patriot, patron
pathos, sympathy, antipathy, telepathy
impede, centipede, podiatry
pendant, suspend, appendage, pensive
philosophy, philanthropy, philharmonic
phobia, claustrophobia, acrophobia, ergophobia
phonetic, symphony, euphonious
metropolis, megapolis, acropolis, police
apprehend, comprehend, prehensile
regiment, rectify, rectitude
deride, ridicule, derision, risible
rupture, disrupt, ruptible, abrupt
sacred, sacrosanct, sanction, consecrate
satient, saturate, satiated
scribe, inscribe, manuscript, prescribe
senile, senior, senator
sentiment, dissent, resent, sentimental
sequence, sequel, subsequent, prosecute
assimilate, simulate, simultaneous, similar
soliloquy, solitaire, solitude
spectator, spectacle, inspect, expect
Page 107
spir
string, strict
tact, tang, tag, tig
tempo
ten, tin, tain
test
the, theo
therm
tom
tox
trib
turbo
vac
ven, vent
ver veri
vert, vers
vic, vicis
vict, vinc
vid, vis
viv, vita, vivi
voc
vol
vor
breath
draw tight
touch
time
hold
to bear witness
God, a god
heat
cut
poison
pay, bestow
disturb
empty
come
true
turn
change, substitute
conquer
see
alive, life
call
will
eat greedily
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
spirit, conspire, inspire, aspire, expire
stringent, restrict, strict, constrict
tactile, tangible, contagious, contiguous
tempo, temporary, temporal, contemporary
tenacious, tenure, retain, obstinate, content
testament, detest, attest, testimony
monotheism, polytheism, atheism, theology
thermometer, theorem, thermal, hypothermia
appendectomy, dichotomy, anatomy
toxic, intoxicate, antitoxin
tribute, contribute, attribute, retribution
turbulent, disturb, turbid, turmoil
vacate, evacuate, vacuous
convene, intervene, venue, circumvent
aver, verdict, verity, verify, verisimilitude,
avert, divert, invert, reverse, versatile
vicarious, vicar, vivissitude
victor, convict, convince, invincible
video, evident, visible, revisit, vista
revive, survive, vivid, vivacious, vitality
vocation, avocation, evoke, provoke
volition, volunteer, benevolent
voracious, carnivorous, devour, herbivorous
Page 108
Speaking
and Listening
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Page 109
ELA Speaking and Listening Strand
Comprehension and Collaboration
1. Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse
partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
2. Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually,
quantitatively, and orally.
3. Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric.
Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas
4. Present information, findings, and supporting evidence such that listeners can follow the line of
reasoning and the organization, development, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
5. Make strategic use of digital media and visual displays of data to express information and enhance
understanding of presentations.
6. Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and communication tasks, demonstrating command of formal
English when indicated or appropriate.
Range and content of student speaking and listening
To become college and career ready, students must have ample opportunities to take part in a
variety of rich, structured conversations—as part of a whole class, in small groups, and with a
partner—built around important content in various domains. They must be able to contribute
appropriately to these conversations, to make comparisons and contrasts, and to analyze and
synthesize a multitude of ideas in accordance with the standards of evidence appropriate to a
particular discipline. Whatever their intended major or profession, high school graduates will depend
heavily on their ability to listen attentively to others so that they are able to build on others’
meritorious ideas while expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
New technologies have broadened and expanded the role that speaking and listening play in
acquiring and sharing knowledge and have tightened their link to other forms of communication.
The Internet has accelerated the speed at which connections between speaking, listening, reading, and
writing can be made, requiring that students be ready to use these modalities nearly simultaneously.
Technology itself is changing quickly, creating a new urgency for students to be adaptable in response
to change.
Mastering the Core of ELA Instruction
Page 110
Speaking and Listening Strategies
Jigsaw: Divide the unread text into sections. Distribute a section to each group. Group members will read their section and
discuss. One student from each group will present an oral summary from their selected text to the rest of the class.
Think-Pair-Share:
• Individuals think silently about a teacher or text- posed question.
• Pair with another student and exchange thoughts.
• Share responses with other pairs, teams, or entire group.
