Unit 1: The Scarlet Letter
Genres
Content
Skills/Standards
Evidence/Assessment
Resources
Fiction
Students will know and
understand:
Students will be able to do
and demonstrate:
Pre-reading poster- Research
selected topic, create fact filled
poster, present orally
Core Text: The Scarlet
Letter by Nathaniel
Hawthorne
Annotation/Close reading
Close reading/Annotation/
Cornell Notes
Socratic Seminar
Identify different Points of
View
Analytical Essay on two short
stories (Sinners/YGB): 2 – 3 pages
Short Stories: Sinners in
the Hands of an angry God
by Jonathan Edwards
Write using different Points of
View
Analytical Essay on the
symbolism in the text.3-5 pages.
Identify and explain symbolism
and allegory
Timed Writing Students will write
a n essay in 50 minutes
Writing Skills
Analytical writing
Point of View Writing telling the
same story from 4 different points
of view
Novel
Point of View
1st person
3rd person
Limited
Objective
Omniscient
Puritanism
Symbolism/ Allegory
Oral Presentation
Students will prepare a
poster and present their
findings
Leveled Questions for each chapter
Daily reading checks
Test on The Scarlet Letter
Bi- Weekly Vocab Test
Independent Reading Responses
Young Goodman Brown by
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Hills Like White Elephants by
Ernest Hemingway
Unit 2 Literary Devices
Genres
Content
Skills/Standards
Evidence/Assessment
Resources
Short Stories
Students will know and
understand:
Students will be able to
do and demonstrate:
Analysis of Author’s
Purpose

Cultural, social, and
historical influence within
literature (Irving, Lee,
Miller, Wilson)
Annotating and charting
text
Novel: To Kill a
Mockingbird – Harper
Lee
Comprehension Questions on
each text
Poetry:
The Raven – Edgar Allen
Poe
Summaries
Nonfiction
Fiction
Poetry
Drama
Big Ideas:
 Otherness
 Prejudice
 Dreams/Visions
 Discrimination
 Reform
 Dignity
 The elderly
Diction & Syntax
Literary elements
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Mood
Tone
Symbolism
Imagery
Conflict
Alliteration
Character
Connotation
Denotation
Diction
Syntax
Figurative Language
Author’s Purpose
Issues or themes that
Use symbolism, setting,
dialogue, and character to
determine mood and tone
Identify and understand
the cultural, social, and
historical influence from
text
Daily reading checks
Non-fiction:
Weekly Skills check
Fiction: Short Stories
Dr. Heidegger’s
Experiment – Nathaniel
Hawthorne
Vocabulary Quiz
Major writing assignments
Interpret and apply
inference skills to make
meaning and understand
text
Analyze author’s
purpose and evaluate
effectiveness for different
audience (includes fact or
opinion, author’s point of
view, tone, and use of
persuasive devices) (Intro
Exit tickets
The Devil and Tom
Walker – by Washington
Irving
The Bet – Anton
Checkov
Tusk, Tusk by David
McKee ( for
differentiation)
Black Misery, by
reflect the viewpoints of
Americans of the time
Awareness of ideas that
dominate different
cultures
Social commentary
(social issues within
society)
to Appeals: pathos)
Analyze author’s use of
literary elements and
devices in relation to
theme and/or message.
Understand theme
through identification of
main ideas and supporting
details.
Make cause and effect
connections within the text
or between texts/media.
Langston Hughes (for
differentiation)
Drama:
Death of a Salesman –
Arthur Miller
Fences – August Wilson
PPT presentations –
 Symbolism

“The Devil and
Tom Walker”
Make inferences or
predictions based on
reading of texts and media.
