Introduction to Critical Reading and Analytic Writing
ANCHOR TEXT: selection of Short Fiction
LINKING TEXTS: TBD by teacher and PLC
ANCHOR WRITING GENRES:
Genre
LITERARY ANALYSIS
REFLECTIVE
PERUSASIVE
COMPARATIVE
TEACHER SELECTED
Form of Assessment
Fluency
In-Class Essay Evaluation, Fluency
Fluency
Fluency
Formal Essay (to be completed during either unit
one or two)
Big Ideas
 Survival, chance rules, chasing after status and wealth, sacrifice, true wisdom, value of material possessions, status
for sale
Essential Questions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
How do I read to gain skills, knowledge, and wisdom?
What do I need to learn in high school to be prepared for college or work?
What generalizations or principles have I discovered about my own reading?
How do I learn best?
How do my skills and talents define who I am?
How do I approach reading a short story?
How can learning the structure and purpose of texts support me in using them more effectively?
What are the roles of
subtitles, headings, bullets,
illustrations, sidebars, and
other text features?
What terms do I need to understand to help me comprehend a short story?
What relationships exist among these stories?
What techniques do the authors use to keep the reader interested?
How does each character’s perceptions of what is valuable change?
What common lessons does each main character learn?
What connections can I make between the story and my own life?
18. How are the characters’ strengths and weaknesses alike or different from my own strengths and weaknesses?
Introduction to Long Fiction
ANCHOR TEXT: Of Mice and Men, The Peal, OR Animal Farm (T)
To Kill a Mockingbird (H)
LINKING TEXTS: TBD by teacher and PLC
ANCHOR WRITING GENRES:
Genre
Form of Assessment
LITERARY ANALYSIS
Fluency
REFLECTIVE
Fluency
PERUSASIVE
Fluency/In-class essay evaluation
COMPARATIVE
Fluency
TEACHER SELECTED
Formal Essay (to be completed during either unit
one or two)
Big Ideas: integrity, truth, courage, relationships, responsibility, equality, finding the truth through, knowledge and
experience: “Most people are [nice], Scout, when you finally see [know] them.” (Atticus) 281, education is key to
overcoming prejudice (Ideas and questions may also help guide instruction for other novels.)
Essential Questions
1. Who am I and how do I find my place in the world?
2. What is equality? How can we work to achieve it?
Exploring the Novel
ANCHOR TEXT: To Kill a Mockingbird (T)
Frankenstein and excerpts from Great Expectations OR Great Expectations (H)
LINKING TEXTS: TBD by teacher and PLC
ANCHOR WRITING GENRES:
Genre
Form of Assessment
LITERARY ANALYSIS
Fluency
REFLECTIVE
Fluency
PERUSASIVE
In-Class Essay Evaluation
COMPARATIVE
Fluency
TEACHER SELECTED
Formal Essay
Big Ideas: integrity, truth, courage, relationships, responsibility, equality, finding the truth through, knowledge and experience:
“Most people are [nice], Scout, when you finally see [know] them.” (Atticus) 281, education is key to overcoming prejudice (Ideas
and questions may also help guide instruction for other novels.)
Essential Questions
1.
2.
Who am I and how do I find my place in the world?
What is equality? How can we work to achieve it?
EXPLORING NON-FICTION
ANCHOR TEXT: Selections from Black Boy (T)
Selected and Board Approved Text (H)
LINKING TEXTS: Selections from biographies, autobiographies, descriptive essays, informational articles, literary critique
and reviews, speeches, and correspondence
ANCHOR WRITING GENRES:
Genre
Form of Assessment
LITERARY ANALYSIS
Fluency/ In-class essay evaluation
REFLECTIVE
Fluency
ONLINE DISCOURSE
Fluency
NARRATIVE
Formal Essay
Big Ideas: relationships, survival, courage, bravery, effects of war, faithfulness, time passage
Essential Questions:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
What is a relationship?
What obstacles stand in the way of enduring relationships?
In times of adversity, do family bonds/ relationships help us survive?
Does it take courage to sustain a relationship?
How do relationships endure over time?
EXPLORING POETRY
ANCHOR TEXT: Selections from text
LINKING TEXTS: TBD by teacher and PLC
ANCHOR WRITING GENRES:
Genre
LITERARY ANALYSIS
REFLECTIVE
CLASSIFICATION/DIVISION
COMPARE/CONTRAST
TEACHER SELECTED
Form of Assessment
Fluency/ In-class essay evaluation
Fluency
Fluency
Fluency
Formal Essay (to be completed during either Unit 5
or Unit 6)
EXPLORING DRAMA
ANCHOR TEXT: Romeo and Juliet (T)
Macbeth (H)
LINKING TEXTS: TBD by teacher and PLC
ANCHOR WRITING GENRES:
Genre
LITERARY ANALYSIS
REFLECTIVE
TEACHER SELECTED
Form of Assessment
Fluency/ In-class essay evaluation
Fluency
Formal Essay (to be completed during either Unit 5
or Unit 6)
Big Ideas: responsibility, conflict, resolution, choices, cultural and historical influences, call to action, decisions can have
long term effects.
Essential Questions:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
How may personal decisions affect your family or neighborhood?
Can decisions based on violence or anger have a peaceful resolution?
Which historical figures have made crucial decisions affecting society?
Are decisions based on common good or personal gain?
How do world conditions affect our decisions?
Can decisions be reversed?
How can potential consequences guide decision making?
How do personal decisions impact more than yourself?
Why did Shakespeare write R&J and what social issue does the play address?
Where do these same themes present themselves in today’s society?
Introduction to Critical Research (may be completed in conjunction with other units)
ANCHOR WRITING GENRES:
Genre
RESEARCH ESSAY
Form of Assessment
Formal Essay