POCATELLO/CHUBBUCK SCHOOL DISTRICT #25
HONORS/AP ENGLISH VERTICAL TEAM
CURRICULUM GUIDE
GRADES 8-12
The purpose of Honors English courses is to prepare students for success in early college courses
[i.e., Advanced Placement (AP) and Dual Enrollment]
Through the development of analytical reading and writing skills.
JUNE 2013
HONORS/AP ENGLISH VERTICAL TEAM CURRICULUM GUIDE FOR GRADES 8-12
COMPOSITION SKILLS
8TH Grade
9TH Grade
10TH Grade
11TH Grade
12TH Grade
* Respond to a writing prompt in
a timed setting
* Write a thesis statement and a
five paragraph essay.
* Write in a variety of modes:
essay, poetry, creative
* Create well-organized
paragraphs with topic sentences
* Write with audience clearly in
mind
* Paraphrase, summarize and
document to avoid plagiarism
* Use voice, tone, diction, mood
and sentence structure to support
the writing
* Use a variety of sentence
structures
* Use literary terms in writing
* Connect details to the topic so
that relationships among ideas
are explicitly clear
*Cite textual evidence
* Revise and edit
* Respond to a writing prompt
in a timed setting
* Write a clear thesis statement
and a well-organized essay.
* Write in a variety of modes:
essay, literary analysis,
poetry, creative
* Create well-organized
paragraphs with topic
sentences
* Write with audience clearly
in mind
* Paraphrase, summarize and
document to avoid plagiarism
* Use voice, tone, diction,
mood and sentence structure to
support the writing
* Use a variety of sentence
structures
* Use literary terms in writing
* Develop an idea using
textual evidence, integration of
quotations, and commentary.
Use the ratio of 2 comments
for every concrete detail–2:1
CM:CD
* Connect details to the topic
so that relationships among
ideas are explicitly clear
* Revise and edit
*Document sources in MLA
format
* Respond to a writing prompt
in a timed setting
* Use clear, coherent, and
concise language in writing that
holds the reader’s interest
* Compose fully developed and
organized paragraphs that are
directly connected to a central
idea
* Write in a variety of modes:
narrative, argumentative,
expository, descriptive,
persuasive, literary analysis,
creative
* Maintain consistent verb
tenses and point of view in
writing
* Develop topics with
supporting details generating
independent ideas and thoughts
* Develop an idea using textual
evidence, integration of
quotations, and commentary.
Use the ratio of 2 comments for
every concrete detail–2:1
CM:CD
* Use appropriate
documentation in research
paper
* Revise and edit
*Document sources in MLA
format
* Respond to a writing prompt
in a timed setting
* Use sophisticated essay
components
* Develop an idea using
textual evidence, integration
of quotations, and
commentary. Use the ratio
of 2 comments for every
concrete detail–2:1 CM:CD
* Identify rhetorical devices
and elements and
characteristics of the author’s
style
* Use parallelism and
antithesis to enhance writing
* Use figurative language,
voice, tone, sensory details in
an intriguing manner
* Use a variety of sentence
structures
* Revise and edit
*Document sources in MLA
format
* Create a compelling argument
that deconstructs a piece of
literature and addresses the
requirements of the prompt in
timed setting.
* Revise and edit writing using
sophisticated use of language–
grammar, tone, voice, diction,
and style
* Understand and use
academic/authoritative voice
* Develop topic in an original
manner using individual
insights and inferences while
making the writing inviting to
read
* Develop an idea using textual
evidence, integration of
quotations, and commentary.