Content –
“Fences” by August Wilson
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Prologue – what it teaches about theme, plot,
characters
Symbolism of the title
Setting – time period, socio-political climate, place;
and their impact on characters
Introduction of characters by narration, other
characters, dialogue, interpersonal
relationships/response to crisis
Readers’/audience’s earlier impression of main
characters based on dialogue
What is the source of conflict in the play (at the workplace,
Skills - “Fences” by August Wilson
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Predict plot from cues given in prologue
Interpret symbols
Identify similar symbols in environment (ex. Fence =
prison, controlling relationships, curfews)
Define character traits
Form personal impression of characters
Identify causes of conflict
Find solution for the conflicts encountered
Identify fences in the characters’ lives
Identify writer’s intention, attitude, message
Strategies in context (Plot, characterization, symbolism, diction, figurative
Assessment
Direct/Indirect
Character analysis
 What is your first
impression o the
main character
Troy? What do
you like of
dislike about
him? Why?
 Discuss and write
about how the
familial relationships, parental expectations)?
Dominant themed on the play
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dreams and expectations
fences/barriers
segregated sports
role of women
forgiveness
language, etc.)
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Literary elements
Character
Diction
Mood
Syntax
Tone Symbolism Conflict
Figurative Language

Write all the words/phrases that are associated with
the symbol “fence”
Predict what the plot of the play will be based on the
message of the prologue
Use the setting to help define the characters
What is your first impression o the main character
Troy? What do you like of dislike about him? Why?
What statement does the playwright make about
marriage by allowing Alberta to die? Rose’s and
Troy’s marriage to break up?
Does he applaud or oppose independence in
women? How do Rose and Bonnie illustrate this?
interaction
among the
characters helps
the readers to get
to know them.
History & Literature
Negro Baseball league
Unit 3: Things Fall Apart
Genres
Content
Skills/Standards
Evidence/Assessment
Resources
Fiction
Students will know and
understand:
Students will be able to do
and demonstrate:
Pre-reading poster- Research
selected topic, create fact filled
poster, present orally
Things Fall Apart by Chinua
Achebe
Elements of characterization
Identify and analyze the
characteristics of culture in
Things Fall Apart
Novel
Imperialism
African (Igbo) Culture
Gender roles
Identify and analyze the
character traits of Okonkwo in
Things Fall Apart
Writing Skills
Analytic writing
PPT Presentation
Critical Analysis on the culture in
Things Fall Apart: 2-3 pages
Character Analysis on Things
Fall Apart: 2 – 3 pages
Dear Abby letter as one of the
characters
(character and critical
analysis)
Obituary for Okonkwo
Daily reading checks
Oral Presentation
Students will prepare a
poster and present their
findings
Test on Things Fall Apart
Unit Test on Characterization
Bi- Weekly Vocab Test
Independent Reading Responses
Unit 4: Poetry
Genres
Content
Skills/Standards
Evidence/Assessment
Resources
Poetry
Students will know and
understand:
Students will be able to do
and demonstrate:
Poster- Research 6 Poetic Devices,
define and provide examples, teach
devices to class
Variety of poems including, but not
limited to:
Poetic Devices
SOAPSTone Analysis and
write an essay based on the
SOAPSTone
Rhythm and Meter
Forms of poetry
Odes, sonnets, sestinas.
spoken word
Identify forms of poetry
Analysis devices (Speaker,
Occasion, Audience,
Purpose, Subject, Tone)
Writing Skills
Analytic writing
(poetry analysis)
That poetry is written across
all cultures in varying ways
Oral Presentation
Memorize and recite
original poetry with an
Poetry Explication

Portfolio of original poems

Oral presentation of original
poems
Poetry Analysis Essay on 1-2
Poems: 3-5 pages
Unit Test on Poetic Devices,
Forms and Analysis (SOAPSTone,
TPCASST)
Bi- Weekly Vocab Test
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Stop All the Clocks by W.H.
