BIG QUESTION: Who can you trust to educate you?
Unit Title: Educating Yourself: Reading Skills
Length: Nine Weeks (17 October – 16 December)
Writing Prompt: Where do you see yourself in a decade and what is your plan to get there? You must be as specific as possible. If you
plan on going to college, tell where you’re going to go, how much it’s going to cost, and what your major is going to be. If you’re going to go
into the workplace, explain what job you’ll be doing and where you’ll be doing that job. Tell me about your plans as far as family, where
you’re planning to live, and how you’re going to afford it all. (This will require research.)
Unit Project: Create a poster or video for display in the classroom, “selling” the class on a specific punctuation rule. It should be
colorful, vibrant, typed, and able to be seen from far away. Most importantly, it should be correct.
Weekly Focus
Learning Target
17 October
I will analyze a text focusing on
specific complex characters and
how they develop over the course
of a text, interact with other
characters, and advance the plot
and develop the theme of the story
as a whole.
Using Prior
Knowledge
I will demonstrate command of the
conventions of standard English
capitalization.
Assignments and Readings
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Using Prior Knowledge
o Read “The Monkey’s Paw” (32)
o Read “A Visit to Grandmother” (220)
Writing Prompt: What’s your plan for the future? Create a wellcrafted paragraph explaining your educational goals and employment
plans.
Pre-viewing
o Read “My City” (630)
o Read “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night” (633)
Grammar: Capitalization Rules
o Read and complete the “Rules for Capitalization” Worksheets
(WB)
24 October
Acquiring Prior
Knowledge
I will be able to recognize
particular cultural experiences
reflected in a work found in world
literature and how that point of
view or cultural experience may be
similar or different from those
found in the United States.
I will use apostrophes and ellipses
properly as outlined by standard
English punctuation conventions.
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viable in a decade? Research specific jobs you are interested in and
the likelihood they will be available in a decade. How might they
change? How might you need to prepare for that change? Prepare
a well-researched, balanced “report” on your possible future
occupation. (MLA format)
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Acquiring Background Knowledge
o Read “Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali” (1006)
o Read “Sonnet 18” (641)
o Read “Evaluating the Credibility of Web Sources” (270)
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Grammar: Dashes & Hyphens
I will conduct a short research
project to answer a question,
focusing on using a standard
citation format. (I will understand
and be able to use MLA format.)
31 October
Making Personal
Connections with
the Text
I will gather relevant information—
and be able to assess said sites—
from multiple sources, using
advanced searches effectively in
order to answer a research
question.
I will use dashes and hyphens
properly as outlined by standard
English punctuation conventions.
Grammar: Apostrophes
o Read and complete the grammatical rules and worksheet on
apostrophes. (WB)
Research Writing Prompt: How likely is it your job will still be
o
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Read the worksheet on the use of dashes and hyphens. (WB)
Research Writing Prompt: Look back at your plan for the future. What
education level will you need to attain? How much will it cost? What
major will you need to declare? Prepare a fairly detailed, researchbased list on the needs for your future employment. (MLA format)
Asking Questions
o
Read from “Swimming to Antarctica” (58)
o
Read “The Sun Parlor (454)
o
Preparing for and Reading Applications (82)
7 November
Key Details—
Breaking Down
Long Sentences
I will integrate researched
information into my original written
text selectively to maintain the
flow of ideas while avoiding
plagiarism and following a standard
format for citation.
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I will use commas properly as
outlined by standard English
punctuation conventions.
Grammar: Commas
o Read and complete the worksheets (1-5) on commas. (WB)
Writing Lab: Begin crafting your Future Plans personal essay,
focusing on formatting the information you’ve already researched
into cohesive paragraphs. (The SEE Method is handy for this.)
Breaking Down Long Sentences
o Read “The Weary Blues” (682)
o Read “In Flanders Fields” (684)
o Read “Reapers” (691)
I will analyze an author’s choices
concerning how to structure a text
as it relates to key details and long
sentences.
14 November
Recognizing Key
Details
I will use words, phrases, and
clauses to link the major sections of
the text, creating cohesion, and
clarifying the relationships between
the paragraphs.
I will use quotation marks properly
as outlined by standard English
punctuation conventions.
I will be able to recognize and
differentiate between key details
and information that is not central
to the text.
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Grammar: Quotation Marks
o Read and complete the quotation marks passages and worksheets
found in the packet. (WB)
Writing Lab: Work on your Future Plans personal essay.
Recognizing Key Details
o Read “Contents of a Dead Man’s Pockets” (110)
o Read “La Belle Dame Sans Merci” (650)
o Read “Civil Peace” (327)
21 November
Mastering Key
Details
I will use semi-colons and colons
properly as outlined by standard
English punctuation conventions.
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I will determine a theme or central
idea of a text and analyze in detail
its development over the course of
the text.
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Grammar: Semi-colons & Colons
o Read and complete the grammar worksheets focusing on semicolons, colons, and the worksheet on differentiating between the
use of semi-colons, colons, and commas. (WB)
Activity: Plagiarism Power Point & Discussion
Mastering Key Details
o Read “How Much Land Does One Man Need?” (308)
o Read “Games at Twilight” (129)
o Read “The Open Window” (1160)
I will learn how to spot and correct
intentional and unintentional
plagiarism in my own writing.
5 December
Summarizing
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I will provide an objective summary
of the text, inferring when needed.
I will create a written piece that
answers a specific research
question effectively that
demonstrates understanding of the
subject under investigation.
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Grammar: Underlining, Dashes, & Parentheses
o Complete the final Punctuation Exercise found in the packet.
(WB)
Writing Lab: Finish rough draft of your Future Plans essay.
Summarizing
o Read “The Spider and the Wasp” (428)
o Read “Morte D’Arthur” (1064)
o Read “Arthur Becomes King of Britain” from The Once and
Future King (1077)
I will use parentheses properly as
outlined by standard English
punctuation conventions.
12 December
Preparing for
Semester Exams
 Writing Task: DUE 13 DECEMBER 2011—NO EXCEPTIONS! NO LATE
PAPERS ACCEPTED!
 SEMESTER TEST