Use the ratio of 2 comments for
every concrete detail–2:1
CM:CD
* Develop stylistic fluid writing
* Write with self-assurance
* Use a variety of sentence
structures, including
appropriate use of subordinate
and coordinate constructions
*Document sources in MLA
format
Complete requirements
sufficient for SD #25 senior
project
HONORS/AP ENGLISH VERTICAL TEAM CURRICULUM GUIDE FOR GRADES 8-12
CORE LITERATURE
8TH Grade
L. L.
The House of the
Scorpion
*The Adventures of
Tom Sawyer (by
Mark Twain)
April Morning
Flowers for
Algernon
*Diary of Anne
Frank
The Hiding Place
Jacob, I Have Loved
Julie of the Wolves
The Outsiders
Slave Dancer
Treasure Island
Tuck Everlasting
White Fang
The Witch of
Blackbird Pond
The Yearling
Farewell to
Manzanar
A Christmas Carol
Jurassic Park
Comedy of Errors
Boy in the Striped in
the Pajamas
Among the Hidden
Woodsong
The Wave
Touching Spirit Bear
660
950
1050
910
1080
900
840
860
750
970
1100
770
970
850
750
1040
510
710
910
1080
800
1090
660
670
9TH Grade
L. L.
Trimester A
Animal Farm
*The Book Thief
The Hound of The
Baskerville
The Miracle Worker
The Pearl
Sherlock Holmes
Mysteries
House on Mango
Street
10TH Grade
L. L.
Trimester A
1370
730
1090
1010
870
1984
The Good Earth
Lord of the Flies
The Old Man and the
Sea
The Scarlet Pimpernel
*To Kill a Mockingbird
Warriors Don’t Cry
*Fahrenheit 451
The Count of Monte
Cristo
11TH Grade
L. L.
Trimester A
1090
1530
770
940
1140
870
1000
890
830
Billy Budd
The Crucible (Play)
Kindred
The Scarlet Letter
Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Walden
The Way to Rainy
Mountain
Night Thoreau Spent in
Jail
The Tempest
1450
580
1420
1050
1340
890
Trimester B
*The Odyssey
David Copperfield
Ivanhoe
Prince and the Pauper
A Doll’s House
The Tragedy of Romeo
and Juliet
A Tale of Two Cities
1130
1070
1410
1380
1130
Trimester B
Anthem
Cold Sassy Tree
Night
Oliver Twist
The Once and Future
King
*The Grapes of Wrath
The Glass Menagerie
The Tragedy of Julius
Caesar
880
930
570
990
1080
680
Trimester B
Adventures of
Huckleberry Finn
The Bean Trees
The Great Gatsby
My Antonia
Of Mice and Men
Black Boy
Ethan Frome
Out of the Dust
I Know Why the Caged
Bird Sings
The Tragedy of
Macbeth
990
1070
1010
630
950
1160
1070
12TH Grade
Trimester A
Beowulf
The Canterbury Tales
Grendel
Gulliver’s Travels
The Tragedy of Hamlet
Dracula
The Iliad
Life of Pi
Pride and Prejudice
Robinson Crusoe
Sense and Sensibility
The Tragedy of Othello
Rosencrantz and
Guildenstern are Dead
Great Expectations
Trimester B
Frankenstein
Les Miserables
The Importance of Being
Earnest
Heart of Darkness
The Metamorphosis
Old Possum’s Book of
Practical Cats
Pygmalion
Things Fall Apart
A Midsummer Night’s
Dream
Crime and Punishment
Don Quixote
Merchant of Venice
King Lear
L. L.
1000
920
1370
1330
830
770
930
1180
770
1230
1170
800
1390
1340
1340
890
990
1550
1380
1420
Honors Independent Reading List
*At the discretion of each department*
10th Grade
th
8 grade
The Bonesetter’s Daughter –Amy Tan
The Chosen – Chaim Potok
Emma – Jane Austen
Jane Eyre–Charlotte Bronte
The Memory Keeper’s Daughter – Kim
Edwards
My Name is Asher Lev – Chaim Potok
1984 – George Orwell
Wuthering Heights –Charlotte Bronte
Call of the Wild – Jack London
The Hobbit – J.R.R. Tolkien
Into Thin Air – John Krakauer
The Miracle Worker – William Gibson
Rebecca – Daphne Du Maurier
The Acorn People—Robert Jones
th
9 Grade
Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland – Lewis
Carroll
A Connecticut Yankee in King Aurthur’s Court
– Mark Twain
Dr. Jekly and Mr. Hyde – Robert Lewis
Stevenson
Hiroshima - Hershey
Invisible Man - Ellison
The Martian Chronicles – Ray Bradbury
The Perfect Storm - Junger
Siddhartha – Herman Hesse
The Once the Future King - White
The Time Machine – H.G. Wells
Watership Down - Adams
The Stranger – Albert Camus
Oedipus Rex – Sophocles
A Separate Peace – John Knowles
Hedda Gabler – Henrick Ibsen
As You Like It - Shakespeare
Bless Me, Ultima – Rudolfo Anaya
Brave New World – Aldous Huxley
Snow Falling on Cedars - David Guterson
A Thousand Splendid Suns – Khaled Hosseini
The Little Foxes – Lillian Hellman
In the Time of Butterflies – Julia Alvarez
Trifles – Susan Glaspell