Auden
The History Teacher by
Billy Collins
Trees in the Garden by
Stephen Crane
Mother to Son by Langston
Hughes
Sonnet 29 by William
Shakespeare
A Barred Owl by Richard
Wilbur
emphasis on rhythm and
meter
Independent Reading Responses
Unit 5: Othello
Genres
Content
Skills/Standards
Evidence/Assessment
Resources
Fiction
Students will know and
understand:
Students will be able to do
and demonstrate:
Pre-reading poster- Research
selected topic, create fact filled
poster, present orally
Othello by William
Shakespeare
Shakespeare’s background
Identify Iambic Pentameter
Drama/Shakespeare
Written Analysis of each act
Language of
Shakespeare/Iambic
Pentameter
Writing Skills
Analytic writing
(Critical analysis of text/film)
Characteristics of
Shakespearean Plays
Oral Presentation
Students will memorize and
recite a minimum of 20 lines
Daily reading checks
Students will prepare a
poster and present their
findings
Memorization and recital of a
minimum of 20 lines.
Compare/Contrast Writing on
Othello films and text: 3-5 pages
Trial of Othello
Tragic Hero/Character Flaws
Memorization/ recitation
techniques
Explication and Analysis of a
Sonnet
Translate Shakespearean lines into
a tweet
Multiple Tests on Othello
Bi- Weekly Vocab Test
Independent Reading Responses
Variety of Shakespearean
Sonnets
Film: Othello (1922)
Othello (1995)
O (2001)
Unit 6: Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas
Genres
Content
Skills/Standards
Personal Narrative
Students will know and
understand:
Students will be able to
do and demonstrate:
Evidence/Assessment
Analysis of Author’s
Purpose
Slave Narrative
Author’s Purpose
Characteristics of
Autobiography
Recognizing rhetorical
questions and using them
effectively in persuasive
writing
Student will recognize
literature as a record of
human experience.
To be able to analyze and
describe tone and mood in
literary writing
Sentence variety
Write sentences using a
variety of structures
Autobiography
Nonfiction
Fiction
Poetry
Big Ideas:
 Integrity
 Discovering the truth
 Courage
 Dreams/Visions
Punctuation Rules
Rhetorical Awareness
 Rhetorical
Questions
 Tone
 Varying Sentence
Structure
 Punctuation and
Clarity
Learn to use the following
punctuation marks
correctly: end marks,
commas, semi-colons,
apostrophes, quotation
marks, and em-dashes
Make a good outline that
can help students state an
Comprehension Questions
on each chapter
Summative Assessment:
 Personal Narrative – to
share an important
experience that includes
a bad decision
 Reflective Narrative – to
reflect on the impact of a
change in your life
 Poem Analysis
Presentation – to explore
meaning
Formative Assessment:
 Write Source student
rubrics in Narrative Unit
 Journal entries reflecting
personal viewpoints of
the social issues
discussed
 Narrative map
Resources
Timeline of the life of
Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass
(Poem) by Robert Hayden
Frederick Douglass and
the War Against Slavery
Narrative of the Life of
Frederick Douglass, an
American Slave
Frederick Douglass,
Leader Against Slavery
by Patricia and Fredrick
McKissack (for
differentiation)
Excerpts from:
The Interesting Narrative
of the Life of Olaudah
Equiano
The Confessions of Nat
Turner
Incidents in the Life of a
How to Outline
argument clearly and
concisely
Slave Girl
Letter to Thomas
Jefferson by Benjamin
Banneker
Unit 7: The Great Gatsby
Genres
Content
Skills/Standards
Evidence/Assessment
Resources
Fiction
Students will know and
understand:
Students will be able to do and
demonstrate:
Pre-reading poster- Research selected
topic, create fact filled poster, present
orally
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott
Fitzgerald
Symbolism and Allegory
Identify and explain symbolism
and allegory
Novel
Character traits
Myth vs. Reality
Concepts of the American
Dream and Wealth
Identify and explain their vision of
the American Dream
Writing Skills
Persuasive essays
Character Sketch (obituary)
United States in the 1920s
Persuasive writing techniques
Identify and analyze relevant
quotes from the text
Oral Presentation
Students will prepare a
poster and present their
findings
Persuasive Essay on The American
Dream: 2 – 3 pages
Persuasive Essay on The Great
Gatsby: 3 – 5 pages
Daily reading checks
Comprehension Questions for each
chapter
Written Analysis on each symbol in
the novel
Obituary for Jay Gatsby
Socratic Seminar
Test on The Great Gatsby
Unit Test on Characterization
Short Story: Hills Like White
Elephants by Ernest
Hemingway
Article: Who Wants to Be a
Millionaire: Changing
Conceptions of the American
Dream
by Matthew Warshauer
Bi- Weekly Vocab Test
Independent Reading Responses
Unit 8: Brave New World
Genres
Content
Skills/Standards
Evidence/Assessment
Resources
Science Fiction
Students will know and
understand:
Students will be able to do
and demonstrate:
Analysis of Author’s Purpose
Essay on Brave New World: 2 – 3
pages
Brave New World by Aldous
Huxley
Author’s Purpose
Elements of characterization:
Character traits, round,
flat, static, dynamic.