Three step interview:
• Students partner, one interviews, the other asks clarifying questions.
• Exchange roles
• Share each other’s responses with large group.
Roundtable/Round robin Brainstorming: Divide class into small groups. One member records the
group’s responses to the question posed. After time is called, students share responses one-at-a- time in
round-robin succession.
Three-minute Review: After a selected reading or during a lecture, teams have three minutes to review
material to ask and answer questions for clarification.
Socratic Questioning: Teacher/leader presents a subject to acquire another person’s knowledge of the
topic. Teacher/leader may not provide personal insight or respond to student comments. Other individuals
may recognize and present contradictions to lead to understanding of the matter with greater truth and
accuracy.
Focused Listing: Students generate words to define or describe something. Use these lists to facilitate
group and class discussion.
Double Entry Journal: Students read and reflect on an assigned reading then prepare a double entry
journal, listing critical points of the readings and any responses, general or specific. In class, use journals
for discussion, paired annotation, or other group activity.
Reciprocal Peer Questioning: After listening to a lecture, viewing a film, or completing a reading or
writing assignment, students create questions they will pose relevant to the content area. Using as many
question stems as possible, students take turns offering questions for discussion.
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Sample question stems:
What is the main idea of…?
What if…?
How does…affect...?
What is a new example of…?
Explain how….
Explain why….
How does this relate to what I’ve learned before?
What conclusions can I draw about…?
What is the difference between… and…?
How are … and … similar?
How would I use… to …?
What are the strengths and weaknesses of …?
What is the best … and why?
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Technology Resources
Audio
Blogs, Wikis
Collaborative Tools
Audacity
The Levelator
Mash Face
Voki
Wikispaces.com
PBWiki
Edublogs
WordPress.com- blog
Google Docs
Free Music
Free Images to use
Image and Photography
Tools
FreePlayMusic
FreeSound
Freesound
Compfight
Morgue File
PDPhoto
Pics4Learning
Inquiry and Webquests
Internet Resources
PhotoshowPhotoStory 3
SmileBox
Image Chef
Presentation Tools
WebQuests @ San Diego State Think.com
Webquest.org
Citation Machine
Enquiring Minds
del.icio.us
Google Lit Trips- Map
Map Builder
Teachers.tv
WordSift
Glogster EDU
Powerpoint
Prezi.com
Publishing Tools
Tech Training Videos
Tech Integrators
BigHugeLabs
Confusing Words
Grammar Grater
Postcard Creator
Primary Access
Savethewords
Storybird
Wordle
http://www.edline.net/pages/
BrevardCountySchools/
TechnologyIntegrators
North Team:
Marti Fortier, Anne Graham
Central Team:
Greg Cross, Tam Rutenber
South Team:
Jane Hoover, Maggie Molledo
*See your media specialist for additional resources and training.
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Rhetorical Appeals and Logical Fallacies
Rhetorical Appeals
Ethos
An ethical appeal that establishes the speaker’s or writer’s credibility and trustworthiness. This appeal
is about the speakers or authors themselves.
Logos
A logical appeal or an appeal to reason. Writers or speakers use or elicit logos when they use logical and reasonable
evidence to support their argument. This can include the use of facts, statistics, and expert testimony.
Pathos
An emotional appeal that stirs the feelings of the audience.
Logical (Rhetorical) Fallacies
These are errors of reasoning. They mislead and often purposely so.
Ad Hominem In Latin, this phrase means “to the man.” This fallacy is committed when a writer or speaker argues
for or against a claim by presenting statements that are not relevant – either character attacks or unrelated character
glorification.
Ex. She is arrogant and self-centered. Her theories of economic behavior cannot possibly valid.
She is amazingly articulate and poised. We should adopt her theories of economic behavior as the industry
standard.
Bandwagon This claims that since everyone is doing, thinking, or saying something, you should, too, as in jumping
on the bandwagon.
Ex. Everyone does or believes this, so you should, too.
Begging the Question This is a thought process that assumes a statement’s conclusion is true without any sufficient
evidence to support the claim.
Ex. Aliens must exist because there can be no other explanation for the many UFO sightings.
Circular Reasoning A circular argument takes as evidence what it claims to prove.