River Runs Through It – Norman Maclean
Old Man and the Sea – Hemingway
Robinson Crusoe – Daniel Defoe
The Poisonwood Bible– Barbara Kingsolver
All the Pretty Horses – Cormac McCarthy
Hard Times – Charles Dickens
HONORS/AP ENGLISH VERTICAL TEAM CURRICULUM GUIDE FOR GRADES 8-12
LITERARY/READING/ANALYTICAL SKILLS
8TH Grade
9TH Grade
10TH Grade
11TH Grade
12TH Grade
INTRODUCTORY LEVEL
*Use writing or other methods to
actively engage the reader
*Respond to higher level
questioning: synthesis,
evaluation, judgment, analysis
*Analyze how the author’s use of
language, style, and form
contribute to the meaning of
poetry, prose, & nonfiction works
*Understand works of literature
from a historical or
psycho-analytical perspective
*Read literature orally
*Draw a series of inferences that
lead to an interpretive conclusion
about a work’s meaning and value
INTRODUCTORY LEVEL
*Use journals or other methods to
actively engage the reader
*Respond to higher level
questioning: synthesis,
evaluation, judgment, analysis
*Analyze how the author’s use of
language, style, and form
contribute to the meaning of
poetry, prose, & nonfiction works
*Understand a variety of styles of
literary criticism
*Read literature orally
*Draw a series of inferences that
lead to an interpretive conclusion
about a work’s meaning and value
PRACTICE LEVEL
*Use journals or other methods to
actively engage the reader
*Respond to higher level
questioning: synthesis,
evaluation, judgment, analysis
*Analyze how the author’s use of
language, style, and form
contribute to the meaning of
poetry, prose, & nonfiction works
* Understand a variety of styles of
literary criticism
*Be able to identify and
understand the use of rhetorical
devices
*Read literature orally
*Draw a series of inferences that
lead to an interpretive conclusion
about a work’s meaning and value
PRACTICE LEVEL
*Use journals or other methods to
actively engage the reader
*Respond to higher level
questioning: synthesis,
evaluation, judgment, analysis
*Analyze how the author’s use of
language, style, and form
contribute to the meaning of
poetry, prose, & nonfiction works
* Understand a variety of styles of
literary criticism
*Be able to identify and
understand the use of rhetorical
devices
*Read literature orally
*Draw a series of inferences that
lead to an interpretive conclusion
about a work’s meaning and value
MASTERY LEVEL
*Use journals or other methods to
actively engage the reader
*Respond to higher level
questioning: synthesis,
evaluation, judgment, analysis
*Analyze how the author’s use of
language, style, and form
contribute to the meaning of
poetry, prose, & nonfiction works
* Understand a variety of styles of
literary criticism
*Be able to identify and
understand the use of rhetorical
devices
*Read literature orally
*Draw a series of inferences that
lead to an interpretive conclusion
about a work’s meaning and value
HONORS/AP ENGLISH VERTICAL TEAM CURRICULUM GUIDE FOR GRADES 8-12
ASSESSMENT
8TH Grade
9TH Grade
10TH Grade
11TH Grade
12TH Grade
TEST TAKING STRATEGIES:
Increase in frequency and
intensity as students progress
ESSAY
*Read directions carefully
*Underline key words
*Identify component parts of the
prompt
*Determine priority order for
discussing key points
*Make notes or simple outline
*Revise as you write
*Proofread for mechanics,
spelling & usage
*Use black pen
MULTIPLE CHOICE
*Read directions carefully
*Read the passage carefully &
refer back to it often when
answering the questions
*Understand the opening part of
the question before examining the
choices
*Look for a qualifier (a word that
limits statements), such as “not”
or “always,” which might help
eliminate some choices
*Read all the choices before
selecting an answer
*Eliminate choices known to be
incorrect
*Think carefully about remaining
choices and select the one that
makes the most sense
*Be conscious of time limitations
*Practice higher level,
interpretive multiple choice
questions
*Model some assessments after
ACT/SAT/Compass formats
TEST TAKING STRATEGIES:
Increase in frequency and intensity
as students progress
ESSAY
*Read directions carefully
*Underline key words
*Identify component parts of the
