2015-2016 Curriculum Blueprint
Grade: 11
Course Descriptions: English III
Approximate
Time:
Unit 3: A Distinctly American Voice - Writing to Argue (Collection3)
Text Complexity Measures:
6 Weeks
1000-1250
Unit Overview
In this unit, students will have the opportunity to explore how authors in the early 19th century created a new “American Literature,” writing for the first time in their
own “distinctly American” voices, rather than imitating the writing styles of British authors. Students will read, analyze and synthesize texts to form a position on the
relationship an individual has with nature and society. They will examine several texts in the collection to determine the authors’ points of view on man’s interaction
with nature and his environment, and how that relationship impacts the role of an individual within his community.
Recommended Culminating Performance Task
After reading the essay “Against Nature” by Joyce Carol Oates and at least one other text from the collection, write an essay in which you compare the central claim of
both authors and evaluate how effectively each author structures his/her argument to make his/her points clear, convincing and engaging. Support your opinion with
evidence from the texts.
[Cognitive Demand: Comparison; LDC Template Task A5]
FSA Argument Rubric
Learning Goals
Students will be able to:
 Determine an author’s purpose and point of view.
 Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in
order to compare the approaches authors take.
 Identify how speakers use different techniques to get their point
across.
 Analyze how speakers use certain methods to gain attention of the
audience and to build and support their arguments
 Identify and effectively incorporate relevant evidence from two or
more texts to support their claim.
 Write a reasoned argument and support the argument with
textual evidence and include counterclaims.
 Use informal citations to reference textual evidence.
Sample Essential Questions
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How does the style and content of rhetoric persuasively convey
the author’s point of view?
How can I use logical reasoning and effective rhetoric to write
and deliver a well-developed argument that supports a claim?
How can I use relevant textual evidence to support claims and
counterclaims in an argument?
How can the time period during which a text was written affect
the attitude an author has about an issue?
Template Draft | September 2015
Cluster of Priority Standards
Speaking and Listening
Reading
LAFS.1112.SL.1.1 (DOK 3)
Initiate and participate effectively in a
range of collaborative discussions (oneon-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.
LAFS.1112.R.1.2 (DOK 3)
Determine two or more themes or
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 produce a
complex account; provide an objective
summary of the text.
LAFS.1112.SL.2.4 (DOK 3) 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.
LAFS.1112.R.2.6 (DOK 3) Determine an
author’s point of view or purpose in a
text in which the rhetoric is particularly
effective, analyzing how style and
content contribute to the power,
persuasiveness or beauty of the text.
Language
Writing
LAFS.1112.W.1.1 (DOK 4)
Write arguments to support claims in
an analysis of substantive topics or
texts, using valid reasoning and
relevant and sufficient evidence.
LAFS.1112.L.3.5 (DOK 3)
Demonstrate understanding of
figurative language, word relationships,
and nuances in word meanings.
Link to Webb’s DOK Guide
Template Draft | September 2015
SAMPLE ASSIGNMENTS
Priority Texts
“Song of Myself” Walt Whitman
 Poetry
 Lexile: NA
 Focus Standard: LAFS.K12.R.2.6
 Critical Vocabulary: project, settlement, divergence, ferment, regimen,
defection, stoically
 Language and Style: LAFS.1112.L.2.3, Parallel Structure, p. 186
“Against Nature” Joyce Carol Oates
 Essay
 Lexile: 1000
 Focus Standard: LAFS.1112.R.2.5
 Critical Vocabulary: resonance, autonomy, evidently, transcending,
tangentially, harbingers
 Language and Style: LAFS.1112.L.1.2, Quotations
from Walden, Henry David Thoreau
 Essay
 Lexile: 1250
 Focus Standard: LAFS.1112.R.2.6
LAFS.1112.RL.1.2; LAFS.1112.SL.1.1: “Song of Myself”
(p. 183) – Collaborative Discussion: How is Whitman’s poetry a departure from
the style and subjects of other poems you have read? With a partner, discuss
what make Whitman’s poetry unique. Cite specific textual evidence from “Song of
Myself” to support your ideas.
LAFS.1112.W.4.10; LAFS.1112.SL.1.1; LAFS1112.RI.1.2; LAFS1112.L.3.5; : Walden
(p. 217) – Have students choose partners and use the bulleted strategies on page
217 to help them write a short summary of each excerpt. For each excerpt, ask
pairs to share their summaries with the class and write the most concise and
accurate summary on the board. Lead a class discussion in which students use the
summaries of individual essays to determine the central idea of the entire work.
LAFS.1112.W.1.2; LAFS1112.W.3.7; LAFS.1112.SL.1.1 : “Against Nature”
(p. 231) – Have students work in groups to identify and discuss Wilde’s main idea
and supporting details. Then have them list Oates’ central ideas and compare
them with the Wilde passage. Students should work independently to draft their
analysis (extended response) and then regroup to share their analysis. Conduct a
class discussion to discuss the views of Wilde and Oates.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
OPTIONAL TEXTS
Poems by Emily Dickinson
 Poetry
 Lexile: N/A
 Focus Standard: LAFS.1112.R.2.5
 Critical Vocabulary: indeterminate, lucid, tumultuous, supposition,
insuperable, prostrate, pertinacity, averted

HMHFYI: interesting articles, audio on issues and information related to the
content in the unit.
 Close Read screencasts from “Song of Myself,” p. 177 TE or Resources
tab/icons in e-book
 Close Reader Practice and Apply: Determining Themes. P. 186b TE
 Level Up Tutorials: Figurative language, Universal and Recurring Themes,
Summarizing, : Resources, Tab Online TE
 Online Assessments for selections: Resources Tab, Online TE
 Biographies of authors: Resources Tab, Online TE
 Walden/Thoreau/Emerson/Transcendentalism Resources:
http://www.shmoop.com/walden-thoreau/resources.html
History Channel Video
Template Draft | September 2015