Ex. The candidate did not win the election because not enough people voted for him.
Implicit in the idea of an election is voting; therefore, explaining an election loss in terms of insufficient votes is like
saying: He didn’t get enough votes because he didn’t get enough votes.
False Analogy This is created when the dissimilarities between two things are so much greater than their similarities
that their connection by analogy is unjustified.
Ex. Gene-splicing is really no different from creating a new recipe by combining familiar foods in a novel way. The
differences between these processes and their potential outcomes are certainly more significant that their similarities.
Ipse Dixit
In Latin, this phrase means “he himself has spoken,” and this holds in cases where there is an appeal to
an unqualified expert. How could an actor who plays a doctor on a television program know about pain medication?
Limited Options Either/or and False dichotomy: the most common of these is the cliché, “Either you are for us or
against us.” The statement does not acknowledge the possibility of a neutral position.
Only reason: this fallacy results when it is assumed that one reason alone is sufficient to explain a situation
rather than many factors.
Ex. If school were more interesting, students wouldn’t drop out.
Non sequitur Latin for “it does not follow” and refers to any argument whose conclusion does not follow from its
premise.
Ex. Those who do not support the war are terrorists.
Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc This Latin phrase means “after this, therefore because of this.” This fallacy is
committed when a sequential relationship is misinterpreted as a causal one.
Ex. He drank three large glasses of water and soon after became ill. Drinking too much water always leads to illness.
Slippery Slope A statement that assumes because one thing is allowed, other, more grievous events will occur.
Ex. If we relax the student dress code, students will soon be coming to school in pajamas and bathing suits.
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Glossary of Reading and Writing Terms
Abstract
A word that signifies a general concept, an idea, or a condition that is intangible, e.g. truth,
beauty, freedom
Allegory
A literary work that occurs on two levels: the literal and the symbolic - thus, actions,
characters, settings, and objects have symbolic, abstract meaning. The purpose of an allegory
is to convey truths about life, to criticize social customs, or to teach a moral lesson.
Alliteration
The repetition of sounds at the beginning of two or more words
Allusion
An indirect reference to an historical event, literary work, or religious book - allusions assume
a common cultural heritage and evoke particular images or experience.
Ambiguity
The purposeful creation of a statement with more than one possible meaning - authors employ
ambiguity when they want to create room for a variety of interpretations.
Anachronism
Something or someone tout of its correct historical or chronological time period
Analogy
An extended comparison between two unlike things. It is similar to an extended metaphor and
simile, but the purpose of an analogy is to make an argument or explain something unfamiliar
by using something familiar, e.g. “Life is like a box of chocolates – you never know what
you’re gonna get.” – Forrest Gump
Anaphora
The exact repetition of the first few words or phrases at the beginning of successive sentences
or clauses to emphasize a point through repetition or to emphasize unstated knowledge/ideas
Anecdote
A brief narrative or retelling of a story or event often based on the speaker’s own experience
Antithesis
The contrast of ideas by means of the parallel arrangement of words, phrases, or clauses, e.g.
“It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.” – Charles Dickens. Antithesis functions to
make a point regarding the contrast created.
Aphorism
A concisely-worded statement of a truth or opinion, e.g. “Money often costs too much.” –
Ralph Waldo Emerson. The function of an aphorism is to point to a larger truth.
Apostrophe
The addressing of an inanimate object or an idea as if it were human
Assonance
The repetition of vowel sounds within words
Caricature
An exaggeration that is often unrealistic and sometimes comical. Political cartoons rely on
caricature to exaggerate a feature of a topic.
Catalog
A list of people, things, or attributes
Colloquialism
Words and phrases used in casual conversation and given new, informal meanings, often
associated with particular regions in the country. Colloquialisms suggest a casual and
conversational tone.
Conceit
An elaborate or extended metaphor of a far-fetched nature
Concrete
A word that specifies what is tangible, something known with one or more of the five senses.