prompt
*Determine priority order for
discussing key points
*Make notes or simple outline
*Revise as you write
*Proofread for mechanics,
spelling & usage
*Use black pen
MULTIPLE CHOICE
*Read directions carefully
*Read the passage carefully &
refer back to it often when
answering the questions
*Understand the opening part of
the question before examining the
choices
*Look for a qualifier (a word that
limits statements), such as “not” or
“always,” which might help
eliminate some choices
*Read all the choices before
selecting an answer
*Eliminate choices known to be
incorrect
*Think carefully about remaining
choices and select the one that
makes the most sense
*Be conscious of time limitations
*Practice higher level, interpretive
multiple choice questions
*Model some assessments after
ACT/SAT/Compass formats
TEST TAKING STRATEGIES:
Increase in frequency and intensity
as students progress
ESSAY
*Read directions carefully
*Underline key words
*Identify component parts of the
prompt
*Determine priority order for
discussing key points
*Make notes or simple outline
*Revise as you write
*Proofread for mechanics,
spelling & usage
*Use black pen
MULTIPLE CHOICE
*Read directions carefully
*Read the passage carefully &
refer back to it often when
answering the questions
*Understand the opening part of
the question before examining the
choices
*Look for a qualifier (a word that
limits statements), such as “not” or
“always”, which might help
eliminate some choices
*Read all the choices before
selecting an answer
*Eliminate choices known to be
incorrect
*Think carefully about remaining
choices and select the one that
makes the most sense
*Be conscious of time limitations
*Practice higher level, interpretive
multiple choice questions
*Model some assessments after
ACT/SAT/Compass formats
TEST TAKING STRATEGIES:
Increase in frequency and intensity
as students progress
ESSAY
*Read directions carefully
*Underline key words
*Identify component parts of the
prompt
*Determine priority order for
discussing key points
*Make notes or simple outline
*Revise as you write
*Proofread for mechanics,
spelling & usage
*Use black pen
MULTIPLE CHOICE
*Read directions carefully
*Read the passage carefully &
refer back to it often when
answering the questions
*Understand the opening part of
the question before examining the
choices
*Look for a qualifier (a word that
limits statements), such as “not” or
“always”, which might help
eliminate some choices
*Read all the choices before
selecting an answer
*Eliminate choices known to be
incorrect
*Think carefully about remaining
choices and select the one that
makes the most sense
*Be conscious of time limitations
*Practice higher level, interpretive
multiple choice questions
*Model some assessments after
ACT/SAT/Compass/AP formats
TEST TAKING STRATEGIES:
ESSAY
*Read directions carefully
*Underline key words
*Identify component parts of the
prompt
*Determine priority order for
discussing key points
*Make notes or simple outline
*Revise as you write
*Proofread for mechanics,
spelling & usage
*Use black pen
MULTIPLE CHOICE
*Read directions carefully
*Read the passage carefully &
refer back to it often when
answering the questions
*Understand the opening part of
the question before examining the
choices
*Look for a qualifier (a word that
limits statements), such as “not” or
“always,” which might help
eliminate some choices
*Read all the choices before
selecting an answer
*Eliminate choices known to be
incorrect
*Think carefully about remaining
choices and select the one that
makes the most sense
*Be conscious of time limitations
*Practice higher level, interpretive
multiple choice questions
*Model some assessments after
ACT/SAT/Compass/AP formats
LITERARY TERMS
8th GRADE
Drama
Fiction
Form
Poetry
Many of the
following terms are
applicable to both
drama and fiction
anecdote
flashback
point of view
first person
omniscient
limited
third person
theme
discourse
exposition
essay
formal
informal
fable
genre
alliteration
assonance
free verse
imagery
repetition
rhyme
stanza
MLA format
outline format
Syntax
antagonist
character
flat
round
climax
conflict
exposition
falling action
