Whitman-Hanson Regional High School provides all students with a high- quality education in order to develop reflective,
concerned citizens and contributing members of the global community.
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English III (A & B) Academic
120 # of Days
Course Description
This course examines major trends in the development of British literature in a study of various literary types,
which may include short stories, essays, novels, and dramas. Attention will be given to vocabulary building,
precise language usage, critical thinking skills, and preparation for the College Board Exams. A major unit of
study will require students to produce a research paper. Preparation for the new SAT is included in this course.
Students will be evaluated on outside reading assignments. This course addresses Whitman-Hanson Student
Learning Expectations 1-6.
Instructional Strategies
Instructional Strategies include but may not be limited to the following:
 Dialectical notebooks
 Character charts
 Vocabulary lists and diagrams (showing relationships)
 Analyze the structure of the text.
 Socratic seminars
 Large and small group discussions
 Powerpoint presentations for notes or discussion
Student Learning
Expectations
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Read, write and communicate effectively.
Utilize technologies appropriately and effectively.
Apply critical thinking skills.
Explore and express ideas creatively.
Participate in learning both individually and collaboratively.
Demonstrate personal, social, and civic responsibility.
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Part A
Unit of Study – Middle Ages
Using various SAT preparation techniques, students will practice identifying sentence errors, improving sentences, and sentence completion
exercises.
Students will utilize the following tools to help them prepare for the SAT test:
1. www.number2.com
2. Naviance test preparation
3. The Official SAT Study Guide
Students will practice the following on a weekly basis:
 Analyzing SAT test-taking techniques
 Analyzing SAT question types and styles
 Write and self-assess Persuasive essays using the SAT rubric
Common Core State
Standards
Time Frame:
4 weeks
Text
(Chapter/Pages)
Selections from The Canterbury Tales (Geoffrey Chaucer) Pick two in addition to the “Prologue to the Canterbury Tales”:
From “Prologue to The Canterbury Tales”
“The Pardoner’s Tale”
“The Nun’s Priest’s Tale”
“The Miller’s Tale”
“The Wife of Bath’s Tale”
Other Resources:
Essential
Questions
Concepts, and
Videos: Filthy Cities: London; Worst Jobs: Medieval Times, Dirty Jobs
 Chaucer's Wife of Bath (National Endowment for the Humanities) (RL.11-12.3)
This lesson helps students understand the complexities of the Wife of Bath's character and the rhetoric of her
argument by exploring the various ways in which Chaucer crafts a persona for her.
 Canterbury Tales Project (ITSEE, University of Birmingham)
A page of links to resources on Chaucer, the Canterbury Tales, and the Middle Ages, hosted by the
Canterbury Tales Project.
 How do stereotypes and archetypes inform our understanding of humanity?
 How are Chaucer's Canterbury pilgrims relevant to society today?
 What was the medieval notion of chivalry and gender roles?
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Content:
Targeted Skill(s):
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Common Writing
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Assessment:
How can life be compared to a journey?
How does Chaucer’s style and voice make a character memorable?
How does Chaucer use comedy to expose the human condition?
Consider how medieval literature exhibits many tendencies rather than a single set of characteristics.
Observe literary elements (e.g., allegory, farce, satire, foil) in medieval literary works and identify characteristics of
medieval literary forms.
Understand how literary elements contribute to meaning and author intention.
Consider glimpses of the Renaissance in certain works of medieval literature and art.
Consider how medieval literary and artistic forms reflect the writers’ and artists’ philosophical views.
Examine the literary, social, and religious satire in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales.
Consider the role of the framed narrative in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales.
Compare works of medieval literature and art, particularly their depiction of character and their focus on the
otherworldly.
Common Assessment Question:
“How does Chaucer use literary elements (e.g., allegory, farce, satire, foil) and comedy to expose the human condition?”
Assessment
Practices:
Literary
Terminology
Teacher created tests, quizzes, class discussions, group discussions, projects, essays, and Common Assessment.
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allegory
epic
farce
foil
framed narrative
hyperbole
perspective
fabliaux
symbol
Unit of Study – Renaissance -- The Tragic Hero (Shakespeare’s Macbeth)
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CC Standard:
RI. 11-12.1: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as
well as inferences drawn from the text, including where the text leaves things uncertain.
RI. 11-12.3: Analyze the impact of the author’s choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a
story or drama (e.g., where a story is set, how the action is ordered, how the characters are introduced and
developed).
RI.11-12.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative,
connotative, and technical meanings; analyze how an author uses and refines the meaning of a key term or
terms over the course of a text.
RI.11-12.5: Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text (e.g., the
choice of where to begin or end a story, the choice to provide a comedic or tragic resolution) contribute to its
overall structure and meaning as well as its aesthetic impact.
RL.11-12.7: Analyze multiple interpretations of a story, drama, or poem (e.g., recorded or live production of
a play or recorded novel or poetry), evaluating how each version interprets the source text. (Include at least
one play by Shakespeare and one play by an American dramatist).