Connotation
The implied or understood meaning of a word and its association
Denotation
The literal or dictionary definition of a word
Elegy
A thoughtful poem lamenting someone’s death
Euphemism
Nonthreatening language that is substituted for more explicit and possibly offensive words
Hyperbole
An exaggeration or overstatement
Imagery
Sensory details that focus on sight, sound, taste, touch, and/or smell that are used to arouse
emotion or represent ideas
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Invective
A vehement or violent denunciation, censure, or reproach; an insulting or abusive word or
expression
Inversion
A reversal of the usual order of words, e.g. “. . .ask not what your country can do for you – ask
what you can do for your country.” - John F. Kennedy
Irony
A contrast between expectation and reality, employed to surprise the reader or viewer.
In verbal irony, the words literally state the opposite of the writer’s or speaker’s true meaning.
In situational irony, events turn out the opposite of what was expected. What the characters
and readers think ought to happen is not what does happen.
In dramatic irony, facts or events are unknown to a character in a play or piece of fiction but
known to the reader, audience, or other characters in the work.
Metaphor
A comparison between two unlike things without using the word “like” or “as.” Extended
metaphors continue throughout a passage and are generally used to provide vivid descriptions
rather than to explain something unfamiliar. Metaphors state one thing IS the other thing.
Narrative
Any type of writing concerned with relating an event or a series of events
Neologism
A recently invented phrase or word, eg. Google, blog, byte.
Neologisms are sometimes used to make an author seem up-to-date or trendy.
Onomatopoeia
The use of words that sound like their meaning, e.g. The thief crashed, bashed, smashed, and
mashed his way through the brush.
The words themselves sound like the sounds the thief makes emphasizing the noise.
Oxymoron
A two-word contradiction, e.g. jumbo shrimp, ugly beauty.
An oxymoron is a more concise statement of a paradox.
Paradox
An apparent contradiction that actually points to a truth. An effective paradox is thoughtprovoking, e.g. “The more things change, the more they remain the same.” – Jean-Baptiste
Alphonse Karr
Parallelism
Parallelism, or parallel structure, means using the same pattern of words, phrases, or clauses in
a sentence.
Parody
A literary work that imitates either the style or the subject matter of another author for the
purpose of ridicule,criticism, or tribute.
Personification
Human qualities given to non-human subjects, e.g. The tree beckoned to us with her limbs.
Rhetorical
question
A question often used to lead to an argument to which no answer is expected.
Satire
A work that targets human vices or social institutions and conventions for reform.
Simile
A comparison between two different things that share some similarities, in which the
comparison is connected by “like” or “as”
Syllogism
A syllogism (or syllogistic reasoning) is a deductive system of formal logic that presents two
premises (the first one called a “major” and the second a “minor”) that inevitably lead to a
sound conclusion that is valid only if each of the two premises is valid, e.g.
All men are mortal. Socrates is a man. Therefore, Socrates is mortal.
Tone
The author’s attitude toward his or her material, the audience, or both. Tone is easier to
determine in spoken language than in written language. Considering how a work would sound
if it were read aloud can help in identifying an author’s tone.
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What Is Not Covered by the Standards
The Standards should be recognized for what they are not as well as for what they are. The most important intentional
design limitations are as follow:
1. The Standards define what all students are expected to know and be able to do, not how teachers should teach. For
example, while the Standards make references to some particular forms of content, including mythology, foundational
U.S. documents, and Shakespeare, they do not—indeed, cannot—enumerate all or even most of the content that
students should learn. The Standards must therefore be complemented by a well-developed, content-rich curriculum.
2. While the Standards focus on what is most essential, they do not describe all that can or should be taught. A great
deal is left to the discretion of teachers and curriculum developers. The aim of the Standards is to articulate the
fundamentals, not to set out an exhaustive list or a set of restrictions that limits what can be taught beyond what is
specified herein.
3. The Standards do not define the nature of advanced work for students who have achieved the Standardsrecommended skills prior to the end of high school. For those students, advanced work in such areas as literature,
composition, language, and journalism should be available to provide material for the college and career readiness
baseline established here.
4. The Standards set grade-specific standards but do not define the intervention methods or materials necessary to
support students who are well below or well above grade-level expectations. No set of grade-specific standards can
fully reflect the great variety in abilities, needs, learning rates, and achievement levels of students in any given
classroom. However, the Standards do provide clear signposts along the way to the goal of college and career readiness
for all students.