protagonist
rising action
Elements of Style
dialogue
irony
mood
pun
slang
tone
voice
Figures of Speech
hyperbole
metaphor
onomatopoeia
personification
simile
symbol
Grammar/Usage
spelling
spelling of high
frequency words and
grade appropriate
words
vocabulary
increase
number of words in
student’s personal
vocabulary
terminology
parts of speech
commas
apostrophes
possessives
contractions
simple sentence
complex sentence
compound-complex
LITERARY TERMS
9th GRADE
Reinforce the terms in the grade(s) below this one and introduce additional terms
Drama
Many of the
following terms are
applicable to both
drama and fiction
act
aside
catastrophe
character
dynamic
static
stock
comedy
comic relief
crisis
denouement
epilogue
foil
hero
hubris
monologue
prologue
scene
soliloquy
tragedy
tragic flaw
villain
Elements of Style
Form
Poetry
connotation
denotation
diction
irony
dramatic
situation
verbal
sarcasm
satire
allegory
anecdote
diary
discourse
argumentation
description
narration
essay
humorous
novel
novella
prose
verse
blank verse
connotation
consonance
couplet
dramatic monologue
end-stopped line
epic
foot
iamb
image
lyric
measure
meter
pentameter
refrain
rhyme
end
external
internal
scansion
Fiction
incident
motivation
narrative voice
point of view
objective
unlimited
Grammar/Usage
Reinforce and
expand the
understanding of the
terms listed for the
8th grade
Figures of Speech
allusion
euphemism
4 sentence structures
Active vs. passive
voice
Citing textual
evidence
stress
trochee
Syntax
Reinforce and expand
the understanding of
the terms listed for
the 8th grade
LITERARY TERMS
10th GRADE
Reinforce the terms in the grade(s) below this one and introduce additional terms
Drama
Many of the
following terms are
applicable to both
drama and fiction
Reinforce and expand
the understanding of
the terms listed for
the 8th and 9th grades
Elements of Style
Figures of Speech
Poetry
paradox
synecdoche
understatement
cadence
elegy
enjambment
ode
English sonnet
Form
Fiction
anticlimax
subplot
Reinforce and
expand the
understanding of the
terms listed for the
8th and 9th grades
Syntax
Reinforce and expand
the understanding of
the terms listed for
the 8th and 9th grades
LITERARY TERMS
11th GRADE
Reinforce the terms in the grade(s) below this one and introduce additional terms
Drama
Many of the
following terms are
applicable to both
drama and fiction
catharsis
Elements of Style
Figures of Speech
Poetry
colloquial
invective
inversion
proverb
Abstract
Anecdote
Annotation
Argumentation
Caricature
Colloquialism
Coherence
Unity
Concrete Language
Consonance
Conundrum
Deduction
Denotation
Description
Didactic
Discourse
Pathos
Ethos
Euphemism
Explication
Exposition
Generalization
Genre
Induction
Inference
Invective
Inversion
Logos
Mode
Objectivity
Oversimplification
Oxymoron
Parable
Paradox
Parallelism
Parody
Pathetic Appeal
Pathos
Persuasion
Repetition
Sarcasm
Satire
Subjectivity
Syntactic Fluency
Syntax
anaphora
apostrophe
Aphorism
Apostrophe
Jargon
Syllogism
Synecdoche
controlling image
Fiction
stream-of- consciousness
Form
Reinforce and
expand the
understanding of the
terms listed for the
8th, 9th and 10th
grades
Syntax
antithesis
balanced sentence
coherence
ellipsis
inverted sentence
loose sentence
LITERARY TERMS
12th GRADE
Reinforce the terms in the grade(s) below this one and introduce additional terms
Drama
Many of the
following terms are
applicable to both
drama and fiction
deus ex machina
farce
hamartia
hubris
Elements of Style
Figures of Speech
Poetry
epigram
progression
analogy
antecedent
aphorism
apostrophe
atmosphere
conceit
didactic
euphemism
extended metaphor
homily
hyperbole
inference/infer
invective
metonymy
oxymoron
paradox
pedantic
periodic sentence
semantics
wit
Reinforce and expand
the understanding of
the terms listed for
the 8th, 9th, 10th, and
11th grade
cacophony
caesura
conceit
dirge
dissonance
euphony
in medias res
octave
persona
quatrain
rhyme
feminine
masculine
sestet
Italian sonnet
Fiction
Reinforce and expand
the understanding of
the terms listed for
the 8th, 9th, 10th, and
11th grades
Form
parable
Syntax
Reinforce and expand
the understanding of
the terms listed for
the 8th, 9th, 10th, and
11th grades