WS.11-12.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts and
information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization and analysis of content.
b. Develop the topic thoroughly by selecting the most significant and relevant facts, extended definitions,
concrete details, quotations or other information and examples appropriate to the audience’s knowledge of
the topic.
c. Use appropriate and varied transitions and syntax to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion,
and clarify the relationships among complex ideas and concepts.
d. Use precise language, domain-specific vocabulary, and techniques such as metaphor, simile and
analogy to manage the complexity of the topic.
e. Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions
of the discipline in which they are writing.
f. Provide a concluding statement or section that following from and supports the explanation presented
(e.g., articulating implications or the significance of the topic).
WS. 11-12.3a: Demonstrate understanding of the concept of theme by writing short narratives, poems,
essays, speeches or reflections that respond to universal themes (e.g., challenges, the individual and society,
moral dilemmas, the dynamics of traditions and change).
WS. 11-12. 4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization and style are
appropriate to the task, purpose and audience.
WS.11-12.5: Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a
new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant to a specific purpose and audience.
WS. 11-12.10: Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection and revision) and
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shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purpose and audiences.
SL.11-12.1: Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups
and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 11-12 topics, texts and issues, building on others’ ideas and
expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
a. Come to discussions prepared, having read and researched material under study; explicitly drawn on
that preparation referring to evidence from texts and other research on the topic or issues to stimulate
a thoughtful, well-reasoned exchange of ideas.
b. Work with peers to promote civil, democratic discussions and decision-making, set clear goals and
guidelines, and establish individual roles as needed.
c. Propel conversation by posing and responding to questions that probe reasoning and evidence; ensure
a hearing for a full range of positions on a topic or issue; clarify, verify or challenge ideas and
conclusions; and promote divergent and creative perspectives.
d. Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives; synthesize comments, claims and evidence made on all
sides of an issue; resolve contradictions when possible; and determine what additions information or
research is required to deepen the investigation or complete the task.
SL.11-12.4: Present information, findings, and supporting evidence, conveying a clear and distinct
perspective, such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning, alternative or opposing perspectives are
addressed, and the organization, development, substance and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and
a range of formal and informal tasks.
SL.11-12.5: Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphic, audio, visual, and interactive
elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning and evidence and to add interest.
LS.11-12.2: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation and
spelling when writing.
a. Observe hyphenation conventions.
b. Spell correctly.
LS.11-12.3: 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.
LS.11-12.4: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown or multiple-meaning words and phrases based on
grades 11-12 reading and content, choosing flexibility from a range of strategies.
a. Use context (e.g. the overall meaning of a sentence, paragraph or text; a word’s position or function in
a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of the word or phrase.
b. Identify and correctly use patterns of word changes that indicate different meanings or parts of speech
(e.g., conceive, conception, conceivable)
d. Verify the preliminary determination of the meaning of a word or phrase (e.g., by checking the
inferred meaning in context or in a dictionary).
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LS.11-12.5: Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word
meanings.
a. Interpret figures of speech (e.g., hyperbole, paradox) in context and analyze their role in the text.
b. Analyze nuances in the meaning of words with similar denotations.
Time Frame:
6 weeks
Text
(Chapter/Pages)
Other Resources:
Macbeth by William Shakespeare
Essential Questions
Concepts, Content:
Targeted Skill(s):
Leon Garfield’s short story “Macbeth”
Scenes from the Royal Shakespeare Company (Patrick Stewart & Polanski) film Macbeth (starring Ian McKellen and
Judi Dench)
Scenes from Director Geoffrey Wright’s Macbeth (starring Sam Worthington)
Scenes from amateur video clips from YouTube.com
Scenes from Orson Welles’ Macbeth
Jason Connery’s Macbeth (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sUBYIU5koA)
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Is Macbeth a moral play? Is justice served in the end?
How does William Shakespeare employ sensory imagery to develop his story, Macbeth?
Fate vs. Free Will
In what ways does Macbeth continue to be relevant in the 21st century?
How does William Shakespeare use language and literary elements to develop the characters in Macbeth?
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Identify and analyze themes, motifs and symbols from Macbeth
Create a dialectical notebook spanning the text which includes quotes, interpretations, MLA format, and
context analysis
Learn and apply relevant vocabulary and literary terms using LTF Lesson (SAT Vocabulary Study Macbeth)
http://www.ltftraining.org/Portals/ltftraining/docs/english/SATVocabularyMacbeth_REV.pdf
Practice reading Elizabethan text for comprehension
Compare and contrast multiple genre interpretations of the text
Write a character analysis
Create a creative personal interpretation of the text
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Writing:
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All students will keep a MLA formatted dialectical notebook for the duration of the unit. The notebook will
include MLA cited quotations as well as literary analysis of each quote.
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Assessment Practices:
Terminology
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Plot and analysis questions will be answered in notebooks.