Novel
Characteristics of Science
Fiction
Characteristics of a dystopian
novel that are prominently
illustrated in Brave New
World.
How science and technology
made the world better or
worse
Cite incidents in the novel to
support Huxley’s theme: He
who controls and uses
knowledge wields power.
Discuss the use of this novel
as commentary on
industrialization and science
(i.e. How can conditioning develop
a society?)
Harrison Bergeron by Kurt
Vonnegut
Post-reading poster- Research
selected topic, create fact filled
poster, present orally
Video Presentations
 Cloning
 Ivan Pavlov
 Conditioning –
Twilight Zone :
Number 12 Looks
Like You
Research Skills –
(i.e. What is Cloning?
Negative Impacts on Society?
Conditioning? )
Comprehension Questions on
each chapter
Character Analysis Rubric
Chapter Summaries
Character Analysis Outline
Discussion Skills
Daily reading checks
(Warm Up activity10 questions
daily to confirm that students have
read.)
Character Analysis Prompts
Writing Skills
Analytic writing
(character analysis)
Oral Presentation
Students will prepare posters
and present their findings
Dialectical Journal Entries
Character Analysis Essay: 2-3
pages
Character Trait Worksheet
PPT Presentations
Socratic Seminar
Discuss how the author uses
irony to critique and examine
society
Understand the use and
purpose of allusion,
especially to Shakespeare, in
this novel.
Expressive Listening, &
Viewing: - Demonstrate
reflection and insight while
responding to texts through
personal expression
Reading, >Expressive
Understands multiple
perspectives
Investigates connections
between life
and literature
Considers
cultural or historical
significance
Writing & Speaking
>Expressive
Articulates insightful
connections between life and
literature
>Grammar/Language
Analyze parts of speech as
they relate to writing
Edit for spelling and
mechanics
Extend effective use of
phrases and clauses
Student Performance Demonstrates the ability to
read, to listen, and to view a
variety of increasingly complex
expressive print and media
Reading, Listening, &
Viewing:
Test on Brave New World
Wordly Wise Weekly Vocab Test
( book is segmented into units
with comprehension practices.
Aligns well with SAT.
Independent Reading Responses
*Summative Assessment:
 Personal Narrative – to
share an important
experience that includes a
bad decision
 Reflective Narrative – to
reflect on the impact of a
change in your life
 Poem Analysis Presentation
– to explore meaning
Formative Assessment:
 Journal entries reflecting
personal viewpoints of the
social issues discussed
 Topic web ·
 Narrative map
 Sensory detail chart
>Student Performance
Monitoring the adequacy of
comprehension
Making connections from
text to text, self, and world
Asking questions of
themselves, the authors they
encounter, and the information
they process
Making inferences during
and after reading
Distiguishing important
ideas
Synthesizing information
>Grammar/Language
Decoding vocabulary using
bases and affixes.
Using vocabulary strategies
(context clues, resources)
Discern the relationship of
words in analogies [check
alignment with SAT]
> Genre
Analyze the characteristics of
literary genres and how the
selections shape
meaning.
Relate ideas, styles, and
themes within the movements.
Understand influences
in the
movements. · Evaluate the
literary merit and
historical significance of
works.
· Making and supporting valid
responses about the text
through references to other
works and authors
· Comparing texts to show
similarities or differences in
themes, characters, or ideas