5. It is also beyond the scope of the Standards to define the full range of supports appropriate for English language
learners and for students with special needs. At the same time, all students must have the opportunity to learn and meet
the same high standards if they are to access the knowledge and skills necessary in their post–high school lives.
Each grade will include students who are still acquiring English. For those students, it is possible to meet the standards
in reading, writing, speaking and listening, and language without displaying native-like control of conventions and
vocabulary.
The Standards should also be read as allowing for the widest possible range of students to participate fully from the
outset and as permitting appropriate accommodations to ensure maximum participation of students with special
education needs. For example, for students with disabilities reading should allow for the use of Braille, screen-reader
technology, or other assistive devices, while writing should include the use of a scribe, computer, or speech-to-text
technology. In a similar vein, speaking and listening should be interpreted broadly to include sign language.
6. While the ELA and content area literacy components described herein are critical to college and career readiness,
they do not define the whole of such readiness. Students require a wide-ranging, rigorous academic preparation and,
particularly in the early grades, attention to such matters as social, emotional, and physical development and
approaches to learning.
The information on this page was taken from The Common Core State Standars Initiative.
http://www.corestandards.org/the-standards/english-language-arts-standards/introduction/key-design-considerations/
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College and Career-Ready Students
The following descriptions offer a portrait of students who meet the standards. As students advance through
the grades and master the standards in reading, writing, speaking and listening, and language, they are able to
exhibit with increasing consistency these capacities of the literate individual.
They demonstrate independence.
Students can comprehend and evaluate complex texts across a range of types and disciplines, and they can
construct effective arguments and convey intricate or multifaceted information. Likewise, students are able
independently to discern a speaker’s key points, request clarification, and ask relevant questions. They build
on others’ ideas, articulate their own ideas, and confirm they have been understood. Without prompting, they
demonstrate command of standard English and acquire and use a wide-ranging vocabulary. More broadly,
they become self-directed learners, effectively seeking out and using resources, including teachers, peers,
and print and digital reference materials.
They build strong content knowledge.
Students establish a base of knowledge across a wide range of subject matter by engaging with works of
quality and substance. They become proficient in new areas through research and study. They read
purposefully and listen attentively to gain both general knowledge and discipline-specific expertise. They
refine and share their knowledge through writing and speaking.
They respond to the varying demands of audience, task, purpose, and discipline.
Students adapt their communication in relation to audience, task, purpose, and discipline. They set and adjust
purpose for reading, writing, speaking and listening, and language use as warranted by the task. They
appreciate nuances, such as how the composition of an audience should affect tone when speaking and how
the connotations of words affect meaning. They also know that different disciplines call for different types of
evidence (e.g., documentary evidence in history, experimental evidence in science).
They comprehend as well as critique.
Students are engaged and open-minded—but discerning—readers and listeners. They work diligently to
understand precisely what an author or speaker is saying, but they also question an author’s or speaker’s
assumptions and premises to assess the veracity of claims and the soundness of reasoning.
They value evidence.
Students cite specific evidence when offering an oral or written interpretation of a text. They use relevant
evidence when supporting their own points in writing and speaking, making their reasoning clear to the
reader or listener, and they constructively evaluate others’ use of evidence.
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They use technology and digital media strategically and capably.
Students employ technology thoughtfully to enhance their reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language
use. They tailor their searches online to acquire useful information efficiently, and they integrate what they
learn using technology with what they learn offline. They are familiar with the strengths and limitations of
various technological tools and mediums and can select and use those best suited to their communication
goals.
They come to understand other perspectives and cultures.
Students appreciate that the twenty-first-century classroom and workplace are settings in which people from
often widely divergent cultures and who represent diverse experiences and perspectives must learn and work
together. Students actively seek to understand other perspectives and cultures through reading and listening,
and they are able to communicate effectively with people of varied backgrounds. They evaluate other points
of view critically and constructively. Through reading great classic and contemporary works of literature
representative of a variety of periods, cultures, and worldviews, students can vicariously inhabit worlds and
have experiences much different from their own.
Adapted from CCSI
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