Sections of the text will be paraphrased.
Sections of the text will be summarized.
A multiple-draft character analysis essay will be written.
A time-limited essay will be the final analysis.
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Dialectical notebook
Plot quiz
Quotations tests (memory and open book styles)
Character analysis essay
Personal interpretation creative project
Unit test
Homework and class work assessments based on daily lessons
allusion
classicism
divine right of kings
fate
free will
humanism
iambic pentameter
iambic tetrameter
ode
satire
sonnet
symmetry
The Great Chain of Being
Part B
Unit of Study – Novel
Using various SAT preparation techniques, students will practice identifying sentence errors, improving sentences, and sentence completion
exercises.
Students will utilize the following tools to help them prepare for the SAT test:
4. www.number2.com
5. Naviance test preparation
6. The Official SAT Study Guide
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Students will practice the following on a weekly basis:
 Analyzing SAT test-taking techniques
 Analyzing SAT question types and styles
 Write and self-assess persuasive essays using the SAT rubric
Common Core State
Standards
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RL.11-12.5: Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text (e.g., the choice
of where to begin or end a story, the choice to provide a comedic or tragic resolution) contribute to its overall
structure and meaning as well as its aesthetic impact.
RL.11-12.7: Analyze multiple interpretations of a story, drama, or poem (e.g., recorded or live production of a play
or recorded novel or poetry), evaluating how each version interprets the source text. (Include at least one play by
Shakespeare and one play by an American dramatist.)
RI.11-12.2: Determine two or more central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the
text, including how they interact and build on one another to provide a complex analysis; provide an objective
summary of the text.
W.11-12.5 :Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new
approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience. (Editing for
conventions should demonstrate command of Language standards 1–3 up to and including grades 11–12 on page
54.)
W.11-12.7: Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a selfgenerated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple
sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
W.11-12.8: Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced
searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the task, purpose, and audience;
integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and overreliance on
any one source and following a standard format for citation.
L.11-12.5: Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
 Interpret figures of speech (e.g., hyperbole, paradox) in context and analyze their role in the text.
 Analyze nuances in the meaning of words with similar denotations.
Time Frame:
Text
(Chapter/Pages)
1984 is required and teachers then must choose an additional piece from the following:
Taming of the Shrew
The Importance of Being Ernest
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Lord of the Flies
Huck Finn
Other Resources:
Essential Questions
Concepts, Content:
Targeted Skill(s):
Writing:
1984 Prompt 1
Some people feel that when the government keeps unsettling or unpleasant news hidden, everyone will be
happier and free to pursue their daily lives without worrying about complicated issues. Others believe that
when the government “protects” people from the truth, it is, in effect, robbing them of a chance to make
informed decisions. Are people better off and happier when the government withholds potentially disturbing
information? Write an essay discussing your point of view on this issue, supporting your position with
examples from life, literature, or your studies in school.
1984 Prompt 2
In 1984 Winston says, “It is impossible to found a civilization on fear and hatred and cruelty. It would never
endure.” In a well-organized essay, discuss your opinion of the validity of this assertion. Include evidence
from your own reading, observation, or experience to support your position.
Assessment Practices:
Unit of Study – Persuasive Research
Common Core State
Standards
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RIT.1: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as
inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
RIT.7: Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different media or formats (e.g.,
visually, quantitatively) as well as in words in order to address a question or solve a problem.
W.11-12.7: Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a selfgenerated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple
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sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
 W.11-12.8: Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced
searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the task, purpose, and audience;
integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and overreliance on
any one source and following a standard format for citation.
 L.11-12.5: Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
 Interpret figures of speech (e.g., hyperbole, paradox) in context and analyze their role in the text.
 Analyze nuances in the meaning of words with similar denotations.
Time Frame:
Text
(Chapter/Pages)
Persuasive Topics
(See research guide)
Informational texts, research guidelines
Directions: Please choose one of the following topics to research for your persuasive essay. You may choose
to agree or disagree (but not both) with any of the following prompts. Try to choose a topic that interests you
as well.
1. Should cigarette smoking be banned in the United States or elsewhere? Should cigarettes be treated
the same as other illegal drugs?
2. Is the use of cameras, by both public and private entities, to prevent crime worth the invasion of
privacy? Should cameras not be allowed in public areas?
3. Do colleges put too much emphasis on standardized test scores? Are standardized tests like the SAT
and ACT used too much in selecting students for college? What are the benefits or drawback of using
this test for college selection?
4. Should the government be able to limit people’s food choices? Should the federal and/or state
government be allowed to tell us what not to eat at school or home?
5. Is global climate change a man-made problem or a natural process? Is global warming real and
should we do anything in reaction? If it is real, what is causing it?
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Note: Any topics outside of this list must be cleared by your teacher before you begin the research process.
While some topics may seem interesting, they might not fit the scope of this assignment. These topics have
been selected because of their universal appeal and ease of research.
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